Over My Dead Body. (359 hits)
Category: UberMadness! EntryRating: 2 on 2 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by living under stars (View user info) at 2004-09-25 23:04:15 EDT
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Where did I go wrong? I tried to teach them that money and material goods were the insignificant parts of life. Maybe on the other hand I spoiled them. The old cliché of trying to give your kids what you didn't have. I suppose that was where I went wrong. Saying one thing and doing another. We were happy once. There was a time when I was a loving father instead of a father who talked about love.
But then the money came in.
I never was an intelligent man who made a lot of money. In fact, I spent most of my life under the poverty line. Who knew that making such a small invention could make me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams?
They were children at the time. Adam was 15, Jaret was 7, and Mark was 5. The money had allowed me to open up a small business for my own and I couldn't be home as much.
Yes, I can see now where I became a different kind of father. That's the funny thing about hindsight, it's always 20/20.
You see, at the time I thought Jaret and Mark had it the best. They had their whole childhood with all of the advantages we could afford them. Adam, however got a job as soon as he could get one. He quit it and started working for me when the business started.
I guess I was the same father with him as I had always been. That was the best part about having him around at work. School gets in the way of the most important lessons of life. I have a long day. The kids have a long day. We both come home and escape. In essence, the learning stops at the door.
But with Adam, I saw him right after he was out of school and got to hear how his day was. He always told me more than the "fine" that I always got from Jaret and Mark.
Adam would usually walk into my office when his work was done and stand there quiet for a bit. He never hid his feelings behind a façade that boy.
"What's wrong, son?"
"There was just a dance tonight, that's all really. No big deal."
"You're a horrible liar."
"I know."
"Listen, do you remember that poem I quoted when you were young? It's the only one I ever really learned so there isn't much room for confusion."
"Yeah."
"What did it say?"
"Love or perish?"
He never forgot lessons. Always hung onto every word I said.
"That's right. I'm telling you this now because you need to carry that with you into a social event. Love everyone you surround yourself with and you'll be a very happy man. You understand?"
He stopped for a moment, obviously turning it over in his head trying to connect it with his life. "Yeah."
"What time does the dance start?"
"After the game."
"Go ahead and go."
"Bye dad."
"later son, I love you"
He stopped and turned at the door, and with a quiet "I know" and a smile, he walked out and had a great time.
The years passed and I saw Adam mature at a much faster rate than Jaret and Mark. They would party. He would study. They would leave a mess. He would help his mother clean it up. I tried talking to them. I sat them down on the couch to talk to them like I did to Adam. Their faces...callous. It struck me hard. I just realized that I had no knowledge to pass on to them that they would receive. They were just waiting for me to be done talking so they could leave. Like I did in their childhood, I gave them what they wanted. My speech was a very short one and lacked any real heart. They nodded their heads and looked ashamed. It was a rehearsed look. I had many of those talks while they were in the house. Each one more meaningless than the last.
Eventually they all moved out. Mark and Jaret ended up dropping out of college and leaving the state. I suppose in a way I failed them. Adam was constantly pressured to do his homework, and by the time the other two were to that stage I never was home to force them to do the same.
Adam moved into a place close to work. Nice place really. Kind of small, but it has a lot of land. He always liked playing outside as a kid and likes to do the same with his kids. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. Adam got married to his high school sweetheart. If you were to guess that he met her at the dance, I wouldn't say you were wrong.
I let him start running the company. He added some management to free up some of his time. He knew what happened when I missed Jaret and Mark growing up and he wasn't going to let it happen to his boys. He never really did let a lesson slip by.
He also found time for me in the week. Every Friday at the end of his day he would stop by the house. This time he didn't need any advice. He just enjoyed telling me how things were going and sometimes would bring along the kids.
Eventually, mother fell ill. He came by every day and took care of her so I could rest.
Despite his care, she had to be moved to a hospital and died by the year's end. The boys drove in for the funeral but something about them had changed. They didn't say anything to Adam, but their looks said it all. They talked more with me after the funeral than they had for the last 20 Holiday Seasons. They were competing with Adam for something.
It wasn't until I was dying that I learned what.
Jaret and Mark fought over everything. My money, house, stock, you name it. Everything that made our standard of living better and our family worse, they wanted. What did Adam want?. He wanted the possession of my pictures and books.
They fought over my dead body.
He fought over my life.
And I love him for it.
User Reviews
Submitted by PWNstar (user info) at 2005-01-25 01:04:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Of all of the posts I've done, I'm most proud of this one and appreciated the feedback I got in UberMadness from it.
Submitted by youarsoghey (user info) at 2005-01-16 12:16:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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