Choices for a Fated Destiny

Chapter 10

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"You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." - Steve Jobs

"When destiny calls and pulls at your soul, follow!" - Elly Molina
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The raven starts hopping from one foot to the other, as if standing on hot coals. It suddenly stops and takes flight with a happy screech. Once it clears the rooftop, it swirls and somersaults mid-flight. Then, shooting straight up like a rocket, it screeches loudly again before flying even higher until it disappears from sight.

A week later...

Carolaine Collins

The calm ocean, with its gentle, soothing movements, disappears into the horizon where the sun announces its departure by painting the sky in shades of blues, oranges, and pinks.

As if staking its claim with an ominous warning, the towering mountain protectively hugs the countryside, a lover's arm, the curve of its hand disappearing into white waves endlessly crashing over sharp, pointy rocks.

I sit staring out the window of the car sent for us. Tuning out the excited chatter of my best friend, I simply soak up the scenery, allowing its peaceful ambiance to soothe my inner turmoil.

Surely someone had photographed or painted this mountainous area. These views are way too beautiful to not be eternalized in some way, shape or form!

Turning my head, I look at my best friend sitting next to me and can't help but smile. Paisley might not be a beauty queen, but her energy, honesty, and inner childlike excitement about everything in life are quite addictive.

Inexplicably, that's exactly what makes her so totally irresistible to everyone who meets her. Men, women, and even children are drawn to her like moths to a flame.

At the moment, with her excitement bubbling over, she is bombarding the poor driver's ears with her continuous chattering. Not that he seems to mind at all. He hasn't stopped smiling since he picked us up!

I sigh softly, I'd much rather be at home, curled up on my favorite chair with a good book and an ice-cold drink. Instead, I'm all dressed up to spend the evening with a bunch of pretentious socialite wannabes. I'm so not a social butterfly, and these types of events are just not my cup of tea!

But... here I am, battling my nerves and trying to get a social mask in place. It's almost time to pretend the company's awesome, the food is awesome, and at the end of the evening, that it was an awesome event not to be forgotten any time soon. All the while having to smile about everything and at everyone, and politely chit-chatting about absolutely nothing!

Oh, and let's not forget the awe-inspiring platters of culinary delights that will be presented to impress the guests. Everyone will be gracefully chewing on one of the dainty 'nobody-knows-what-it-is' snacks displayed in perfect, colorful symmetric patterns, presented on elegant trays by smartly dressed waiters.

And most likely, I'll be forced to either drink way-too-expensive champagne or 'exquisite thousand-year-old' wines, horrible tasting liquids that the esteemed hosts deemed fit for such an illustrious event. Gha!

But... my best friend needs me to be there, so for her, I'll just have to suck it up and make it through a few lousy hours! I sure hope I'll survive this night without embarrassing and spoiling it for her. Maybe I'll be lucky and can find a hidden corner, out of sight, where I can wait until she's ready to leave. Perhaps we'll be lucky and I can keep my mouth shut long enough to not draw unnecessary attention to myself...