Back in Alabama I vacillated back and forth between what I did and did not remember about the business. All that I had learned the past year had vanished from my memory. Then I was miserable not having Sonja with me. She had planned to fly down for the weekend.

My week was spent transferring the ownership over to a blind trust. I probably should have just sold it off but the business was doing really well. The ongoing profits provided for Cade's very expensive care. Momma had no financial worries at all.

Sonja finally flew in. I was able to once again drive and met her at the airport. I smiled to myself realizing that I did remember the routine of armed agents recovering their weapons. I laid one on Sonja who quickly pushed me away while whispering "not here Chris!"

I had brought dinner in from the ranch. Marie could cook a pot roast like no other and had a way in the vegetable garden that delighted Sonja.

Earlier in the evening, Sonja went to take a quick shower. I watched her as she picked up her necklace and walked over and took it out of her hand. Aren't you kind of tired of wearing this I asked? Her eyes got big as she replied "of course not Chris, you gave this to me"

"Well" I said "I'll trade you for this. I handed her another jewelry box. This one contained a diamond engagement ring and a wedding band that held diamonds from my grandmother's own wedding band. "Oh they're beautiful Chris." "So will you marry me Sonja Percy?"

"Oh yes, Christopher!" I picked her up and twirl her around.

We spent most of the weekend talking. I took Sonja to my father's farm where one could get lost in the north forty. My father had built a cabin at the top of one of the hills. The staff had cleaned it up for me and we spent Saturday afternoon there.

Walking hand and hand I told Sonja about our difficult childhood. Beau LaSalle was determined to become a success. What he never told anyone was that it was my mother's family money that provided the seed money for his business exploits. I only discovered that fact after digging through the organizational documents and found the original promissory note from my grandfather. I did retain that memory so my anger about it remained for the rest of my life.

Our father did not have the time to be at home with us children. He about lost it when Cade drifted away from us. Momma was supportive of me and when the time came for me to leave, provided a nest egg for me to make my way to New Orleans. Momma provided a nurturing environment for all three of us. However, social science shows that children need their father in their life and for us, that was missing.

Sonja on the other hand had advantages that a lot of children would want. Inspite of having a totally intact family unit she strayed. She and her two best friends fell into drugs which ended up killing one of them and ruining the life of a second one. It had been difficult to get the whole story out of Sonja when we were just friends. Now, as a piece of her heart, she was able to relay the whole story to me. I had met Marian and her daughter. I shared comfort in the knowledge that Sonja had not only saved their lives, but was able to help them make a fresh start.

We had the time to make plans for the next year of our lives. Long distance relationships are hard, but we used every available modern technique to keep in touch. Marriage counseling was a little more difficult. I ended up going there for the sessions. I did my one on one sessions while Sonja was out of the country. That allowed us to be able to spend precious time together when we both were in D.C. I'm glad that we realized that we need to make a clean sweep before tying the knot. We both carried a lot of baggage. The joint sessions allowed us to learn a lot about each other that helped us as a couple in the ensuing years.