Chapter 34 Moving On Up
Emma tossed and turned as she could not seem to get comfortable in the hospital bed. Missy turned the handle to raise the head of the bed hoping to make her granny more comfortable but nothing seemed to help. Emma finally relaxed and seemed to fall back to sleep as her mind drifted.
Emma began to think of the time that Missy was in school at Howard. She remembered Missy calling her to tell her that she had made the dean’s list at school the first semester. Missy continued to make the dean’s list each semester that she attended Howard. Missy came home after her first year at Howard for her summer break and seemed to study even more. Missy was never in danger of losing her scholarship even though she took several honor courses as well as volunteered at the community center. At the fall break of the second year, Missy called Emma to inform her that she had been invited to join the Delta Sorority. While Emma did not really understand sororities and she actually had never heard of the Deltas, she was happy because Missy was happy. During her senior year at Howard, Missy decided to apply for admission to the Law School. There was never a question of her being accepted as she earned top score on the LSAT however the question was how could she pay for two additional years in school. She decided that she would apply for a scholarship and a loan. She would repay the loan after she graduated from law school and began working. To the amazement of both Emma and Missy, she learned that the scholarship that she had in undergraduate school had been extended to her time in law school. Again as usual Missy would attempt to find her benefactor however the school would give her no answer.
As in her usual manner, Missy continued to do well in law school and graduated summa cum laude with her law degree. Tom, Emma and other members of the Church traveled to Washington DC to attend the graduation ceremony. Missy delivered the graduation speech on behalf of the students where she recognized all who had made that day possible for she and the other graduates. She offered words of thank you especially to Emma who had sacrificed so much so that Missy could reach her dream.
Missy had experienced so much during her tenure at Howard. She had seen Richard Nixon become President of the United States after losing to John F Kennedy eight years earlier. She saw President Nixon become the first president to visit China and end the Vietnam War. She also saw the aftermath of Watergate and President Nixon’s ultimate resignation. In her final year in law school she participated in a mock trial where President Nixon was impeached and she argued successfully for his innocence. Missy demonstrated a remarkable ability to remember facts and to use those facts at the most opportune time. Everyone of her professors and classmates knew that she would be a very successful trial lawyer if that is what she chose to do after passing the bar.
While many of her classmates were sending out resumes to find positions, Missy was getting offers from many different law firms who recognized her talent. After talking with Emma, they both decided that she would take an offer from a law firm in New York City. This had been a very tough decision for both as Emma missed Missy however she recognized that Missy would be more successful in a city like New York. Deep down in her heart Emma wanted Missy to come home but she would not allow her feelings to interfere with the success of Missy as that was more important than anything else.
Emma remembered traveling to New York with Missy to see her new apartment. Missy had been able to find an apartment near Central Park which was small but met her needs. Missy had received a signing bonus from her new employee and was able to purchase an airplane ticket for Emma. It was the first time that Emma had ever flown on a plane and she remembered how nervous she was when the plane first left the ground. Emma really did not want to fly but Missy talked her into flying and held her hand throughout the flight. Upon landing Emma wanted to kiss the ground.
Missy made sure to carry Emma to see all of the usual tourist sites. They visited the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. They visited Harlem and went to see the Temptations and the Supremes at the Apollo Theater. They then went to dinner at Sylvia’s restaurant which was quite similar to the restaurant in Riverside owned by Mrs. Taylor.
After a week in New York, Emma then traveled back to Riverside. While she was still apprehensive about the airplane ride she tried hard to put on a good face for Missy. As she was flying, she heard the pilot tell the passengers that they were flying over Washington DC. Her mind immediately went to her time in DC and how much had changed since she had left DC. Yes she had some bad thoughts of her time in DC including the death of Phillip; however, she could only think of how Missy had grown to be a successful lawyer. She then went to sleep with a smile on her face.