�I�m not sorry for the few moments we shared in �our spot.� I�m not sorry that I was willing to take any amount of insults, abuse and condescension from you if it would prolong our encounter even one minute. I�m not sorry for standing close enough to smell your perfume, for watching you walk away, for touching your hand, or for tempting you to walk with me on my path in life.
�I am sorry, however, for this: that we met at the wrong time, when my life and career made it impossible for us to meet on an even footing. For not being enough for you. For not having enough to give you the kind of life you deserve. I hold dear to that vision of you and me sitting on matching beach chairs in an isolated tropical locale, sipping Mai Tais and gazing lovingly into each other�s eyes. I guess Mai Tais are out of the question now that we are both recovering.
�I have nothing of substance to offer you, and this courier gig, while it pays the bills, is certainly not lucrative enough to support you in the manner to which you deserve to become accustomed.
�I wish I had another life, another me to offer you. I wish I could approach you with my body healthy and tanned, and my hair long and bleached brown by the tropical sun. I dream that you would accept me into your arms and into your bed, that you would let me taste your fresh lips again. I want our baby to have my Christian name, Michael. That�s the name I earned when I confirmed my faith in a higher power for the first time. The name I lost when I cursed that faith and tossed it aside. But I digress, as usual.�

Dr. Hubley looked up at Diane, whose knuckles were white as she gripped the arms of the chair tightly. �Diane, are you breathing?�

Diane nodded mutely. Dr. Hubley continued reading:

�I often wish this life, with its inevitable dead end, would be over so I could start anew. It would be pure poetic justice if you kept the promise you made to me six months ago, that you would do whatever it took to protect the ones you loved. Oh, how I wish that I could fit into that category now, to know your loving embrace, to feel your hair on my cheek, to touch your smooth skin, and to see that luminous smile that you save for only the most deserving souls. �I trust you will always keep your word when you are pushed to the wall. I trust you with my life. You are the only one I would trust with the lives of my children.
�So, I am sorry for not being the right man for you now. And I promise to make it up to you in the next life.
�With deepest love and admiration, your devoted servant, Harry Denby.�

Diane exhaled in a long sigh.

�Well?� Dr. Hubley asked. �How do you feel about this?�

�It�s prophetic. How terrifying is that?� Diane whispered. �But I seem to have survived hearing the letter. That was the scariest thing of all.�

Diane rose and hugged Dr. Hubley. They kissed on the cheek and then separated for the day.