Chapter 26: First Anniversary

Washington DC Cadet Center:

The man was dressed in dark clothes waiting in the bushes. Once the gate was open at 6:03 A.M. he waited a few more minutes then ran as hard as he could to a black ship. First, he tried to open the obvious door. It looked and felt like it was welded on. Even when he obtained a purchase the screwdriver bent. If I can only get inside those hundred ounces of gold by the Canadian Businessman will be mine, he thought. He felt a presence. He turned to look. There was a white dog with two puppies all three wagging their tails and barking at him. He decided to come back with bigger tools on another day.

The big dog came close. The man kicked. His leg felt like he had kicked a bag of rocks. The dog growled and the puppies started barking lots more. He felt a sharp pain on the back of his leg. The big dog had bitten him in the butt and was hanging on. A young lady was standing in front of him, “STOP, you are trespassing!”

“Go to Hell little girl.” He could see the gate in the streetlight.

“STOP!” The girl yelled again.

He pushed the girl aside. Giving her a glancing blow to the chin.

He felt an enormous pain in his groin, “OH GOD.” It brought tears to his eyes. He could hardly stand, and visibility was horrible with this dam ski mask on.

She was in front of him again. He swung but missed as she connected with a hit to his throat. Something broke. He couldn’t speak. The big dog was biting him again. He hit it again with his other foot, but it made no difference. The girl again, he swung and connected on her chin about this time she hit his solar plexus. He saw stars and everything went black for a moment. It’s a wonder he didn’t hit the ground. Got to leave he thought as he lunged towards the Gate. All three dogs were barking right behind him. They stopped and were sitting inside the fence at the property line when the police officer pulled up, his partner got out of his car and ran after the assailant. Lucy and Gloria were helping Natasha to her feet, “The man got me good.” Natasha said as the second police officer escorted by the three dogs came up.

Lady, the dog was half Great Pyrenees and half Golden Retriever. She had the size and color of a Great Pyrenees and intelligence and temperament of a Golden Retriever. Cory Lewis the owner was trying to make a new breed of dog, just a tad bit smaller than a Great Pyrenees with the intelligence of a Golden.

Lucy finally got to sit at her new desk.

Brien came up to Lucy’s desk. He stood at attention and saluted.

Lucy returned the salute and giggled, “At Ease.”

Brien went to one knee and held out a little black box.

“Brien, WHAT in the hell is this?” Lucy asked as she thought, I love him to death, but we can’t get married, can we?

“I read the police report on the bulletin board. Yesterday in New Deli a man got into a fight with a street vendor. He stabbed the vendor and before the police got there he vanished, all that was left was his clothes, shoes, headdress, and his wallet. The latest President of China didn’t even last twelve hours. He’s gone and only his clothes, shoes, and ID was found on his chair.”

“What’s in the box?” Lucy giggled again.

“A Friendship ring. Will you go steady with me?” Brien asked.

“Brien if I were eighteen, I would marry you in a heartbeat. When I’m sixteen...” Lucy caught that they were not alone. The two twins and the three female lieutenants were all pressed together.

Joe came in from the door holding the police report, “Sir, what did I miss?”

Lucy grabbed the box and opened the lid, “My God Brien, It’s beautiful.” It was a Light Amethyst for June with red rubies and green sapphires surrounding the center almost clear colorless stone.

“Can we see sir?” One of the twins asked. The five officers looked like they had scored the winning goal in the Olympics last year.

“Turn around all of you. I get to kiss my boyfriend.”

They were into it when a throat was cleared. Lucy was ready to tear into someone when she spotted General Franks, “I knew it was you I was just trying to make you jealous Sir. Attention!” It took a second to untangle with each other.

How many people do you have in this command Major?”

“We topped seven hundred yesterday, Sir. We visited another school; we are going to have to talk about scholastics. Those kids are going to need a lot of help Sir,”

“What was the occasion for the kiss?” General Franks asked.

“He gave me a beautiful Friendship Ring.” Lucy showed the General. He reached out and took her hand.

“Good job Brien.” General Franks said, “No more kissing in the command center! I’m promoting your boyfriend to Lieutenant Colonel and putting him in charge of heavies.”

“Yes Sir!” Lucy said.

“By your leave sir,” Mona said. Lucy nodded and all of them left her with the General.

“Why the police outside.” General Franks asked.

“A big man 6’ plus tall over 200 pounds tried to steal Dee Cee 445 around 6:05 this morning. Our neighbor’s dogs and Natasha stopped him. The defensive training is paying off big time.”

“She’s just a little thing. What did she do to him?” General Franks asked.

“Natasha told him to stop, told him he was trespassing, and he swung at her. Kicked him between the legs. He screamed loud enough to alert a police car two blocks away.” Lucy giggled, “She, told him to stop again. He swung at her, she hit him in the throat. She is pretty sure she broke some cartridge. Mama dog from next door got kicked, she bit him in the butt. He swung at Natasha again hitting her in the chin, she got him good in the solar plexus. She landed on her butt, and he staggered out the gate being chased by the police. A little way down the block he disappeared leaving all his clothes, shoes, billfold, and his pants was ripped. The police found a piece of black pants with blood not far from the incident on our property. At one time the mama dog was hanging onto his butt and her puppies each had a pant leg.” Lucy giggled.

“Any of you afraid to be here?”

“No, the neighbor offered us the two puppies that keep coming over with the mama dog. He has six more puppies and they’re not interested.”

“What are they?”

They are a mix, half Great Pyrenees, and half Golden Retriever. They’re smart, lovable, and willing to join in on a fight with a bad guy.” Lucy giggled, “They chased him to the property line then sat near the fence ready to defend it some more if he came back.”

“Bad guy’s gone to hell!” General Franks whispered. Lucy nodded in agreement.

“You’re not scared?” General Franks asked. Unannounced Commanding Officers tend to bring change.

“No sir. You’ll do what is best for me and this cadet program. You always have.”

“I want to make you a Colonel.”

“Lieutenant?” Lucy asked. The General shook his head no.

“The school district has offered to sell it to us, if in the future if we ever sell, they get first right to repurchase. When they built, they thought their needs were going to grow and they would put another floor on top. Foundation and walls are all built to support another floor. They also have an unused sports center and garage complex for busses. The property is 50% bigger than this one and is attached on the east end. We’re buying that too. Between this and that it will support the 2nd Regiment of Space Cadets. The president handed me a note yesterday.” The General laid on the table, “Budget approved. 7 billion. Buy the properties.”

“Who’s going to run it?” Lucy asked.

“You are but only if you want?”

“I want.”

“Then it’s yours.” The General stood, “What month does the birthstone represent?”

“June.”

“Is that the correct birth month?” General Franks asked.

“Yes, Mama Jenny just got my birth certificate. Can you imagine growing up not having a birthday party? June 19th General we are having a birthday party. 7-up, cheesecake, and pizza.”

“I’ll be there. Ever miss your real mom and dad?” The General asked.

“NO! May they have a good time residing in the sun. They played their part in my life. God Bless them! I saw a cartoon one time. Goofy had a Model T. On one of the rear hubs was fastened many crutches and where we might have a radio antenna, he had a fishing pole. Mickey was complaining, “I should have realized we’d be riding in this when I agreed to go fishing.” Goofy asked, “What’s wrong with my car?” as his chin keeps hitting his chest in tune with the crutches on the back wheel. When they sold me to the bad people, I thought that’s what people did. I just didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Like Goofy, I thought that was normal.”

“Come on, Your REAL parents John and Jenny are in the auditorium.”

A few days later at the capital:

“Tanya, we’re here.” Douglas Franks with Beth on his arm moved into the payroll office for the Whitehouse. Tanya started as the receptionist and never moved from her desk. Now she was THE Payroll specialist for the Whitehouse.

“Hi Beth, it’s been what a year?” Tanya asked.

“Yes, I remember you too. How are the kids?” Beth asked.

Beth turned a picture around, “They’re growing like weeds. I can’t keep food in the fridge. It just disappears.”

“The boy?” Beth asked.

“My daughter goes to St. Mary’s and is on a winning soccer team. She eats as much as the Boy who’s growing out of his pants, shoes, and shirts every month.” The adults all laughed.

“Now the reason I called you in.” Tanya stopped. “You did die six months ago? How can you be here now?” Tanya asked softly.

“We’re in heaven.” Beth smiled as she clutched Doug’s arm, “You’ve come to me.”

“General, Beth?” Tanya had experienced death in her life, but not LIFE in her life before.

“When we had that little earthquake sort of thing and John Taylor declared we are now in Heaven! I went back to West Seattle and sat in the church in West Seattle on my day off. Beth sat down next to me.”

Tanya sat back in her desk chair looking at the ceiling, “Thank you, God, thank you Jesus and all the angels and all the masters that have gotten us to this point.” Tanya shook her head, “When the General filled out the standard form six months ago, he put down widower. Now I remember it was in the VA hospital and you died because of a surgeon’s mistake. Now you are alive again. I want to go up to the roof and scream I am so excited. Back to this, let’s try Beth Wilcox. No, it didn’t take it.”

“My middle name is Anna,” Beth said.

“Beth Anna Wilcox. It took it. That is all I need. Beth, you are disappearing?” Tanya was alarmed, “Oh no, what’s happening?”

“Doug can get me back,” Beth said as she totally disappeared, very calmly.

“General?” Tanya asked.

“Let’s start with the Lord’s Prayer,” Doug said.

“Girls, can you join us in saying the Lord’s Prayer?” Tanya asked her staff.

“Can we sit at our desks?” Deloris and Niesha both asked. The General nodded.

“Yes!” Tanya said.

The Lord’s Prayer was said. About the time “On Earth as it is in Heaven, Beth showed up again.

Everybody was smiling.

“Tanya, I didn’t realize we have been asking for Heaven on Earth with the Lord’s Prayer. Did it work?” Deloris asked.

“Come see.”

Deloris wheeled Niesha out from behind her desk and the two ladies laughed until they cried. One of them had screamed. The scream brought the attention of President Tripp.

“Is everything all right?” The President asked.

Tanya took the question, “Yes Mr. President. The General’s wife Beth has returned from Heaven. No that’s not right, because we are now in heaven, we have moved closer to Beth, but our energy is not sufficient for us to continue to see her. She disappeared while I was trying to tell our computer system that the General is married again. We, all of us said the Lord’s Prayer and we successfully raised our energies, and we can see her again.”

“What can we do to raise the energies of this room?” The President asked.

“Sir, I have a big picture of The Last Supper. Do you think?” Tanya asked. “It’s been in my family a hundred years!” She had stopped breathing. The picture was from an old church that had closed its doors. Her Great Grandmother had donated ten dollars for it over one hundred years ago. It now resided in her attic.

“I would love to come in here and look at The Last Supper. You have my permission.” The President smiled, “As long as your staff agrees, make this a holy place if you want. If someone comes looking for help, then objects to the pictures tell them they can come talk to me.” The President stated, “If they want their payroll problems fixed then they can thank Jesus.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.” Tanya was laughing with tears on her cheeks.

‘Ladies, just so you know someone is watching, you do an unbelievable fantastic job. I have sent a dozen people here in the last four years and they have all come back smiling. I have heard the best payroll system in the world does very little for moral, but a bad payroll system will drive moral into the basement. You are not one of my problems and should be here long after I’m gone.” The President was laughing.

“Thank you. Sir your words mean everything. This is coming from a devoted Democrat who voted for you this last go around.” Tanya said.

“We all did Mr. President. We like you too sir!” Delores and Niesha said together.

“Then I’ll be back to look at your pictures.” The President headed for the door, “Bye Ladies. Bye, everyone.”

“Bye Mr. President.” Was a chorus from everyone in the office.

A week later. The pictures were on the wall. The head of HR came into the Payroll Office. Her scream brought President Tripp to the office again. All that was left was the red dress of the HR manager in a puddle on the floor surrounding her shoes and other items. President Tripp looked at the wall, “Good job Ladies.” He stepped over the dress to be nearer the wall. It was a history with pictures. On the left was baby Jesus in the Manger with three Kings. On the right was of him on the cross. The Last Supper in the middle with twenty other events detailed in pictures, “Thank You. I would like to come back when I think life is not treating me fairly.”

“Absolutely Sir!” Tanya smiled.

In West Seattle. On a school night:

Many of the regulars were gone. Even Johnny, Bill, and their wives were off to Mexico. They were setting up a free clinic and a Cadet Center.

“Where is everyone?” Frank asked. He was playing peekaboo with Gaia.

“We’re here brother.” Lucy and the twins laughed, “We got Major Mona Jackson too.”

“What?” Mona lifted her head out of a book for school.

“All of the Snowbirds have returned to their homes,” Nancy said.

“You’re not caught up like everyone here?” Jenny asked.

“Oh, we will be. Next weekend we have over two hundred cadets heading to the 18 new cadet centers. There is a massive advertising campaign to bring in family and friends.” Lucy said. So, we have over 200 trips around the moon in 775’s and 445’s per day planned for each of the four days over the weekend in our 36 cadet centers nationwide. This one is the only one not active.”

“Are there any pilots in Space Corps at Lewis/McChord?” General Franks asked.

“They are too non-war military. We don’t have anyone driving the show in the Corps.” Frank said.

“I never considered myself as a driver,” Lucy said with a frown on her face.

“Colonel Lucy, you have this natural mindset. Why should we spend three days on a job if we can get it done in one? Just look at that “D” Junior high. You turned that whole school upside down.” Mona smiled.

“How did you do that Lucy?” Jenny asked.

“She realized while talking to me and the other members of the Honor Society at St. Mary’s that almost all of the honor Society were cadets. She paired up the Honor Society Members with the Cadets from the “D” Junior High. The Cadets from “D” Junior High have raised their GPA two points to a B average.” Mona said, “They have become trend setters for the entire school.”

Lucy said, “2.9 Average.”

“In my neighborhood, 2.9 is treated as an A.” Mona laughed, “Any way we didn’t start at 1.0 we started at a .9 average.”

“We have a lot of smart kids, Sir.” Lucy was looking at Mona.

“And while you have this going on you have over 2,500 cadets with 2,400 having at least one certification?” General Franks asked Lucy.

“Yes Sir.” Lucy smiled, “We won’t allow the new cadets to fly until they have at least a “C” Average.”

“In the cadets, we let anyone with a certification come in and sign out a ship for any purpose. In Space Corps at Fort Lewis, one must ask permission a week in advance and then only 8% are approved,” Frank said, “Military purposes.” He shook his head in the negative.

“Oh my, they’re not ready for anything. They have taken the fun out of it. What do they do?” Lucy asked.

“They march really pretty, and everybody completes a 40-hour class on Maintenance in Space!” General Franks said.

“Sir, do they do it in Space?” Major Teri asked.

“No in a classroom.” General Franks answered.

“Even Ted Kennedy in Montana puts on a six-week course with a total of twelve hours. The first and last classes are in the classroom then the four classes in between are solving two dozen problems in the spaceship. Everyone comes out of it feeling fairly good about it.”