Fated Memories Read Free

never make her parents understand why hitting things always lightened her mood. That’s when she saw the note from Maggie.
    A distant cousin, Maggie McGrail had found Kitty last year while doing genealogy research on her family. While Kitty had dabbled in that, she’d never gotten too far. Eager to meet her, she’d driven to Maggie’s home in Pennsylvania one weekend and they had an absolute blast. Over pizza and beer, they’d shared memories of their childhood years—good and bad—, their failed romances, and promises they’d made to themselves. Maggie’s hilarious stories of goings-on at the diner where she worked had Kitty in stitches.
    Although not close relatives, the cousins found similarities in their natures and circumstances with enough common ground to be at ease with each other right away. A new experience for Kitty.
    Physically they weren’t that much alike. For one thing, Maggie’s side of the family was more generously endowed in the chest area. She had light skin, clear and smooth as porcelain, and her blue-gray eyes that she said she got from her grandma, were fringed with thick dark lashes. She had the same reddish-brown hair which she supplemented with more red highlights, making the contrast with the rest of her coloring more striking. A major blessing for Kitty, Maggie’s five-foot-seven height meant she’d never be called a giant standing next to her.
    Since that first visit they’d kept in contact through occasional phone calls and frequent emails. The internet made it easy to share their deepest secrets, their fears and anxieties, as well as a few laughs over everyday life. These open and frank conversations helped the cousins grow as close as sisters. Kitty became the one Maggie never had and Maggie replaced the one who’d moved away from Kitty when she got married. Maggie’s only other living relative was a sweet old grandmother who had little time left to live, so it pleased Kitty to welcome her into her own little circle of family and friends.
    Kitty hated dumping her problems on her, but practical Maggie always had such good advice. And, as much as she loved her mom and dad, she always felt like such a child when she ran crying to them. To make matters worse, she’d also have to listen to their sermons on how to live her life. Sonia tried, but it was Maggie who always helped her see things clearly. Her mind made up, Kitty reached for her cell.
    Maggie picked up the phone on the first ring. “Hey Kitty, how’s it going?”
    Even with the catharsis of last night’s tear fest, Kitty’s voice still quivered as she spoke. “Not good.”
    “Why? What happened? Is everything okay?”
    “My life sucks, Mags. Everyone at the hospital thinks I’m a bitch and they want to get rid of me. They gave me a take-it-or-leave-it offer for the med/surg unit where Richard works and I can’t do it Maggie, I just can’t. And to top it off, Sonia and Carlos got engaged and they might be moving. If I quit the hospital I’ll have to go back and live with my parents. I’m such a loser.”
    “Never say that Kit, you are not a loser. Life is all about changes that’s what makes it interesting. You’ve always known you were too smart for that job. This is your chance to break free, turn the negative into a positive. Spread your wings. Grow.”
    Kitty still wasn’t convinced. “You make it sound so easy.”
    “No, it isn’t easy, it’s freakin’ hard. Until they’re tested, though, people don’t realize their strength. I have faith in you, Kitty Trausch.” Maggie’s voice caught. “Speaking of strength, Grandma Margaret’s is running out. She gave everyone a scare the other day when her heart stopped and they had to shock her back. Doctor Brunsting had me sign a paper saying that if it happens again they’ll just let her go. She’s ninety-six, Kit, and she’s dying.”
    Kitty sat up straighter in her chair, chastising herself. How awful of me to burden her with my whining when she