Prologue
November 2004
"On a rainy night two wonderful lives were taken from this earth and carried home." Reverend Jonathan Jacobs speaks in front of a large church for a funereal he had been called to do. His gaze settles on the large, tearful, family crammed into one pew. Seven children ranging from ages twenty-five to six had been left behind, their parents having died in a terrible car accident only days before.
"Thank you Reverend." Reverend Chandler Hampton shakes Jonathan's hand, "I couldn't be impartial enough to preform the funereal."
"Reverend Camden and his wife seem to have touched many people."
Chandler nods, "they were everyone's dream parents. They took many people in off of the street, the ironic thing is that now it is their own children that need to be taken in."
"What is the situation then?" Jonathan inquires.
"The oldest, Matt, is married and in his third year of medical school in New York. Mary recently moved with her husband and twin daughters to Texas where her husband is now and editor for large paper there. Lucy lived in the garage apartment in her parents house since last May when her husband was transferred to New Mexico. And finally, Simon is attending college in Northern California."
"So there is no where they can live with family without being moved out of the town they have grown up in."
Chandler nods, "they are having a meeting tomorrow where the situation will be discussed, they know that I will take them in if needed. Ruthie and the twins were also in the car and only just got out of the hospital this morning and as far as I know will not be present at the meeting."
"Shouldn't there be a lawyer present? And only family?" Colonel Camden questions.
Matt shakes his head, "we know Mom and Dad made it clear in their will that all family decisions will be left up to the be decided by our family. We don't need a lawyer. And Cecilia is the only one that Ruthie or the twins will talk to about this. Cecilia, you said you got a chance to talk to them right, about what they want?"
Cecilia nods, "Ruthie begged me to find a way so that they don't have to leave Glenn Oak."
"That's nor really a choice." Ruth responds, "there is no family here."
"They can live with me." Cecilia states before anyone can offer any other suggestions.
"That's absurd." The Colonel states firmly, "you are a freshman in college, you could not take care of these children."
"Cecilia, it's really sweet of you to offer, but it doesn't really make sense." Sarah adds, much more gently than the Colonel had.
"None of this makes sense. It doesn't make sense that Annie and Eric were the best parents in the world and now their three youngest are orphaned. Everything is all ready unfair for them so why should we add to it and uproot them?" Cecilia's words bring tears to many of the people around her but she continues. "Besides, Matt and Sarah you can't take care of them. Medical school is all ready too stressful. Mary, Carlos you all ready have twin daughters and Mary you are always traveling, I'm not judging, but you barely get to spend time with your kids as it is. Lucy you're all ready going through a difficult pregnancy, having to take on three children, even if they are your siblings, is going to add stress your doctor had all ready warned you about."
"Cecilia..." Mary interrupts.
"Let me finish, please. I'm like a second mother to the twins and I adore both them and Ruthie. Yes, I am a freshman in college but I am only going part time and I am living in my parents three bedroom condo. I don't have to make payments on it and Simon is close so he can help whenever he has a chance. At least let us try to keep them from being uprooted."
Every one exchanges glances and slowly one-by-one everyone reaches various stages of agreeance. "All right Cecilia," Matt states, "Ruthie, Sam and David will stay with you. Everyone will send you as much money as possible month. But Cecilia you have to promise us that if things get to difficult for you and you can't handle this then you have to let us know, and we have to figure out where they will go otherwise."
Lucy and Kevin exchange glances and Kevin states, "they can come live with us."
"I guess it's decided then." Simon states, and it's obvious by his expression that he doesn't know how to feel about his ex-girlfriend taking care of his younger siblings. "We should go up and tell them now."
Everyone nods and gets up from around the kitchen table they had been holding their meeting at. Walking up the stairs they find that Ruthie who had a broken wrist but had lucked out and not received the minor head trauma that the boys had, she was sitting in the boys' bedroom room reading them a story. But it was painfully obvious that they were all nervous about the meeting going on downstairs.
"Did you decide then?" Ruthie asks once everyone files into the boys' bedroom.
Mary nods and the older siblings gather around the younger ones as Mary says, "we think that it's probably best for you to stay here with Cecilia, at least for awhile."
"We're going to live with Cecilia?" David asks.
Cecilia nods, "at my condo, you remember my condo, right?"
Sam nods, "there's a pool."
Cecilia nods, "that's right, for when it's warmer there's a pool."
"So we aren't going to live here anymore?" David asks.
Lucy shakes her head, "the house belongs to the church and it goes back to them now."
Both boys look on the verge of tears and Cecilia quickly states, "but you can take all of your toys with you, it'll be OK, I promise."
"Promise?" David and Sam echo.
Cecilia nods, "I promise."
November 2004
"On a rainy night two wonderful lives were taken from this earth and carried home." Reverend Jonathan Jacobs speaks in front of a large church for a funereal he had been called to do. His gaze settles on the large, tearful, family crammed into one pew. Seven children ranging from ages twenty-five to six had been left behind, their parents having died in a terrible car accident only days before.
"Thank you Reverend." Reverend Chandler Hampton shakes Jonathan's hand, "I couldn't be impartial enough to preform the funereal."
"Reverend Camden and his wife seem to have touched many people."
Chandler nods, "they were everyone's dream parents. They took many people in off of the street, the ironic thing is that now it is their own children that need to be taken in."
"What is the situation then?" Jonathan inquires.
"The oldest, Matt, is married and in his third year of medical school in New York. Mary recently moved with her husband and twin daughters to Texas where her husband is now and editor for large paper there. Lucy lived in the garage apartment in her parents house since last May when her husband was transferred to New Mexico. And finally, Simon is attending college in Northern California."
"So there is no where they can live with family without being moved out of the town they have grown up in."
Chandler nods, "they are having a meeting tomorrow where the situation will be discussed, they know that I will take them in if needed. Ruthie and the twins were also in the car and only just got out of the hospital this morning and as far as I know will not be present at the meeting."
"Shouldn't there be a lawyer present? And only family?" Colonel Camden questions.
Matt shakes his head, "we know Mom and Dad made it clear in their will that all family decisions will be left up to the be decided by our family. We don't need a lawyer. And Cecilia is the only one that Ruthie or the twins will talk to about this. Cecilia, you said you got a chance to talk to them right, about what they want?"
Cecilia nods, "Ruthie begged me to find a way so that they don't have to leave Glenn Oak."
"That's nor really a choice." Ruth responds, "there is no family here."
"They can live with me." Cecilia states before anyone can offer any other suggestions.
"That's absurd." The Colonel states firmly, "you are a freshman in college, you could not take care of these children."
"Cecilia, it's really sweet of you to offer, but it doesn't really make sense." Sarah adds, much more gently than the Colonel had.
"None of this makes sense. It doesn't make sense that Annie and Eric were the best parents in the world and now their three youngest are orphaned. Everything is all ready unfair for them so why should we add to it and uproot them?" Cecilia's words bring tears to many of the people around her but she continues. "Besides, Matt and Sarah you can't take care of them. Medical school is all ready too stressful. Mary, Carlos you all ready have twin daughters and Mary you are always traveling, I'm not judging, but you barely get to spend time with your kids as it is. Lucy you're all ready going through a difficult pregnancy, having to take on three children, even if they are your siblings, is going to add stress your doctor had all ready warned you about."
"Cecilia..." Mary interrupts.
"Let me finish, please. I'm like a second mother to the twins and I adore both them and Ruthie. Yes, I am a freshman in college but I am only going part time and I am living in my parents three bedroom condo. I don't have to make payments on it and Simon is close so he can help whenever he has a chance. At least let us try to keep them from being uprooted."
Every one exchanges glances and slowly one-by-one everyone reaches various stages of agreeance. "All right Cecilia," Matt states, "Ruthie, Sam and David will stay with you. Everyone will send you as much money as possible month. But Cecilia you have to promise us that if things get to difficult for you and you can't handle this then you have to let us know, and we have to figure out where they will go otherwise."
Lucy and Kevin exchange glances and Kevin states, "they can come live with us."
"I guess it's decided then." Simon states, and it's obvious by his expression that he doesn't know how to feel about his ex-girlfriend taking care of his younger siblings. "We should go up and tell them now."
Everyone nods and gets up from around the kitchen table they had been holding their meeting at. Walking up the stairs they find that Ruthie who had a broken wrist but had lucked out and not received the minor head trauma that the boys had, she was sitting in the boys' bedroom room reading them a story. But it was painfully obvious that they were all nervous about the meeting going on downstairs.
"Did you decide then?" Ruthie asks once everyone files into the boys' bedroom.
Mary nods and the older siblings gather around the younger ones as Mary says, "we think that it's probably best for you to stay here with Cecilia, at least for awhile."
"We're going to live with Cecilia?" David asks.
Cecilia nods, "at my condo, you remember my condo, right?"
Sam nods, "there's a pool."
Cecilia nods, "that's right, for when it's warmer there's a pool."
"So we aren't going to live here anymore?" David asks.
Lucy shakes her head, "the house belongs to the church and it goes back to them now."
Both boys look on the verge of tears and Cecilia quickly states, "but you can take all of your toys with you, it'll be OK, I promise."
"Promise?" David and Sam echo.
Cecilia nods, "I promise."