The Correspondent

Sybil jubilantly announces to Colt that American Pharaoh, a racehorse that descends from Secretariat, has won the Triple Crown.

Sybil receives a notification stating that she has a DNA match, and she can contact them through their Kindred profile.

Caroline writes to thank Sybil for the interview, as she received an A on her project. Her teacher would like to invite Sybil to speak at the school. Caroline tells her how much she reminds her of her grandmother, who passed away two years ago from Alzheimer’s disease, and that they have the same juice glasses. She asks whether she can keep corresponding with her.

Sybil sends a panicked message to Basam about the DNA match, and he responds that apparently the box was checked on June 15th. He asks if she gave her account information to anyone.

Sybil denies giving her account information to anyone. The next day, however, she remembers that when Felix left, she’d been very troubled by Daan’s letter and drank to inebriation. She believes she must have fooled around on her computer and asks if Basam can delete the DNA match.

Basam cannot delete the match since it is attached to a living person. He asks if Sybil would like him to find a way to block all contact. Days later, she asks if the block could be reversed.

Sybil writes back to Caroline to congratulate her on her grade and to correct her on some inaccuracies about her in her essay, as she is not the hero Caroline made her out to be. She extends her condolences for her loss and sympathizes, as her brother-in-law (Rosalie’s husband) is going through the same thing. Regarding her letter writing, she explains that the habit has been far more important to her than anything she did in her career. She details the structured timetable behind her habit and maintains that there is an order to be obeyed in the process. Sybil welcomes her correspondence but encourages her to reach out to someone who lives far away or whom she doesn’t see frequently instead.

Sybil writes to Melissa Genet and requests for a fifth and final time the opportunity to audit a course.

Sybil tells Colt that Daan died the night before.

Sybil writes to Rosalie to tell her of Daan’s letter in May and how often she tried to write back but could never find the words. Now that he is dead, she despairs. She recalls their trip to Lake Saint-Pierre but finds she has a hard time remembering what her family was like before Colt’s accident. She recalls arguing about their future careers, but she remembers laughter during the trip before Gilbert dove into the water and broke his neck on a rock. She does not recall anything after—who pulled him out or what she did. She asks for Rosalie’s memories of the trip. With the funeral in three weeks, Sybil is unsure if she should attend or not.

Sybil reaches out to her DNA match, Henrietta Gleason. She introduces herself and her family and explains that she was adopted in the US. Though she thinks it might be a scam, she asks to hear from Henrietta.

Sybil receives an error notification that Henrietta’s Kindred account has been suspended or deactivated.

Sybil contacts Basam and asks if his résumé is ready. She asks whether he could get Henrietta’s contact information since she received the error notification. She tells him that Daan has died and that she is meant to attend his funeral in 10 days, but she is dreading it. Thinking of Basam makes her realize she could have it worse.

Sybil writes to Colt about the funeral service in two days. The last time she saw Daan was decades ago, at the airport when he’d returned to Belgium with Fiona. She recalls wanting him to look back, but he never did, and she cannot stomach the idea of seeing his corpse. Her sense of propriety, however, obligates her to attend. She notes that someone is stalking her and has been ever since Guy Donnelly died. It reminds her of the nasty messages she would receive during her career. Since her stalker has evidently visited her house, she feels frightened and does not know their identity. No one knows about it, as she is sure Fiona and Bruce would try to move her to a retirement home.

Sybil writes to Didion and tells her that she did not attend Daan’s funeral. She dismisses any regrets she might feel from it, as she believes she isn’t long for this world. She tells Joan that her book The Year of Magical Thinking has put much of what she feels into words.

Fiona writes to Sybil and expresses her disbelief, hurt, and anger that Sybil did not attend the funeral. She calls her out on her hypocrisy, given her principles of propriety. She confronts her about the letter Daan wrote her in May and how she never wrote back. She tells her Daan left things for her in the will.

Sybil receives a letter from Angela Bleeker, Daan’s attorney. Daan has left her a sizable amount of money.

Harry writes to Sybil, thanking her for the Christmas gift. He asks why she kept writing to him since he deliberately did not write her back. Still, he details life at his school over the past few months. He enjoys the classes, but he is still being bullied by the other boys because of his excessive sweat and greasy hair. They call him “The Screamer” because of his “freakout.” Now, he screams on the inside. He continues to write. His mother was once again at a mental health facility, but she escaped and now resides with her parents. Harry does not know if she will return. He tells Sybil this will most likely be his last letter because she told his father where he was when he ran away. He asks if she can send one last letter by December 15 (because it cuts the month neatly in half) and let him know how she is doing, how things are going with her attempts at auditing a class, and if she will be seeing Mick again.

Sybil writes an email to James about Harry’s sudden letter. She asks after James’s wife and whether she’s left him. She worries about Harry and hints at the bullying he endures. She encourages James to ask him about it. In her postscript, she tells him she will be visiting Washington with Mick Watts and that she is now becoming a Democrat because of Donald Trump.

Sybil writes to Basam and recounts the events of Daan’s funeral and how a sudden hurricane caused a power surge that killed her computer. She has only recently gotten back up to speed. She asks if he sent his résumé and if he found Henrietta’s address.

Sybil receives a note from Shelley from the Kindred Project, notifying her that Henrietta is not an active member of the Project, and they cannot provide her another person’s confidential information.

Sybil asks to speak with Basam. Hours later, Shelley confirms Basam no longer works for Kindred. The next day, Sybils asks for Basam’s contact information.

Shelley states she does not have his information.

Sybil writes to Rosalie and recounts how she’s gone on a walk along her favorite path at night to think about why she can’t seem to have a proper connection with Fiona. When she walked back to her home, Theodore was walking in the opposite direction and surprised her. She fell, rolled her ankle, and broke her right wrist. Theodore tended to her and brought her to the hospital. Mortified and embarrassed, she was eventually given a splint. As they drove home, they stopped for McDonald’s and laughed about the situation. She learned about his deceased wife and his daughter, who lives in California, and the fact that he is Jewish. Despite her pain, she found it nice to be with Theodore.

Theodore writes to Sybil to thank her for the streusel cake she bought for him. It reminded him of the one his mother used to make. He tells her he is relieved she does not need surgery for her injury and invites her to play gin rummy and visit the German bakery the next time he visits.

Rosalie writes to Sybil after abruptly ending their phone conversation the week before. She comments on reading some of their old letters and thinking how, if they put them all together, they’d have a massive story to tell. About Fiona, Rosalie acknowledges that she is privileged to be her godmother, but she has often been stuck between the two of them. After Daan’s funeral, Fiona had a very difficult time with her grief and appeared suddenly at Rosalie’s home. Fiona asked that she keep her visit a secret and recounted her years of miscarriages, IVF treatments, and her strained relationship with Sybil. Rosalie remarks that both Sybil and Fiona are disappointed by the quality of their relationship and suggests they have a real conversation about it. She apologizes for keeping the visit a secret for the last six months.

Basam writes to Sybil from his personal email to explain that he lost his job because he had tried to send his résumé through his work email account. He had tried to contact her after but misspelled her name. He sends her his résumé and tells her that the woman she’d matched with was from Fort William, Scotland.

Sybil writes to Felix and tells him of her ongoing feud with the Dean of English and her relationship with Harry. He recently attempted death by suicide and was recovering in a hospital. She pivots to tell him about Mick Watts, who invited her to his home in Houston. She feels conflicted because of her growing relationship with Theodore. She tells him about Basam and her DNA match, Henrietta Gleason. In her postscript, she tells him that Fiona is pregnant with her second child and intends to call her Frances (Frannie, for short)—a name that Sybil hates.

Sybil receives an email from her ophthalmologist to discuss her deteriorating vision and how, soon, he will not be able to allow her to drive. He recommends she tell her children and contact the Baltimore Services for the Blind.

Felix writes to Sybil to encourage her to find Henrietta and contact her.

Sybil sends an email to Mick to cancel her planned visit to his Houston home because Harry is coming to stay with her.

Sybil writes to Rosalie and informs her Harry has arrived. She notes his sullen demeanor, and she is surprised to learn how untalkative he is. She details his activities and comments on how truthful and practical he is, which is why she does not shy away from asking about his thoughts on suicide. Ultimately, she is happy that Harry is with her.

Sybil sends Basam an email to confirm she’s forwarded his résumé to Bruce’s friend Dale. She also informs him that with Harry’s help, she was able to locate Henrietta “Hattie” Gleason and now wonders if she should reach out.

Sybil sends a thank-you note to Theodore for the buckeyes and wishes him a happy belated Christmas and third day of Hanukkah. As Harry will be returning to stay with her next week, she invites Theodore for dinner and games.

Sybil writes to Colt and declares she will contact Henrietta, as she believes in God’s plan. She muses over what her life has become since Harry’s arrival and wonders if she’s been lonely all this time. She wonders what will happen next.

Sybil writes to Henrietta and introduces herself. She explains how she took part in the Kindred Project to sate her children’s desire for connection after being faced with their family’s mortality. She explains how she came upon her and how their DNA has a 49% match. She discloses that she asked for Henrietta’s information from a former Kindred employee. She hopes that she will write back.

Sybil writes to Diana Gabaldon about her book, Outlander. She explains how she discovered the book through a rare overlapping interest from her friends Trudy and Millie. She thanks the author profusely for giving her a taste of Scotland through her writing and marvels at her skill with history and storytelling.

Sybil writes to George Lucas and admits that she’s never seen Star Wars. She explains that she’s reaching out in the hopes that Lucas will write to Harry and give him some encouragement, since he idolizes him and is currently writing his own science-fiction novel (which Sybil believes is very good).

James writes to Sybil and sternly demands that she cash the checks he sent her for caring for Harry. He had never planned to let Harry stay with her for so long, but his wife’s return to their home is difficult. He asks if Sybil wouldn’t mind keeping him until the school year lets out. He also notes that Theodore is most likely in love with her, despite her involvement with Mick. He thanks her for the flower she sent his wife from her personal garden, which he thinks looks like the curated ones in magazines.

Sybil writes to Colt because her garden has been ruined. All the flowers have been “decapitated,” presumably by her stalker. Theodore and Harry confronted her about it, and she had to admit to having a stalker. When Theodore left, Harry continued to ask questions, and she showed him the threatening letters. She believes the stalker is related to Enzo Martinelli. The next morning, Harry provided her with information on an address by which to contact him. To Colt, she expresses her regret for a case she knew went wrong.

Sybil receives a notice from Debbie Banks stripping her of her position of secretary of their garden club for missing the past three meetings.

Sybil writes to Alice to rant about Debbie and remains unapologetic about her absence. As she is no longer fond of the club (since it no longer speaks of gardening information), she feels no remorse for losing her position.

Rosalie writes to Sybil for news, as she hasn’t had contact with her in a long time. She tells her of her son Paul’s upcoming back surgery and her ongoing debate on whether to place Lars in a nursing home. She will need to care for her son as he recovers, and her own body is experiencing medical issues, but she feels it would be like giving up her partner. She asks about Mick and whether she’s heard back from Henrietta.

Theodore writes to Sybil and wishes her a happy birthday. He explains the double significance her birthday date has for him: When he was a child in Germany, his father was in denial about the Nazis until one of his coworkers disappeared. Only then did his father find a way for them to escape Germany. In the early morning of May 29th, Theodore and his family were driven to a lakeside house hours away. There, a man waited and told his father that he could only take one child and one adult, despite having received payment to take all four of them. Theodore’s parents begged the man, but when he threatened to leave without them, Theodore’s mother took him and got on the truck, leaving Theodore’s father and older brother behind. Later, they would be sent to Dachau to die. Theodore explains every year he is assailed with grief. He used to cut his flowers in memory of his brother and father, but now he also does so for her birthday. With his note, he includes the best cake from the German bakery.

Sybil writes to Felix after Harry returns home. She finds her life somehow empty now that he is gone. Without him, however, she no longer has an excuse to delay her visit to Mick. She plans to visit in June. She wonders why he is so insistent on having her around.

Sybil writes to Rosalie because her son’s surgery is scheduled the following Friday. She addresses Rosalie’s revelation in April that Fiona had visited and she’d kept it a secret from her. Sybil feels humiliated and betrayed by her best friend and sarcastically comments on how wonderful it must be for Rosalie to have such an intimate relationship with her daughter and how lucky Fiona is to find a surrogate mother in Rosalie. In her postscript, she states she wasn’t even aware Fiona had infertility troubles.