Chapter 1

It was a Monday when major changes in the life of Sid Jones began. It was the first day of classes at the community college, and Sid was attending his very first class: Freshman English. This was a required course taught by an attractive instructor by the name Professor Susan Smith. She called out the roll, one name at a time and, as names were called, students would raise a hand or answer, “Here.”

The attitudes exhibited by the students ranged from bored to interested, but none of the students seemed to show the instructor the level of respect due a person with her credentials. It was as though most of them viewed her as a glorified high school teacher, rather than a highly educated college professor. Perhaps it was his military training, but Sid found himself viewing his classmates with a certain amount of disdain. The instructor called out, “Sid Jones?”

In a deep voice rolling voice that often surprised people, Sid answered, “Here, Professor Smith.”

As many of the women in the class turned to look at him with interest as a potential dating partner, the instructor looked at Sid with a much more discerning eye. She noted his short military haircut, his age, and his upright posture. His ruddy skin suggested a Mediterranean heritage. The young man was clearly in excellent physical condition, judging by his weight and basic build. All of that was overshadowed by the intensity with which he was watching her.

She knew it wasn’t fair, but she was used to sizing up individual students on the first day of class. She had seen so many of them over the past few years that she was seldom wrong in her assessment. Most were passing time, but this young man was different. In the back of her mind, she decided that he would either be a very tough student who would challenge her on every point or a very good student who would do the assignments without complaint. She hoped it would be the latter. No one noticed the slight hesitation in calling the roll, her inspection did not last more than a moment before she continued.

When the roll was finished, she handed out the course syllabus and proceeded to explain what the students could expect to learn throughout the semester. Sid read it very carefully as she described the course material and the assignments. After she had finished her introductory spiel, she asked, “Are there any questions?”

One of the coeds in class raised her hand and asked, “Do we really have to read all of that stuff by Friday and write a paper?”

Sid shook his head in disgust knowing that the instructor wouldn’t have included it in the syllabus if she didn’t expect them to do it. He listened as the instructor answered.

“No. You don’t have to read that stuff or write a paper. I’ll be happy to give you an F for the assignment.”

A wide smile broke out over his face as he looked at the expression on the face of the coed. He had seen that same expression during boot camp when a recruit would balk at an exercise only to have it doubled on him. Instead of twenty-five push-ups, they would find themselves doing fifty.

The coed noticed his grin and spat back, “What are you smiling about?”

Sid shook his head and turned to face the instructor rather than make the mistake of responding. There was a wry smile on her face, as if she had expected him to answer the question.

She prompted him by saying, “You can answer her question.”

“Thank you, Professor,” he replied. Taking a deep breath and turning to face the coed, he answered, “You have just learned the first ‘Fact of Life.’”

“And what is that?”

With a wry smile, he answered, “Life is not fair.”

The instructor chuckled at his answer. She followed up with the logical question by asking him, “What is the second fact of life?”

Sid felt like a recruit that was getting set up for a fall by a Sergeant. It was his experience that the one who spoke up was singled out for extra attention, usually attention of a negative sort.

He answered, “No one is exempt from death.”

The instructor had expected him to give the trite response that complaining about the first fact of life would accomplish nothing. His serious answer surprised her. It became clear that this young man would give deeper answers to questions than she normally received from students.

The discussion was interrupted by the arrival of a security guard. The man stuck his head in the classroom and asked, “Is there a Sid Jones here?”

“Yes, Sir,” answered Sid as he raised a hand calling attention to himself. He asked, “Is there something I can do for you?”

The guard looked around the room hesitating to answer the question in front of the entire class. The instructor was looking at him with a frown for having interrupted her class. Finally, he chose to report the message and blurted out, “A Mr. Gerald Jones has been taken to the hospital.”

Nodding to himself, Sid said, “I assume that he has asked me to attend to him as soon as my obligations are completed here.”

A very surprised look crossed the guard’s face as he read the rest of the note and replied, “That’s exactly what the message says.”

“Thank you for delivering the message, Sir,” said Sid in a tone that was both thankful and dismissive at the same time. He turned his attention to the instructor.

The obvious dismissal surprised the guard. As he closed the door, he called out, “You’re welcome.”

The class was totally silent as though expecting Sid to rise and leave the room. Even the instructor was surprised that he didn’t jump up and leave. Finally, she asked, “Aren’t you going there, now?”

Sid looked surprised at the question and then answered, “No, Professor Smith. My obligations here are not yet completed. There are still thirty minutes left to this class and I have a History class after this one.”

“He may be dying even as we speak.”

“I understand that, Professor Smith,” replied Sid.

The idea that his uncle might be dying hurt like a knife twisting in his gut. The discipline instilled within him by his Uncle Gerald kept him in his seat despite an overwhelming desire to leave.

“So go to him,” said Susan Smith, concerned that he was denying himself something that he needed.

“Professor Smith, I cannot do that. Uncle Gerald expects me to complete my obligations here. For me to do otherwise would disappoint him. I shall not dishonor myself by disappointing him,” replied Sid with iron in his deep voice.

His posture and tone conveyed the message that arguing with him was hopeless. The deep voice, the iron in his words, and the fire in his eye literally took Susan’s breath away, and it took her a moment to recover her composure. Despite years of teaching hundreds of students, this was the first time in her life that she had ever heard anyone talk about honor in that fashion. It reminded her of something that a knight of the round table would say in a King Arthur story.

Rather than argue, she said, “So be it.”

After his history class, Sid went to the hospital, since his obligations at school had been met. He entered the room to find his Uncle Gerald waiting for him. The old man lay in bed, head propped up by the raised end of the bed.

Speaking at a volume that was normal for most people, Gerald asked, “You finished your classes?”

“Yes, Sir,” replied Sid in a loud voice that bordered on a shout.

Talking in a loud voice was necessary since the old man was partially deaf as a result of an injury acquired during World War II at the Battle of the Bulge. It was clear to Sid that old man was feeling pretty weak, since he normally spoke at a volume that was just below a shout.

The old man, despite the oxygen tube running to his nose, smiled at Sid. Eyes twinkling, he said, “Good for you, young man. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Sir,” replied Sid. Looking over his Uncle, he took in the heart monitor, oxygen tube, and intravenous feeds. He asked, “What happened?”

“Heart’s giving out,” replied Gerald. Knowing that his nephew would insist on full medical treatment for his condition, he added, “I told them not to operate, that it was against my religion.”

“Why?” asked Sid, concerned that his uncle was not in his right mind. The reason for not operating was a lie since his Uncle was a good Catholic and there were no religious reasons not to get treated.

Gerald’s expression got very soft as he answered, “I’m an old soldier, and my tour of duty is done. It is time for younger men like yourself to take over. I’d prefer to go out fighting, but entering a battlefield now would be committing suicide. You will respect my wishes?”

Although the idea of Uncle Gerald dying upset him, he understood the old man well enough to know that arguing would do no good. With real sadness in his voice, he answered, “Yes, Uncle Gerald. I’ll respect your wishes, despite the fact that I want you to live more than anything else in the world.”

Gerald loved Sid like he was his own son. He had lived his life on Earth as a bachelor and never had any children, at least none that anyone here knew about. The old man laughed as he replied, “You’re a good young man. I think you’re the only one in the family that feels that way.”

With a suddenness that startled Sid, Uncle Gerald fell asleep. Concerned, Sid seated himself in a chair by the bed to watch over the old man. As he waited and watched, he remembered some episodes of his past where his uncle had been a key player.

When he was fifteen, his parents had decided to stop paying for his Karate and Fencing lessons, because they couldn’t see how that would make money. His uncle had asked him what he was going to do about the situation. Sid was sure that the old man had expected him to ask for the money and had replied that he would take care of it himself. Later, Sid had gone to the instructors and worked out a deal in which he would work two hours for every hour of instruction. What he didn’t know for years, was that his uncle had worked behind the scenes to make sure that his deal would be accepted.

When he had confronted his uncle about it, his uncle had replied, “I won’t give a man money to solve his problems, but I’ll sure as hell will help him as he works towards an honest solution.”

When Sid had graduated high school early, he was faced with the problem of how to pay for his college education. Again his uncle had asked him what he was going to do about the situation. At the time, the Army was advertising a program to save money for college, so Sid had joined up. He spent the next four years in the service of his country. His uncle, proud that his nephew was serving his country, had been the only member of the family that had shown up to see him off to basic training.

He had seen a little action in Desert Storm, but most of his time in the Middle East had been spent waiting and training in the desert. It was a little embarrassing to be considered a veteran, since his actual involvement was less than two days of capturing soldiers that surrendered without firing a shot. His uncle had assured him that it was all part of being a soldier.

Discharged from the Army, he returned home. The only one waiting for him was his Uncle Gerald. The old man was proud that his nephew had gotten to see action, and experienced war first hand. His parents had allowed him to return home, although they begrudged the fact that he was going to be living with them. They even charged him rent as a way of letting him know that they didn’t appreciate being put upon by him. The fact of the matter was that they didn’t like how close he was to Uncle Gerald.

Entering the community college had been one of the few points of contention between Sid and his uncle. In a very uncharacteristic move, his uncle had volunteered to pay for him to attend the State University, but Sid had refused. Secretly his uncle had been very pleased with Sid’s attitude, and was proud when Sid had told him, “A lesson earned is worth two lessons gratis.”

Despite his pleasure at his nephew’s stance, he had never acknowledged that to the young man. The day after Sid had made his stand, Gerald had changed his will. It was no less favorable to Sid, but the changes were intended to make Sid’s life much easier.

It was two hours later when Uncle Gerald woke from his impromptu nap. He looked over at Sid, fully expecting the young man to be there by his bedside and was not disappointed by what he found.

He asked, “When do you have to go to your job?”

Sid glanced at his watch and replied, “In about two hours.”

“I expect you to go to work,” replied the old man in a voice that was even weaker than before.

Staring at his uncle and seeing the weakness of the old man, the young man nodded his head and replied, “Yes, Sir.”

Smiling at the respectful tone of voice used by his nephew, Uncle Gerald looked over at him and said, “I’m so proud of you. You’re one of the few young men of this generation that understands responsibility and respects obligations. I want you to know that my respect and love for you has only grown over the years. Nothing pleased me more than your decision to pay your own way through school.”

With eyes watering, Sid sat in his chair speechless. His uncle very seldom gave praise and this was the first time that his uncle had admitted to loving him.

He replied, “Uncle Gerald, I’ve loved you like a father my whole life. You’ve taught me to be the man that I am, and for that I love and respect you.”

Gerald knew that his time on this planet was coming to an end and there was so much that he wanted to tell Sid. Sadly, he knew that he had waited too long. It would be up to Elizabeth to tell the young man all that he needed to know.

He said, “My time is limited so listen carefully. When I am dead, open the safe in my home office. The combination is your birthday. There is much that you need to know and the papers inside the safe will tell you where to go to learn it.”

“I shall do as you ask.”

The old man’s mood changed suddenly as a sadness washed over him. Sid was concerned by the sudden change in mood, he had never been present when his uncle was that sad.

Uncle Gerald said, “Tell Elizabeth that I love her. I know you’ve never met her, but you will. She was the one true love of my life.”

The mysterious Elizabeth had finally shown up in the conversation. Sid had wondered how long it would take. His uncle had always talked about Elizabeth, but no one had ever seen her. Even he had doubted her existence, but he bit his tongue and didn’t say anything.

The old man looked at him with a sharp eye and said, “Wait until you get your own caretaker. Then you’ll understand everything. I only suggest that you take great care in picking one out. She’ll be the most important person in your life.”

“Tell Elizabeth that I love her,” said his uncle.

The old man fell asleep as he uttered the last word. Glancing at his watch, Sid was concerned about whether he should go to work or stay here. His uncle stirred and murmured, “Get to work, I won’t die for another two days. I promise.”

Sid watched him fall asleep again and left the room when it was time for him to leave for work. His job as a security guard at a local mall didn’t pay well, but it gave him time to think and to work on his homework. As he walked through the mall, he wondered what his uncle meant by the term ‘caretaker.’ The continued reference to Elizabeth had convinced most of the family that his uncle was mad as a hatter. He had never shared that opinion knowing that his uncle was very grounded in reality, but it did make him wonder.

On Wednesday, Sid attended his English and History classes. His English Professor asked about his uncle before class, and expressed her surprise that he attended class knowing that his uncle lay dying in the hospital. Sid had informed her that he spent his every free minute with his uncle, but that there was nothing he could do there.

After his classes were over, Sid headed directly to the hospital. He didn’t expect his uncle to make it through the afternoon. His uncle had not said a word since Monday, sleeping through the night and then passing into a coma the following morning. His heart labored to push blood through veins that were too clogged to support the volume needed to keep his brain alive.

A Catholic Priest was waiting for Sid when he arrived at the room. Sid watched silently as the priest gave his uncle last rites. It did not take the priest long to perform the ritual. The ritual was short, as it was intended to allow the priest to finish, prior to a person dying. Unfairly, Sid felt like the priest had been going through the motions almost perfunctorily. In reality, there was nothing that could be done to make that ceremony anything but sad.

The priest hadn’t been gone for more than twenty minutes when his uncle died, his last breath sounding like a contented sigh. Sid held the old man’s hand as a tear escaped and slid down his cheek. It was hard to accept that the only person in his life that had loved him was gone.

The nurse — responding to the alarm on the heart monitor — stepped behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. In a comforting voice, she said, “He was proud of you.”

“He was an amazing man,” replied Sid as her presence brought him back to the here and now.

His mind was blank as he tried to plan his next actions. Slowly, he straightened and blinked back his tears to regain control over his emotions.

He asked the nurse, “What am I supposed to do now?”

Having dealt with many families that had just lost loved ones, she gave him a simple action oriented answer.

She answered, “You should contact the funeral parlor and make the arrangements for them to pick up the body.”

For the next three days, Sid was extremely busy. His mornings were spent in class, his afternoons in taking care of his uncle’s funeral, and his evenings were spent working. His homework was turned in on time and he collected his paycheck. His family was no help, treating the death of his uncle as something that was long past due. While their indifference bothered Sid tremendously, it was their avarice that angered him.

Saturday morning came with dark gray clouds and a slow drizzling rain. Sid, dressed in his best suit, waited in the funeral parlor by the open casket taking a last look at his uncle. They had covered his scars with makeup, making him look like a soft old man rather than the warrior he had been. A worn out tape of generic funeral music filled the air, lending a depressing air to the environment.

The Funeral Director came out and put a hand on his shoulder in what passed for a sympathetic gesture. Services in which only a handful of people attended depressed him. He felt that people should have gained a larger circle of people in the course of a lifetime.