1950s: The Death of Emily
While Arthur might want solitude, his dorm mates are not going to let him be alone all the time. "This is uni!" they tell him. "You're meant to enjoy it!" With that they drag him out to the pub to meet girls from a nearby university, as Foxbury itself doesn't admit any female undergraduates.
Arthur himself is hesitant, but the night turns out nice, and there are plenty of girls to talk to. Some of them very pretty. Late into the early morning he finds himself chatting to a girl called Cathy. It's only when he meets up with her again, at the Thrift shop that he realises that they're actually related. Catherine is Ida's grand daughter, and so Arthurs cousin, once removed. It does put a bit of a wet rag over the fun of dating when he first has to ask for a family tree to make sure they're not related.
In San Sequoia Barbs is enjoying her life with their other relatives. They are rarely at home, but spend almost all their time at the art center, eating, chatting, reading, smoking and doing art of different kids. Barbara is getting better at making jewelry and Dough is getting much better on the piano, holding small concerts, or joining jam-sessions with other musicians.
Sometimes there are real treats, like poetry readings or a read up of someone's newest novel.
Norm sometimes join them, but in truth he's less pleased than the others. Secretly he dreams of finding a girl, of getting married, of having kids. Not that he'd ever admit it to the others.
On Thanksgiving, they all meet up at Anna's ranch for Thanksgiving dinner. Josephine offered, but as Anna knows Josephine would not invite Cora, and Alice would not go without her, she insists. The small farmhouse is crowded when they all meet up, by now the family is rather large, and getting larger, as both Betty and Grace are pregnant. Betty looks like she could give birth any day now. "I hope this one is a girl," she tells Anna happily. "Too many boys in the house, I could use some female company."
They're all enjoying themselves when a phone call breaks the mood. Back in Willow Creek, Emily has passed away suddenly. "No one saw it coming," Frank tells his sister. "It was all very sudden."
And so another trip back to Louisiana is arranged. Thomas and Betty stays at home, there is no way Betty can travel so far when she's so close to giving birth, Grace and David make the same call even if Grace is not as far along. Arthur and Cathy on their part cannot abandon school just like that, but the rest of the family make the trip across the country in time for Emily's funeral.
The funeral itself is fairly short. Frank gives a speech about his sense of loss that no one really believes in, but when Emily goes into the ground, more people are moved to tears. While there are many there to honor Emily, it's clear that Frank's children avoid him. The epigraph on the stone is theirs: Our mother - our strength it says. Her marriage is not mentioned either on the stone or in the notice they put in the paper. "The kids are saying that they're thinking about setting Frank up at one of those new homes for the elderly," Alice tells Josephine. Josephine shakes her head. Children should take care of their parents, that's just the way it should be.
Arthur himself is hesitant, but the night turns out nice, and there are plenty of girls to talk to. Some of them very pretty. Late into the early morning he finds himself chatting to a girl called Cathy. It's only when he meets up with her again, at the Thrift shop that he realises that they're actually related. Catherine is Ida's grand daughter, and so Arthurs cousin, once removed. It does put a bit of a wet rag over the fun of dating when he first has to ask for a family tree to make sure they're not related.
In San Sequoia Barbs is enjoying her life with their other relatives. They are rarely at home, but spend almost all their time at the art center, eating, chatting, reading, smoking and doing art of different kids. Barbara is getting better at making jewelry and Dough is getting much better on the piano, holding small concerts, or joining jam-sessions with other musicians.
Sometimes there are real treats, like poetry readings or a read up of someone's newest novel.
Norm sometimes join them, but in truth he's less pleased than the others. Secretly he dreams of finding a girl, of getting married, of having kids. Not that he'd ever admit it to the others.
On Thanksgiving, they all meet up at Anna's ranch for Thanksgiving dinner. Josephine offered, but as Anna knows Josephine would not invite Cora, and Alice would not go without her, she insists. The small farmhouse is crowded when they all meet up, by now the family is rather large, and getting larger, as both Betty and Grace are pregnant. Betty looks like she could give birth any day now. "I hope this one is a girl," she tells Anna happily. "Too many boys in the house, I could use some female company."
They're all enjoying themselves when a phone call breaks the mood. Back in Willow Creek, Emily has passed away suddenly. "No one saw it coming," Frank tells his sister. "It was all very sudden."
And so another trip back to Louisiana is arranged. Thomas and Betty stays at home, there is no way Betty can travel so far when she's so close to giving birth, Grace and David make the same call even if Grace is not as far along. Arthur and Cathy on their part cannot abandon school just like that, but the rest of the family make the trip across the country in time for Emily's funeral.
The funeral itself is fairly short. Frank gives a speech about his sense of loss that no one really believes in, but when Emily goes into the ground, more people are moved to tears. While there are many there to honor Emily, it's clear that Frank's children avoid him. The epigraph on the stone is theirs: Our mother - our strength it says. Her marriage is not mentioned either on the stone or in the notice they put in the paper. "The kids are saying that they're thinking about setting Frank up at one of those new homes for the elderly," Alice tells Josephine. Josephine shakes her head. Children should take care of their parents, that's just the way it should be.
Back home, Thomas and Betty are glad not to take part of the circus. Thomas has vague memories of Frank and Emily but no more than that. He doubts Hazel, who still went, has any, and he knows Barbara mostly went to support Gordon. Emily was his grandmother after all.
For Betty it was a good thing that she did not go, as she goes into labour late in the afternoon on the same day the funeral is held. She returns home with a baby girl. Thomas and Betty name her Susan. Betty and Thomas are thrilled to have a little girl, but Michael throws a tantrum. He didn't want a new sibling at all, and especially not a sister. They're useless.
Betty takes him out of the room, and tries to calm him down, while Thomas stays with baby Susan who he takes the chance to feed as they are bottle feeding according to the latest scientific advice, just like they do Carl. Not only is it easier to get the amount of nutrition just right, it's much more hygienic than breastfeeding. Betty was finding the transition a bit hard when Carl was born, but she obviously want to do what is best for her child, and who wants to be backwards?
Life with three little ones is hectic, especially with Thomas away at the hospital during the day. Luckily you can always rope grandma into helping. Josephine is only too happy to. Thomas loves it. Grandma always have time for him and he can even persuade her to put on the TV sometimes to watch Howdy Doody!
For Thomas the late nights means missing a lot of his kids' development. By the time he gets home, it's time to put them to bed. So after dinner, Thomas always makes sure to be the one to read to Michael. That way he gets some quality time with his son.
It's after bedtime that he gets a chance to talk to his wife, as the two sit down to watch the news together. Sometimes they discuss the news, often they barely watch as they discuss the kids instead. They're a bit worried about Carl's development. He's been really fast in learning everything social, he even said his first word already, but his physical development is so much slower than Michael's was. At nearly a year he should be eating normal food and sitting up, and trying to crawl... On the night when he finally sits up on his own, both parents draw a breath of relief. Maybe there isn't something wrong with him after all?
For Betty it was a good thing that she did not go, as she goes into labour late in the afternoon on the same day the funeral is held. She returns home with a baby girl. Thomas and Betty name her Susan. Betty and Thomas are thrilled to have a little girl, but Michael throws a tantrum. He didn't want a new sibling at all, and especially not a sister. They're useless.
Betty takes him out of the room, and tries to calm him down, while Thomas stays with baby Susan who he takes the chance to feed as they are bottle feeding according to the latest scientific advice, just like they do Carl. Not only is it easier to get the amount of nutrition just right, it's much more hygienic than breastfeeding. Betty was finding the transition a bit hard when Carl was born, but she obviously want to do what is best for her child, and who wants to be backwards?
Life with three little ones is hectic, especially with Thomas away at the hospital during the day. Luckily you can always rope grandma into helping. Josephine is only too happy to. Thomas loves it. Grandma always have time for him and he can even persuade her to put on the TV sometimes to watch Howdy Doody!
For Thomas the late nights means missing a lot of his kids' development. By the time he gets home, it's time to put them to bed. So after dinner, Thomas always makes sure to be the one to read to Michael. That way he gets some quality time with his son.
It's after bedtime that he gets a chance to talk to his wife, as the two sit down to watch the news together. Sometimes they discuss the news, often they barely watch as they discuss the kids instead. They're a bit worried about Carl's development. He's been really fast in learning everything social, he even said his first word already, but his physical development is so much slower than Michael's was. At nearly a year he should be eating normal food and sitting up, and trying to crawl... On the night when he finally sits up on his own, both parents draw a breath of relief. Maybe there isn't something wrong with him after all?
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