CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Fred had caught the most so far but Tom had just hooked a big one that was giving him the fight of his lifetime. Ryan's phone rang. He listened intently for a moment. Ryan looked up at Tom and Tom suddenly lost interest in the fish. In a swift movement, Ryan reached into the tackle box, pulled out a knife and cut Tom's line. His other hand hit the start switch and the boat roared to life. As calmly as he could, Ryan ordered, "Haul in and get in a safe position, guys, we're going in."
Fred pulled in his line quickly as Ryan pulled up the anchor. Tom sat in the seat and held on as he nervously asked, "What is it?"
Ryan weighed his words carefully before he answered, "Grandpa.......all I honestly know at this point in time is that everybody will be OK."
"Who...?" was all that Tom could get past the lump in his throat.
Fifteen seconds passed. Ryan put on his sunglasses to keep down the glare from the water. In measured tones, Ryan answered, "Arthur......at the park. That's about all that I know and it is all that I will say right now. I just won't speculate. But, I was promised that everything will be OK. I was told that none of us need to worry. We just need to get there pretty fast."
Tom sat back and tried his best to remain calm. However, the ride back to the boat dock seemed so much further than what it really was.
When they got to the boat dock, Lt. Holmes and his deputy were waiting for them in his cruiser. “Throw me your keys. Mark will pull your boat out for you.”
Ryan tossed Mark his keys and the three of them got into the cruiser. Lt. Holmes was silent as he turned on his lights and made his way towards town. The closer they got to town the more nervous Tom was. It was one of those moments when you wanted to hurry up to know something but was afraid to really find out.
They turned the final corner to the park and saw a crowd of people standing on the road and in the field where the caves used to be. There was a hospital emergency van with its emergency lights on in the field. Everyone made way for the cruiser to drive as close as possible to the emergency van. Ryan pushed his and Tom's way through the crowd as they headed for the van. The back doors of the van were still opened and it looked like the EMT's were working on someone.
Tom involuntarily called out, "Who's hurt? How bad?"
As they got to the van, the EMT's backed out of the way. When Ryan and Tom rounded the corner, Ryan stepped back so that Tom could have a clear look at his grandson. There sitting up on a gurney with not a scratch or bump was Tom's pride and joy with a sheepish grin on his face. Arthur raised his hand and waived rather timidly as he said, "Hi, Grandpa."
Tom was dumbfounded but very relieved, "What? Why there's not a scratch on you, boy? What's going on?"
Marci just happened to be standing right there. She held out her cell phone and said, "It's for you........Grandpa."
"But I didn't hear it ring," Tom protested, "How could.... who?" Then as he pulled the phone up to his ear he said, "Hello."
The familiar voice on the other end laughed and said, "I got you good this time you doddering old buzzard. And if you'll look around there's at least five of them video cameras taping every move you have made from the time your boat landed." Then Maybelle laughed so hard that she went into a coughing spasm and had to stop.
As Tom looked around, he saw that Maybelle was off about four or five cameras but who was counting? "Yep," Tom said as he chuckled, "you got me real good, Maybelle. I don't know how you figured it out but you got me real good."
Maybelle continued, "Well, I didn't think of it all by myself. It just kinda happened. Marci called and wanted to borrow some shovels and I asked her what for. She told me and you know my nephew is an EMT. He happened to be next door at his mama's house eating lunch so I told them to take all my shovels in their wagon and ......well....one idea lead to another and the trick just unfolded from there."
They both started laughing one of those deep-hearted laughs that brought joy filling up in your soul. Tom finally slowed down enough to say, "Well, Maybelle, if I can get to hear you laugh like that, you can pull as many jokes on me as you want."
There was a long pause. "Tom?" Maybelle's voice was serious this time.
"Yes Ma'am?" Tom answered.
"I can feel it," Maybelle sounded real tired. "I don't know how much longer I'll be around. If I supply the supper will you come and talk to me for a spell. You name it and I'll have Marci cook it."
"OK. How about lima beans, corn bread and fresh tomatoes," Tom replied.
"It's yours. How about Monday about 5?" Maybelle suggested.
"I'll be there," Tom answered.
"Oh, yes," Maybelle added. "Bring that young upstart Arthur along so Marci will have somebody to talk to. I don't know if you know it but I hear they've kind of adopted each other."
In mock surprise, Tom said, "I guess I'll have to look into that." Then with a wink towards Arthur he continued, "My EX grandson hasn't said anything about it. But, we'll be there Monday, Maybelle."
"OK, good bye," Maybelle said. "And, thanks, Tom."
"You're welcome, Maybelle," Tom replied. "Good bye."
He gave the phone back to Marci as the crowd broke out into an applause. As he looked around at the smiling and chuckling crowd, which included his son-in-law, Ryan he stated, "Folks, that was a good one. Whoever and whatever brought it into being.....everyone is to be commended."
Then he focused his gaze on Arthur as he asked, "Is there anything that you NEED to tell me at this point in time?"
Arthur tilted his head sideways, batted his eyes, held his arms out towards his grandfather like a child looking for a hug and said, "I love you so very much, Grandpa. And, uh, could I borrow five dollars? I promised Marci that I would buy her a milkshake if she would help me."
"You snake in the grass," Tom exclaimed as he grabbed him in a bear hug and lifted him off of the gurney and onto the ground. As he stood back up straight, "Now, what's going on and where is your mother?"
"Well," Arthur began with a grin, "the short story is---Marci's uncle took tons of pictures of the oaks and caves. We took 179 paces to get a bead on the line of cave openings. We figured that for very cave opening there had to have some kind of remains from the fires you guys had every weekend. Uncle Preston's pictures showed us how many caves there were. We got enough shovels and enough shovellers, found fire remains and the rest....oh......will Olivia Hollis come front and center, please?"
From around the other side of the emergency van, a tearful Olivia came forward as she held an orange colored football helmet to her chest. Through a wavering smile she said, "Look what my baby boy found for us." Then with one last look before handing it to Tom she said, "It's kinda like .......holding him again.......well, kinda."
As he took the helmet out of Olivia's hands he slipped his arms around her shoulders. She held him tight, buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed, "But, Grandpa........I miss my daddy. I just........I just miss my daddy so much." As Tom held her close to comfort her, once again those old memories of what was and what could have been mixed in with what he wished there had been. His strong demeanor broke and they comforted one another in their sobs.
Those that hadn't done so already put away their cameras and began to walk away. In this small town, just about everybody knew everybody. Most of the adults had grown up seeing Olivia and her dad, Will, all over town together. As they passed the grieving couple, they patted them on their backs and uttered a few words of sympathy. But, they knew words couldn't heal the hurt that life had dealt them. Right now, only a good cry would do them any good. And a good cry was what they were doing.
Tom gingerly handed the helmet to Arthur so he could hold on to Olivia a little better. It wasn't so much that she needed the help. He was feeling a little weak at the moment, also. It was hard to watch these partners in grief without breaking down. Ryan tried his best to choke back his tears. Arthur didn't. His flowed freely. Marci's eyes began to overflow also, as she put her arm around her best little bubba's shoulders.
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Arthur passed the helmet to Ramon and buried his head in her shoulder. Ramon showed the helmet to Taylor and they, quietly, stepped away several paces. Then, both of them threw as much interest as they could into the helmet to keep from being overcome themselves.
As their grief, subsided, Olivia giggled, "Look at us, Grandpa........all blubbergusted as if he had just passed away today. Aren't we silly?"
They looked at each other. Then, as if on cue, they both said, "No." and laughed at their own silliness.
Tom looked around at Arthur who was supposed to be holding the helmet. Instead, he was holding his father's hanky up to his nose. Marci was holding her hands to her mouth to keep from laughing at the sound Arthur was making as he blew his nose. After the third "honk," Arthur realized he was the center of attention and sheepishly let out a genuine Arthur giggle. Marci could not hold it back any more and she busted out laughing.
Ramon and Taylor came back over. "Here's your treasure, Mr. Tom," he said as he handed Tom the helmet.
After some reflection, Tom looked around at the remaining crowd and said, "Folks, this helmet helped win a championship for Elmhurst. And......since it was a community effort that helped find it again....what do you say, Arthur, don't you reckon that this helmet belongs just as much to Elmhurst as it does to us? Hey, Fred, you got room over there in that musty old museum for a worn out old, ordinary football helmet?"
Just as Fred was about to answer, the crowd burst out with a "Hurray!"
Fred started again, "Well, at first I was going to say that I wasn't sure. But now, I guess I had better say that I'm REALLY sure that we can. I'll send off and get one of those air-tight things to put it in and have one of those plaques made." Then, he stepped through the crowd and held out his hand, "And.....before you change your mind, I will formerly accept this historic football helmet on behalf of all the citizens of Elmhurst."
Another yell went up as the helmet was officially passed to the town historian.
Tom smiled wistfully and said to the foursome standing close by, "You know, that helmet was not the prize that I thought it would be."
There was a collective "Huh?" from Marci, Taylor, Ramon and Arthur. Not to mention the questionable looks from Ryan, Olivia, Uncle Preston, et. al.
"Folks," Tom went on quietly, "what a person treasures changes as he walks through life. I found some treasure in a young boy named Pedro, back in the Philippines. When I first got there, he was skinny and his eyes were all glassy as he just stared at the ground most of the time. I got him to come and stay with me. I fixed him food. I got him to laugh and we just enjoyed life together. Then one day I led him to Jesus Christ, and the treasure began to take shape. Wow! Look at him now! Fifty years later! A retired United States Marine with a ministry in his homeland. I would have never guessed."
There were smiles on every face as they all followed along the old man's reasoning. He continued, "Oh, and there was Phillip. Olivia and Arthur met him and his lovely wife. HE....was a tough one. I spent a lot of time with that hard-headed little rebel. I talked him out of trouble. Sometimes I even paid him out of trouble that his mama never knew about. I often wondered if I was doing any good digging for treasure in that field of his."
Tom's voice softened and cracked just a bit as he continued with a big smile, "Then one rainy, December night, about one o'clock in the morning, I got this knock on my door. It was a cold and wet Phillip standing there with a funny little smile on his face. I asked him, 'What's the matter?' and he answered, 'I've been running FROM alcohol tonight, and I'm ready to make Jesus the Lord of my life."
Tom continued, "Folks, to see Jesus opening up someone's life is the best treasure anyone can find. With both of those boys, there was something down inside of me that told me to keep digging. There was buried treasure inside of them that God needed me to keep uncovering and uncovering until THEY found His treasure. Does that make sense?"
As they all shook their heads 'Yes.' Olivia answered for them, "You know. I never looked at it quite like that but.......hey! We're all treasure hunters, then, aren't we Grandpa?"
"Yep, we really are," was his reply. "But, that brings me to a b-i-i-g-g problem."
Ryan was the first to ask, "What's that, Tom?"
Tom got a funny little puzzled look on his face. "When I was younger, I knew that God had told me to focus on Pedro. H-m-m-m-m. Then when I was a little older and had a teen-age Bible class, God had me zero in on Phillip. And now that I am older than old..." His gaze fell on Arthur and he slowly bent over, put his hands on his knees and looked right into Arthur's eyes.
Ramon, Taylor and Marci all patted him on the back and said, "O-o-o-o-o, your turn, Arthur. Better watch out." And, Arthur's eyes indeed did widen quite a bit.
Still in his crouch, and looking straight at Arthur, the old gentleman, continued, "Yep, at my oldest.......I know down in my heart of hearts that God has given me the job of uncovering His treasure in...." Tom looked up at Arthur's three friends as he finished, "ALL FOUR of you."
At that point in time there were four new statues in the park at Elmhurst. The only things that moved were their eyes as they nervously glanced at each other.
Uncle Preston broke the silence by asking, "Am I to infer that there will be wedding bells in the future for these two couples?"
Tom smiled, "Naw, that's none of my business. But, the first lesson that they must learn, and the rest of us as well, is simple. Boys and girls can be friends without being boyfriends and girlfriends. Friendship should never be misunderstood to be a love affair. A lot of marriages have been ruined by two people never learning how to be friends."
Then, Tom looked at the four of them, "I really want you to understand what I am telling you. Learn to build strong friendships with those that God has put into your lives. When He says it's time to get married, He is more than God enough to show you who and when. Wait on Him. But, until He tells you who and when.......go out and enjoy life with your friends......whoever they are. OK?"
Taylor looked like she had the weight of the world taken off of her shoulder. "Wow, Mr. Tom. That sure makes sense to me. That means that I can be on the football team without worrying about what somebody says. Unless it's my mother of course."
"You are absolutely correct, Taylor," Tom replied. Then he pulled out his wallet, "Now, the next thing you must learn is.....always keep your word." Then he pulled out two five dollar bills and handed one to Arthur. "Here's your bribe money.....er, uh, your payment to Marci for her help. Scoot on over and get her and yourself a giant milk shake."
Arthur's eyes got big as he took the five from Tom's hand, "Thanks, Grandpa. Let's go Marci before he changes his mind."
As they hurriedly walked away, Tom held out the other five to Ramon, "Now the next lesson you need to learn is......somebody has GOT to watch out after those two. Here, Ramon, take this and you and Little Bit go get you each a milk shake and.....keep your eyes on those two."
"Thanks, Mr. Tom," Ramon said as he took the five. Then, he grabbed Taylor by the arm and insisted, "Hey, let's go catch up with them."
As Taylor turned to go with him she protested, "But, he called me Little Bit. Why did he call me that?"
"How should I know, we'll ask him later. C'mon let's get that shake," Ramon insisted as he broke into a trot to catch up with Marci and Arthur.
"But he called me Little Bit," Taylor protested again as she ran to catch up to him.
As the crowd watched the four of them trot over to the bakery, Olivia stepped beside her grandfather and slipped her arms around his middle and gave him a big hug. Tom put his arm around her shoulders and hugged back. "Olivia, I helped a lot of teens find their treasure while there was still a big empty spot inside of me. Now, at the end of my days, He has filled up this old soldier with a special treasure."
THE END
EPILOGUE
And Tom did take the four of them under his wing. They were a little shy about being togethe
r at first. It was this ‘boy and girl’ thing. Several of their friends began the junk that maybe Tom was just setting the four of them up to date and maybe even marry.
Tom calmed their fears by teaching them that friends are friends. If one is a girl and the other one happens to be a boy, what of it? Friends are friends because they share the same likes and dislikes, not because of their gender or their age.
It finally dawned on the four of them and it made an entire difference in the teenagers and the young adults of Elmhurst. One by one a little group of boys and girls was formed until it grew to be anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five. They would either gather together at the park or monopolize the front window seating at Ed’s Bakery.
Very seldom would you see this group without Tom being right in the middle. Everyone loved to hear him tell of his life among the Aeta tribe. Some of the older teens that were close to graduation often pressed him to tell them stories about his military life. They were eager to hear him talk about basic training.
Every now and then, someone asked him was he stretching the truth a little bit or did so-and-so really happen. Tom’s reply was always that, if we looked at it long enough, the truth was funnier than fiction. Now, that went over some of their heads for a while until they began to remember the funny stuff that happened in their own lives.
Whether they were in the park or the bakery, visitors were often asked to come and join in their conversations. Nobody was exempt. Tom was often asked to bring Fred Lee along. They loved to listen to them tell the history of Elmhurst. I’m not talking about the stuff that would get written in the history books, either. That was almost common knowledge. They wanted to know about the REAL life of Elmhurst, if you get my drift.
Tom sensed that God had a very important work for this eleven-year-old memory healer that had come into his life. As a matter of fact, the more time they spent together, the more it became evident to Tom that God had these things planned all the time. God just never said anything to anybody. He let these things play out---and it was good.
Tom and Arthur spent every summer in the Philippines with Pedro and his family. Pedro's son, Diego, did indeed have one of the most prestigious martial arts studios in Manila. He also had four sons and one daughter. They welcomed Tom and Arthur into their hearts as if they were part of a long lost family.
In some ways, they were. Pedro always talked about the crippled American that changed his life. Now, they had the chance to meet this legend of the mountain tribe and repay him in kind by training Arthur in the martial arts. The boys bonded easily with Arthur and filled his life with all kinds of boy-hood adventures.
Arthur was also close to Diego's young daughter, Mayumi. She was four years younger than he was and seemed to fit the female vacuum in his summers. She was about half-way between his sister Wendy and his best friend, Marci. Diego's boys didn't mind in the least that Arthur spent time with their sister. Just like a lot of older brothers, the baby sister was almost an outcast.
Well, for the next few years everything was just about as normal as can be. Of course, that depends on your definition of ‘normal.’ Arthur and Tom spent every summer vacation with Pedro in the Philippines. He learned just about as much as any teenager could learn about the martial arts. Let’s say he got real proficient at it.
During the school year, he would share everything he had learned with anyone that wanted to practice with him. They formed a pretty neat martial arts club. Of course, with Tom’s leadership, they used it as a powerful witnessing tool to the teenagers.
Tom was a frequent guest at Maybelle’s house. Arthur and Marci would always be in the front room or the front porch so that their grandparents could talk. Besides, Arthur and Marci had heard all the stories anyway.
Seriously, though, being with Arthur on a frequent basis was good for Marci. She had spent the past few years with her granny somewhat as a private nurse. Marci knew that her granny’s time was nearing and it began to wear on her emotions.
Marci's Granny Maybelle passed away about six months later. Arthur was standing right by Marci's side and holding on to her for dear life. They both sobbed even though they knew that Granny Maybelle was going to be with Jesus. They knew she would be in no more pain and that she would be happier than she ever was. But, they missed her just the same. At the funeral, Marci wouldn’t have anyone else near her but Arthur.
In some ways, Arthur felt like he needed to be Marci's protector. Since he was around her most of the time and knew her moods, he could sense when she was beginning to sink into remorse. The moment he saw the changes in her expression, he took it on himself to do something to bring her out of her doldrums.
Take the time they were just sitting in the park and talking, for instance. As he saw her slipping, he wracked his brain for something to sidetrack her with. At that point in time, all he could think of to do was to get on his knees and bark at her like a dog. She looked at him as if he had gone crazy. He pushed her over on her back and then grabbed her wrist with his mouth and began pulling on her.
She snatched her wrist away from him and picked up a nearby stick and waved it in the air above him. Arthur pretended to jump and bark at it like any good dog would do. Marci was laughing so hard she could hardly stand up. She threw the stick and yelled, "Fetch."
There went Arthur on all fours. He grabbed up the stick in his mouth and crawled back to her growling and shaking the stick like any good dog would. When he got to her with the stick, she patted him on the head and said, "Good, dog. Good dog."
They laughed and laughed, until they heard the applause. Several of the guys inside Ed's Bakery had watched the whole thing unfold and had come outside to watch the shenanigans. Yep, you could say that Arthur got a standing ovation for his performance. And, Marci had avoided a bout with depression.
As I said, you would see them holding hands or walking arm in arm. People quit looking at them as if they were ‘strange or goofy.’ They knew what it was all about.
Marci dated guys and Arthur dated girls on through high school. Their dates had to accept the fact that these two friends meant a lot to each other. It was stronger than any love affair. It was like the old saying---'friends to the end.'
Throughout high school, Marci took extra courses at the local community college to help prepare her for med school. While she was taking care of her granny, she realized that her heart’s desire was to help heal the hurt, physically as well as spiritually. She was absolutely focused on going into the field of research after she finished college.
I don’t want to forget about Taylor and Ramon. They had a relationship along the same lines. However, it was nothing like Marci and Arthur. When the four of them were walking somewhere together, Marci and Arthur would be holding each other somehow.
Taylor and Ramon would be touching alright, but, it would be with the back of the hand, or a punch to the shoulder. One would push the other, the other would retaliate. Words would be said, and the other would not be outdone so more words would fly. All of it was in good natured fun. That was their thrill. That’s exactly what they liked to do.
Taylor enjoyed having Ramon as a punching bag. She couldn’t haul off and hit the girls like she could Ramon. And, most of the time, Ramon wouldn’t pull his punches. Or, so she thought.
Was she in love with Ramon? I dare say not! Taylor was the President, Vice President and CEO of the Elmhurst Man-Haters Club. She might have been the only member, too. But, she was a very faithful member.
And, did Ramon ever love to pick on her about it? Love? Absolutely not. He LIVED for an opportunity to say something lovey-dovey to her. That was the thrill of his day. At first she would get real, real, real, real, mad at him. Then she calmed down to just getting real mad. They got along great.
Ramon was instrumental in fulfilling one of Taylor’s dreams. He badgered the high school coach into letting Taylor try out for the football team. Now, getting the coach to relent was nothing compared to getting Taylor’s mother to g
ive her approval. Ramon had to swear on a stack of Bibles, promise to give her his first born son and all that jazz. Well, maybe he didn’t have to go that far. The stipulation was that if Taylor got hurt, she would immediately come off of the team. Her mama always wanted her to be a ballet dancer. Go figure.
The only time that you would not see Ramon and Taylor beating up on each other was when they were getting in shape for football. If they were running laps around the field at school or the park in the center of town, it was serious business. Then for practice, Ramon would let Taylor get into her football stance and come crashing into him to give her tips on how to hit. She got good at it. I mean, she got REAL good at it. Ramon never let her know how good she really was. It’s a man thing, I reckon.
They both started out on the offense. Ramon took his place at half back and Taylor on the line. She got stuffed a couple of times during the first game. Ramon knew that if the other team continued to double-team her because she was a girl, then she would get hurt and that would end of football for her. This meant a whole lot to Taylor.
Ramon talked to the coach. They had another guy that could take Ramon’s place. He wasn’t as good as Ramon, but he was passable. Ramon talked the coach into letting him and Taylor play linebacker on defense. The coach had seen the two of them taking extra laps and running and shoving at the park. He knew that they would have the stamina and toughness that the defense needed. And, it worked out great. The two of them earned the nickname, ‘The Dynamic Duo.”
Oh, yeah. Before I finish, I just have to tell you what caused the guys to really take Taylor as a serious competitor and not just a girl on the team. On the first game of the season, when Taylor was playing on the offensive line, one of the guys thought he would take some liberties with her. He got up slower than usual and just happened to be the last one to the huddle. As he came up behind Taylor in the huddle, he acted like he gave her a ‘customary’ slap on her butt. However, it was more like a pat and a grab.
Taylor, the President, and CEO of the Elmhurst Man-Haters Club, had been prepared for just an occasion. She looked at Ramon and Ramon looked at her and they nodded to each other. When the offense came off the field, Ramon and Taylor trotted off together, walked by the coach and nodded in unison. The coach nodded back. Nobody knew what was going on.
When the offense took the field the next time, Taylor wasn’t chosen to go out. However, on the second down, he called for Taylor to substitute just as the team was going into its huddle. Taylor trotted on as the one she was to replace trotted off.
Just before she got to the huddle, she raised her mighty right hand as high as she could get it. The palm of her hand was facing her. As she passed the ‘butt-grabber,’ she brought down her hand as hard as she could. The tips of her fingers grazed the offender’s butt.
The surprised offender not only straightened up but jumped about two feet in the air. Now, get this. While in the air, ‘Mr. Macho’ let out the loudest ‘girly’ scream you have ever heard. He grabbed his butt and came down in an awkward fashion and twisted his ankle.
The backfield judge was watching the substitution to detect any infraction. He saw Taylor’s revenge, saw the guy jump, heard him scream and the judge fell on the ground laughing. One of the other officials saw him down and came running over to him. The judge tried to get the whistle to his mouth but couldn’t because he was laughing so much. The only thing he could do was to hold his hands in the traditional “T” formation indicating an official time out.
As the now crippled offender limped off the field, his teammates were just about in stitches. The cheerleaders had all seen it and were about to come unglued. I don’t know if anyone else remembers much more of the game, but almost everyone remembers that play.
Ramon and Taylor were quite a hit, no pun intended, on the football field. They developed a series of whistles and whoops that helped them and their backfield become almost invincible during their four years of high school. Their ability to adapt to a changing offense would serve them well after they graduated and entered the Army. But, that’s another story.
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