Chapter 1

ONE YEAR LATER

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

10:46 pm

“You ever think about how you’re gonna die? Seriously? I don’t mean when you gonna die or where you gonna be when you die.  I mean, have you ever really sat down and imagined how it’s going to feel when you pass away? It’s a scary thought right? Imagine your heart stopping suddenly or a blood vessel exploding in ya head and everything just going dark.  No sounds… no sights… no smell… no touch… no nothing.  Just dead!  That shit is so scary to me.”

Heidi’s soft voice was overflowing with conviction and concern.  Her sleek and well-manicured hands were slightly shaking as she grabbed the wine glass from the restaurant table and put it to her lips.  She slowly took a small sip of the mixed drink and continued talking.

“It’s like, one minute you’re here and experiencing every good and bad thing about life.  And the next thing you know, BAM!  You’re dead!  No more worrying about the good or the bad things anymore.  Just dead!  I don’t know about you but that shit is so scary to me.”  Heidi’s mood slightly changed as she found herself listening deeply to her own words. “And then you can’t worry about nothing that was going on in your life because you can’t do shit about that now anyway.  I guess that’s why life is so crazy.  It’s almost like life has to be crazy you know?  Full of ups and downs and crazy turns, all to distract you from dwelling on that sad day when you eventually gotta let it all go and move on.”   Heidi sadly shook her head and stared across the table.  She raised the wine glass above her head. “I propose a toast.” Heidi continued. “To Life………The Ultimate Distraction!”

Heidi twirled her wine glass in an effort to grab the attention of the young man sitting across from her. Twenty-nine-year-old Aaron Smith was sitting directly across from Heidi.  His laid back vibe and smooth mannerisms seemed to match perfectly with his stylish button-dow