The Next Years

Life for Emma and Murphy did get better. Christmas that year in the Jones' home was extra special. Anna had her first visit with Santa Claus.

She wasn't like most two year olds; Santa didn't scare her. But she didn't tell him any requests for gifts. She did smile as the camera took her picture. Emily also had her picture taken with him; she was asleep when the camera snapped her picture with him.

And the story, The Night Before Christmas, became Anna's favorite. She never grew tired having someone read it to her. And Jake, mom or dad would always willingly read it again and again.

On Christmas morning Jake woke Anna. "Santa came last night. Let's go see what he left for you."

Emma and Murphy were sitting in the living room. They had done their Santa duty after Emily's two AM feeding. Now Emma was feeding her again. They heard Jake and Anna before they saw them.

"Yes Anna the man in red came last night."

And then as they came into the living room it was.

"Anna, what do you see?"

"Me see boxes."

"That's right. Let me find the ones with your name on them."

And Emma and Murphy watched with joy as Jake was a true big brother to Anna. Emma had written Anna's name on the tags in large letters.

Jake found them easily. "Anna, help me tear the paper off."

She helped a little but Jake tore off most of it. By the time he had opened all her presents, she had a Jack-in-the-Box, a soft ball, her first Little People toy, a school bus with seven little people and a telephone on wheels with large eyes for headlights which moved as it was pulled around. Anna loved the sound it made when she pulled around their living room.

Jake also found gifts for Emily. "Mom, what did you get for Emily in this big box?"

"Open it and see."

Jake found a farm animal mobile for her crib and when the music box was wound it played Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

"She's going to love this. I bet her first word instead of being da da, will be moo, moo."

"Maybe, open her other presents."

Jake opened one box with a small doll inside. When he held it he exclaimed.

"This is perfect for Emily, it's so soft. It can't hurt her. And the face is so cute with its large blue eyes. And the doll's wearing an outfit just like she's wearing."

"I thought it was perfect too Jake." Murphy told him

The other box had a set of small cloth blocks. Jake thought they were also perfect for Emily. And then he heard his mom.

"You have presents too Jake."

Jake found he had two board games to play with his friends. One was Monopoly and other was the game, Life. He thanked his parents more than once.

And before Christmas vacation ended, he had friends come to the house and they played each of them.

The calendar soon changed again; it was now 1989.

And a year of firsts began for Emily. She gave each of her parents' real smiles all the time; she loved to coo at her farm mobile. She progressed normally as Anna had done. She was too young to participate in the Easter egg hunt but she did watch all the other children from Emma's lap.

And Jake still impressed them with his good grades. He was goal driven; he had told Murphy he wanted to attend his college alma mater, The University of Arizona in Phoenix.

Both Murphy and Emma were thrilled. For Murphy it was pride; for Emma it was a sense of security. Nancy and Adam lived there.

When school was finished for the year, Murphy took Jake to Phoenix to meet with an admission counselor and take a guided tour of the campus. When they returned Emma heard nothing but accolades about the school from her son.

That summer when Nancy visited, the couple took her suggestion to get away for some time alone. Something they had promised each other to do after their honeymoon. They never did because they lived and loved like their honeymoon had never ended.

Albert's wife was a nurse and Emma asked her to help Nancy during the day. And of course big brother Jake was there and his sisters loved him.

And in August Anna had her first real Birthday party. Emma invited several of the children her age who had come to the Easter egg hunt to her party. Jake was a big help. And Murphy helped by being in charge of Emily. She would sit on his lap and laugh and babble as she watched everyone.

When school started that fall Jake submitted an early admission application to the university. In a week he received a form letter. It told him his application had arrived and he should expect a letter from the Admission's Office by November.

While he and the family waited, Emily had her first Birthday. And she like big sister Anna did, walked for the first time that day. And now Emma would spend much of her day tracking her down. She closed the doors to some of the rooms in their home to limit her escapades.

Jake's senior year was filled with activities and he studied hard to once again earn straight A's on his first report card. And on the first of November Jake's letter from the University Admission Office arrived. Jake was hesitant to open it.

"Jake you must open it to know what it says. I'm confidant you've been accepted."

His dad was right. When Jake did open it his face lit up with a huge smile. "I've been accepted. I really have."

He was too excited to read the rest of the letter; Murphy did. The remainder of the letter was really directed to the parents. He summarized what he read.

"First you need to inform your high school counselor. And I need to submit a financial statement; you may be eligible for financial aid. And the university admission office needs to know if you are going to attend their university."

"You bet I am. What do I need to do?"

"There's a place at the bottom of this letter for you to mark, yes. I will attend or no, I will not attend."

"Where's a pen? I'll do it now."

Jake put a big "X" next to the word, yes. And Murphy put a stamp on the already addressed envelope and together he and Jake walked to their mail box; placed it in the box and Jake raised the red flag. And now Jake waited for another letter from the university.

While they waited the family had another wonderful Christmas celebration. And the calendar changed again. It was now 1990.

Sadly, January was not a happy month. The entire town mourned the passing of Amos Abbott and his wife Kate. Amos died first and within a week Kate had joined him. Even though they had only been married four years, it was thought that Kate died from a broken heart.

Many of the towns' people left Kate's funeral wondering who would be next. But Murphy and Emma weren't among them; they had too much happiness in their lives to dwell on the possibilities.

And one thing which helped was Jake's next letter from the university which he received in February. Again part of the letter was for the parents. Jake had received an academic scholarship. And he was offered a job in the student dining room waiting on tables; it would cover all but a small portion of the cost of his room and board.

And Jake told them. "I don't mind working there; it sounds like fun."

And Murphy once again read out loud the information for Jake.

"Freshmen orientation is a week before school begins. You need to be there by one o'clock on Monday August twenty-eighth. It ends on Saturday after the football game."

"Do I really get to see my first college football game?"

"That's what it says. And I may ask Adam and Nancy to drive you home. They know all the streets to take to avoid all the traffic. We can then spend the Labor Day weekend together."

The future was planned. The next months before Jake's graduation ceremony may have gone by slowly for Jake but Emma was busy. When Easter came she once again planned an Easter egg hunt for all the town's children. And since Emily was a year older, Emma had a separate area for her and other children who were about the same age. And Jake chose to be in charge of them.

The egg hunt bought rave reviews from all the parents. It also bought the ranch some business. Several who brought their children to the egg hunt were new to Eunice; they had horses to board. Within the week Albert and his two helpers had three more horses to care for.

And since it was now the middle of April Jake was closer to his graduation ceremony. And he remained busy, completing his term paper and preparing for final exams. And on June second, Emma had a Birthday party for Murphy.

This time Emma knew how old he would be on this birthday. He would turn sixty-five. But she didn't put sixty-five candles on his cake instead she used the large numbers six and five. And Murphy again thanked everyone for being in attendance.

And later in their bed the couple would reflect on these last five years. Emma paraphrased a line from the movie The Sound of Music.

"I don't know anything I did in my childhood to deserve you."

"I could say the same, Emma. You came into my life when I was finally ready to live again. I've been blest too."

And without Champagne flutes they toasted each other by saying. "To another five years."

They would go on to discuss how life would change once Jake leaves for the university. They decided to take it all in stride; it would be years before Anna and Emily did the same.

The next week Jake brought home his cap and gown. Having them had excited Jake and his classmates. They were counting down the days to Friday, graduation day. On Thursday they practiced.

The teacher in charge was like a drill-sergeant; she expected perfection. They had to march into the football stadium several times before they satisfied her. And all the students speaking, including Jake, practiced their speeches. And she taught them how to gracefully walk across the stage, which had been built directly in front of the audience, to accept their diploma.

Jake and his classmates only had a half day of school on Friday. It was mandated by the state that children attend a certain number of days; half-days counted. Jake had told his mom a bus would have him home by twelve-thirty.

Murphy came home early too. Everyone wanted to shower and dress for the occasion. And Emma also dressed the girls in matching dresses. She had already prepared for Jake's party.

The DJ would set up his equipment on the back porch while the ceremony took place. And all the drinks and snacks would be delivered by the caterer.

Jake had to be at the school by five o'clock. Jake was dressed in his graduation gown by four o'clock. Emma made sure he had his graduation cap.

Albert drove him there and stayed for the ceremony. He knew the family had been given front row seats because Jake was one of the speakers. He was there when the family arrived.

He heard Emma's reminder. "Anna, remember what mama and daddy told you. You must be very quiet. You can clap your hands when everyone does."

"I remember mommy."

Emma knew it would be difficult to keep Emily quiet. She wasn't old enough to understand. She would sit on Emma's lap; she could then use her hand to muffle any sounds she might make.

She shouldn't have worried. There were other young children in attendance. No parent was able to muffle all the sounds they made.

The ceremony started right on-time. The band had taken its place. The band's director lowered his wand and the band began to play the traditional music for graduations, the Pomp and Circumstance March. And the graduates began to fill the rows of seats behind the stage. Jake was front and center in the very first row.

Anna quietly said. "I see Jake."

And Murphy, whose lap she was now sitting on gave his daughter a squeeze. And everyone stood for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. And remained standing for the invocation given by Father Juan who had smiled when he saw Murphy and Emma in the front row.

There were speeches by school officials before Jake took to the podium. He didn't appear nervous. He spoke clearly. He didn't speak fast. He enunciated each word clearly. And his classmates and the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Emma couldn't help have tears in her eyes. Murphy gave her his handkerchief. His eyes were misty too. They would remain there as Jake accepted his awards. And then the tone of the ceremony changed; it was time to present their diplomas.

Each student came from their place and walked across the stage to receive their diploma. It didn't look like those on graduations cards, a rolled up piece of paper tied with a ribbon. These graduates received a padded leather diploma holder. The name of the school was embossed in gold on the front. Inside the diploma was held in place by elastic bands.

At the end of the ceremony the graduates tossed their caps into the air. And it was bedlam. Somehow Jake found his family. And now Jake would celebrate with his friends until almost midnight.

And no one, including Emily woke early. When Emma did wake and dress she was prepared to fix brunch. They sat around the kitchen table long after everyone had eaten and reminisced about last night.

And later Emma looked at Jake's diploma. She had fully accepted Murphy's decision to adopt Jake. She was pleased when she read his name on his diploma, Jake Allen Jones.

And now Jake was really looking forward to freshmen orientation at the university in August.

Jake was a big help to his mom with the summer camps she held that summer. Murphy helped too by keeping his daughters occupied. He had already hired a new pharmacist to take his place when he retired at the end of the summer. He was already working there. And Bessie was training her replacement. She would be seventy by summer's end.

And the last week of August finally arrived. Jake only had to bring his clothes to orientation. Everything else was provided by the university.

Jake hugged and kissed his sisters and received a long hug from his mom. And she told him.

"You can't imagine how proud I am. You have exceeded all my hopes and dreams I had for you when you were born. Enjoy your time at the university. Your dad and I look forward to hearing all about it."

Emma kissed his cheek as she let him go. Murphy gave her a kiss on the lips before he entered the big car and drove away.

The little girls kept Emma from crying as she watched the car disappear. They would also help the time pass before Murphy returned. They were already asleep by the time he came home.

He reported. "Jake's roommate is an Indian. His name is Kahill. I also met his father, Habab. He's also a graduate of the university."

"Murphy, the first classmate Jake spoke to on his first day of school here was an Indian. I'm sure they will get along just fine."

"I think so too. My goodbye hug didn't last but a second before they left for the auditorium. Habab and I both chuckled." And he reminded me we would meet again in September.

And now both parents looked forward to his return and the long Labor Day weekend with Nancy, Adam and Murphy.