Jennie’s mother Clarice had a lot of years to collect her stuff, now that she had agreed to move to Italy to live with her Daughter and husband, she had a lot of decisions to make. She knew that she could not bring all of her belongings with her, it simply wasn’t feasible to do so. It also wouldn’t be fair to Jennie and Devon. Besides, did she need to bring her furniture? What about her clothes, did she need to bring all of her heavy winter wear? She needed it for upper state New York, but Rome Italy?
When Clarice looked up what the climate was like in Rome, she got her answer. Wasn’t the internet great?
Rome has a Mediterranean climate, meaning its winters are relatively mild, with average highs between 41°F and 56°F (5°C to 13°C) and lows that can sometimes drop below freezing at night. While it’s not particularly cold, temperatures can still feel chilly, especially during the winter months of December, January, and February. Snow is rare in Rome, with average snowfall occurring once every few years.
Well that answered her question, she didn’t need to bring all of that stuff. As she walked around her place she looked at all of her knick-knacks. What did she need them for? All they did was collect dust, besides they just reminded her of a life in many cases she would rather forget. The only good thing that came out of 55 years of life was Jennie. Her first marriage was a mistake from the get-go. She was just too young, she married her high school sweetheart Michael Moore. She did so not out of love, but out of necessity. She got knocked up in her senior year. At least he did the right thing and married her. When she had a miscarriage in her 5th month, he promptly divorced her. It probably was for the best. She was just too immature to raise a child, and their marriage would never have lasted anyway. All they did was fight. Besides she knew he was cheating on her.
When she met Philip she knew that he was the one. He was everything that her first husband Michael wasn’t. He was mature, soft-spoken, gentle, and caring and when he touched her she just tingled all over. After a whirlwind courtship, they got married. She was 23 years old now and was herself, more mature. Life was magical, and just when she thought life couldn’t get better, she became pregnant for a second time. This time it felt different, this time it wasn’t a mistake, and somehow her body knew it as well. This time she carried to term. While your first pregnancy is never easy, hers went off without a hitch. Her Jennie was born on June 6, 1996, at 5:00 PM. She was a beautiful 7-pound 4-ounce baby girl.
Philip was a math teacher at the local high school. While he didn’t make big money, and by living a frugal lifestyle, they managed to get by without Clarice getting a job. She figured that once Jennie started going to school she could get a job to help out some. While her life wasn’t exactly easy, she wouldn’t change it for the world. She was madly in love with Philip, and what was best of all he worshipped the ground she walked on.
Then on the fateful day of November 18, 2000, at 4 pm, her life was irrevocably altered by a drunk driver who ran a red light and took her Philip away from her. After losing the love of her life the only reason she had for continuing life was her daughter. Seeing that Jennie grew up to be a young woman and eventually a mother gave her the strength she needed. Luckily her parents were able to help with babysitting while she went to a vocational school for secretarial training.
Once she was able to get back on her feet and could afford to take care of Jennie on her own she entered a two-year associate program to become a paralegal.
To become a paralegal, you typically need to pursue an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or post-baccalaureate certificate in paralegal studies. These programs cover legal fundamentals, research, writing, and ethical considerations, preparing students for various legal roles. While not mandatory, many paralegals seek national certification through organizations like the NALA or NFPA.
Because she had to work through the program it took her four years to get her certificate. With this certificate, she more than doubled her yearly income. Now she was able to enjoy life a little more. She was able to afford nicer clothes for Jennie, and even go out with her new friends from the office she worked at once and a while.
Through all that time her one goal in life was to raise Jennie. Now when she looked back it was with pride. Her Jennie had turned out to be something special. She also managed to get herself quite a nice young man to boot. Maybe, her struggle would be over and she could enjoy the remaining years of her life spending time with her grand babies.
After all this reflection, the only important thing was her family, everything else didn’t matter. She would take her albums of course and all of her warm-weather clothes. The rest, well, a garage sale should take care of that problem.
When she finally made up her mind about what to do with all of her stuff, she texted Jennie. Jennie then contacted Devon. A couple hours later Devon called his mother-in-law.
“Hey Mom, a member of the clergy will be over to help you with all the details and your packing. They will take care of selling all your stuff. You won’t need a garage sale. They have a thrift store at the church where they can sell your stuff on consignment. All of your extra clothes and incidentals will be boxed up and shipped to our house in Rome. The clergyman will also have a first-class ticket for you.” Devon added, ” Jennie and I can’t wait till you are living with us.”
“I am looking forward to seeing your new house, and I can’t wait until your new baby is born.” Clarice replied.
The next day, just as Devon promised, Deacon Robert Moreland arrived at Clarice Simmons’s house with four assistants. The Deacon listened politely to her instructions. They then quickly went to work. By the end of the day, her house was empty, her luggage was packed, and she was being driven to the airport. As she exited her house, the Deacon told her that she would receive a check for all the home goods she decided to sell, once their value was assessed. He also informed her that a real estate broker would contact her when she settled in Rome with her daughter. He finished by telling her that the agent’s name was Tony Jenson of Jensen Real Estate.
As Clarice was being driven in her Uber, she shook her head. She was amazed at how quickly the events of the day went by. It would have taken weeks to get everything done if it were left up to her. All it took for her son-in-law to get the ball rolling was one phone call. She was starting to see Devon in a whole new light. Who was this young man, and how did he acquire so much influence at such a young age? Judging by the description that her Jennie gave of their new house, he certainly must be loaded. As long as he treated her well and made her happy, she was happy. Now he was going to make her a grandmother, something just a few years ago she never dreamed would happen.
The Uber dropped Clarice off at the John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) International terminal. She dropped off her checked-in luggage and made her way to the departing terminal. The flight was a direct flight to Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) in Rome and was scheduled to take 9 hours and 15 minutes for the 4,290-mile distance. As stated previously, she had first-class tickets to make the flight smooth and comfortable. She always had a hard time sleeping on a plane, so she brought some magazines, and when she grew bored reading them, she could always watch a movie or two or even three.
Jenny was going to meet her at the airport by herself, because Devon was out of town for work. By the time the plane arrived at the airport in Rome, she was exhausted, and all that she could think of was sleeping in her new bed at Devon’s and Jennie’s house. Jennie met her at the baggage claim area. Jennie gave her mother a big hug when she saw her. There was a short wait at the carousel as all the luggage cycled through. So they took this opportunity to catch up a little. This was always the most tense time of a flight, as you wonder if your luggage made it to your destination. This was more of a concern when you had connecting flights. Since her flight was direct, the chances that her luggage got lost were slight. Jennie had already picked up a complimentary luggage cart for her mother’s luggage. So when her luggage started appearing on the carousel, Jennie grabbed each case and threw it on the cart. When they had all of the luggage loaded on the cart, they wheeled it to the parking garage where Jennie had parked her SUV.
While I briefly stated that he opted not to buy a Bentley, I did not discuss what he did decide to buy. So, to rectify that omission, I will tell you what he opted to buy. He purchased a Ford Bronco EcoBoost SUV. Ford had really come a long way with its Bronco line, and it now looked quite stylish. Above all, it had a good safety record, and it was less than half the price of the Bentley.
Jennie liked the look of the SUV herself and found its size and solid build reassuring, especially in Rome, where driving like a wild man seems to be the rule rather than the exception. It also had plenty of room for baby stuff, so it swallowed up her mother’s luggage with no problem. The drive to their villa was pretty quiet, as her mother kept nodding off. Jennie gently shook her mother awake when she pulled up to their driveway. “Mom, we are home.” When Clarice opened her eyes, she could only gasp and exclaim, “Oh MY God, your house is enormous!”
Jennie replied, “It takes your breath away, but you get used to it after a while. Let’s get your luggage and get you settled in. I am sure you will want to make an early night of it. Our maid slash cook made something light to nosh on before she went home for the day. “Thank you, honey, that sounds amazing.” Her mother replied. They made quick work of carrying her luggage up to her room. Calling it a room was doing it a disservice; it was more of a suite. She had a sitting area with a table to eat breakfast on, read a paper, or do whatever on, a bathroom with a large garden tub and separate shower, a huge walk-in closet, and a beautiful four-poster king-sized bed in the main room. As Clarice settled in, Jennie went to the kitchen and loaded up a tray of food for her mother, so she wouldn’t have to go down to the kitchen. As Clarice picked at the food Jennie had brought, they chatted away about nothing in particular. When Clarice finished her repast, she almost immediately started to fade away. So Jennie kissed her on the forehead and told her she would see her in the morning.