Harper‘s body is craving sleep but she knows she will need some help if she is going to make it happen on this crowded plane.  First step is to finish her orange juice and wait for the flight attendant to collect their breakfast trash.  Until that happens she is trapped in her middle seat, unable to reach her bag.

Finally her space is clear of debris and she frees her book from its hiding place.  At first she thinks some of her papers got stuck inside of it and quickly goes to remove them.  She smiles when she sees the thick envelope with her name on it.  Instantly she wonders when Shane had the time to write something so epic.  As she devours the words every emotion imaginable runs through her.  She takes in Shane‘s stories blow by blow.  These are the stories you see in movies and talk shows and you feel sorry for the people.  But somehow they always seem unreal.  This time she knows every word is the dark truth and is overwhelmed that its being shared with her.  Over time bits of Shane‘s past have been told to her, but this is the big stuff and here it is all at once.  The door to this fragile creature has been opened and Harper will not hesitate to step right in.

She reads the letter twice through then settles in to give it all great thought.  Knowing all of this is hard for Shane to share she wonders if she‘ll want to talk about it.  Granted she hasn‘t known Shane that long it‘s enough time to know she‘s extremely well adjusted given all she‘s been through.  Harper puts herself in Shane‘s shoes and clearly sees why she became the person she did.  Her heart aches for this beautiful woman with a kind gentle soul whose self worth was so low for the majority of her life.  It wasn‘t until Bette befriended her that she ever had a genuine friendship.  She was the first person to see the good inside of Shane, the need inside of Shane.  All she asked in return was honesty and friendship.

When the announcement is made Harper breaks her own rule, quickly dialing Shane‘s number.  Across the country Shane‘s pocket begins to vibrate and she knows its Harper.  The call goes to voicemail and Harper waits for the tone.  She thanks Shane for the incredible letter and for baring her soul.  Telling her how honored she is that she‘s sharing so much of herself.  And she assures her that her secrets are safe and that nothing she wrote has scared her away.
***