Beyond Redemption
The person lying in that urn was the former Aaron Hutchinson, who had once been humble, cowardly, and drained of the last drop of blood by his original family.
I saw Vivian Harkins.
She had lost a lot of weight. Her black coat hung loosely on her.
She let the cold rain soak her entire body, her hair plastered messily to her forehead.
She stared fixedly at the photo on the headstone.
That photo was from my senior year. I had a foolish smile and eyes full of hope for the future.
"Dr. Harkins, our condolences."
A few former colleagues gave her perfunctory pats on the shoulder. As they turned to leave, they whispered among themselves.