Laura drove to the Head Start building and walked to the classroom to pick Jeremy and Jennifer up. The twins saw her and ran to hug her legs.
"How did they do?" Laura asked Miss Sawyer.
"They were fine!" the teacher replied. "Jennifer was eager to join in our activities. Jeremy was a little more hesitant, but his sister got him involved. She can get him to do things I can't." Miss Sawyer laughed.
"I'm glad to hear they had a good day," said Laura. "Come along, children." She took them by the hand and led them back to the car.
When she got home, she parked the car, and they all got out. Jeremy and Jennifer ran ahead of their mother to the house. Elizabeth met them at the door.
"How was the first day for all three of you?" she asked.
"We were all fine!" Laura came inside and sat on the sofa while the twins ran toward the kitchen, demanding snacks. "Miss Sawyer said Jeremy and Jennifer did good. For me, it was hard getting used to typing again, but it came back to me fast! I got a lot done in my workbook today."
"I'm glad to hear it." Elizabeth fixed milk and cookies for the twins and brought a glass of iced tea for her daughter.
"Mom, you'll never guess who I met up with at school - Annie White!"
Elizabeth smiled as she sipped her own iced tea. "I remember she got married a little before you did, and then moved to - was it Maryland?"
"Greenbelt, Maryland, so Jimmy could go to Bible college," Laura told her. "He's assistant pastor at Kingdom Baptist Church now. They have twins, too - Jamie and Amy."
"That's nice. How long have they been back?"
"Annie said a few weeks. She invited me to a barbecue at their house this weekend."
"How lovely! It's so nice to get back in touch with old friends."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You don't sound very happy about it."
"I am glad to be back in touch with Annie. It's just that I wish so much Jeremy and Jennifer could grow up with both parents too, like Jamie and Amy!"
Elizabeth patted her daughter's knee. "I know you do, sweetheart. You'll just have to do the best you can on your own. It's what Stephen would have wanted."
Laura sighed. "I know."
Saturday morning, Laura awakened and had breakfast at the usual time. She dressed Jeremy and Jennifer in their school clothes rather than their play clothes.
"Instead of staying home and watching cartoons this morning, you're coming with me to visit Miss Annie and Mr. Jimmy," she told them.
"Do they have toys?" asked Jennifer.
"I'm sure they do."
Jimmy and Annie's house turned out to be made of red brick, with a long white porch and driveway in front. They must be in the back yard, Laura thought to herself. Just then, she saw Annie standing at the fence to the side of the house, smiling and waving. As they got closer, Annie unlatched the gate.
"Come on in," she said. "Jimmy already has the burgers grilling. Your kids are so cute!"
"Thanks." Laura saw Jimmy standing at the grill. She noticed he'd put on quite a bit of weight since graduation. Jamie and Amy were swinging. They both had blond hair and blue eyes, like their father. Jamie was pudgy, but Amy was thin, like their mother. A beautiful teenage girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes stood watching them swing.
"You must be Merry," Laura remarked.
The girl smiled and nodded. "You're Laura, right? Annie said you might come by. I haven't seen you since I was little!"
Laura sat in one of the available folding chairs. "How are your parents?"
"They're fine! What are your kids' names?"
"Jennifer and Jeremy. They turned three in April."
"They're only a couple of months younger than Jamie and Amy, then. I love being an aunt!"
"Let's let our guests have a turn on the swings, kids," said Annie.
"I'm almost done here, anyway," said Jimmy. "How are you, Laura? Long time, no see!"
"Yeah, it has been awhile. I'm doing all right."
Jimmy began to put the patties on the buns. Annie and Merry were in charge of the soft drinks, potato salad, and chips. The children sat in an empty kiddie pool to eat so they wouldn't make too much of a mess, and the adults sat in folding chairs.
"Are you still in touch with Jo and Jeannie?" Laura asked as they ate.
"They're both in college up north," Annie told her. "We write letters to stay in touch."
"I should have done that, too," said Laura. "It's just that - well, after it happened, I didn't feel like talking to anyone for awhile."
"I'm very sorry for your loss," said Jimmy.
"Thank you," said Laura. They all watched the four children, who were getting along as if they'd known each other all their lives. "How do you like being an assistant pastor?" Laura asked Jimmy.
"This is my life's calling, where the Lord wants me to be," he replied. "I feel so blessed to have found it. Annie and I thank the Lord for bringing us here."
"How's school going for you?" Laura asked Merry.
"It's going great! I enjoy all my classes, my teachers are the best, and I love being around all my old friends again and making new ones."
Laura stayed and visited for several hours. Jeremy and Jennifer had so much fun playing with Jamie and Amy that Laura had to promise to stop for ice cream on the way home to get them to leave. She thanked Annie and Jimmy for the invitation and told them she'd had a nice time.
She was fine during the trip to Tasty Freeze and then the ride home. It wasn't until she was in her room that she finally broke down.