Chapter 100 - His Betrayal
10 years later
Lily & Jeremy
The last 10 years have gone by in a blur with how busy we have been. I graduated from high school and then went right into college and got my degree in social work just like my mother. Everything my brother, mother and I went through gave me an appreciation for going to school and earning my degree in that field. When I was finishing my senior year I spent a lot of time with my mother and asking her advice when I was struggling and she taught me some valuable skills that had me doing my own research on the values of good communication and utilizing healthy coping skills when I got stressed out or anxious. I always admired the work my mother did while I was growing up because I knew she was helping other people both adults and children.
When I went to college it was easy for me to make the decision to pursue a degree in social work. I earned my bachelor’s degree in social work first, and due to my high GPA I was able to do the accelerated masters program. I am now working in my mothers practice seeing clients and she told me that when she is ready to retire I can take over the practice if I would like. I am loving the work I am doing and the best part for me is I get to make my own schedule.
Jeremy has been doing amazing and he took over his father’s plumbing business. His father trained him for a few years slowly backing out as time went on and also giving Jeremy time to take a few classes to help him. His dad is always there on a consulting basis but is enjoying his retirement.
Jeremy did make good on his promise to make our first time special. He arranged a special night for us when I graduated from high school. Yes, he did make me wait until then, mainly because he wanted me to be out of high school before we took this step. It was very frustrating for both of us, but it did bring us much closer together and appreciate each other without s*x getting in the way. We got married after I graduated from college, bought a house in the country so we can enjoy the quiet and privacy. A year later we were welcoming our twins Josephine (JoJo) and Eli. Life with twins kept us on our toes but over the next two years we had two more adorable girls Mary and Sara. We agreed that 4 was perfect and our family is complete, and our parents have thoroughly enjoyed their new life as grandparents to our children. I couldn’t be happier with the life that was given to me and I am glad that with the push that one summer I finally told Jeremy how I felt, I don’t know if we would have made it to this point if I hadn’t. I am sure our journey would have been much harder, maybe more painful if I had given into my fears and never talked to him on that camping trip.
Joey and Josie
These ten years have been good to me and Joey, we got married not long after we finished college. I went into nursing while Joey decided after he started his business degree he would rather be a teacher because he enjoyed working with children. We moved a few towns over from our parents since that is where Joey got a job teaching 5th graders. We knew that we would still be spending plenty of time with our families on the weekends so it was not that hard to buy a house about 45 minutes from our families.
I took a job at the local hospital and I have spent the time working in the Emergency Room because I liked the fast pace of the department. There are times that my job can be stressful, but going home to my husband and 3 children makes everything better. Joey and I make sure we spend our days off doing things together as a family, whether it is doing things at home or going out as a family. Joey and I had our first child, Justin, when I was in my last year of college. We then welcomed Melissa and Charlie over the next few years. Family means everything to Joey and I, mainly because we both came from very supportive families. We make sure that we visit our parents often with the children, or they come to visit with us. Lily and I are happy that we have children close in age to grow up together, we want our families to be as close as each of our families were.
The rest of their siblings went off to college during this time or to work in the trades. Both families all stay close and still try to do things together whenever they can. It is important to all of them to stay in contact with each other and keep in touch whenever possible. The journey for all of them didn’t start out easy at first but with love and support for each other kept them all close as a family even if not by blood.