What Happens to the Characters in The Charter Class?
At the same time, I felt I owed Mother John Berchmans, Nora, Katie, and Beth (and my readers) some closure. What happened to them? I decided to write an Epilogue focused on Commencement Day in 1932. I'm going to add it to the print and Kindle versions so that new readers who find the book will have the ending, but for those who have read it and want to find out how their lives play out, I'm including it here.
******* Spoiler Alert*********
Epilogue
Wednesday, June 15, 1932
Katie took in the beauty of Veritas Auditorium as she waited for the commencement ceremony to begin. It was her first time being in the administration building and it filled it with awe. It had been mostly a dream when she had been there, a big hole in the ground and little else. She never could have imagined the beauty of the marble rotunda and stairs or the way the light would stream through the stained-glass windows and dance on the finely upholstered chairs. They were so comfortable. She felt like she was in a fancy theater on Broadway, not that she had ever been to New York City, but she could imagine.
Tom leaned over to her. “’Tis something to behold, ain’t it?”
She smiled at him. Even after nearly three years of marriage, he still made her heart skip a beat.
“Do you regret it? Not getting your diploma with the other girls? I know what you gave up to marry me.”
“Not for a minute.”
Katie placed her hand on her swollen abdomen. The baby was kicking. By the end of summer, they would have a new little one to join their nearly two-year-old daughter at home. Mrs. O’Neill was watching her at the moment so that Katie and Tom could be here today. Mrs. O’Neill and Katie’s father had tied the knot over a year ago and she was a wonderful surrogate grandmother for little Grace, but in Katie’s mind, she would always be Mrs. O’Neill.
No, she didn’t regret her choice. She couldn’t even imagine life without Tom and her growing family. She was happy to be here today, though, to see her dear friend Beth achieve her dream. She was thankful that attending college had given her the gift of Beth’s friendship.
The orchestra began to play the first strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” and Katie and Tom stood to greet the graduates. The big moment had come.
***
Beth made a final adjustment to her mortar board before her class began its march into Veritas Auditorium. Part of her found it hard to believe the moment had finally come—graduation day. Soon she would have her diploma in hand, the proud recipient of her A.B. degree. She was graduating summa cum laude, valedictorian of her class. She had worked so hard for that, and no matter what the future held for her, it was something no one could ever take away.
She had invited her mother and sister to the ceremony, but they had sent their regrets. Aurora, who had been married for a little over a year, had recently given birth to a baby boy, and her mother was helping to care for both of them. She understood. She planned to travel to Pennsylvania to see her family before beginning her job as a staff writer for the Springfield Republican.
At least Katie and Tom had said they would come. She looked for them as she made her way down the aisle. Ah, there they are. She caught Katie’s eye and smiled. Katie looked beautiful with her hand protectively on her stomach. Their lives were so different, but Beth was thankful they were still true friends.
She made her way to the front row where she stood until everyone had processed in. The bishop made his way to the podium to begin the ceremony.
“Welcome to the Commencement Exercises for the Charter Class of The College of Our Lady of the Elms.”
Beth took a deep breath. Her new life was about to begin.
***
Nora gathered with her family after the ceremony. Her mother was crying happy tears and her father looked so proud she feared the buttons might pop off his shirt. Even her younger siblings seemed happy for her. Her sister Bridget had just completed her first year at the college, so, God-willing, in three more years, they’d have another graduation to celebrate.
She glanced to the side and saw Bob standing nearby, awkwardly holding a bouquet of flowers. She had suspected he’d be there. Rose was graduating, too, after all. She had thought about what she might say if she saw him, but now that they were together in the same place, all her plans were for naught. What could she possibly say that hadn’t already been said? The last time she saw him was when she returned his ring. But it was evident he was waiting for her.
“Excuse me,” she said to her family and made her way over.
He smiled as she approached. That smile—it still did things to her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for him. She did. God was just calling her in a different direction. She was as surprised by it as anyone.
“Congratulations,” Bob said, handing her the flowers. “I brought these for you.”
“Thank you.” She brought them to her rose and inhaled. “They are lovely.”
“They’re from my mother’s garden.”
Nora nodded. “Be sure to thank her for me.” Mrs. Laroche had become a second mother to her over the past few years. Nora missed her, but she was persona non grata as far as Bob and Rose’s family was concerned. Even Rose wasn’t speaking to her. They hadn’t forgiven her for breaking his heart.
“You’re still going through with it? There’s nothing I can say to change your mind? We could have a good life together. I know we could.”
Nora had thought they could, too, but God had other plans. She was praying before the Eucharist one day during Lent and heard the calling in her heart as clearly as if someone had spoken directly to her.
“I enter the novitiate in two weeks. I’ll be spending the summer with the sisters at Mont Marie.”
“I just can’t see you as a nun.”
Nora shrugged. She couldn’t argue she was an unlikely candidate. God’s sense of humor was showing.
“I should get back to my family,” she said.
He nodded. “If, by some chance, it doesn’t work out, you know where to find me.”
She smiled, turned, and walked back to her parents and siblings. She was doing the right thing. She knew she was. She felt a certainty about her future that she never had when she imagined marrying Bob, and she truly hoped and prayed he would find happiness as well.
She was going to continue her education and get a master’s degree in chemistry, maybe even a Ph.D. She hoped to come back to Elms as a professor someday and inspire her students the same way Sr. Augustine had opened her eyes to new knowledge and a future she never could have imagined. But first things first. Today was a day to celebrate.
***
“I think that went well, don’t you, Mother?” Bishop O’Leary asked.
He and Mother John Berchmans watched the last of the graduates leave with their families.
“It was beautiful, Your Excellency. I confess I may have shed a tear or two watching those young ladies cross the stage to receive their diplomas, their whole futures ahead of them.”
“Yes, I agree. It was a bittersweet moment. You and your sisters have done an admirable job of preparing these young women for wherever life takes them.”
Mother John Berchmans nodded. “We have tried our best. There were quite a few moments, given this economic depression we are in, where I wondered if we would make it to this day, but God provided. I shouldn’t have doubted in his providence.”
“Times have been hard,” Bishop O’Leary acknowledged. “I’ve had a few doubts myself, but with God’s blessing and our continued hard work, I believe this college will have a long and happy future and make a lasting impact on all the students who will walk its halls.”
“That’s my hope as well, Your Excellency.”
Bishop O’Leary gave her his blessing before making his way to his car. She took one last look at the stately administration building before making her way to O’Leary Hall to meet with the other sisters. She couldn’t help but smile. Despite all the odds, her dream had come true.
This was a lovely way to wrap up the story! Thank you!
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