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Two days later, she was called into Dr. Lewison's office. Dr. Keller was there. Ashley was to be discharged and would return to her home in Cupertino, where regular therapy and evaluation sessions had been arranged with a court approved psychiatrist.

Dr. Lewison said, "Well, today's the day. Are you excited?"Advertisement

Ashley said, "I'm excited. I'm frightened. I'm - I don't know. I feel like a bird that's just been set free. I feel like I'm flying." Her face was glowing.

"I'm glad you're leaving, but I'm - I'm going to miss you," Dr. Keller said.

Ashley took his hand and said warmly, "I'm going to miss you, too. I don't know how I... how I can ever thank you." Her eyes filled with tears. "You've given me my life back."

She turned to Dr. Lewison. "When I'm back in California, I'll get a job at one of the computer plants there. I'll let you know how it works out and how I get on with the outpatient therapy. I want to make sure that what happened before never happens to me again."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Dr. Lewison assured her.

When she left. Dr. Lewison turned to Gilbert Keller. "This makes up for a lot of the ones that didn't succeed, doesn't it, Gilbert?"

It was a sunny June day, and as she walked down Madison Avenue in New York City, her radiant smile made people turn back to look at her. She had never been so happy. She thought of the wonderful life ahead of her, and all that she was going to do. There could have been a terrible ending for her, she thought, but this was the happy ending she had prayed for.

She walked into Pennsylvania Station. It was the busiest train station in America, a charmless maze of airless rooms and passages. The station was crowded with people. And each person has an interesting story to tell, she thought. They're all going to different places, living their own lives, and now. I'm going to live my own life.

She purchased a ticket from one of the machines. Her train was just pulling in. Serendipity, she thought.

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She boarded the train and took a seat. She was filled with excitement at what was about to happen. The train gave a jerk and then started picking up speed. I'm on my way at last. And as the train headed toward the Hamptons, she began to sing softly:

"All around the mulberry bush,

The monkey chased the weasel.

The monkey thought 'twas oil in fun,

Pop! goes the weasel...." pqdm.com