Chapter 3

Chapter #3 - 2005 

“Hey Grandpa” I heard a faint voice calling from the next room. “Are you okay?” the voice continued. Placing my belongings back in the box, I rose from my seat to see who was calling to me. At this age just making it to the door seemed like a choir but the face on the other side made the effort worth while. My granddaughter Haley had come to check on me since almost half an hour had passed since I left the table. 

She was a beautiful young girl who was a senior in high school. The reason we were having this dinner was to celebrate her acceptance to Stanford University. Ever since she was a young girl all she had ever dreamed of was being a famous writer and if you had ever read one of her stories you would think she was well on her way. Seeing her face always brought a feeling of joy to me. 

“Are you coming back to the table grandpa?” She resumed after a brief silence. “I’ll be there in a second, Just let me put my stuff away” I answered. Checking to see that the doorway was clear, I placed my box back into the closet and sealed the door. Arriving back at the dinner table Elizabeth took me by the hand to make sure I was feeling good.  “What’s wrong?” “Nothing my dear.” Bobby...” “You could tell all that from just feeling my hand?”

After a brief pause I tried to regain my concentration on the rest of the family. After all tonight was about them and not me. “You did spend the last half an hour upstairs” Elizabeth whispered into my ear. Laughing for a moment, I looked down at my feet and realized that it was obvious something had been wrong with me. “Something was wrong but not anymore” “How so?”. Having the family here has always made me feel that in more than one way my life has been a success. “Because of moments like these”. 

“What do you mean?” She said while gripping my hand tighter. I looked around the room while taking a second to examine each family member. Louis was more than just a son to me, he was my best friend. We were lucky to have him here since his job has him flying all over the world. I don’t know how he handles running a pharmaceutical company. The long hours, the constant phone calls and never being able to stay in one place for more than a week at most.

But he has a quality that many people is a rare thing in this world. A drive and desire to be the best at everything he does. In his youth he played high school basketball and would stay outside for hours practicing much to the chagrin of both Elizabeth and I. In his senior year he was voted by his peers to captain the team. Leading his division in both scoring, assists and his team to a state championship helped him land a scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley. I often wonder why he chose business instead of playing professionally.

Perhaps he had achieved everything he had wanted in sports and no longer felt that competitive drive. Maybe it was just a game that had ended in his eyes and it was time to find a new one. As loving parents of course we supported any decision he made. The day we flew out to see him and hear his decision we were shocked of course but in a sense relieved. The security that having a college degree offered over being a professional athlete reason behind his decision or so we thought. We are simply glad that he has managed to transfer that same drive and desire he had in his youth into his adult life and career.

Being a writer provided me with comfort. Knowing I could be home everyday to see the kids come home from school and Elizabeth from work. The stories they would tell often provided me with inspiration for my own work. Sitting at my desk for six to eight hours a day would often take it’s toll mentally but then when I heard the front door open every day I was reminded that no matter how bad things get that when I see them everything will be good in time. My profession gave me a chance that not many parents have in this modern day, the chance to see their children grow up every step of the way.

Evelyn, while still successful in her own right leads a much different life. She was the mother of two beautiful kids. Just like her mother she had become a teacher at the very same school. Always a kind and gentle soul. Her demeanor often reminded me of my own mother. The way she would consistently put the wellbeing of others ahead of her own was something that I had done my best to emulate. In some ways she had been the role model of my later life. Both Elizabeth and Evelyn were the inspiration for this stage of my life. 

When I look at Evelyn now I see many of the same features I saw in Elizabeth all those years ago. Maybe it was the long blonde hair combined with the fair complexion. Maybe it was just her nature or maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, My wife and children are the one thing in my that keeps me going. The competitive drive that Louis shows everyday and the will to succeed. Evelyn has been a better parent than I could ever hoped to have been. 

If it had not been for Elizabeth I wouldn’t be here today. Meeting her brought me hope and the strength to believe in that no matter how dark things may seem there is always a light at the end of the road. She gave me meaning and a purpose I thought I would never find. When I returned from the war I was angry and a drift in a dark place. A moment on the journey home never passed without a bottle of some alcoholic beverage in my hand. Even at the moment I met Elizabeth I had a glass of rum in my hand. 

But meeting her changed everything. In the first instant of her opening up to me and giving me a chance. To this day I have never touched another single drop of alcohol. Some may say that sitting in darkness is never the way to find answers to you problems but if it taught me anything, it’s that it can provide us with plenty of comfort. For many months I was in feeling quite comfortable in that darkness and it was Elizabeth that provided guided me out of it. 

“Let’s have Desert” Elizabeth said. Both Eric and Haley’s eyes lit up like christmas tree’s with joy when they heard the word desert much like it did to their parents at the same age. “I’ll have mine in my usual spot” I said quietly. Elizabeth left the table and proceeded into the kitchen but not before acknowledging my request. Knowing it was something I did every night I moved out onto the front porch and placed myself in my favorite deck chair. 

It was coming time for something I looked forward to every day. “Here you go” Elizabeth said while giving me a kiss on the cheek. After thanking her I put on my sunglasses and stared directly towards the horizon. A clear summer sky and my wife’s signature desert, chocolate cake with a single cherry on top. Some might call it plain and ordinary but I call it  heaven.  

Watching the sunset had been something I did every night since 1945. No matter where I was in the world, I would find a place where I could sit and watch the sunset. Nobody ever disturbed me. For me this was my escape, half an hour of each day where I could sit and watch and think about everything that had happened to me. Without any form of outside world to come between me and my thoughts. 

Soon after the sun had set, Haley came out onto the front porch to join me. “Is everything okay Grandpa?” She said. “Of course” “What’s on your mind?” “Nothing Grandpa” She said. A look of concern was clearly coming over her. “I hope Eric didn’t bother you earlier” “I can only imagine what life during the war was like let alone before it.” “It’s okay Haley my dear” I said to try and comfort her. “He is only curious and we can’t blame him for that”. “Are you sure you’re okay?” “He didn’t make you remember any horrible experiences did he?”. I paused for a moment and a feeling of sadness came over me. “No, not at all” I said with a smile. 

As she turned to leave I returned my attention to the even sky. Now a vibrant mixture of orange, yellow and red. These colors hardly seemed to fit with the emotions that boiled inside of me as I continued to sit there peacefully. One particular memory seemed to push it’s way to the surface. Through all the the haunting memories that the war had left with me came a bright spot that helped me subdue the pain.