Chapter 7: Getting it all together.
September 24, 1999
Hey there Carter!
Sorry that I haven't written is so long or that I haven't been able to call you… or if you have called you probably have gotten my answering machine more times that you cared to. Things are getting better though than the last time that I talked to you. I've been in Seattle with Doug for nearly a month now and it's been good for me.
Talking to you is always good, but I just needed an extra kick in the butt to get it together and Doug somehow managed to do that for me. You know you are one of my closest friends, but when you are not doing so well sometimes its those people who you want to hide it from. I was taking everything so hard with Dad passing away, losing my job, I just got lost but now I'm there again. I know that my work will be better because of all of this too.
By the time that you get this I should be back on my way to Philly again and looking forward to getting home and back into the swing of life there again. I'll call you soon I promise, that is something that I can promise and manage to keep. It's something that I can control, if it's not in my control, no more promises.
Okay well I know this is short but I need to get going, Doug is waiting, I guess we are going out on his boat since it's stopped raining for the first time in like a week. I've never been out on a boat before so this should be an interesting adventure. One that I won't admit to Doug, but I am looking forward to it.
Talk to you soon,
Anna
"Hey come on put the pen down there slow poke."
I set it down to glance up at Doug standing there in the door way looking at me, "I'm coming just hold your horses."
"Yeah right here," he tosses me a sweatshirt, "you'll need it, it might get chilly out there and the last thing I need is for you to get sick on me."
"I won't get sick on you."
"Yeah Anns that a famous last statement." Doug said, "you call Max?"
"About a half hour ago." I reply back to him.
"All well on the home front?"
"Yeah he says he misses me and wants me to come home soon." I relay what I was told to him. "Nothing new there, told him I'd be home in a few days we could talk more about things then."
"I know a conversation that you don't want to have, but you know you need to have it right?"
We start walking down and out of the house now towards the dock where the boat is. "Yeah I know that it is one that we have to have, and yes you are right I am not looking forward to having to go over this all again with him but I will."
He helps me onto the boat as he starts to untie it from the dock and then motor us out further away from the shore. "You're going to be okay, you know that don't you?"
"Yeah I know, thanks to you, it's all going to be okay."
"Yes Anna it is." He reaches over and pats my hand, "now let's enjoy this little boat ride while we still have the good weather."
We take off a little faster now as he cruises us around Lake Washington. Seattle held more than I thought it would and I felt better than I had in a long time. Maybe there was hope for me yet when I got back to Philly. That somehow inside I would be able to hold it all together and get through this one step at a time.