The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 21, 1967, Image 31
The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, December 20, 1967—SEC. B—PAGE 11
There are things you should
do, right things, that you shirk
and dodge, evade and put off—
until you run out of excuses.
You say to >ourself, "O.K.
I’ll do it.’' And, almost im
mediately, you look for some
reasonable way to crawfish
again.
Karen Cole knew that she
was committed. Far below the
night lights of Chicago faded '
into the distance. When the
wheels of the plane touched
down at Louisville she would
be face-to-face with the Coles—
the in-laws she had never seen.
There was no escape. They
would know her. Jim had sent
photos of the wedding cere
mony. She couldn’t pass them
by as a stranger would do and
go on her way again. She had
to face them.
It had been two months
since Jim had been officially
declared missing in Vietnam.
It was shortly thereafter when
she received the first of several
invitations to visit the Coles.
She had ignored them as long
as possible.
Karen had been somewhat
possessed with the Christmas
spirit, perhaps, when she an
swered the seventh invitation
and agreed to come for the
New Year holiday.
Give them credit, she
thought. The Coles had been
as persistent with their in
vitations as they had been in
their efforts to prevent their
only son from marrying a girl
they had never seen. Karen
was certain the marriage would
never have taken place if Jim
had given them more than the
few hours warning that he was
getting married. A notice that
scarcely gave them time to get
to California. But, how they
had burned up the telephone
wires!
It was to be a miserable
holiday. Karen could see it
in her mind’s eye. Old snap
shots. Countless stories of all
the "cute” things Jim did as a
youngster His achievements at
school and college. Tears here
and there.
But, at least, it would be a
one-time affair. She would meet
them, hear them out, listen to
their tales and stories, and then
return to her job in Chicago,
nursing her grief and hoping,
as she continued to hope, that
one day word would come that
Jim was safe and well.
The Coles were not what
Karen had expected. Mr. Cole
was more distinguished than
his photos had shown him to
be and Mrs. Cole — her mouth
was not so thin after all, but
firm and quick to smile.
In fact, and it surprised
Karen, they were both happy
and smiling. How odd. She had
expected to listen to moans and
wailing. She was not prepared
for happy greetings and the
witty conversation that oc
cupied the time during the drive
from the airport to the small
suburban cottage the Coles
called home.
It struck Karen like a bolt
of lightning as she sat down
in the kitchen and looked at
the Coles across the cup of
steaming hot chocolate Mrs.
Cole had placed before her.
They were going to adopt her!
Surely, this was it. She was
to be the replacement for the
son they had lost. They had
rejected her at the outset. Now,
she was all they had^in the
world and they wanted fo take
her in, do things for her, make
her happy.
Never! She would go back
to her job in Chicago. And
she would wait. She had not
given up hope. She would go
back to her job and she would
wait for Jim. Jim was coming
home. Jim was all right.
"Jim is all right. We have
word.” Karen was aware that
Mr. Cole was speaking, slowly,
distinctly. "They tried to reach
you in Chicago but you had
already left, so they called h^re.
Do you understand, Karen?
Jim is £ll right. He is coming
home ’j us someday. Jim is
a prison^.-, but he is alive and
well ...”
"Yes Jim is all right,” Karen
sang it out. "Jim is coming
home . . .” She paused, raising
the cup to her lips. "... To us.”
Here’s to a very merry
Christmas! May the season
bring you abiding joy.
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