Chapter 10 The Prologue

Our son Dylan King LaSalle was born five years after we returned from our first assignment together. Sonja stayed home for three months and then benched her own self for nine more. I took an overseas assignment when Dylan was six months old. Crying in my beer one night in Tele Vive I swore that I would never do that again. It was the first time that Sonja and I had been apart for more than three days in six years

Erin was born three years later. We asked Aaron's sister to be her godmother. We spent about a year after that working with the CIA to identify the holes in protecting our overseas assets. We also met with MI6, Interpol and Mossad to better train American agents in interacting with our allied partners.

We had chosen well in the purchase of our home. Both of our children excelled in the class room at fine schools. Dylan graduated as the Salutatorian and accepted a full scholarship at Harvard. After a year at Oxford, he returned to attend Harvard Law.

Erin did her pre-med at UNC at Chapel Hill and then attended the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Having all her future financial needs met through her trust fund from the sale of LaSalle oil, Erin planned on practicing at one of the military hospitals in D.C. or the Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. It pleased us both that her passion was to help America's wounded warriors.

Sonja and I probably could have worked into our 60's but decided to return to the warm waters of Alabama earlier than most. After helping us to raise our children, Momma wanted to spend her last days at her farm. We built a new home on a rise of land on the north side of the property. I could see the island from the porch where Cade I spent so many hours on as boys. I dredged a channel allowing me to get my boat out to the open water.

Erin found a research project in her mental health rotation that had some promising papers on the condition of her Uncle Cade. He was able to get into a trial and responded well to the initial treatment. Now living on his own about 30 miles from momma, he made it weekly down to see us and sis.

I think that Sonja really wanted a third child but felt guilty of all the time she spent away from our first two children. Tammy suggested that she volunteer at the high school ROTC program near us. Soon our house was overrun by teenagers. I was also rewarded with some new hunting buddies. I knew that some them would learn from tracking animals and that the skill would come in handy for future service in the military or law enforcement.

Years later a new wave of babies invaded our lives. There were five LaSalles and many others from our ROTC brood.

I sit here looking at photos from our life together. Here's one of Sonja in that yellow canary dress that Brody and I found of her when she first started at NCIS. I have to come up here and look at photos every time I come from the grave yard. Her sudden death surprised us all. We had learned about fifteen years ago that she had picked up a parasite somewhere. The doctors were never sure just where but I always wondered if it was the day she jumped into the water with a suspect hiding from a drug lord. Brody and I were so relieved when King pulled her out the water before they could shoot them.

I miss her dearly and look forward to joining my City Mouse someday. "Look Sundance, don't fret" she had told me one day. "Let's just plan our adventures one day at a time, find a new place to make love each day and fall asleep in each other's arms every night.

We were in Paris on assignment one day when I entered a conversation with a woman in French. "You and your amour look so happy." She asked how long we had been together. I had to think before I responded "12 years, we had retrouvailles" I responded. She smiled and retorted "I'm glad that you found each other again." What did you say to her Chris Sonja asks? The word Retrouvailles means 'The happiness of meeting again after a long time' You know like of a romantic reunion."

Well it's bed time LaSalle I say out loud with dread in my heart. I miss you my sweet Sonja I think as I turn out the light.

Revised & edited 7/9/2018 2:20 PM Page 2 of 2