Epilogue                                                                                                                        

October 31, 1989 6 p.m.

Time flies, Suns rise and shadows fall. Let time go by. Love is forever over all.                                                                                                                  -From an English Sun Dial

Amanda and Lee sat in their living room, watching Katie and Sarah play with some plastic blocks. Katie kept laughing every time Sarah threw a block on the floor, which in turn made Sarah laugh. Lee watched as Amanda took her camera and snapped pictures of the girls.

“Amanda, you’re going to blind them if you keep that up,” he chuckled. She gave him a look, then laughed.

“Lee, they’re just so cute in their costumes. I just want some pictures to remember Katie’s first Halloween! It’s also Sarah’s first with…us,” Amanda responded. Lee glanced at the girls. They really were adorable. Katie was wearing a little pumpkin costume and Sarah was dressed as a ballerina. They’d taken them to a few neighbors’ houses earlier that evening for “trick or treating”, which really meant letting the elderly women coo over the babies.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Amanda motioned for Lee to stay while she grabbed the bowl of candy. She opened the door to Indiana Jones, Batman, and a ghost. “Trick or treat!” the kids yelled, while Amanda complimented them on their costumes. “Thanks, Mrs. Stetson!” they yelled as they ran off to the next house.

Phillip and Jamie ran down the stairs as she was shutting the door. “Fellas, do you have to make such a racket?” Amanda exclaimed.

“Sorry, Mom. We’re going to head over to Linda’s right now, if that’s all right,” Phillip answered. “Come say goodbye to your sisters before you leave,” Lee called out. The boys went to the girls. Phillip picked up Sarah, making her squeal with delight. Jamie went to Katie and kissed her on the top of her head. Katie grabbed his hair and giggled.

Amanda grabbed her camera again and said, “Phillip, turn Sarah around and, Jamie, pick up Katie. Now look at me and smile.” The boys did as they were asked, then set the girls back down on the blanket before their mother could get another picture.

“Bye, Mom, Lee. See you later!” the boys called out as they ran out the door. Amanda smiled as she watched the boys run down the street to Linda Montez’s house. They had been so quiet for the last few weeks since the funerals. Neither one seemed to want to venture far from the house and barely spoke to anyone on the phone. When Linda’s mother had called Amanda about the party, Gail had been unsure about whether the boys would want to go. Amanda, though, thought it would be a good opportunity to lift the boys’ spirits and had thanked her for including Jamie. Phillip had been thrilled with the invitation and Jamie was ecstatic. Apparently, Linda’s little sister, Rachel, was a “friend” of his.

“Looks like the boys are in a good mood,” Lee said as Amanda returned to the couch. “It’s good to see them happy again.”

“I know,” Amanda sighed. “It’s been rough on them, losing their dad. I’m glad Gail thought to invite them. They need to get back into the swing of things…so do I. I think it’ll be good for me to get back to work next week. What do you think?”

“Is Dotty OK with having both girls now? It’s a lot of work,” Lee questioned.

“I can handle it,” Dotty responded as she walked in from the kitchen. “It’s time our life got back to normal. The boys need normal…I think it’s time to get back to business as usual.” She looked down at the girls and smiled. “Well, almost normal…you have that appointment with Joe’s lawyer tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, we’re meeting with him at 10 to discuss the adoption. He seems to think everything will go smoothly since we’re legally Sarah’s guardians,” Amanda answered.

“Good,” Dotty responded. Just then, the doorbell rang. “I bet that’s Andrei. Did I tell you we’re going to a faculty soiree? I think it’s going to be fun!” As she opened the door, Dr. Zernov walked in.

“Good evening, Dorothea. Are you ready? You look…how do you say? Beautiful,” Andrei gushed.

“Yes, I’m ready. See you later, Amanda, Lee! Don’t eat too much candy!” Dotty called out as she walked out the door.

SMK SMK

Around 8 p.m., the doorbell rang. “Isn’t it a little late for trick or treaters?” Lee asked. Amanda shrugged and grabbed the bowl of candy.

“Trick or treat!” Ephraim said with his hand held out. Francine stood just behind him with an amused look on her face. Amanda laughed as she held open the door and welcomed them in.

“Ooh, are those Snickers, Amanda?” Francine whispered as Ephraim walked into the living room ahead of her. Amanda smiled, then handed Francine the bowl. Francine grabbed a Snickers and carried it with her.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Lee asked as they walked into the living room.

“Oh, nothing much,” Francine answered. “We just wanted to stop by and bring Amanda up to date on the expansion.”

“Actually,” Ephraim chuckled, “I think Francine wanted to get some Halloween candy since you told her earlier today that Amanda had bought five big bags of Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.”

Amanda laughed at the horrified expression on Francine’s face. Francine elbowed Ephraim and said, “That is not true! I wanted to see the girls in their costumes. Amanda told me all about them last week when we met for lunch.”

“Sure, and that’s why you have a Snickers hidden in your purse!” Ephraim teased. Francine gave him a look, then laughed. Lee shook his head as Amanda grabbed her camera again.

“Do you mind if I take your picture with the girls? I think it’d be cute!” Amanda said as she handed Francine and Ephraim each a baby. She got them to smile, then snapped the picture. As she set down the camera, she took Katie from Ephraim.

“Well, I’m about to go put them in their pajamas. Want to come help me?” Amanda asked Francine. Francine nodded and, still holding Sarah, followed Amanda up the stairs.

As they reached the nursery, Francine let out a small gasp. “Amanda, you’ve done so much in here.” Amanda nodded and surveyed the room. While Amanda had been off for the last few weeks to take care of the many details that surround the loss of loved ones, she and Dotty had brought over several items from Sarah’s room and redone the nursery to incorporate them.

When they were going through Joe and Carrie’s house to prepare it for its eventual sale, they’d chosen some pictures Carrie had hung in Sarah’s nursery, along with her crib and a rocking chair that had been Joe’s. They’d also hung a picture of Joe and Carrie on their wedding day above Sarah’s crib.

Amanda carried Katie over to the changing table and wrestled her out of the pumpkin costume, changed her diaper, then put on some pink footed pajamas. “Here, if you’ll take Katie, I’ll change Sarah,” she said, reaching for the squirming ballerina.

“So, how is it going…with Sarah added to your clan?” Francine asked.

“It’s been fine. It really isn’t much more work dealing with two. Phillip and Jamie aren’t that much farther apart in age than Sarah and Katie, so I’ve just kind of gotten back into my old habits. Of course, it’s a lot easier now than it was then. I was on my own when Phillip and Jamie were small since…Joe…was always travelling. Now, I have my mother and Lee, and the boys even pitch in,” Amanda shared as she finished zipping up Sarah’s pajamas. “Now, your turn- how is it going with Ephraim? I know it’s only been a week or so, but…”

“Actually, it’s not that bad. The first week when you and Lee were both gone was a little awkward, especially since we were at your desks and trying to figure out what needed to be done. But, once Lee came back and we started fixing up our office, we’ve started getting used to each other. You know, he’s really not that bad a guy once you get to know him,” Francine responded, smiling at Katie as she tried to grab her earrings.

Amanda looked at Francine and smiled. She had changed so much over the years. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Francine used to throw little digs at her about being a housewife and a mom, and now, here she was, comfortable with playing with a baby.  

“What?” Francine said, noticing the look Amanda was giving her.

“Oh, nothing,” Amanda giggled. “I was just thinking about something from a long time ago. Hey, we’d better get back downstairs- it’s about time for these girls to settle down.”

SMK SMK

While Amanda and Francine were taking care of the girls, Lee and Ephraim headed to the kitchen for beer and some popcorn.

“So, Lee, has Amanda decided when she’s coming back?” Ephraim chatted as he leaned against the counter.

“Actually, she’s thinking about Monday. We have a meeting tomorrow with Joe’s lawyer, and then she and Dotty are meeting with the realtor to get their house on the market on Thursday. I think we’re all ready to get some normalcy back in our lives,” Lee answered as he put the popcorn in the microwave.

“How are the boys holding up?”

“They have their moments. Phillip will get angry at the drop of a hat, and Jamie holds it all in. We’ve got them a counselor Pfaff recommended. He helps teenagers deal with loss. They go to him once a week. I think it helps that they know Sarah isn’t going anywhere. Jamie really worried about that at first, so we showed him the adoption papers we’ve been working on,” Lee answered.

“So, how does this whole adoption thing work?” Ephraim asked.

“Well, according to the lawyer, it should be a pretty easy thing. Since Joe and Carrie named us as guardians, she’s already legally a part of our family. But, we decided that Sarah needed to feel that she was permanent, and not someone we just took in, as she got older. We talked to the boys about it and they seem fine with Sarah becoming a Stetson,” Lee explained.

“We thought it would be easier all around for Sarah to be a Stetson, since Katie is,” Amanda finished as she and Francine walked into the kitchen. “In fact, Jamie was the one who suggested it. He thought Katie might feel left out as the only one with a different last name.”

Amanda reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of formula and headed to the sink to warm it up. Katie was starting to get a little fussy.

“Here, Amanda, let me take her,” Ephraim suggested. A little surprised, Amanda handed her over and finished warming the bottle. Ephraim headed into the living room.

“I think Sarah’s getting sleepy, Amanda. Why don’t I go rock her?” Francine asked, then headed to the living room after Ephraim.

Lee watched as Francine walked over to the rocking chair and sat down, fairly close to where Ephraim was holding Katie. Lee looked at Amanda and smiled. “They make quite a pair, don’t you think?”

“I do. I think they are a great team in more ways than one,” Amanda replied with a grin.

“You promised Francine you wouldn’t play matchmaker anymore,” Lee warned as he put his arms around her.

“Who said I needed to?” Amanda replied as she gave him a quick kiss. “I think they are doing just fine on their own. Now, why don’t we go let Ephraim give Katie her bottle and let’s have a nice evening with our friends?”

“Sounds good, partner,” Lee smiled and kissed her again.

As they walked into the living room, Amanda looked around at the evidence of her family’s life. They had struggled to deal with the loss of a much loved father and stepmother, and their lives were forever changed. But, even though a shadow had fallen on the life they had created, the Stetson-King family would come through it and be stronger for the struggle.