Short Stories

Edwina Chapter 1 THE RIGHT THING

by ANNE COOK
01/21/20
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The last time Edwina had thought about her family she had been several years younger than she was today. Now being nearly 75 years and in a retirement center ( a nice way to say the dreaded term: “nursing home”. Before then she had been living in her own dirty, dusty home on River Street in Union Canyon with her grown children Joseph Finch; Thomas Finch and his wife: Britney; and shortly afterwards Peter, her youngest moved back as well. All were unable to live and support with the small incomes they had at the time. Joseph had the largest amount of student loan debt and then too, Thomas also had a large debt from his student loans. Peter the youngest twin and Thomas the older one. Joseph was her oldest and was named after her beloved older brother, Joseph, who had been killed in the Vietnam War so many years ago when she was just 18 yeas old.

In this average sized metropolitan town there were around 150,000 people so it was not particularly a large place yet it wasn’t small either. Being in the mid central part of the country the winters could be pretty cold and the summers pretty hot. Sometimes a couple of months in the summer they could have triple digit weather that could last for a few weeks at a time causing the city to begin water rationing. This meant that people could only water their lawns in the night hours of 10pm-12am and if really a shortage they would also limit it to just certain nights of the week.

Edwina’s mind rambled on from her thoughts about her sons and husband to the place that she had lived all of her life and its weather. She had now more trouble focusing than she use to. She did have after all ADD. Attention Deficit Syndrome and also one of the same conditions all three of her sons had inherited from her. She remembered how the school pressured her into agreeing to have all three on medication for the problem.

As she looked out of her window she remembered how wonderfully handsome her husband Tom was when she first met him. Never ever had she believed in “love at first sight” till she met him. She knew upon that first meeting they would eventually marry. Weird to think she would infer something intimate about someone she knew nothing about.

She continued on her laptop writing down her thoughts as they flowed from her. Funny, though; she always thought she would die young cause of her life and how it started. She had read a book a long time ago which said, “Children who grew up in abusive environments were more likely to commit suicide or murder another person. They rarely ever had the emotional stability to raise a family or have a career. They were more or less: LOSERS”. Yet, Edwina had her bachelor’s degree in teaching and had taught school; she had left education and become proficient in the business world; cared for her sick husband; then raised her three sons alone till adulthood. She had done all of these things and she had been a victim of abuse both physical, emotional and sexual.

She had survived it all; but she knew only by the glory and grace of Jesus Christ. Her life was a testament to God’s plan for all.

SO, even after all of these years; when she would think about her life it still puts her in awe to think so much good came from her life because of the mercy of God inside of her. She knew for sure: THERE WAS NOTHING THAT GOD COULD NOT DO. HE TRULY COULD DO ALL THINGS. NO MATTER WHAT. SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY SURE OF IT! PRAISE GOD AND JESUS OUR SAVIOR!