Thin Line- Charlie Dalton Love Story

Chapter 33: Epilogue

10 years later

The case against my father was closed as fast as it was open. Due to the mountains of evidence and witnesses and character references, it was impossible for it to proceed into court. Although, I was forced to go to therapy to undo whatever my father did to me. It worked great, I don't get nightmares anymore and I rarely ever think of the event.

The co-ed trial that Welton was trying out, ended up being a bust. I can't confidently say that Charlie and I didn't take part in that. After the year was over and the trial came to an end, the school realized the decision was a wrong one. Anyone would have known the decision was fucked up. 

Mr.Keating remained as a teacher at Welton Academy for 8 more years before retiring and heading back home to his wife. We all send him postcards once in a while and he is kind enough to respond back with his news and a verse from a poem.

Elle went to high school and experienced the same deal of love and heartbreak that I did. But now she is thriving and attending Princeton University where she is studying Journalism.

My Mother went to rehab after months and months or urging her too. She failed to commit the first time. And the second time. And the third time. But did quite well the fourth time around. It all went great until the doctors told her she might have liver cancer and she took this as a chance to drink her life away, clearly misunderstanding the meaning of 'Carpe Diem'. And well, needless to say is that she succeeded. My mother, Elizabeth Chase, died in the year 1967 after battling liver cancer for three years.

Mr and Mrs. Dalton got divorced in the year 1961 after they recognized that their son, Charles Dalton, was not willing to abide by their plans for his future. Nothing more is known about them, as they made sure to cut off all contact with their son after the divorce. Lucky Charlie.

Cameron finished Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in Criminology. He decided to take a break for a year before taking any further steps. Unfortunately, he was drafted to fight the war in Vietnam in the year 1966.  He was declared M.I.A two years after.

Meeks attended Harvard University where he studied engineering for three years before deciding to drop out and elope to Spain with a mystery girl named Elaine. He has a successful radio show in Spain. Judging from his annual postcards, he seems to be doing well.

Pitts did not in fact get accepted into Yale University. His parents did not take the news well and kicked him out of their house. He couch hopped from friend to friend, as he worked as a waiter in a diner. He was advised by a customer to get a license in real estate because 'that's where the money is'. Pitts did as such and found the money. He is a licensed realtor, with a nice wife and a dog pet. I kept telling him that cats were the better choice but he didn't appreciate the advice.

Knox attended Princeton University and, as per his father's plans, continued on to Princeton Law School where he graduated. Soon after graduation he married Chris. Later he was hired at his father's law firm where he worked for a couple of years. However, he resigned when Chris announced that she was pregnant, and instead devoted all his attention to his wife.

Todd, after high school graduation, became roommates with Neil. Neil helped him get a job as a part of the production crew in a small town theatre, as he figured out what to do with his life. However, that was decided for him when he got drafted to war in Vietnam in the year 1965. He was one of the first American troops to be sent. He finished his mandatory two years serving and returned home safely. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic service. He underwent intense psychological therapy, where he fell in love with the nurse. He got married in the year 1969.  He is currently working as a Field Grade Officer in West Point Military Academy.

Neil ran away from home after graduation. He left no notes or addresses to his parents. I heard his father got a stroke from the shock of Neil's departure, but who cares. He worked in a community theatre for a few years, while living with Todd in a small apartment in New York City. After one of his successful shows, he was approached by an agent, who thought him perfect for a modeling career. He worked as a model for a year, and got famous for it which became his gateway ticket to the acting industry. He has been in numerous famous movies ever since and even got nominated for an Emmy award once. Neil lives in a condo in Maine, with his girlfriend, Jasmine.

Rebecca attended Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. She finished her residency in Lenox Hill Hospital and after many hardworking years, she got herself a career as head surgeon. She is engaged to a stock broker named Mike, whom she performed surgery on after he tried to jump off a four story building. Stupid idiot should have picked a taller building if he wanted to kill himself but he met Becky so he's real lucky. Becky and I vacation one a year to a different part of the world and catch up on all the gossip.

Charlie graduated high school and informed his parents that he had no interest in inheriting his father's business or attending Yale. His father struck him across the face after he announced that, and he walked out of the house and out of their lives forever. Now, whenever he receives postcards from his family, he throws them in the fireplace.  He proposed to me two days after graduation but I said no. He job hopped from being a cashier to a Navigator in JFK airport until last year where he quit after he published a best selling book.

I did not graduate. I dropped out of high school with only two semesters to go. I moved in with my mother and sister to a different home, the old one carried unpleasant memories. I dedicated all my time to writing a book. Come May and Charlie proposed to me. Excited as I was, I had to decline, because I thought we were too young to be getting married. We did however, move in together in a tiny apartment in New York, Manhattan. I used the money my parents had planned on using for my post secondary education. I finished my first book in two months and pitched it to 25 different publishing companies, until one decided to publish it. The guy working there thought I had great potential and offered me a contract to work with them full time. I took up that offer and worked hard to reach my deadlines. I have now published 4 books all of which promoted positive feedback. I am currently working on a biography about myself.

When Charlie and I both had decent jobs, we could afford a bigger place and decided to move to Hawaii. We decided on Hawaii by throwing a dart on the map of America. He proposed again, and I said yes. We had our honeymoon in Italy. I didn't like the idea of having kids, however when I finally agreed, we couldn't succeed no matter what. As it turns out, fertility issues were a genetic issue which would explain why my mother couldn't have any more children after me. It also didn't help that I was getting kicked repeatedly in the stomach for years. Thanks Daddy for that present from hell. We are planning on adopting but for now, we're both working successfully as writers and kids can wait.

The Dead Poets hold a meeting twice a year in our house in Hawaii. They all stay over for a week before heading back home. We gather around a well lit bonfire as a person reads out loud a poem. We laugh. We drink. We talk. We joke. We live.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden

THE END