Kaleidoscope

Chapter Forty-Three

There was only one person left for Jen to talk to and she would be the hardest—her mom. Jen knew she meant well, but everytime anyone moved on to a life of their own, she felt abandoned. First her dad left the family and then Danny left and now she, Jen, was about to go off to Chicago. She needed to do this in person so she drove in to Arlington to have dinner with Theresa and her mom.

She pulled into the driveway next to Theresa's van and surged with emotion at the accomplishments of her sister. Maybe her mom felt Theresa pulling away from her, too. It was life—growing up and leaving home—but Rose had never seen it that way.

Jen could smell dinner from the back steps and she opened the door to the most amazing aromas.

"Well, what brings you here in the middle of the week? It must be something important," said Rose as she looked up from the stove.

"Can't a girl just want to see her mom and her sister?" Jen answered, skirting the question. She had to work up to her announcement.

"Well, whose voice is this I hear?" said Theresa as she came into the kitchen to see her sister standing there. They didn't see Jen much these days and this was a pleasant surprise.

"Hi, Sis, how's it going? How's the driving coming along?

"I'm getting there, Jen. I'm still uneasy on the highway, but Dad's been great about going with me when I want to practice.

Rose flinched at the mention of Tom but she was glad that her children seemed to still have a relationship with him.

"Again, what brings you here out of the blue, Jen?"

"We'll get to that in a minute. What's for dinner?" Jen was stalling for time.

"Pork tenderloin," Rose answered, wondering what the secrecy was all about.

Jen reached into the cabinets and pulled out the plates to set the table, again trying to avoid the real reason she was here.

"I guess since you're here, we might as well get the topic of the day out of the way."

Jen, thinking she might know something about Brad and her job in Chicago, prepared herself for the conversation.

"I'm sure your father has told you about our family therapy session. What do you think about all of this, Jen?"

"I think it can't hurt, Mom. We have some issues that I think we all need to talk about with each other."

"I guess," Rose replied, still unsure of having the family laundry aired in front of the Doctor. "Now let's go sit down and you can tell me this news you're keeping in."

Theresa, Jen, and Rose sat down at the dinner table looking like the typical American family—minus the men of the house.

"I've met someone," Jen began.

"Ooh, this I want to hear about," Theresa piped in.

"His name is Brad and he's an intern at Georgetown. I met him when I was on my Orthopedics rotation."

"But, that was quite a while ago, Jen. How come we haven't heard about him before now," asked Rose.

"I wasn't sure where it was going, so I kept it under wraps. But, now it's serious and I wanted you to know."

Jen looked over at Theresa, wondering how this was affecting her. Her sister had a boyfriend, something she might never have. But, Theresa was all smiles and Jen knew she had her approval.

"How serious is it?" Rose asked.

"Very, Mom. We're in love."

"Does that mean we're going to have a wedding?" asked Theresa, full of enthusiasm.

"Well, the word marriage has come up on occasion, but there's nothing formal yet."

"In other words, he hasn't asked you yet."

"No, but I think it may be coming." Jen was all smiles, but then glanced over at her mom to see her reaction. To her surprise, Rose was smiling also.

Here goes the hard part, Jen thought.

"There's something else."

"What could be more important than being in love?" Theresa asked.

"I've had a job offer for next year. Brad and I have talked it over and we think I should take it."

"Oh, honey, that's great news. But, don't you think you should have talked to us, too, before making a decision?"

"The thing is, Mom, the job's not here. It's in Chicago."

There was total silence in the room. Finally Rose spoke.

"You've accepted a job offer in Chicago and we're just finding out about it now?"

"I was afraid of your reaction, so I wanted to be sure first."

Rose was suddenly at a loss for words. Here was her first-born announcing a possible engagement and a job offer hundreds of miles away and just dropping it in the middle of dinner. She wasn't sure she could take another loss.

"I'm really happy for you on both counts, Jen," said Theresa. "So when do we get to meet this love of your life?"

"Well, he'll be at Graduation and also at my party, so you'll meet him then."

Rose didn't know what else to day. She was still reeling from Jen's job announcement. Surely, there were jobs in the area she could get. Why did she have to go so far from home?

"I don't understand how your boyfriend, or whatever I should call him, could encourage you to take a job so far away from him."

"We talked about it at great length, Mom, and we both know it's a chance of a lifetime at a great hospital. Brad's willing to suffer the distance at least for this year until we know where he'll be for Residency next year. Then we'll cross that bridge."

"So, do you think they'll be a wedding next year?" Theresa asked. She was truly excited for her sister.

"Hold your horses. We're not even engaged yet."

"Yes, but I see the signs."

"Jen, I am happy about your young man and I'm anxious to meet him. I just need to digest this Chicago deal first. Have you accepted yet?"

"Not yet, Mom. I really wanted everyone's blessing before I did. But, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take it."

Rose, not knowing what else to say, began clearing the table. She was unusually quiet and Jen didn't know quite how to read her.

Theresa broke the silence. "I'm really happy for you, Jen. I know it must have been difficult for you to tell me about your boyfriend, but it's okay. Believe it or not, I have a lot of disabled friends and they do find love—and get married. My turn will come some day. Don't worry. Now, go be with your boyfriend and don't fret about it anymore."

Jen reached down and gave her sister a big hug. She turned to her mom and put out her arms. Rose, fraught with emotion, melted into them. She was losing her eldest child to someone else. And to another city. How would she cope?

Jen said her goodbyes, grabbed her bag and turned to leave. She looked back at her mom and Theresa. She was embarking on a new adventure and leaving her family behind. I guess this is what growing up was truly about.