Sincerely, Delilah

PROLOGUE

My uncle died in a drunk-driving accident. 

I was fourteen at the time and didn't understand anything. All I knew was the look of shock on my father's face and the gradual tears that drenched him. My mom broke the news to my brothers and I the next morning while my dad was on the first flight out to Scarlett.

Dad was supposed to be on a two week trip to attend the funeral and spend time with family, but never returned home to Chesterfield. He got caught up in so many loose ends that by the time he was ready to come home, Mom was ready to say goodbye to him and their relationship forever. He called months later and told us he figured it would be best if he stayed where he was, and I couldn't blame him after what Mom had said to him. She was done, and there was nothing more to do about it.

Since then, life has changed drastically.

Mom met Jeremy Keller, a librarian. He was decent enough, but something about his thick glasses and oversized sweaters made him hard to take seriously. Dad settled down and started up his own local construction company in Scarlett; He seemed happy too.

I made it through the first three years of high school with (roughly) a perfect GPA and a crazy extracurricular schedule. Ever since I was ten years old, I knew I wanted to go to Harvard and study medicine, just like my Aunt Taylor who spent numerous summers babysitting my brothers and I growing up. With such high hopes for the future, my junior year has been spent as vice president of our highschool's student council, running cross country and playing softball, and spending weekends teaching kids to ice skate at the local rink—everything just to get the perfect resume.

I had a perfect plan outlined for life right in front of me. These plans I had written up years ago and pledged to live by for the rest of my life were everything I've ever cared about. Then all of the sudden everything changed. I had to make one of the hardest decisions, and I chose to make lemonade from lemons.

I recklessly jumped the gun.

Oddly enough—it felt like a breath of fresh air on a beautiful summer day. It's the sort of day where you roll the windows down and watch as the green and yellow meadows pass by. It feels nostalgic and serene, almost like I've driven down these roads thousands of times in my dreams.

However, I haven't. I've never once considered these roads as a path I'd take until now.

Now I couldn't be more expectant and anxious that I took the chance. On the bright side, I've always loved a little adventure. Who doesn't like a little adventure?