Dennis Reed chuckled as he watched his kid sister leave his office at Johns Hopkins University. Leave it to Annie to come to him with a silly theory on fate and destiny.
But he shouldn't have been surprised. Annie was always a bit of a dreamer, while he, on the other hand, relished the practical side of there were a brother and
sister who were more different, it was Dennis and Annie.
What was she thinking, fantasizing over a stranger who lives in Seattle of all places? It rains nine months of the year in Seattle!
She was probably right; she was just experiencing feelings of anxiety about her wedding. But despite that, she was glowing with happiness.
He was thrilled when she'd announced her engagement to Walter at their parent's house on Christmas Eve. Walter seemed like a great guy and he would be the perfect
husband, but Annie would certainly have her hands full in dealing with Walter's seemingly endless array of allergies.
Suddenly the question she asked him about his relationship with his wife when she walked through the door resonated in his mind...
"Do you believe that in some mystical, cosmic way it was fated?"
His answer had been truthful. "Betsy said we had to break up or get married, so we got married."
Destiny and fate indeed...
As he'd told her, "What people think of as fate is just two neuroses thinking they are a perfect match".
Nothing more. And he firmly believed that. There was simply no such thing as fate and destiny.
But now, as he stared out the window of his office, his mind burned with memories...