Chapter 46

"Oh, my dear," Ceara said, patting Jessie's thigh. "That must have been very difficult for you."

"Like someone had ripped my heart out and squashed it into the ground." Jessie turned to fully face her friend. "But you know how that feels, don't you?"

Ceara nodded. "And then some."

For a long, silent passing, as the sun set, and dusk sprinkled new colors on the horizon, Jessie and Ceara sat sipping their tea, both feeling a unique sense of loss that happens when you're beyond the point of no return.

"Do you think the ankh could still be there after all these years?"

Ceara's face lit up. "I have a great picture book of Wales. Why don't I go get it and we can see if the stones still stand?"

Jessie's exuberance matched Ceara's. "Would you? God, if I could know that they made it, it wouldn't hurt so much having to say goodbye. I can't stand the thought of not knowing, of wondering I made a difference at all."

"Of course you made a difference. You mustn't ever believe otherwise."