Reinventing Mike Lake
Page 16
“I always felt guilty that I wasn’t coming by to just sit at your gravestone to spend time with you and talk to you. But I always justified my reason for not visiting in two ways. The first reason, I told myself I wasn’t going to visit you, is because for a full year after you died I didn’t do anything that I thought you would be interested in. That can also be thought of as I didn’t do anything that I was proud of telling you.
“The second reason was because I had a strong feeling that you were always with me. I’m sure I may have used this reasoning to justify not seeing you, but I really did think you were there. When I was gearing up to go on my journey, one small step at a time, I felt you were both there to get me going in the right direction, but also telling me there was no rush. When you are under distress like I was for quite a long time you wonder what is real and what isn’t, but I really did feel your presence, even in the darkest of times.
“Of course, what’s most likely the real reason I didn’t come visit you is because I was scared. I was scared about how it would make me feel. I was scared of what I would say to you, or if I would say anything at all. Most of all I was scared that the memories we shared would all come flooding back to me. While in theory that should have made me feel happy, at the time of my mourning I just thought I would regress from any progress I had made. I realized now that there was no right or wrong answer.
“When I took my trip it was with you in mind, of course. At first, everything I did new was met with the thought that it was something I would never get to do with you. Many times I just thought about going back home, lying in bed for another year, or longer, and relying on my parents to take care of me. But I kept going. I owed it to you.
“It’s clear you were there every step of the way. While you were living you always wanted me to reconnect with my sister. You knew how close Chloe and I were growing up, and you always pushed me to make the first call, or first visit, but I didn’t. Well, when I got in the car the first day of the journey, you not only pointed me south, but you pointed me to Chloe and her beautiful daughter Cassidy. I see signs of you in her, including her love of animals. She’s only seven, but she has already told me several times she wants to be a veterinarian. As my trip progressed I believe I never would have taken that first step in reconciling with my sister if it wasn’t for you.
“The Keys. I couldn’t figure out if you directed me there. We had never really talked about that part of the country, but during my many hours of traveling I think I figured it out. You knew I always had this desire to ‘do something different.’ You told me many times that I was already following the path less traveled because I was a writer, but we both knew I meant something else. In Florida, I worked on a fishing boat. That was certainly different. Also, just the town of Key West is different. I love it there, but after a few weeks, I start to long for something else.
“I think that longing was the wanting to come home again. You always said I was a homebody, but I always seemed to want to prove to you, and more likely myself, that I wasn’t. So instead of going home during my trip I went to the most opposite place I could think of, Las Vegas. As I suspected, and I’m sure you probably tried to give me signs, I didn’t like Vegas too much, but I’m sure glad I went there. I was on the road well over a year, seeing just about every part of the country worth seeing and meeting great people along the way. They, whoever they are, say you can’t go home again, but here I am, and I don’t have any more plans on leaving anytime soon.
“Life sure is different without you, and we all miss you every day. Bahama is doing well, and enjoyed our trip as much as I did, if not more. If anything, she sure ate well. She is happy to be back home. Like me, she always sleeps much better in her own bed, which is of course also my bed.
“I’m still writing, and that’s a big reason why I’m here today. A couple of months before I headed out on my journey I started writing again. I tried to keep a journal, but often times too many memories would come back and I would set it aside for weeks before writing another entry. I also didn’t have much to write about.
“When I started my trip, I didn’t really intend to make writing a daily thing, but as the trip progressed that’s exactly what happened. I would say that when I became comfortable in the Keys I began writing every day, even if for just 10 or 15 minutes.
“Those writings, with the support and encouragement of loved ones, became the copy of the book I’m leaving with you today, though I have a feeling you have already read it. I hope you like it. Everything in it was written with you in mind, and in honor of you. I love you, and I always will.”
As I finished up the letter, Cassidy called from the limo, “Hurry up, Uncle Mike! You don’t want to keep Jen waiting, do you?”
She was right. I certainly didn’t want to keep my bride waiting on our wedding day.
Acknowledgements
While I agree writing is a singular pursuit, the construction of a book is not. With that, I have many people to thank.
Thank you to Mike Reed for creating an amazing cover. Without a cover, there would be no book.
Thank you to my cousin, Jessica Woods, for going through a red marker (or three) while editing the first copy of my book.
Thank you to my step-mother, Annette Jones, for also adding valuable input in the editing process.
Thank you to Jeremy Congdon and his team at Immerge Technologies for creating my website: www.rwjonesauthor.com.
Thank you to Nathan Gottlieb for helping me through the many ups and downs associated with writing a book.
Thank you to Marianne Jones for being the first person to read this book as a book.
Thank you to my friends and family who supported and motivated me throughout the entire process.
Thank you to my wife, Jessica, for taking care of all the other things that were over my head during the writing process, including putting this acknowledgements page in the correct place before publication.
About the Author
R.W. Jones is a former freelance writer with a passion for reading, writing, and traveling. His career has allowed him to cover numerous sporting events and interview some of the biggest names in sports. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife, their dog Kokomo and cat Charlotte. Check out more on R.W. Jones at his website www.rwjonesauthor.com.