I should be able to announce the date that the book will be available in the next few weeks.
Until then here is the second chapter of A Life Worth Living. Please leave your comments. I really appreciate feedback from faithful readers. I even like it from unfaithful ones.
I hope you enjoy.
Following is an excerpt of copyrighted material. Do not reproduce or use without permission from
T L Scott and Horton Jones Publishing.
Chapter 2: A Forty Percent Chance of Rain
Showered and shaved I went into the kitchen and put the coffee on to brew.
I really loved our kitchen. It felt comfortable like a kitchen should. The sink had a window over it that let us look out on our back yard. You could see the big Maple tree off to the left and the Blue Spruce to the right. Lining the back of the yard the Dwarf Alberta Spruces provided a soft back drop to the green of the lawn. The flagstone path that led to the gazebo broke the line of the lawn into two zones. We used the left side with the Gazebo for gathering and entertaining while the right side was for looking at. It was the pristine area that we did not want disturbed. It was our little sanctuary. In the middle Debbie had made a rock garden with a Koi pond with a fountain that brought the water up to have it cascade down into the pond. I never tired of the view.
In the center of the kitchen was the cooking island. It had a range top that had three large, three medium, and three small burners. Underneath were two ovens. I suggested the ovens to Debbie and she immediately agreed with me. We had both been frustrated with preparing meals that required oven temperatures that were different. It led to us always needing to decide to either reduce the heat on one thing and put them together or to compromise in some other way. With two ovens there would be no need for compromise. The pie could cook while the turkey was finishing for example. On the side of the island there was a microwave. In the front and on the other side was storage for the pots and pans that were not hanging from the rack over the island. There were four drawers which held the cooking utensils and other things needed for cooking. Our cooking island was a culinary oasis where we did not need to go anywhere else to get what we needed. On the side of the kitchen opposite the door was our breakfast nook. The double sided refrigerator took up the other wall. Next to the refrigerator there was a pass through window. The door into the dining room was a sliding door that recessed into the wall. It didn’t take up any extra room and when cooking things like fish or frying meat it kept the smell in the kitchen and not throughout the house. It was a very comfortable room.
The kitchen and the yard were good examples of the life Debbie and I had made together. We did not agree on everything. In fact most things required discussion for us to come to an agreement. In the end though what we came up with was better than what we had imagined in the beginning. The house was comfortable. Our relationship was comfortable.
I got the box of cereal and the milk for my breakfast of champions. Hey! I know I’m not getting any younger and I’m trying to focus on eating right. I know I should be exercising more but again there just never seems to be the time to do it. Between sitting behind my desk in the office and the wheel of my car I know I’m not getting enough physical exercise and my waist is definitely showing it lately. I didn’t need to buy larger pants yet but my belt told the truth of the matter.
I could tell that Debbie realized it as well because she was preparing me more vegetables and less meat for my meals. Well, at least she hadn’t gone over the edge and served me Tofu! Not that there was anything wrong with tofu or the people that like it. In fact we had tried it and decided that it was not a taste we liked.
Alright tomorrow I would get up a half hour earlier and go for an easy jog. Just to get started again. Nothing too extreme to begin with I reasoned. Tomorrow I will get back into it I resolved.
I topped off my traveling mug with some liquid alertness and locked the door behind me. Off for yet another exciting day in the world of corporate accounting! Yes I know the joke isn’t a good one but it still never failed to bring a smile to my lips. Most people looked at the field of accounting with as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist. I still find it to be a very interesting job and at times even exciting. For example the work I am doing now, going back and analyzing the transactions in Bob’s department, was interesting because it provided a sense of mystery. I was like a detective trying to figure out how to solve the case. OK, that was being a bit dramatic, but it was fun figuring out what really happened. Occasionally it even led to criminal charges, when people thought they could get away with fraud or embezzlement. More often than not though, these people did not get reported to the police. They were punished by a fate that was likely as painful. They were fired and “somehow” the word spread around the major players what had happened so their professional lives died a quick and very painful death.
God I hoped Bob was not that stupid!
I told myself for the thousandth time that it was not my problem. I was not the one that decided to step across the line. I was one of the good guys. It was because of me and my department that the company was able to stop the hemorrhage these thieves caused in the financial flow which was the company’s life blood.
Wow, I just realized that I had already become convinced that Bob was guilty. I hadn’t realized that I had found the damning evidence yet but I guess I had. Now all I needed to do was to pull it all together and present my findings. The day just got a bit brighter for me. Bob’s future, on the other hand, had just taken a steep curve in the road. Of course he didn’t know it yet.
Traffic was beginning to pick up on the commute to the office. I looked around at the stoplights and saw the same bored faces I had seen before.
When you take the same way to and from work each day you tend to meet the same people doing the same routine as you. An easy nod of the head in acknowledgement to the people who were as much a slave to the grind as I was on this day before a long weekend.
Judging from the looks on their faces they needed the rest as much as I did.
Yup, just another boring routine commute. Right Mr. Bald man in the blue Accord?
I am sure you feel the same way blond lady in the Toyota Camry with the five hundred yard stare. Are you going over the things you need to get done today? Maybe the dinner you are going to make for your family when you get home, he mused. Maybe you are planning a date with an exciting lover. Or, more than likely, you are simply thinking about yet another long day ahead of you with too much to do and not enough time to get it done.
That was a thought I had grown all too accustomed to. It seemed to have become my life story. Too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. Maybe they would put it on my tombstone after I was gone.
“Dave was a good man.
He worked really hard.
There was always too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.”
The light changed to green and I moved along with my fellow commuters into another day in the world of business.
Pulling into the parking lot I noticed that there were very few cars at this early hour. I pulled into my reserved spot and retrieved my faithful traveling companion from the passenger seat.
For quite a few years now my satchel has been my only company on the daily trek to, and from, the office. I looked upon it fondly as I remembered how it had come to be mine.
Debbie and I had taken a vacation to celebrate my promotion to Assistant Department Head. Not only did the promotion mean a substantial jump in pay but also a chance to make some real changes happen.
We decided to go to Greece for a ten day getaway. The island of Crete was a perfect place for us. We both loved the ocean and the coast provided some great spots for both scuba and snorkeling. Whenever we needed a rest from that the beaches were some of the best we had ever been to. At night the quaint town by day turned into a bustling hub of activity. The nightlife was really alive. Strolling along the port area the flow of people was surprising. Restaurants lined the harbor. The waiters stood in front of their restaurant and called out their specials. They were remarkable to watch. They would fluently shift from one language to the other depending on where they thought the tourist was from. I heard one go from Spanish to Italian to English before he settled into German all within the time it took us to pass the forty foot space in front of the tables he was trying to fill. From the look of things he was doing a very good job because there were only two tables we saw which were vacant. We made one loop of the waterfront and settled on his restaurant. Surprisingly he acted as if he remembered us. I was sure that it was a good sales tactic he used instead of a remarkable memory. Then again he had flipped through four languages without missing a beat. Maybe he was that good. The food was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The flow of the tourists was interesting to watch and we felt very relaxed.
When we made it back to our room we were both feeling a bit amorous. I don’t know if it was because of the Sambuca, the ouzo, or the fact we were on vacation. Maybe it was a combination of all of it. In the end I didn’t care because we made love to the rhythm of the sea. We could hear the sound of the tide crashing against the rocks less than one hundred feet from our window. Once our passion was sated we drifted off to sleep, listening to the surf, holding each other close.
One evening, we decided to be a bit adventurous and asked our hotel manager George for a suggestion on where to go. He recommended a new disco that had opened up recently and everyone said was a lot of fun. We told the cab driver the address for the disco and set off on our adventure. We were beginning to get a bit nervous. The taxi had been driving for at least twenty minutes since we left town.
Were we being taken for a ride?
I did not mean in a good way either.
I had heard stories of people being taken out into the country and then charged high rates just to take them back home.
My fears proved to be unfounded as we approached a building that had cars lining both sides of the street as we approached it. There was definitely something going on ahead of us.
I tipped the taxi driver and asked him if he would come back to get us in three hours. He happily agreed.
The entrance to the disco was beautiful. There were small palm trees lining the sidewalk with lights illuminating them. The entrance itself had the velvet rope and standard guards at the entrance. Without a line it made me wonder if this place was a good idea or not. The guards did not give us any problems as we strolled right past them. We either did not look like trouble makers or they were there to handle the line if a crowd was to form.
Once we were inside I had a better understanding of what was going on.
The entrance was done up to look like it was carved out of a cave. The lighting was dim and the sound of falling water could be clearly heard.
We walked past a large rock that had water falling around it in the center of the entrance way. The walkway was about thirty feet wide. Just past the big rock we were cast in a black light. We both looked at each other and mugged big corny bright white smiles.
The disco itself was set up in one main room and nine theme rooms off of it. There were three levels circling the main room which was easily the size of two football fields. Circling the room were the walkways that threaded their way up and around the main room. The other themes were techno, retro, and other themes I did not immediately recognize. The only constant was that they were loud and busy. Inside the main room laser lights were shooting through the air. We could feel the bass beat of euro pop as it pulsed its’ rhythm through our body. The crowd was not thick but, then again, it was still early. It was only eleven and we had come to learn that things did not really get going until at least midnight.
We bought ourselves some drinks and set off to explore the place. To say it was big was saying nothing. We went into a few of the rooms and danced. The house room was fun. Everyone was jumping up and down. We found that we did not need to know how to dance to blend in here. All we had to do was jump up and down and waive our arms in the air. That was fun for a little while but we decided to move on. The next room was a surprise, Country music with a techno edge. There were groups that were doing a passable two step. It was fun but we had enough and moved on to the next room. This was a retro room. We found music from the 60’s and 70’s but with a twist. The beats were euro pop and some of the people were dressed up like they were from the 60’s with longer skirts and the guys were wearing suits and ties. Others were dressed like flower children with peace signs and flowers in their hair.
We took a break from our explorations and rested on a couch that was off to the side and away from the pulsing music and crowds of dancers. The lighting was soft and gave us a feeling of isolation.
Before long we were lost in each other. Once our eyes adjusted to the dark we found that we were not alone. Other couples were making use of the secluded area. There were sounds coming from the back that told us that at least one couple was making a lot of use of the couch they had. We broke from our kissing when we realized that something had changed.
The dull roar of the crowd was different.
We stood up and walked over to the wooden rail to see what was going on.
Looking down on the crowd below us we were surprised to find that they were looking up at us! No, not at us. They were looking at something above us. We followed their gaze to see that the massive ceiling was separating. It was retracting in upon itself to reveal a sky filled with stars. This alone made the trip out here worthwhile. Then the laser light show began. The lights pulsed to the beat of songs we didn’t recognize but loved anyway.
We made our way down to the main floor and joined the dancers. We were soon moving along with the other dancers to the throbbing pulse of the music.
Debbie called my attention to two men that had appeared on each side of the main floor. They were holding a large tube and the crowd raised their hands in the air and started yelling and jumping with even more energy.
We didn’t know what to expect but we were caught up in the moment. We followed along with the crowd and soon were covered in foam.
The music was pulsing and the crowd was feeding off of each other’s energy. I don’t know how long we were out on the floor. The songs blended together with only differences in the beat. There was fast and then there was faster.
Eventually we both decided we had had enough. We walked outside to see if by any chance our taxi driver had returned for us. We were in no hurry and enjoyed walking back out arm in arm. We figured if he wasn’t there then the club could always call a taxi for us. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that our taxi was waiting for us.
Our drivers name was George. What a coincidence. He told us that he had just dropped off another couple at the club and luckily was able to pick us up. I think that was very likely, but I also think that he would have come back for us anyway. It was a Thursday night and I didn’t think business was brisk enough for him to turn away business.
George asked us if we had a good time which we both agreed that we had.
We asked if he knew of any good places to shop. He gave us directions to a good area saying that while they had the typical things tourists were looking for they also had some interesting local wares as well. We thanked him for taking care of us and wished him and his wife and eight children well. George then revealed that one of his many talents was prophecy as he told us that he knew we were going to stay married forever by the way that we were together. He insisted he was an expert in these matters due to the longevity of his marriage and his extensive experience watching people as they climbed in and out of his cab. Well, so far George the wise, had proven to be correct. We decided to take his advice and see what we could find for our souvenirs.
The next morning we left the hotel early after having eaten a light breakfast of croissants, yogurt, and drinking a passable coffee while listening to the sound of the sea breaking on the rocks of the coast on the southern side of the island.
We spent the morning strolling down quaint alleyways looking at the wares offered leisurely browsing among the typical tourist items. The hand crafted chess sets on display were truly a work of art. They were crafted from crystal, obsidian, or jade and in so many different forms that it was simply amazing.
I still have the set we bought in our living room. Unfortunately, no one takes the time to play it much. Debbie picked up a few pieces of porcelain with historic Greek themes hand painted on them.
We bought the pre-requisite amount of post cards and simply enjoyed spending time together in such an exotic location. The sounds of the merchants haggling with the customers (or among each other) mixed with the smells of the meat shops that were along every street we came upon created a sense of adventure. There was also the feeling that you get when you are in a place that has been around for a very long time. People had been doing the same thing as us for thousands of years in this same place. Eventually our meandering path brought us to a leather shop that had belts and wallets on display outside of the store. The smell of leather permeated the air. It was obvious that the quality of the merchandise was very good and when Debbie came up to me with a gleam in her eye and the satchel in her hand, she said that it was just the thing I needed to look the part of an executive. I faked a crestfallen look as I said that I thought I already looked the part. She gave me a big kiss which sealed the deal. Now here I was, years later, with the satchel in hand and remembering the touch of her lips as if it were only moments ago. Yes the good times were what it was all about!
I reminded myself to stay focused on getting the audit done and wrap things up so I could get home and help Debbie pack for the trip. The birds were starting to sing their early morning songs as I crossed the parking lot and pushed open the side door to the building.
I saw that Bill had the shift at the security control station. We exchanged pleasantries as we had done for the past eleven years. His family was growing yet again. This would make the 6th child when his wife delivered what he happily reported would be another strong son around the 20th of April. Well that was still a month away and the addition to the house was on schedule for being done just in time. That, Bill reported, was the reason he was here at this God forsaken hour. He needed the overtime to pay for it. In addition to working extra time he was also doing most of the work himself to save money. Fortunately Bill knew what he was doing. He had been a Seabee in the Navy for eight years before getting out and trying to start his own company. Bill had been a great Seabee. He knew construction. Unfortunately for him, and his family, his timing was bad and his business skills were worse. The company folded after only two years. Bill was a hard worker and his resume’ showed as much.
Fortunately he was able to get a job as a security guard as a temporary way to pay the bills and support his wife and three children. Well that was eleven years ago and he was now the senior guard at the company and was in charge of a staff of thirty-two people. Bill was good people and I enjoyed talking with him. Unfortunately, today there is a lot to get done so I had to cut it short.
The morning went by without a hitch until 10:15 when Becky informed him of an emergency meeting of all department heads. Dave was fuming inside. “Crap that is just what I do not need! Well there is nothing I can do about it.” I wrapped up the audit and sent out a couple of short important emails on what needed to be done. I planned for the meeting taking an hour. I knew Ken liked to get right to the point and not waste anyone’s time in needless meetings. As I entered the conference room I saw that they were setting up the telephone with the speaker. It was not uncommon to link with remote sites so they could listen in on the meetings. I soon found out that unfortunately it was not Ken that was running this show. I learned that this was to be a meeting with Mr. Sullivan from the head office via conference call. Needless to say he was not happy and in the end I had more work to do than what I had before the meeting.
On the way back to my office I remembered the promise I made to Debbie and thought about how I could delegate out some of this added workload without overburdening my staff.
Once in my office, I quickly went over the main projects we had going on and saw that some of the people looked to have space to handle a few extra tasks. I called a meeting for one o’clock and set to work on how to divvy out the load.
Before I knew it the day had somehow flew by and it was now almost four o’clock. I went around to my people and made sure they were ahead of things before letting them go on the long weekend. By the time that was done it was already after five and I still had a few more items to complete on the audit.
The next time I glanced at the clock it was already going on seven o’clock. OK not as early as I wanted to leave but not as late as my worst case scenario had been either. I saved the whole audit report to back up and printed out the finished copy and put it in the satchel.
I locked up the office and then the department door and took the elevator down to the lobby. Lisa had the security desk and I wished her a good night on the way out. About half way to the car it started to rain. I managed to get in without getting too wet. This was getting out of hand. I didn’t like the way that I was breathing so hard after such a short and easy jog to the car. I promised myself to start working out again. I was not getting any younger and the signs were becoming obvious and a spare tire and breathing hard with only a light jog were only part of it. I was in my 40’s now and not my 20’s and needed to take better care of myself for the kid’s sake. Wake up early tomorrow and go for an easy short run I said to myself. With that resolution made I pulled out of the parking lot and merged into the flow of traffic for the drive home. As usual my brain shifted to auto pilot and I started going over the work I needed to do in my head. Just another typical night.
About a mile into the drive home it really started to pour. I slowed down because I couldn’t see out of the windshield more than fifty feet. I could clearly see the tail lights of the car in front of me but everything else was hidden behind a veil of falling water. It was coming down so hard I could actually see the raindrops splash up off of the hood of the car. It would have been a surreal scene if not for the need to drive through this downpour. It was making a continual drumming sound on the car that drowned out the news on the radio saying that there was a forty percent chance of rain. Well, I guess you guys got it forty percent right this time.
Dan Strump was becoming more and more frustrated. He knew he should not have gotten off of the interstate. How many times had his wife chided him for taking what he thought to be a short cut only to have it add extra time onto their trips? True he had to get off to find a gas station but as he was looking at the map it looked like it would save him a good forty five minutes if he took this road. Of course this blasted rain did not help matters at all. At this rate he was going to lose time for sure. He was looking for the names of streets to get his bearings and did not see the stop light. To his credit the city had not changed the bulb and it was kind of dim. Add to that the diminished visibility due to the deluge coming from the sky and it was a disaster in the making.
I could barely make out the light changing from red to green. I let off of the brake and started to ease forward. I was just about to enter the intersection of Jasper and 9th Avenue when right in front of me a car slammed into the Ford I was following. I didn’t even think about it I just slammed on the brakes and threw the car in park. The next thing I knew I was running to the two wrecked vehicles. The car that had struck the one I was following was in pretty good shape as it was an older Cadillac and had fared much better than the Ford. The Ford had been hit in the passenger side pretty hard.
The Cadillac man was out of his car and looked to be pretty shell shocked. No one had come out of the Ford yet. I checked the man out quickly. He was walking ok if a bit stiff. No apparent bleeding or disorientation and aside from mild shock there were no apparent injuries.
I turned my attention to the other vehicle. I could not see much on the damaged passenger side as the steam from the damaged radiator of the Cadillac lodged in the door panel blocked my view.
I ran around to the driver’s side of the Ford and saw long blond hair lying on the steering wheel. Only then did I realize that the car horn was blaring away. I opened the car door and reached in and felt for a pulse on what turned out to be a woman’s throat. It was strong and steady. I looked over her to the passenger of the car and saw that her passenger had not fared very well. There was a lot of blood on the dashboard in front of him and what appeared to be a deep gash on his forehead. I could see blood coming out of his ear which I knew could be a bad sign. It could indicate bleeding from the brain. That was when out of the corner of my eye I saw the baby in the car-seat in the back. Aside from being scared, she did not look to have any injuries. Her pink coat and hair had pieces of glass on them but I did not see any blood. Just then, the woman woke up and in a groggy voice said “what happened”? I turned my head to tell her that everything was going to be Ok. Before I could get it out she screamed: “MY BABY”!! She spun around to look into the back seat. She must not have focused on the passenger seat because the next thing she said was “Thank God you are ok Michel. It’s going to be ok baby. Mommy is going to make it all ok my big girl.” Then she must have thought about her husband because she asked, “Jerry, are you ok? Jerry? Oh God Jerry???” That last came out as little more than a whisper.
“Everything’s going to be ok.” I told her the first thing I wanted to focus on was getting her and the baby out of the car and a safe distance away. I couldn’t do much for Jerry until then. He was blocked in and I could not get to him until the woman and the baby were safe.
I was able to get her and baby Michel to the side of the road where some other people began to help out. Luckily there was a bus stop on the corner which provided a little shelter from the rain. Someone had thoughtfully put a blanket around the woman and baby to help them keep warm.
As I came around the side of the damaged vehicles the driver of the other car was still standing there saying over and over again that he did not see the traffic light at all. He did not know there was a light there at all. He was in shock all right but not in immediate danger. I don’t think he realized that he was drenched and standing in the middle of the road with cars driving past him.
It is kind of funny how when there is an accident some people will stop to help and others will just keep on driving by. “No sir not my problem” they probably say to themselves as they go on about their business. Dave would never know for sure what those people thought. He was in the first group. He always had to stop and help. Debbie couldn’t figure it out and it was beyond Dave to explain. It was something that just was. At first he tried to attribute it to his training in the Navy but they both knew it went beyond that. Sure, the training prepared him on what to do but the need to help was there before he joined the Navy. It simply was a part of who he was.
I ran back around to the open door of the Ford and climbed inside to check on Jerry. I felt a weak pulse and could see that he was breathing on his own. Right then I heard the welcome sound of approaching sirens. I don’t know how much time had passed but I knew that every moment counted for this man. He had a bad laceration on his forehead and his nose looked to be broken. He might have had a punctured lung as well because I could see pink frothy bubbles coming from his nose. Then again, he did have a broken nose. I felt that there was a good likelihood of internal injuries because of the way the car had been hit so I did not try to move him out of the car. Instead I sat there with him until the police arrived on the scene followed by two ambulances.
Everything after that became a blur. By the time I was done making my statements it was well past eleven. I arrived home to a dark house emotionally and physically exhausted as I stumbled up the stairs thankful for the way the carpet kept my shuffling gait quiet. I went right into the master bathroom, undressed, and showered as quietly as I could. I did not want to wake up Debbie or the kids. Not only because they needed their sleep but also because I didn’t want to talk about what had happened. I was too tired to go over it again.
I took a quick shower with the water pressure low so it wouldn’t make a lot of noise. I couldn’t help thinking that if I had left the office just five seconds earlier it may have been my car that was hit. It could have been me. Instead of being in the shower I might have been lying on a gurney in the emergency room, or worse.
I lay down in my own bed and as tired as I was I could not fall asleep. I kept thinking about what had happened and how easily things could have been different. The driver of the car that ran the light was from out of town and did not know the area. In the driving rain he said he didn’t see that there was a light at the intersection and swore he was doing less than the speed limit of thirty five.
That all may very well have been true but, in the end, it did not matter to Jerry and his wife. The late model Cadillac hit their car with enough force to forever change their lives.
All through the night I kept seeing her blond hair as it fell around the steering wheel. At one point I woke up in a cold sweat with a scream lodged in my throat. I saw the blond hair around the steering wheel again, but as her head turned towards me, it was Debbie’s face I saw. I must have gotten some sleep after that but did not feel rested when the alarm sounded at 7:30.
Debbie, as usual, had been her efficient self and had the van packed and ready to go. Breakfast was served promptly at seven-forty-five and the kids and I were seated around the table talking about what we were going to do over the weekend. They were both very excited to go see their grandparents.
I had told Debbie what had happened the night before as we both went through our morning rituals. She was surprised and concerned. She asked why I hadn’t called her to let her know what had happened. To tell the truth, I hadn’t thought about it. I had only thought about what needed to be done right then. Get it done so I could go home.
Debbie told me that she had finally given up waiting for me at ten and went to bed. She said that she had heard me come in and take a shower. She apologized for not giving me the benefit of the doubt but come on now it was not the first time I had been late. She just assumed that I was working late yet again. Same old song and dance.
Right before locking the front door Debbie called her Dad to tell him we were leaving and would see them in about four hours.
