Destination Unknown, Part 2 by Caroline

[Editor’s note: We pick up directly where we left off with Caroline’s story on Tuesday. These pictures feature her and Lane during their annual Christmas meeting in 2005, which happened at Sal and Judy’s last year, and Caroline and her mystery man, as she calls him.]

I worked my tail off, won all sorts of awards, and basically sold my soul to Big Pharma. After six years, countless commission dollars, too many lunches, too many “signature only” appointments, and being forced to testify in a sexual harassment suit, I left the industry. I’d never been more disillusioned about an industry.

During this time, the man from Memphis (the half brother of my first husband) hired a private investigator to find me. He walked back into my life four years ago, literally showed up on my doorstep, and I realized he was what I was looking for all the time. We’ve been together ever since, but no, we are not married. I think that may happen at some point, it may not, but what I’ve realized is that it is the relationship that is important. We are looking at moving to Nashville because it’s a good common place since he currently lives outside of Memphis and I am in Knoxville.

I earned my realtor’s license in October of 2004, and I practice real estate part-time in Knoxville. In addition, I am the full-time marketing director for an assisted living community. I am planning to practice real estate full-time in Nashville once we relocate to the area.

I don’t have the spouse or the kids or the IDEAL life, for that matter. In fact, it has been a long, hard 20 years. What I do have are wonderful friends I’m still in touch with from Slidell and an extended family of friends from Louisiana to Tennessee and everywhere in between. I have a wonderful sister who lives in Mississippi. She got it right the first time and married a great guy who has given her two beautiful boys. The boys are the joy of my life. If you ever see photos of two boys and me, they are my nephews, not my children, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

I own my own home (a 107-year-old Victorian that I’ve been renovating) and everything in it. I don’t owe anybody for anything, and that feels pretty good.

My girlfriend was right; my biggest accomplishment in the last 20 years is surviving. Surviving the loss of my mother, surviving the abuse of ill-conceived marriages, and surviving without a love I thought I’d never have.

I’ve been blessed with the best friends in the world, each of whom has helped make me the person I am today. And if in 20 more years, my life still doesn’t look like I think it ought to, I know I’ll be stronger for whatever has come my way. So there it is: it may not be pretty but it is the truth, and it is my life, of which I am surprisingly proud.

Sincerely,
Caroline B.
Class of 1986