Dreams, Memories & Keys

Chapter 54 - A Year to Remember

Greg and Susan boarded a train in November of 2016, headed for New York a full week before they wanted to be there. They knew train travel was slow, but it was easier on Susan's head, and since she was retired, she had the time to do that. Greg simply took the time off in order to be with her. His work for Gaffney and Goodman LTD was mostly in an advisory capacity since his knowledge of CGI and what that entailed was limited. That allowed him to work by phone wherever he might be. And so, although he boarded the train with Susan, he did work now and then, along the way.

The couple arrived at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City on the weekend before Thanksgiving, a little more than a week after leaving Los Angeles. The ride was long, but they had a compartment for the journey, windows to look out of, and plenty to read, so it wasn't all that bad.

"Much easier than sailing the Oyster, the first time we traveled so far together," Greg remarked.

"Yes, it is. Now that I'm retired, I actually don't mind that it's slow," Susan told him.

Greg smiled as they retrieved their bags and prepared to leave the train. "As long as I am with you, I don't really care how long it takes."

Susan returned his smile. "The feeling is entirely mutual."

The couple took a taxi to the high-rise condo they once lived in as a family, those first two years while Jessie was in high school. It looked much the same as they remembered it from the street, but once they got to the front door, it was clear certain changes had been made. Some of the furniture had been rearranged to protect it from Jake and Ann's daughter Addison, who at two years old, was known to be hard on the furniture.

"Haven't Jake and his family moved to Norma's house?" Greg asked Jessie upon hearing her remark while they were visiting, in the living room.

"They have, but they rearranged everything before I got here, and they come over here now and then on the Sabbath, so Bertie and I decided to leave it that way. Besides, we thought it might make things easier once our children arrive," Jessie explained.

"Your children?" Susan inquired with a curious look at her daughter.

Jessie blushed with a sideways glance at Bert.

"I thought you were going to wait to tell them!" he interjected.

"I know, but I just couldn't," Jessie told her husband, a hint of apology in her glance. "I've been looking forward to telling Mama about it for ages. I've never gotten to tell them both at the same time before."

Bert regarded his wife in understanding. It was true, for all the times they'd been married, in all of their various lives, he'd never had both his in-laws live long enough to see them not only married but about to have children before. Previously, one or both of them had already died before that happened. Perhaps this was a sign that they at least were doing something right this time. It gave Bert reason to pause, wondering how they could take the Abernathy's lessons to heart in order to apply them to their own married life.

Greg cocked his head as he studied the newlyweds. "Have you something you'd like to tell us?"

"We're going to have a baby," Jessie announced.

Susan studied her daughter. Certainly, there was no outward evidence of that, so she concluded it must be early days.

"We just found out," Bert told her, confirming Susan's guess.

"Have you been to see a doctor?" Susan wondered. "Just to be sure?"

"Yes Mama. They did the test," Jessie confirmed.

"After we did one at home," Bert added. "We just found out for sure last Friday, as in two days ago."

Greg arched a brow looking from Bert to Jessie to Susan. This wouldn't be the first grandchild for either of them, but it would be their first grandchild together, something that had never happened before.