Epilogue
"Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory." - Frederick William Faber
Erin Strauss was hiking alone in the woods. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two round metal discs. In her left hand, she held the coin that had been on loan to her for the past 429 days. In her right hand, she held the one that was now her very own.
She continued to hike to the top of the mountain. When she arrived, she saw a waterfall cascading down the side of a cliff. Impulsively, she found herself climbing out into the middle of the stream.
She stood on a rock at the base of the waterfall. She stepped into the spray and let the cool, clear water wash away all of her guilt, regret, and pain. She stood there for several minutes, until she felt completely clean. When she returned to the trail, she saw a dove fly overhead.
She placed the medallions back in her pocket and dried off. She hiked back down to her car, arriving just as the sun was setting. She stopped for a meal at a roadside diner and then drove back to D.C. She picked up her cell phone and hit the speed dial.
"Reid," came the voice on the other end of the line.
"Spencer, it's Erin. Is it ok if I come over?"
"Of course," he said with concern.
Ten minutes later, she found herself walking up the familiar driveway to Spencer Reid's townhouse. She knocked on the door, and he answered it. "Come in," he said.
Erin walked inside and looked around. The place looked the same as the last time she was there, a testament to the fact that in this ever-changing world, some things could be counted on to be constant. "What's on your mind?" Spencer asked.
"I have something for you," she said as she reached into her pocket. She placed the medallion in Spencer's hand and looked into his eyes.
Spencer broke out into a huge smile and said, "I'm so proud of you, Erin!"
"I couldn't have done it without you, Spencer. I owe you a great debt that I will never be able to repay."
"There's no paying back in recovery. There's only paying forward. That's what step twelve is all about. Someday you'll find someone who is walking down the lonely road toward overcoming an addiction - someone who will need a trail guide who has been down that path before. Sponsor that person," Spencer said.
Erin nodded and reached up and pulled Spencer into a tight hug as a tear of joy and relief slid down her cheek.
"This is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun!" C. JoyBell C.
