by Bob Brown
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here,” replied Jason. “But I’d love to hear the whole story.” Then turning to Karen, he asked with mock disgust, “Did you have anything to do with this?”
“Absolutely not,” exclaimed Karen. “The first I knew about it was when Sydney called me from the airport asking for a ride.” Then, mostly for Jason’s benefit, she added, “Sydney and I haven’t discussed anything.”
As Jason and Karen listened, Sydney described in whispered tones how she kept up with the San Diego hometown news by periodically reading the front sections of the Union Tribune online. Several days ago she had accidentally clicked on the link for the Business section, which just happened to feature an article on Garrett Motors.
“The article said that Garrett Motors was being sold or liquidated. It wasn’t real clear. But it did say there was speculation the action was being forced by the serious illness of Garrett’s owner and that there were unconfirmed reports that the illness was terminal. I booked the first flight I could out of Lisbon.”
Sydney wiped again at the tears under her eyes. “Jason, what’s going on?”
Jason looked at Karen. Her look told him there was no easy way to do this.
“The story’s true, Sydney. Kyle’s dying.” Jason wished he could somehow crawl underneath the cushion on the recliner.
“But how? When? How long?” Sydney’s questions came in rapid succession.
There was no point in deceiving Sydney any longer. Neither Jason nor Karen had felt good about the deception from the beginning. Now that the lie had been discovered through no one’s fault, Jason felt that Sydney deserved the truth.
Karen reached out and took Sydney’s hands in her own. Then, for the next two hours Jason and Karen together shared the story of Kyle’s illness and the situation at Garrett Motors, beginning with the fateful run on the beach when Kyle first suspected his problem and ending with Kyle’s most recent decisions regarding the Garrett Charitable Foundation and the Garrett Christian Center.
Jason was completely honest with Sydney. He told her about doctor visits, diagnoses, and trips to the hospital. He spoke solemnly about Kyle’s declining health and of Kyle’s strong desire that Sydney not forfeit her dreams because of him. Jason even told Sydney about the afternoon he and Kyle had shared at La Jolla Cove, something he had previously only shared with Karen.
Along the way, Jason and Karen compassionately answered every question Sydney could think to ask.
“We’re so sorry for deceiving you,” said Karen. “Kyle swore us to secrecy. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us.”
“I understand,” Sydney replied sadly. “It’s not your fault. In any case, that would explain why I could never get Kyle on a webcam and why the phone calls stopped coming. I just wish I could have been here for him. I feel terrible that we wasted all this time when we could have been together.”
“Kyle loves you, Sydney,” Karen offered gently. “He only wanted what’s best for you.”
Sydney started crying again, and Karen moved closer to cradle her friend. Jason got up and wandered to the back porch, looking for someplace to escape the overpowering sense of helplessness he felt.
As he stood looking out toward the distant airport runway and mindlessly watched half a dozen airplanes do their takeoff-landing dance, Jason silently prayed that God would somehow fix things. He didn’t know exactly what it was he was asking God to do, but he knew there was a lot of hurt being shared right now. Jason prayed that God would use His infinite wisdom to make the hurt go away.
Jason had no way of knowing that God had already answered his prayer.
Chapter 67
The scream was a loud, gut-wrenching wail that shattered Jason’s quiet meditation on the patio. Even without thinking it, Jason somehow knew the source and the cause.
Jason ran back into the living room to find the couch empty. The open door to Kyle’s bedroom and the dim light beyond seemed to confirm what he most feared.
As he entered the bedroom, Jason found Sydney on her knees beside the bed, her head resting on Kyle’s chest and her arms gently cradling his head. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her breaths coming in short gasps as she struggled to choke back the tears. Karen was beside her friend, both of her arms draped around Sydney’s shoulders.
“Kyle, oh Kyle,” Sydney sobbed.
Jason knew without asking that his best friend was dead. He moved silently to the other side of the bed and carefully eased himself next to Kyle. Then, with reverence and a deep sense of loss, he gingerly took one of Kyle’s lifeless hands in both of his, his silent tears finding voice in the continued sobbing from Sydney.
Karen began softly reciting the Lord’s prayer. “Our Father, Who art in heaven…” She was joined by Jason, and then by a still sobbing Sydney.
When the three had finished the prayer, Jason said his own prayer of thankfulness that God had answered his earlier plea. Although he hadn’t had anything specific in mind when he had prayed, Jason realized that of all the scenarios he had played out in his mind in the months since Kyle was first diagnosed, this was the one that he had always hoped for.
The thought of his best friend strapped to a hospital bed, wasting away and gasping for breath, was something too painful to imagine. Kyle was finally at rest, taken quietly in his sleep to the arms of a loving God who had shown his servant the final compassion.
Although he regretted that Kyle had passed before being reunited with Sydney, he marveled at God’s timing, that God had allowed Kyle to remain alive just long enough to provide Sydney the comfort of knowing that he was resting peacefully. In time, Jason knew that Sydney would accept and appreciate God’s perfect plan. She would now remember Kyle for the person he was and not the frail and failing form he had become.
Jason lay his friend’s hand gently on the bed and quietly rose, leaving Sydney and Karen to share their grief as only two best friends can. As he stepped off the bed, he noticed a sheet of paper lying on the floor, partially concealed beneath the bedspread. Jason reached for the paper and carried it into the living room.
Returning to the chair that had been Kyle’s favorite, Jason studied the paper in his hand. ‘My dearest Sydney,’ it began. Jason stopped reading and folded the paper in half to preserve the confidential nature of the note. As much as he wanted to continue reading the last words his friend would ever write, Jason felt that doing so would violate a sacred trust. Those words had been meant for the only girl that Kyle had ever truly loved.
Minutes passed. Jason could still hear the sounds of gentle sobbing and softly spoken comfort from the other room. He sat staring blankly toward the big screen TV that had so often been the source of weekend and late night entertainment with his friend. His mind was alive with memories, and he was especially bombarded with recollections of the last evening he had shared with Kyle, when Kyle had rested where Jason now sat. Once again Jason thanked God for allowing Kyle that evening and for permitting he and Kyle to finish the important business that needed to be done.
Jason’s thoughts were interrupted as Karen and Sydney slowly emerged from the bedroom. Karen’s arms were still around Sydney’s shoulders as she gently guided her back to the couch. Sydney dabbed at her eyes with the paper towel, her deep sobbing now reduced to an occasional sniffle.
“I’m so terribly sorry, Sydney,” said Jason. Then, as a way of comforting both Sydney and Karen, Jason shared his thoughts about God’s perfect plan, about how he believed the timing of Kyle’s death had been orchestrated by God as a way both of comforting Sydney and of sparing Kyle and his friends from unbearable pain.
“Thank you for that,” replied Sydney. “I know you’re right, but I can’t help but feel that maybe if I’d gone to him as soon as I arrived I could have been there for him. I hate the thought that he died alone.”
“He was never alone, Sydney. He was in God’s care. And even though he was asleep, God made sure he kn
ew that you were here. He died peacefully, in the company of his best friends.”
Sydney just nodded and hung her head. Jason rose and went to her.
“Sydney, this is for you,” he said, handing her the note. “I found it on the floor in the bedroom.”
Sydney raised her head and looked at Jason. Then, tentatively, she stretched out her hand and took the paper.
As Sydney silently read the note, Jason returned to his seat and waited patiently. He exchanged soulful glances with Karen.
When Sydney had finished reading, she looked up at her friends and once again the tears began to flow. “He apologized for not telling me about his illness and said that he loved me. He said that he had wanted to marry me, that he had planned to ask me just before he got sick.”
Sydney buried her head in Karen’s shoulder and continued to cry.
“It’s almost as if he knew you were coming,” said Jason. ‘God’s perfect plan,’ he thought.
“What should we do now?” asked Karen.
“I need to call the coroner,” replied Jason. “Then I need to call Dr. Neumann and Gus over at Garrett Motors. I’ll go make the calls so you can stay with Sydney.”
Jason retreated to the patio once again, closing the glass door behind him. Then he made the call that no one ever wants to make.
“911. Please state the nature of your emergency.”
“Yes ma’am. I need to report a death.” Jason provided the details, address, and phone number. Then he called Dr. Neumann.
“I’m sorry, Jason,” said the doctor. “I guess my last estimate was no better than the previous ones. I’ll call the county coroner.”
“Thanks, doc.”
Jason’s final call was to Gus, who struggled to maintain his composure over the phone. Gus had worked for Garrett senior for years, and he had been there when Kyle first started doing odd jobs at the dealership. In the span of less than a year, both Garretts were now gone.
“Gus, I need you to do a couple of favors for me,” Kyle began. “Although Kyle hadn’t had time to discuss things with you yet, he has named me as successor-in-interest to Garrett Motors. You and I have much to talk about regarding some decisions which Kyle recently made. But for now I’d like you to do two things. First, please break the news to the employees. I’d rather they hear it from you than from some news report on Channel Ten.”
“Consider it done. I’ll do it first thing in the morning, when the dealership opens. Will you be coming in?”
“Probably not for a couple of days. I need to take care of Kyle and meet with his attorneys to make sure everything is in order. For the time being, please just do the best you can to reassure everyone and keep things running smoothly.”
“Will do. What was the second thing?”
“Could you please see about putting together the LED display for Kyle at the entrance to the lot, like you did for Mr. Garrett? Kyle’s picture, dates, plus the same scripture verse that was used for his dad. I think Kyle would like that.”
“No problem. I’ll have it up right after I talk to the employees in the morning. You realize of course there are going to be concerns among the employees, and there will be speculation about what comes next.”
“I know. Please just tell them that I’ll explain everything as soon as I can. Just do your best to convince them that Kyle would never allow anything bad to happen to them.”
Jason finished his conversation with Gus just as the doorbell rang. As he passed the couch where Karen and Sydney were still huddled together, he mouthed the words ‘Coroner’ to Karen. He then answered the door and asked the two men with the gurney to wait one moment.
“Sydney, the coroner is here to take Kyle away. Would you like another minute alone with him?”
Sydney just shook her head. She didn’t even look up. “I can’t,” she said meekly.
“I understand,” Jason replied.
Jason opened the front door and led the men from the coroner’s office into the bedroom. He watched in silence as they gently eased Kyle onto the gurney.
Just as they were about to pull the sheet up over the body, Jason suddenly held up his hand, signaling them to stop what they were doing. Then, like a mother weaning her newborn, Jason tenderly lifted Kyle’s head. He then gently removed the gold chain from around his neck. As he slowly caressed the cross, he bent and gave his friend one last hug and kissed him on the forehead.
As the gurney passed through the front door, Jason felt an odd mixture of serenity and anxiety. His best friend was at peace, his earthly journey now ended. But Jason was left to put together all of the pieces that he and Kyle had pushed around just days before. It was up to Jason alone to finish the puzzle, no longer able to rely on the wisdom, strength, and experience that Kyle brought to everything he did.
Jason was up to the challenge. He would pursue it because it was what Kyle wanted. He would complete it because it was Kyle’s legacy. He would succeed at it because it was God’s plan.
Chapter 68
Early the next morning Jason got a phone call from Dr. Neumann.
“I spoke with the coroner first thing this morning and got him to agree that an autopsy wasn’t necessary.”
“Thanks, doc, but wouldn’t an autopsy help determine the actual cause of death. Wouldn’t the information help you better understand the disease and possibly benefit someone else in the future?”
“Not really. The fact that he was terminal with this particular disease meant that any number of things could ultimately kill him. The actual cause is of only marginal importance.”
“I’m sure you did what you thought best, doctor. And I appreciate all you tried to do for Kyle, even though there never was much that could be done.”
“Thank you, Jason. Unfortunately, medicine is an imperfect science much of the time. Too often our hopes for success are shouldered by those who must first suffer so that we can learn. I wish it weren’t so. I liked Kyle, and I’m terribly sorry that I couldn’t do more to save him.”
Doctor Neumann said goodbye, and Jason promised to stay in touch.
*****
Jason met with Kyle’s attorney that afternoon. What he learned surprised him. Apparently, in addition to executing the professional Power of Attorney regarding Garrett Motors that Jason and Kyle had agreed to, Kyle had also recently executed several other significant legal documents. The first was a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, which meant that Jason was now legally responsible for Kyle’s body. The second was an updated Will, naming Jason as Kyle’s sole heir.
Jason obtained a copy of Kyle’s Will from the attorney, thanked him for his time, then retreated to his own condo to spend some quiet time considering Kyle’s last testament. As he sipped a beer and studied the Will, Jason smiled. Even in death, Kyle had a sense of humor.
*****
It took a week to complete the arrangements requested by Kyle. Then, on a beautiful late summer evening, as the sun hung three hours above the horizon, Jason, Karen, and Sydney gathered at the corner bar on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach. With them were Tub, Susan, Merle Perkins and his wife, and, finally, Gus and Mrs. Gus. Once again everyone came dressed for high fashion, creating quite a spectacle in a place more accustomed to board shorts and flip flops. This time, even Tub got it right.
According to Kyle’s last wishes, only one drink was to be served for his final toast.
As the waitress passed around ice cold bottles of Pacifico, Jason rose to honor his friend one last time at their favorite bar. With tears in his eyes, Jason placed the urn containing Kyle’s ashes in the center of the table. He raised his bottle in tribute, then recalled to those gathered the first time he and Kyle had visited the bar.
For the next fifteen minutes, Jason talked of other special times at the bar, including the time when Kyle had first challenged Jason about his faith and when Kyle had teased Karen about her ‘iced tea’. Then it was time to go.
A scant ninety minutes later, Jason stood once again at the stern of ‘Pierre’. This time it was under full sail, gliding past Ballast Point and heading westward toward a spot in the open sea just three miles off the coast. The sun was still an hour above the horizon as Jason stood holding the urn containing the remains of his best friend. He asked for quiet and addressed the group.
“My friends, once again we are gathered on this beautiful boat for a very special occasion. This time our gathering is made complete by the presence of Sydney.”
Jason nodded toward Sydney, who was standing arm-in-arm with Karen a few feet away.
“As you are all now aware, Kyle’s Last Will and Testament included a number of interesting requests. You have just experienced the first, and for those of you not disposed to beer, I trust you enjoyed your introduction to Pacifico.”
There was laughter all around.
“We are now on our way to fulfill the second of Kyle’s last wishes. I suspect you all know that Kyle was born and raised in San Diego. He loved this place like no other. It was his wish that his ashes be scattered at sea as the sun sets on this place that he loved.
“Kyle was a simple man who loved simple things. He loved the outdoors. He loved his sports. He loved his beer. But more than anything, he loved his friends, and he loved his God.
“Kyle didn’t want a fancy ceremony when he died, and he didn’t want a service before a congregation of sad faces. In life as in death, Kyle wanted something simple. So there will be no funeral service, no memorial. Just this simple gathering of his closest friends. It’s what Kyle wanted.”
Jason paused as the ‘Pierre’ began a slow turn into the wind.
“Kyle had only two more requests. One of those will be fulfilled shortly, immediately following the burial ceremony. The final one will come at a time and place of my choosing. I’ll keep you posted.”