“Good thing. I don’t know how you would have gotten through all these years without me,” Jorden chided.

Matt couldn’t argue with her logic as he held onto Jorden.

***

Jorden thought back on their life together. They had celebrated numerous holidays with their family of five, including two sons and one daughter. Sadly, Jorden’s parents had passed, but Bobbette still kept in touch on a weekly basis. Now there was the sweet addition of three grandchildren with another one on the way. They had settled in the Northwest and made this their home over the past years. Strangers still stared at them and their obvious differences, but it couldn’t stop them from smiling.

But things had changed quite a lot from the late 1960s. Jorden was thankful the draft had been eliminated in 1973. Matt didn’t have a choice when he was drafted to serve back in 1968, but now their sons could choose. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was finally recognized in 1980; however, Vietnam Veterans did not have the advantage of that diagnosis in the 1960s and earlier 1970s. Jorden never forgot one of the soldiers at their Julian Apartment complex the fall of 1969. He would sit at the pool in a daze, never speaking. His friends would supply him with drinks and sandwiches, doing their best to watch out for him. At the time, Jorden and her roommates didn’t understand what was happening to him.

Her roommates had been good about writing and now e-mailing, texting, or using Facebook for their latest news. Emma Lynn eventually found her special love. They were married and settled outside of Atlanta. She had a circle of grandchildren whom she loved to spoil. Talented Darby branched out into writing. She became a bestselling author, now living in New York City with her well-known, renowned husband and two daughters. Proud of Darby’s success, Jorden savored her friend’s novels and had them on the shelf above her desk.

Of course Madison, her close friend, came back to mind. Madison and Luke, who had known each other since their early teens, continued to be happily married with two children and four grandchildren. Jorden still bounced ideas and problems off of Madison since she always gave good, straight answers which Jorden relied on.

Eloise and Major Hawkins ended up in Massachusetts after he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Army. Nora grew into a sharp young woman who made a big splash on Wall Street. She did so well she received a write-up in The New Yorker magazine. Jorden was delighted for Nora and followed all her accomplishments. Of course, Nora would always hold a special spot in Jorden’s heart; she had been Jorden and Matt’s most powerful cheerleader.

Jorden turned and stretched as she looked at her husband. He winked back with the same magic she had first seen years ago.