Window Seat

Lily Brown Carmichael, a feisty yet lovable widow, suffers from “empty nest syndrome” after her only son elopes. With nothing but time on her hands, she spends her days sitting by the window indulging in the enjoyable recollections of her time spent with her first and only true love, CHARLES “CHARLIE” MCNEAL, who she longs to reunite with. PAULINE DUPRE', a renowned novelist, becomes her neighbor and friend. Pauline's youthful passion for life is contagious. Lily gains a new take on life, although she still longs for Charlie, she spends less time sitting by the window. Pauline inspires her to see the world and follow her dream of owning a floral shop. Over the next twenty-five-year span Lily and her “ride or die chick” have more than their fair share of adventures until the two are injured during a night out on the town. The duo is forced to split up as Pauline recovers with her daughter, ROBIN DUPRE', and Lily hours away in a nursing home as she refuses to live under the same roof with her daughter-in-law, APRIL CARMICHAEL. At the nursing home, nurse TWILA JAMES, a die-hard fan of Pauline’s with the desire to become a writer herself, grows fond of Lily’s warmth and spunk and so does resident JOHN ABRAHAM who admires her from a far. When her time there is extended, Lily finds herself down in the dumps. To boost her spirits, Pauline plans to visit. On the day of her visit, both Lily and Twila are ecstatic as they anticipate her arrival. But CLARENCE CARMICHAEL, JR, Lily’s son, arrives instead with the heart-wrenching news of Pauline’s sudden demise due to an aneurysm. Lily is distraught and overwhelmed with grief. She later asks Twila to place a chair next to her window. Yet again she spends countless hours sitting by the window waiting for Charlie. Twila, whose miserable in her marriage, becomes captivated by Lily's tales of her young romance with Charlie. Lily leads her to believe they have reunited, often waiting by the window in anticipation of his visit. Twila eventually discovers he was killed during the Vietnam War. When Twila shares her discovery with Clarence and psychiatrist DR. THORNE, Lily feels betrayed and ends their friendship. Dr. Thorne’s concern is that she may be suffering from dementia, but later determines that her false hope of Charlie’s return to make her his wife is a coping mechanism for dealing with grief and loss. Lily revealed that she was young and pregnant when Charlie was killed in Vietnam and never got the closure she needed. After discovering her pregnancy, Lily’s mother forced her into marrying CLARENCE, SR, the son of a wealthy lumber mill tycoon, a boy Lily loathed. The child died shortly after being born. Although Lily wasn’t anything more than a “trophy wife” to her arrogant husband, her meddling mother convinced her not to divorce him. Lily realizes it’s time she accepts the fact that Charlie is gone. She makes amends with Twila and allows John to escort her to one of the social events she coordinates during her stay. Although a little too frisky and uncouth for her taste, he grows on her, but not soon enough. Charlie— who is very much alive-- makes his debut back into her life, thanks to his son CHARLES, JR, “CJ”, who orchestrated their reunion, but John won't let her go without a fight. Charlie explains how shortly after arriving in Vietnam, he was gravely injured in an explosion that left him in a coma. Military officials mistakenly informed his parents that he was deceased. Upon awakening, he suffered from amnesia. When he recovered and returned home over a year later, his parents had died in a car accident and Lily had married his rival and moved away. Heartbroken and shattered, he boarded a train to New York leaving behind the life he once knew, but never let go of his love for Lily. Life could not be better for Lily as she is finally the wife of her true love. Now like with Pauline, she and Charlie travel the world as they make up for lost time. Charlie and Lily’s prayers to find their way back to each other are answered, but as the expression goes “all good things must come to an end,” including their remarkable love story. Charlie’s lungs were severely damaged during the explosion and shortly after their fifth anniversary, he experiences a fatal asthma attack. Later that very same day Lily’s heart fails for it cannot bare the stress of losing him again. Twila writes a romance novel that captures their phenomenal love story and allows it to live on forever in the pages of her best seller, WINDOW SEAT.