Leaving Home Pt. 03

"When I'm gone there will be $300,00 left to you and Em. I want you to use the majority of that money as seed to send your kids through college or tech or some kind of training beyond high school. I've included $50,000 for you and Emelie to do as you wish. And don't look at me in that tone of voice. Say thanks Mrs. B. and let it alone."

Words alone could not express how happy we were. Though we both made decent money, the house was paid for and the kids education was paid for. Life throws unexpected curve balls every now and then, and if it did we would have the resources to see it through. Whatever it might be.

With a tear in her eye she spoke just above a whisper, "I would have loved to see at least one of your babies before I die."

Ironically we had been talking about starting our family and Em had gone off the pill some weeks ago. Three weeks after our late night with Claire we made a visit to see her on a Friday. It had been a good day and she was feeling chipper. When Em told her the pregnancy test was positive and that she was about six weeks along I thought Claire was going to come out of her skin with joy.

How I loved watching the baby bump increase as our child grew within. We made sure Claire saw the little increases and that the baby was growing. It seemed that the expected baby had put a bit of life back into Claire, as if she had something to live for, to fight for. When our daughter was born we made sure Claire was transported to the hospital where she held her three hour old name sake. We had named her Claire. Our baby put more life back into Claire than anyone could have imagined. Her leukemia cells began to decrease, her strength was returning, and her outlook on life was one of survival instead of defeat.

We brought our little girl to see grandma Claire along with Em's parents at least once a month. Grandma Claire saw our little girl take a few of her first steps and showered our baby with love anytime we were together. Fifteen months after Claire was born Emelie announced she was again with child. Nobody could explain how or why but Mrs. B. lived to see our son Ernesto born, named after Raul's father. Claire fought long enough to see our second son born. We named him Andrew after my grandfather. Sadly she didn't live to see the next two children born. Two more girls. Marcea and Tiffany.

By the time our Claire was ready to start kindergarten Emelie was a stay at home mom. As we walked her to the end of the driveway to wait Em sniffled a little but hadn't shed a tear. As the bus drove away with our babygirl waving goodbye Em broke down and sobbed. She kept saying.

"My baby, my baby. What have I done. She needs her mom."

Just then Ernesto tugged on her skirt.

"It's okay mom, you have us."

That seemed to rock Emelie out of her crying jag and focus on the things at hand. By the time the youngest started school it had become old hat. As we walked with her and the other kids to the end of the driveway Emelie laughed.

"Do you remember the first time we did this? Boy was I a wreck."

Our first born was rapidly becoming more than our little girl, it threw me for a loop when she started puberty. Emelie cuddled me one night after a hardy session of bump and grind. Running her fingers lovingly through my chest hair.

"Don't worry about Claire. She'll be okay, just let me handle it. What she needs most is a daddy to hold her and tell her how pretty she is. Somebody to hold her hand in public until she thinks it's no longer cool. Someone to affirm who she is as a young woman. Her hormones will be all over the place, leave that part to me, you take care of the rest."

Claire is in high school, I have people who work for me full time, seldom do I need to go into our new larger facility, and Emelie is now on the school board. Each year she and I go through dozens of applications for scholarships weeding them out until we reach the five that will receive a scholarship from the Jerry and Claire Brantmeier scholarship program.

Though we have four children and sometimes hear other couples talk about how their love life has become stale, we simply look at one another and smile. Knowing that it be that way with their marriage, but certainly not ours. With every new innovation we bring into our sex life Emelie smiles and whispers.

"Thanks Mrs. B."

Ernesto has taken to working with grandpa Raul like a moth to a flame. If Papi, as the kids call him, is doing something, anything, Ernesto will be by his side. It's his dream to become a farmer just like his Papi, and I'm going to let him. The three youngest are still busy being kids. We restrict their television and electronics time, we make them go outside to play and we encourage them to read. After all, readers become leaders. On warm summer days we're at the pond splashing around in the cool, clear water.

Nana, as they call Emelies mother, always has a treat of some sort when we visit, baked goods or a piece of candy, she spoils them rotten. Grandma Claire is not forgotten, many is the time when we visit or swim that the kids, Em, and I will walk to the far side of the front yard. There inside a small fenced in area lay Jerry and Claire's bodies. Nana has taken it upon herself to look after that area, every spring with the help of the kids she plants flowers in front of each headstone. Grandma Claire will never be forgotten.

When Emelie and I were younger I used to think about going back to Iowa with my family. Back home, that is until I realized I was home. I'd left where I grew up years prior, suddenly the scripture that says "a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife" made sense. There was no need to be anywhere else, our kids are growing up in the home Em and I have made for them. A home where they'll learn to be contributing members of society. I realized that I was home, no need to look elsewhere, plain and simple.

And! It has a picket fence around the front yard, Emelie wanted it stained brown instead of painting it white, it's a picket fence none the less. Now we sit and wonder where our brood will drift off to when they leave home. And when they do it will be okay, we'll still be sitting on the porch holding hands enjoying the sunsets. Part of our wedding vows stated that we were in this for life and nothing was going to tear us apart. We're living our dream one sunset at a time.

Some will say this ended too soon, but there's no way to continue without the primary subjects of the story becoming secondary. For those of you who've wondered and asked, yes, there are parts of this story that came from personal experiences as a young man. I changed the names and locations to protect myself and those involved.