“Welcome, Mr. Rinehart,” Jorden greeted the principal, “I’m glad you could join us. Mr. Stone and I are honored to have you share this fine achievement with the top performer.”

Nora and Cheryl were sitting on the edges of their seats. Nora bit her lip, almost drawing blood.

Jorden joked, “We need a drum roll in honor of the Grand Winner.” Danny Johnson, sitting in the back of the room, started to do just so with two pencils—then the rest of the class caught on and pitched in.

Mr. Rinehart chuckled. “Well, there’s your drum roll, Miss Marshall. Now for the winners!”

Jorden applauded before announcing the first place winner. “The prize for the highest profit—goes to two partners. The winners are Nora Summers and Cheryl Barker. Congratulations!” Jorden clapped while the class joined in.

“You two are to share the twenty-five dollar award, plus another ten dollars put in by Mr. Rinehart. Thank you for your generosity.” The class cheered again.

Mr. Rinehart stepped to the front of the room. “Nora and Cheryl, I’m proud of you. What a fine performance. I wish I had followed your wise judgment and invested in those stocks. Well done!” He clapped again.

Jorden couldn’t contain herself when she got home. “What a grand day! I wish you could have been there to see how proud my students were. Nora and Cheryl outdid themselves! It was amazing!”

“Bravo! It’s good to see you so happy. What a good send off to New York tomorrow. This should bolster your confidence for meeting Alex’s family.” Madison gave Jorden a victory hug.

“I hope so. You know, they aren’t keen on southerners,” Jorden remarked.

“Remember you were brought up in New Jersey—Yankee land,” Madison countered.

“But my family’s roots are in the South. My parents are only in New Jersey because of my dad’s job.”

“Maybe they don’t realize you’re from the South. They’ll like you; I just know it.” Madison gave Jorden a thumbs up.

Chapter 36: January 1970

Chapter 36

January 1970

Jorden sat near the rear of the plane in the coach section. She remembered passing through first class where the seats had extra room and better amenities, not cramped like her area. Then, her mind drifted to last May. It was the weekend she met Alex’s family. The visit made an enormous impression.

***

Previous Year – Albany Weekend, May 15 – 18, 1969

Jorden packed with care. She just had two full days in Albany, Friday and Saturday, to be with Alex and his family. This would be the last time she would see him for over a year.

“Come on, Jorden, it’s almost five. We need to get to the airport. If you don’t hurry we’re going to get stuck in rush hour traffic,” Madison insisted.

“I’m ready,” Jorden declared.