Epilogue

David Harriet and Jack Henderson both got a degree in medicine. David hadn’t had a chance to get his diploma before, and he followed his dream. Russia Harriet went back to law school, and Antonia and I opened an Italian restaurant by buying the building next door to Tony’s Pizza and joining the two places together. Lauren, Antonia, and I now work there as the head cooks, and we hired the people that worked at Tony’s Pizza. We get tons of customers and our job has good income, but what’s even better is that we both do something we love every day. We cook Italian food and get to see the guest’s faces when they take the first bite.

Mom and Dad, my adopted parents, and David and Russia are the best of friends, and everything worked out quite well between them

Audrey is dating Jonathan, Jack’s brother the paramedic, and they’re getting pretty serious about their relationship. I have a feeling that sometime soon he’s going to pop the question. It’s got to be pretty serious when Audrey suddenly gets this crazy idea about being a paramedic…

Michael has become a believer and has become one of my good friends again, and now he and Lauren are casually dating. Nothing serious has happened yet. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. One thing that I know for sure is that I’m happy for the both of them.

Kathryn is having the time of her life in college. She’s going to make a wonderful teacher in a few months.

There is a memorial at the cemetery just for Ausha, and Antonia, Lauren, and I have named one of our most popular dishes after her.

As for Jack and I, we’re getting married in six months, just after we both graduate from college. We’re already preparing to knock out the wall between the two apartments above the restaurant, and we’re getting people to come and repair the floorboards and put new carpet in. Both my sets of parents are delighted. It will be awkward for a while, living in the place that my sister and her murderer were killed. But who says I have to remember that every second of the time?

Kendal has started coming to our church, and everyone is delighted with her. She’s very happy, and has made friends with practically everyone in the congregation. That’s expected, obviously, from someone as bright, happy, and bubbly as Kendal.

And me, of course. I am doing better and no longer have fears about the cold or being hungry. I haven’t been to the hospital in a long time; even though Kendal and I are pretty good friends and I come in and see her a lot at the hospital, even though I do see her at church. My restaurant is a success, and whenever I go up to visit the apartments, I think of my sister, Ausha. Ausha was part of my beginning.

Now I know my beginning, and now that I have that accomplished, I can move on. Just like Jack said, I don’t have to ignore my past; I can just create a new beginning.