Good luck.”
“Am I going to need it?” Suddenly Susan’s confidence flagged. This was a big step, both financially and emotionally. She fidgeted with one of the many pens lying on the conference table, fumbled it, and then watched it hit the floor.
“Don’t worry, Susan, you’ll be fine.” Emily picked up the pen, put it back on the table, and plopped down in one of the chairs. “I already told you, federal money is set aside for teachers in the public sector.”
“I guess they figured most of those teachers would be young,” Susan said with a sigh.
Emily laughed, shook her head, and began taking the closing papers out of her briefcase. “Courage, dear. You’ve bought houses before.”
Susan could swear she actually felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins. “Not on my own. And certainly not without a down payment. The monthly mortgage payment is going to be a stretch on a teacher’s salary.”
“And Megan’s child support. Don’t forget about that,” Emily reminded her.
Susan nodded. She was grateful that, thanks to Emily, Sara Whetstone had agreed to be her attorney during the divorce three years ago. As it was, details about her future finances had somehow slipped by her as she numbly signed the divorce papers in all the places Sara indicated. It wasn’t till later that she actually read them and realized the ramifications of what she’d agreed to. She vaguely remembered Sara trying to warn her, but at the time Susan was too shell-shocked to pay any attention to the details.
Susan sighed. “It’s been three years since the divorce, Emily. And I’m still so unsure about all this.” She shuddered just as the conference room door opened. Emily and Susan both looked up, expecting to see Jared.
“Caroline!” Susan exclaimed. She stood up and hugged her daughter. “What brings you here?”
“Well, Meadows Advertising is only down the hall, Mom. I was on my way to the post office, but I thought I’d stop in and see how it was going.”
“Hopefully we’re about to finally get started.” Emily stood and gave Caroline a quick hug as the door opened. “You must be Jared.”
An attractive man in his late twenties walked in. He was medium height with sandy blond hair, but from his broad shoulders and slim frame, it appeared he exercised regularly. He wore an expensive business suit with a silk tie and carried a stack of papers for the closing that he placed on the conference room table with a thud. He took a seat across from Susan and Emily, grabbed a pen off the table and scribbled on scratch paper to make sure it had ink.
“Ladies, shall we begin?” He was all business until he looked up and caught sight of Caroline. “Uh, aren’t you…?”
Caroline blushed as Jared stared at her. “Yes, I’m Caroline Benedict, from down the hall. But I’m not staying. I just stopped in to congratulate my mom on her new beginning.” She kissed Susan on the cheek, waved at Emily, and hurriedly left.
Emily winked at Susan. “Yes, indeed, we are making new beginnings today.”
****
Susan yawned, stretched, and glanced at the clock on the stove. “Moving day. And it’s not even six a.m. yet.” But she was too keyed up to sleep, so she might as well get busy.
As she stood for the last time in the kitchen of her Belford home, memories of raising her children here came flooding back. Everywhere she looked were reminders: the hash marks on the kitchen door where she’d measured Caroline’s, Allie’s and Megan’s growth every year; the backyard swing still attached to the old oak tree; the front yard where Caroline and Allie had played kickball with the neighbors while Megan cooed in her stroller. All their childhood milestones were here, and now everything was packed into boxes, ready to move to a much smaller house miles away in Indianapolis. Susan sipped a cup of freshly-brewed coffee from the yet-to-be-packed Keurig and surveyed the mess.
“Good morning.” Emily, dressed in old
“Am I going to need it?” Suddenly Susan’s confidence flagged. This was a big step, both financially and emotionally. She fidgeted with one of the many pens lying on the conference table, fumbled it, and then watched it hit the floor.
“Don’t worry, Susan, you’ll be fine.” Emily picked up the pen, put it back on the table, and plopped down in one of the chairs. “I already told you, federal money is set aside for teachers in the public sector.”
“I guess they figured most of those teachers would be young,” Susan said with a sigh.
Emily laughed, shook her head, and began taking the closing papers out of her briefcase. “Courage, dear. You’ve bought houses before.”
Susan could swear she actually felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins. “Not on my own. And certainly not without a down payment. The monthly mortgage payment is going to be a stretch on a teacher’s salary.”
“And Megan’s child support. Don’t forget about that,” Emily reminded her.
Susan nodded. She was grateful that, thanks to Emily, Sara Whetstone had agreed to be her attorney during the divorce three years ago. As it was, details about her future finances had somehow slipped by her as she numbly signed the divorce papers in all the places Sara indicated. It wasn’t till later that she actually read them and realized the ramifications of what she’d agreed to. She vaguely remembered Sara trying to warn her, but at the time Susan was too shell-shocked to pay any attention to the details.
Susan sighed. “It’s been three years since the divorce, Emily. And I’m still so unsure about all this.” She shuddered just as the conference room door opened. Emily and Susan both looked up, expecting to see Jared.
“Caroline!” Susan exclaimed. She stood up and hugged her daughter. “What brings you here?”
“Well, Meadows Advertising is only down the hall, Mom. I was on my way to the post office, but I thought I’d stop in and see how it was going.”
“Hopefully we’re about to finally get started.” Emily stood and gave Caroline a quick hug as the door opened. “You must be Jared.”
An attractive man in his late twenties walked in. He was medium height with sandy blond hair, but from his broad shoulders and slim frame, it appeared he exercised regularly. He wore an expensive business suit with a silk tie and carried a stack of papers for the closing that he placed on the conference room table with a thud. He took a seat across from Susan and Emily, grabbed a pen off the table and scribbled on scratch paper to make sure it had ink.
“Ladies, shall we begin?” He was all business until he looked up and caught sight of Caroline. “Uh, aren’t you…?”
Caroline blushed as Jared stared at her. “Yes, I’m Caroline Benedict, from down the hall. But I’m not staying. I just stopped in to congratulate my mom on her new beginning.” She kissed Susan on the cheek, waved at Emily, and hurriedly left.
Emily winked at Susan. “Yes, indeed, we are making new beginnings today.”
****
Susan yawned, stretched, and glanced at the clock on the stove. “Moving day. And it’s not even six a.m. yet.” But she was too keyed up to sleep, so she might as well get busy.
As she stood for the last time in the kitchen of her Belford home, memories of raising her children here came flooding back. Everywhere she looked were reminders: the hash marks on the kitchen door where she’d measured Caroline’s, Allie’s and Megan’s growth every year; the backyard swing still attached to the old oak tree; the front yard where Caroline and Allie had played kickball with the neighbors while Megan cooed in her stroller. All their childhood milestones were here, and now everything was packed into boxes, ready to move to a much smaller house miles away in Indianapolis. Susan sipped a cup of freshly-brewed coffee from the yet-to-be-packed Keurig and surveyed the mess.
“Good morning.” Emily, dressed in old
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