So a while back, I listened to my first audiobook, The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand. This is an extended epilogue because, well, did they really think they could just end it there?
X & S:
Dear X,
Out of all the places, it had to be here at the College of Idaho. Out of all the people in existence to bring them together unplanned, it was the new boy. Out of all the colleges, Cass had to pick the one her birth mother graduating without knowing that fact when she made her choice. And out of all days, her birth mom could hypothetically hand over the traditional tassels. Her birth mom and adoptive parents - her parents.
Coincidence after coincidence. Dominoes falling. Stars aligning.
How … why …?
The universe works in weird and magical ways: lining up the dominoes, connecting the stars. Nobody understands the universe or how it works but it hits hard and people just have to live with its actions, ready or not.
The moment Cass stopped looking for Sandra Witt, the universe found her. The universe wanted her to let go and accept it so the surprise would be so much more worth it. Accept what they had waiting for her. Cass could've always found something if she looked harder but it might not be the exact thing she was after.
Their eyes lock as it was like time slowed and they were the only ones in the room, like on the day Cass was born. Cass can tell Sandra connected the dots by the way her eyes softened and her lips slightly parted in an unbelievable shock. She aged beautifully from her high school yearbook photo. Fine lines traced her face like a work of art.
They both ended up okay. Not knowing what's set in stone help set them on their ways to cross paths later.
Cass notices Sandra's eyes flicker, looking behind Cass for a split second. She figures Sandra noticed the baker and the school teacher from the adoption files, both older now and aged with life's events unbeknownst to her but still distinguishable from the dad's red hair and both sets of kind eyes. The chosen parents for X, for Baby Star.
Cass isn't sure what to do or say once Sandra looks back at her. Tears well in her eyes and Sandra smiles joyfully yet sadly at the same time, as if she isn't sure how to feel so her body reacts without her mind's input since she can't process it.
Cass understands the feeling. It's like looking in a mirror.
A reflection she never thought she'd see.
"H-hi…" Cass mutters, unsure if Sandra even heard her. It felt so loud that her body trembled and her knees may buckle soon. Should she say it again? Walk closer? Open her arms for a hug? No script or rehearsals could've prepared her for the final act.
The Epilogue: The Unexpected Reunion of X and S, the Daughter and her Birth Mom. Starring Cassandra McMurtrey and Sandra Witt.
"X…" Sandra whispers back, lips barely parting.
And scene.
- S
Thank you to anyone who has read this story. Please let me know what you thought. If you have a story idea that you want me to write or a story that you want me to beta, don't be afraid to ask!
~ MysteryGal5