Epilogue
20 YEARS LATER
The 42-year-old woman walked to the podium. Her hands were sweating and she was queasy. More than anything, she wanted to sit back down, or better yet, go home and go to bed. However, the two women who meant more to her than anyone had asked her if she would be willing to say a few words, and she wouldn’t deny them.
Those gathered in the hall fell silent as she prepared to speak.
“My adopted grandfather was a wonderful man. I was about eight years old when I first met him, and I remember how kind he was to me from the first day. When I was struggling, I would seek him out and sit with him and just talk, and things would be better.
“When he arrived here, he was selected to serve on the leadership council. That launched his incredible twenty-year career. During t
