Nora Ray (Ray Trilogy)

chapter Ten

After the Christmas break, Jeremy told Nora sitting at lunch one day that he felt pressured by his dad to make a decision about which University he would attend.

“Did you make the suggestion about making your major in business?”

“Yes, I did,” Jeremy commented looking dismal. “He would have none of it.”

“I’m sorry,” she rubbed his hand trying to comfort him.

“Since I’m his oldest son, he wants to make sure I don’t make a mistake. After all, Littlefield’s are attorneys. He tells me.”

“I’m sure he wants what he feels is best for you.”

“The only universities that he will consider are the ones that produce the most reputable lawyers,” he complained taking another bite of his sandwich.

“I’m sure this isn’t much comfort to you at this time, but if you didn’t have the opportunity to go to the university, how happy you might be to have that opportunity,” Nora stated finishing up her drink.

“Right, and how many other young men that would give anything to have their father willing to pay their tuition and board. I’ve heard it all in the last few days.”

“It is something to think about but if your heart isn’t in it, it’s hard to get excited about,” she acknowledged as they got up to go back to class.

That evening while she sat at the kitchen table working on her homework, she realized it was time for her to make a decision about college also. She had been so busy with school, working, and then Christmas that she hadn’t seriously thought about where she needed to go in the fall. Tomorrow she would visit with Mrs. Jenkins about what she needed to do.

Danny sat across the table from her working on his model airplane that he got for Christmas.

Nora watched him for a while. She wondered which area of study would interest him enough that he might want to study it. He puckered his mouth with such concentration as he worked to place the tiny pieces with such precision. He could be a mechanical engineer designing airplanes she thought. Yeah, or a dozen other things. I just hope by the time he makes that decision that I am financially able to help him fulfill his dream.

She approached Mrs. Jenkins office during her study period. Nora hoped that she would have a few minutes to speak with her. She could see through the window in the door that Mrs. Jenkins was alone so she knocked on the door and cautiously opened it.

“Nora!” Mrs. Jenkins came around the desk to greet her, “How are you? I’m so happy to see you. I’ve missed having you in my class this year.”

“It’s good to see you again, too. I’m well, thank you.”

“How is your father?” Mrs. Jenkins inquired. “It’s been so long since I’ve had the opportunity to speak to you, I haven’t heard about him or your little nephew Jordan, either. Come, sit down, and we’ll have a little chat.”

After both of them got settled, Nora told her that both seemed to be holding their own. Jordan had some setbacks but was doing well now.

“By the way,” Mrs. Jenkins said, pulling some papers from a desk drawer, “I was going to call you, but now that you’re here, I’ll give this to you now.”

Handing the papers to Nora, she said, “These are application papers to OU Medical College in Oklahoma City. Also, there are scholarship applications that could provide you with money to help pay your way. If you have any questions, please feel free to come by and I will see if I can assist you. Don’t be shy about filling out scholarship applications. Fill out everyone you come across. Sometimes you can receive more than one.”

“Mrs. Jenkins, thank you so much,” Nora stood to receive the papers. “You must be a mind reader, this is exactly the information I needed to get started. Thank you, so much.”

“You’re welcome. When you have them completed, come back by my office,” she told Nora. “I should have some letters of recommendation for you by then.”

“I don’t know how to thank you enough for what you have done for me and my family,” Nora replied humbly.

Mrs. Jenkins put her arm around Nora’s shoulder and said, “Speaking as a teacher, we don’t see very many with as much promise as you, and I know you won’t let us down.”

Then she added, “And we will be watching.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

When Nora saw Jeremy, she told him about her meeting with Mrs. Jenkins.

“Hmm,” Jeremy thought with his finger across his chin. “I have my college applications at home; I need to work on mine, too. What do you think about this?” Jeremy looked at his watch. “Since you don’t work tonight, how about you call your parents to see if you can come home with me after school? We can work on our homework together, and then we’ll see how far we can go in filling out these applications. What do you think?”

Surprised that he asked her to go after school, it took her a minute to think about it.

Seeing her hesitation, for leverage he said, “My parents will be really good help with that college stuff.” He nodded his head for extra assurance.

She smiled at his efforts and also could see the advantages, “Sure, I’ll call home as soon as school is out.” Thinking of Danny, she said, “I’ll need to let Danny know, also, so he won’t wait for me.”

Jeremy and Nora spread their homework out on the dining room table, one on each side. By the time they were finished with the homework, Samantha set out a tuna casserole, sweet peas, and a big salad.

Nora didn’t ever remember seeing such mayhem at a meal, she set back and waited until the four younger boys had filled their plates before she felt brave enough to fill her plate.

Samantha scolded them, saying, “Sit down and pipe down. Did you forget Nora was here?”

Quickly the boys quieted down, mumbling “Sorry.”

Donald, Jeremy’s dad, asked, “Nora, what did you think of Santa at the Christmas party at the hospital?”

“I thought he did a good job, and his elves really entertained everybody,” she paused thinking. “Now wait just a minute.” She hesitated, “There was something…. something nagging at me about them that night.”

Recognition hit. She pointed her finger at Jeremy. “It was you! You were Santa.” With a sweeping motion toward the brothers, she exclaimed, “And you were the elves!”

The brothers laughed and poked each other in the ribs.

“Dad, you let the cat out of the bag.” Jeremy admonished his dad. “I actually pulled it off,” Jeremy said smugly.

“You ornery thing!” Nora exclaimed, indignant that he slid one by without her recognizing him. “You never hinted one little word to me since then!”

Jeremy brushed the hair back on each side of his face, “What can I say, I’m just cool.”

Jeffrey, the oldest of the four, laughingly commented, “Jeremy set it all up because he is twitter patted and wanted to be near you at work. We had a blast wearing those costumes and handing out presents.”

“I could tell,” Nora agreed, “You were bouncing around, kicking your heels together. Any other time, that behavior would not be accepted in a hospital. However, that night it seemed to bring the spirit of Christmas. You all did a wonderful thing for those patients.”

“Thank you.”

“While you’re at it, give Mom some credit.” Jeffrey continued, nodding at his mother, “She managed to find those costumes. After Jeremy got the ball rolling, Mom contacted every charity organization and church in town about gifts for the patients.”

“Wow,” Nora said in amazement. “You guys go all the way! Thank you so much for all you’ve done.”

Samantha brushed it off, “I was happy to do what I could. Most people want to help others, especially at Christmas, but don’t see the need until it is pointed out. I just nudged them in the right direction.”

The fun went on until the end of the meal and then they sat down with their college applications.

After a few minutes, Donald came in and sat down at the end of the table. “Jeremy, which colleges are you considering?”

“In my hand I have Yale, Harvard, Tulsa University, and University of Oklahoma College of Law.”

“Do you plan to request admission to all of them?” Donald asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Jeremy answered.

“Which is your choice?”

Jeremy took a deep breath and replied, “Oklahoma University would be my preference.”

“May I ask? Why would that be?” Donald questioned with raised eyebrows.

“Sir,” Jeremy replied wishing he could defuse the situation, “they have a law school and Nora plans to attend the medical school there.”

Nora sat there round eyed watching one then the other.

Donald turned to Nora, “I apologize, Nora, before I say this. I mean no disrespect to you.” Then he turned to Jeremy, “Son, be sure you are thinking straight. That is not the reason you should choose your university. This will affect the rest of your life and you should choose wisely.”

Donald sat back and folded his arms across his chest, “Now, which one of those universities is known for producing the wealthiest attorneys?”

“I suppose that would be Harvard,” Jeremy said in resignation.

“Now you’re thinking, Son. That’s the one you want to target.” Donald got up from the table and patted Jeremy on the back, “I’ll see to it that you get all the information you need for your applications.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Jeremy looked at Nora in resignation. He took a deep breath and shuddered.

Nora shook her head in sympathy. Finally she whispered, “An inquisition.”

“He is a lawyer, you know,” acknowledged Jeremy. “He’s going to win this time. I need his approval to get the funding. I don’t think he will win in the end, he just thinks he will.”

“Be careful, Jeremy. Don’t do anything foolish,” Nora cautioned.

“I won’t. I need his help.”

She nodded. She thought of her dad. She knew he loved her but at this point, that’s about all he could give her.

Jeremy leaned over conspiratorially to confide in her, “I will study law for him, but it will be business law.” He pointed to his brain, “I’ll be half way there.”

Nora shook her head, and smiled, “Jeremy, you’re a mess, but a smart one.”

Samantha had stood just inside the kitchen door and heard the whole conversation, she stepped into the dining room and said,” I agree, Nora, Jeremy is a smart one. He will get through this.” She patted Jeremy on the back, letting him know he had her support. “If you need any help with those applications, I’ll be happy to help you. I’ll be right in the next room.”

By the next week the applications were sent off to their respective universities. Waiting was the only thing left to do. They both were on pins and needles. Nora worried because she wanted to be accepted. Jeremy worried because he thought he might be accepted.

One day Nora confided her worries to her mother, “What if I get accepted into the medical school but I don’t receive a scholarship? I still won’t be able to go without taking out so many loans, I’ll never get them all paid.”

After Sunday dinner John said, “Your mom and I have something we want to tell both of you children. We sold the land, the dairy, the barns, and the cows for a reasonable amount of money. I planned to see that you children were raised without having to work to support all of us, which was how it has turning out. I’m not pleased about that, but that was just how it is. Anyway, I need to see to it that your mom can make her own way when I’m gone.”

“Please, Daddy, don’t say that,” Nora said as her throat choked up.

Laura wiped a tear as she pulled Danny over into a hug.

John raised his hands to ward off their complaints. “Now, now, don’t start fretting over me. I know where I am on this. I won’t be here too much longer.” He stopped and cleared his voice. “Like I said, the farm sold for a reasonable amount of money. I said I wanted to see to it that your mom was able to make it, but I also care about you children. I have studied on this a considerable bit to figure the thing I see that could help you the most. So what I did was put a savings account in each of your names at the bank which is set aside to help with your college expenses.”

He glanced at Nora as she took in a quick breath. “This won’t be enough to pay for everything but if you get in a pinch, it’s there for you.”

“Thank you, so much,” Nora blurted out as she jumped up to hug his neck.

On the weekend before they needed to head off to college, Jeremy came by to take Nora to dinner and the movies. John, Nora’s dad, sat on the porch swing waiting to talk to Jeremy.

“Would you have a minute before you go in?” John inquired.

“Sure.”

“I wondered if you would go with me tomorrow afternoon, I have something I want to show you?” John continued, “I know you young people are so busy these days, but this is important to me.”

Jeremy had his curiosity up and since this was Nora’s dad, he would do almost anything for him. “Now, you have my curiosity up. Of course, Mr. Ray, I’d be happy to go with you.”

Seeing Jeremy on the porch with her dad, Nora walked out, and then wondered what she had interrupted. She looked curiously at each of them.

Her dad looked at Jeremy and shook his head.

Jeremy understood that this might be private between the two of them so he said, “Look at you! You look gorgeous in that cute pink dress and long blond hair hanging down your back like a waterfall.” He reached for both her hands and held them out.

She immediately curtsied for him.

He whirled her in a circle and said, “We might just go dancing. Let’s go. You’re mine for the evening.”

Waving goodbye, they left for the car.

John sat on the porch contemplating how good Jeremy and Nora seemed to get along. He wondered what their future might be. Sadly, he doubted that he would be around for much of it.

After leaving, Nora asked Jeremy, “What was it my dad was saying to you?”

Jeremy knew that he needed to tread carefully, “He asked me to go on a drive tomorrow, he wants to show me something. That’s all.”

“Hmm,” Nora furrowed her brow, “I wonder what that could be?”

He glanced toward her to see if she was satisfied and changed the subject, “How about we drive over to Claremore tonight? Let’s eat at the Hamlet House tonight. Does that sound good to you?”

“Yes, I love their fried chicken and their desserts are to die for.”

“Let’s do it.”

The next afternoon Jeremy hopped into the old pickup with John and they turned on Highway 20 and headed west.

“Has Nora ever taken you to the old home place where she was born?” John asked.

“Yes, Sir, we drove out there once but we didn’t get out or anything.”

“I would like to show you again, if you don’t mind,” John stated as he pulled in the driveway. “I called the owner this morning and he gave me permission to show you around.”

John waved to a man down by the farm house as he got out of the truck. “Has Nora ever told you about when she used to go to her thinking rock, as she called it.

“As a matter of fact, yes, she has.” Jeremy answered affirmatively. “I put that patio and bench in the backyard so she could go outside and sit. I know that bench couldn’t replace her rock but I hoped it would satisfy that need.”

“Let’s walk through this little grove of trees and over here on the edge of this cliff; there is a rock where she sat.”

When they reached the cliff, a flat sandstone rock perched right on the edge with a thirty foot drop on the far side. The flat top of the rock looked to be twelve feet long and five feet wide. On the top of the cliff the oak and hickory trees grew right up to the edge of the cliff and the other rocks that were embedded in the edge of the cliff. Below in the valley was a large meadow where dairy cows leisurely munched on the grass or lay in the shade of the trees which had been left to grow along the creek that snaked along through the pasture.

“No wonder, she came here. This is so peaceful and quiet. A place to be with nature,” Jeremy said thoughtfully.

“My family has lived here for five generations. I was the last in line except for Danny. I held on as long as I could, but my health gave out on me. Laura and Nora worked the dairy when I couldn’t but I knew that they were not strong enough, Danny was still a small boy.” John shook his head in regret.

Looking up at Jeremy, “I apologize to bring you out here for my ramblings.”

Shaking his head, Jeremy said, “No, Mr. Ray, don’t feel bad. I appreciate knowing more about Nora’s family. She hasn’t said much about the dairy to me.”

“No, I guess she wouldn’t,” John nodded his head, understanding the pain she endured in the last few months that she worked the dairy.

“On the brighter side,” John smiled, changing the subject, “This rock is what I wanted to show you. I know my inquisitive little Nora will ask you questions about our trip out here. Now, what I want to talk to you about is ‘what are your plans concerning my daughter’?”

“That was sneaky,” Jeremy grinned. “However, after I went to bed last night I was thinking about this little drive with you, and I thought maybe this was your real intention.”

“Well, Sir, my plans and my desire are almost polar opposites.” Jeremy rubbed his hands over his face, “My desire is to marry her tomorrow. My plans are to complete law school. My father has his heart set on my going to Harvard. He is funding my school so if I am accepted there, I will be leaving for Harvard and Nora will be going to OU medical school. I think she will have no trouble getting her scholarship.”

“There is a problem with her being a female doctor. That’s almost unheard of in medical school,” John said worriedly.

“Talking to Nora, she doesn’t even seem to take that into consideration,” Jeremy rolled his eyes wonderingly. “I haven’t mentioned it to her. If she doesn’t know it’s a problem, why bring it up to her? It’s one less worry for her to think about.”

“That’s the way I feel about it.” John turned toward Jeremy and looked him right in the eyes, “Now back to you and Nora, are you there for her for the long haul?”

“Sir, my intention is to marry Nora as soon as I possible am able to support the two of us. I hate it like everything that I have to leave her to go to Harvard. I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.”

Jeremy stood and leaned against a tree, looking down on the meadow. “I tried to talk my dad into letting me go to OU law school but he wouldn’t even consider it. He wants very much for me to be successful. For one thing, I am his oldest son and he wants me to go to his alma mater. He will not even consider my studying anything but law. He says, ‘Littlefield’s are attorneys’. That is that!” Jeremy said bitterly. “I also think one of his motives is to separate Nora and I, not that he doesn’t like Nora but he wants me to concentrate on my studies.”

John sat thoughtfully looking down upon the valley. Finally he softly said, “I understand where he is coming from. Every father wants his son to follow in his footsteps. He wants his son to be successful. Should you and Nora get married young and have children quickly it might change both of your plans. Both of you are ambitious and have a lot in common, which seems somewhat strange to say considering such different backgrounds.”

John stood up and leaned on another tree near Jeremy. “Nora talked to me some about this problem with choosing your major some time ago.”

Jeremy nodded.

“What do you think you should do?”

“Well, it’s hard. I don’t want to be disrespectful to my father. I will go to Harvard, should I get an admittance letter and I will study law, but I will study business law. This won’t set well with my father but horticulture will be my minor,” Jeremy shrugged his shoulders and looked at John, “Do you think I’m doing wrong?”

“You know your father better than I do,” John said narrowing his eyes and turning his head, “but my guess is that he won’t be happy when he sees those courses on your schedule. You asked whether I thought you were doing wrong. I’m not giving my approval one way or the other; however, I can’t say that when I was your age I would have done anything different than you’re doing.”

Jeremy nodded, “I appreciate that.”

“I hate to burden you, son, with my problems. It appears to me that you have more than your share, but I have something else I want to discuss with you.”

“It’s nothing,” Jeremy shrugged, “I’ve tried to please my father my whole life.” He laughed, “Nothing new.”

“I understand. It’s still tough, though.” John continued, “I knew from the moment I saw you and Nora together that the two of you had something special, although Nora was clueless at the time. Jeremy, I won’t be here much longer.”

Jeremy moved toward John shaking his head.

“Just hear me out.” John said holding up his hands. “As I said, I know that you love my baby girl. I asked you here so that we could have a private conversation. Before I go I wanted to know that you will watch out for her and my family. I believe you and Nora will marry when the two of you see fit. I know she has her heart set on being a doctor and I would hate to see her dreams shattered. I hope you respect that.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jeremy replied. “I don’t want to stand in her way. She has always been so dedicated to helping others that it would change who she is if she couldn’t study medicine.”

“Thank you, Jeremy. You have taken a load off my shoulders just as I thought you would,” John put his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “I couldn’t ask for a better future son-in-law.”

“Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your blessing to marry your daughter even though it’s a little premature. I do plan to marry her. I promise I’ll keep a watchful eye on Mrs. Ray and Danny.”

When they got back in the pickup to return home, Jeremy spoke, “Sir, I hope you live to a very old age. You are really easy to talk to.”

“Well, Jeremy, I feel like I may not have much time left and I’m trying to get my ducks in a row.”

“I understand, Sir.”