1940s: Finding one's place in the world
It's a sunny spring day when Thomas comes to the stable to talk to Anna, telling her that he now knows what he needs to do. "I want to help people. I want to save lives."
"Saving horses won't cut it?" Anna asks, but Thomas is certain. As much as he'll miss the horses, he needs to find his own path in life. He wants to become a doctor.
"If that's what you want, then you know you have my support," Anna says.
"They're giving us half the tuition, and I have my veteran's pension," he says, hesitating. "If I could loan the rest?"
"Nonsense, I've been putting it away for you. See it backed up salary for helping with the ranch."
"You let me live here for free. I don't..." He stops. He can see on Anna's face that she's not changing his mind, and he really does need the money. "Thank you!"
And so Thomas travels across the country to Britechester, arriving in time for a new semester. It's a bit daunting at first, but he makes sure to read the message boards for important information, then take a long walk around the campus to get to know the place better.
After settling in, his first stop is at Wyvern Hall, to see his sister. Grace is thrilled to have her big brother there, and it might be petty, but she quite enjoy that she's the experienced and knowledgeable one for once.
They sit and talk for hours, and she tells her brother all about her first term. About how much fun she had at first, and how much work she had to put in to catch up later. She tells him of staying up all night to finish her term paper, typing it up in the dark when everyone else was sleeping.
And about the celebration she went to after she finished her finals and got her grades. "Straight As, by the way," she brags.
The two siblings spend a lot of time together after this, growing quite close to each other. As Thomas's hair grows out, they keep each other company. Studying at the commons, getting to know each other's room mates, eating in the cafeteria and sweating over exams. Thomas soon discovers, that when he's busy working on something, his room mates certainly have no issues with keeping his sister entertained. They flock to her. Both at the dorm and when they go out.
Luckily, Grace has some pretty cute room mates of her own to keep Thomas company.
At spring break they both go back home to Oasis Springs. It's Barbara's birthday, and neither sibling wants to miss their baby sister's 15th birthday. Josephine has outdone herself in the kitchen as usual, and Barbara is bursting at the seems, so ready to stop being a child. "Don't be in a hurry to grow up too fast," Thomas tells her. As if she'd listen.
And with the end of the war, and several in the family aging up, I figure it's time for a new family tree. I've divided it in three this time to make it possible to post.
In Frank and Emily's side of the tree, the two of them are both elders now, but their youngest has not yet turned 15 (he will soon). Harrison is of course dead, to his parents greatest sorrow, but their other children are doing well with families of their own. Frank and Emily at the moment have 6 grandchildren.
On Ida's branch, she has aged considerably after the death of first her beloved husband and then her only son. Maggie has since remarried, and has another child, and while Ida knows it's the best thing for him, it hurts her that Leonard will grow up to call another man daddy. Especially since they live far off and she rarely gets to see the boy. It's another thing with her other five grand children. She lives with Melanie and her two, and Dorian and Madison lives close in Newcrest. Norman just celebrated his 15th birthday. Ida couldn't be prouder of him.
And finally, Abigail's side of the family tree. As only Josephine has had children of her own, there are only five grand children, and no great grand children, on this side of the three yet (to Abigail's great sorrow). But perhaps one of the girls can marry soon? And she'd be so happy if Thomas found someone to make him happy. She hopes that she will see a little one before it's her time to join Joseph in the after life.
"Saving horses won't cut it?" Anna asks, but Thomas is certain. As much as he'll miss the horses, he needs to find his own path in life. He wants to become a doctor.
"If that's what you want, then you know you have my support," Anna says.
"They're giving us half the tuition, and I have my veteran's pension," he says, hesitating. "If I could loan the rest?"
"Nonsense, I've been putting it away for you. See it backed up salary for helping with the ranch."
"You let me live here for free. I don't..." He stops. He can see on Anna's face that she's not changing his mind, and he really does need the money. "Thank you!"
And so Thomas travels across the country to Britechester, arriving in time for a new semester. It's a bit daunting at first, but he makes sure to read the message boards for important information, then take a long walk around the campus to get to know the place better.
After settling in, his first stop is at Wyvern Hall, to see his sister. Grace is thrilled to have her big brother there, and it might be petty, but she quite enjoy that she's the experienced and knowledgeable one for once.
They sit and talk for hours, and she tells her brother all about her first term. About how much fun she had at first, and how much work she had to put in to catch up later. She tells him of staying up all night to finish her term paper, typing it up in the dark when everyone else was sleeping.
And about the celebration she went to after she finished her finals and got her grades. "Straight As, by the way," she brags.
The two siblings spend a lot of time together after this, growing quite close to each other. As Thomas's hair grows out, they keep each other company. Studying at the commons, getting to know each other's room mates, eating in the cafeteria and sweating over exams. Thomas soon discovers, that when he's busy working on something, his room mates certainly have no issues with keeping his sister entertained. They flock to her. Both at the dorm and when they go out.
Luckily, Grace has some pretty cute room mates of her own to keep Thomas company.
At spring break they both go back home to Oasis Springs. It's Barbara's birthday, and neither sibling wants to miss their baby sister's 15th birthday. Josephine has outdone herself in the kitchen as usual, and Barbara is bursting at the seems, so ready to stop being a child. "Don't be in a hurry to grow up too fast," Thomas tells her. As if she'd listen.
And with the end of the war, and several in the family aging up, I figure it's time for a new family tree. I've divided it in three this time to make it possible to post.
In Frank and Emily's side of the tree, the two of them are both elders now, but their youngest has not yet turned 15 (he will soon). Harrison is of course dead, to his parents greatest sorrow, but their other children are doing well with families of their own. Frank and Emily at the moment have 6 grandchildren.
On Ida's branch, she has aged considerably after the death of first her beloved husband and then her only son. Maggie has since remarried, and has another child, and while Ida knows it's the best thing for him, it hurts her that Leonard will grow up to call another man daddy. Especially since they live far off and she rarely gets to see the boy. It's another thing with her other five grand children. She lives with Melanie and her two, and Dorian and Madison lives close in Newcrest. Norman just celebrated his 15th birthday. Ida couldn't be prouder of him.
And finally, Abigail's side of the family tree. As only Josephine has had children of her own, there are only five grand children, and no great grand children, on this side of the three yet (to Abigail's great sorrow). But perhaps one of the girls can marry soon? And she'd be so happy if Thomas found someone to make him happy. She hopes that she will see a little one before it's her time to join Joseph in the after life.
Comments
Post a Comment