Nick woke up jittery and was worried what his parents might be truly thinking. Special thanks are in order to Michelle B. for editing this for me.

“No matter what happens … no matter whether or not you grant my wish … I just want to say how much I appreciate your friendship. You’ve been kind and patient and compassionate, helpful and honest and … most of all … been there when I’ve needed you. Thank you.”

You've worked hard and reached the pinnacle of success. Now you have lost everything but the trappings of that success. You're presented with one last opportunity to reclaim that which means the most to you. If you do everything correctly, things just might turn out okay. But if you botch the opportunity, it could permanently set a course for final ruination. The risk is high. What would you do? Would you hesitate before doing it? This is what Thomas did.

Warning, there are a couple intense memories here.

I wrote this a long time ago. It is a fairy tale dressed in reality.

1. College Interns

Three hours into the flight, Kelly turned to Jody and asked, “Have you ever been to California before?”

“No, I haven’t,” Jody replied looking out the window. “I’ve always wanted to go but I’ve never had the chance. Outside of taking the train up and down the East coast, I’ve never really been anywhere west of Pittsburgh.”