Night Lights Book Three Chapter One
2/25/02
Emma had never considered life without Jim. She had never expected to live alone again. Yes, here she was one month after Jim’s death looking forward to her day. She had slept well the night before. This was unusual since she had been sleeping fitfully since she was not used to sleeping alone. She felt rejuvenated and now understood the events of the last year. She still missed Jim terribly, but she understood that they needed him elsewhere. This knowledge helped to ease some of the pain she had been feeling for so long now.
Her life had substance again. For the last fifty years, the center of her universe had been her husband and her family. While their importance would never diminish, Emma had a newfound self that was sorely in need of attention. At seventy, self-esteem and self-worth were new ideas for Emma. She was having some difficulty making the adjustment. These new ideas were the reason Emma stayed in the empty house. At the funeral, her daughter had been the first to try to persuade her to move in with them. Her son made a similar offer a few days later. Emma had never been alone, and felt she needed to do it now. Both of the kids called every two weeks or so to see how she was doing. That was enough. As much as she loved them and their families, this house had been her home too long for her to leave it now. She felt Jim’s presence in every room and found it comforting to be within its walls.
Family members weren’t the only ones expressing concern over Emma’s solitary state. Friends and neighbors were also disturbed by her aloneness. Most of them had gotten away from dropping in unannounced. They had run out of excuses for doing so! Emma was still, however, bombarded by invitation to participate in social and charity events. She did not mind since these were volunteer functions and kept her busy. Emma could set her own schedule. She liked helping others and had become adept at organizing fund-raisers for the community.
The doctors were mystified over Jim’s death. The death certificate stated “old age.” No one was satisfied with that explanation, though. Because of this and because she did not want undue attention, Emma had agreed to a full physical and was pronounced in good health for someone of her age. She was satisfied with that simple pronouncement and felt better than she had in a long time.
Emma had never considered life without Jim. She had never expected to live alone again. Yes, here she was one month after Jim’s death looking forward to her day. She had slept well the night before. This was unusual since she had been sleeping fitfully since she was not used to sleeping alone. She felt rejuvenated and now understood the events of the last year. She still missed Jim terribly, but she understood that they needed him elsewhere. This knowledge helped to ease some of the pain she had been feeling for so long now.
Her life had substance again. For the last fifty years, the center of her universe had been her husband and her family. While their importance would never diminish, Emma had a newfound self that was sorely in need of attention. At seventy, self-esteem and self-worth were new ideas for Emma. She was having some difficulty making the adjustment. These new ideas were the reason Emma stayed in the empty house. At the funeral, her daughter had been the first to try to persuade her to move in with them. Her son made a similar offer a few days later. Emma had never been alone, and felt she needed to do it now. Both of the kids called every two weeks or so to see how she was doing. That was enough. As much as she loved them and their families, this house had been her home too long for her to leave it now. She felt Jim’s presence in every room and found it comforting to be within its walls.
Family members weren’t the only ones expressing concern over Emma’s solitary state. Friends and neighbors were also disturbed by her aloneness. Most of them had gotten away from dropping in unannounced. They had run out of excuses for doing so! Emma was still, however, bombarded by invitation to participate in social and charity events. She did not mind since these were volunteer functions and kept her busy. Emma could set her own schedule. She liked helping others and had become adept at organizing fund-raisers for the community.
The doctors were mystified over Jim’s death. The death certificate stated “old age.” No one was satisfied with that explanation, though. Because of this and because she did not want undue attention, Emma had agreed to a full physical and was pronounced in good health for someone of her age. She was satisfied with that simple pronouncement and felt better than she had in a long time.
posted by Vickie at 4:56 PM
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