Horizons of Heroes Read online

  “Cameron.”

  The man said, “Abrianna has come back to me and she never wants to see you again.” “I won turkey!”

  Instantly, Cameron understood what had been troubling him. He sensed something wasn’t right that night in Queens. He now knew it was another guy. She never mentioned him. Cameron had dodged a giant bullet by sticking to his 10 Keys to success. He was holding out for real love.

  “No, you didn’t win,” said Cameron. “I’m giving her back to you. Have a great day.” He spoke loudly in hopes that Abrianna would hear him. Cameron never called her again.

  Karate was a significant source of pride and pleasure for Cameron. He loved the meditation, exercise, combat, and fellowship it provided. Thus, he elected to continue Karate classes for young minority youth in the central district. He charged only a few dollars so parents could afford to send their children to his classes. Word rapidly spread that he would be teaching Karate in a nearby church. Eighty-five kids, ages seven to eighteen, showed up for that first class. He taught the classes three times a week after school.

  Cameron was really happy with the direction his life was taking. He had perhaps the fastest car in Seattle, a beautiful apartment with a heated swimming pool, he had just been admitted into the business school at one of the finest universities in the nation, and he was a second-degree black belt sensei teaching Karate to inner-city kids.

  Back on campus he met with his college advisor. He seemed hell-bent on Cameron flunking out of the university. Cameron was assigned what seemed like the toughest, most challenging courses: finance, accounting, operational systems, marketing and business law. Cameron said to himself, bring it on baby, bring it on. He had now received straight A’s in each and every one of his classes. He then asked his counselor, to approve an additional four credits of classes. “Why do you want to do that,” asked the advisor. “I can’t approve it.”

  “Well, I’m finding that I love college. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but if I go on to grad school, my GI Bill will only pay for so many future quarters.”

  “Good for you, Cameron.” The advisor signed off on an additional computer class.

  Cameron now threw himself into his courses, burning the candle after football and Karate practice.

  Football came naturally to Cameron with his years of experience from high school, Wilder College, and the air force, along with his rocket speed. He laughed to himself thinking back to one particular game in Italy where Big El had passed his bola bag to spectators and pumped his toilet plunger up and down to the beat of Sly and the Family Stone music. Beautiful cheerleaders, waiting to catch the big freighter to Corfu were there, waving their arms and dancing. It was there in Italy that Cameron touched the football five times and scored five touchdowns. All-American as a freshman and All-Air Force in the service, Cameron felt confident about landing a spot high on the team’s depth chart.

  “Cameron, the coach wants to see you,” said the equipment manager. Cameron thought it was a little odd that the coach wanted to see him when he had never spent one second talking to the coach before.

  “Price, our wide-receiver coach says that you only have one year of eligibility remaining so we will not be investing any further in your development. Thank you for turning out. Please give your equipment to the equipment manager.”

  Cameron did not expect to hear this from the coach. He was so surprised that the only thing he could say was, “Thank you for the opportunity to turn out, coach.”

  Walking out the coach’s door, he knew he had been shoved out the door, but he did not know why. Cameron had received offers to play football for Texas University and the University of Tennessee when he was in the Air Force. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. He was about to find out.

  Earlier in the season the NU football coach had received negative press about minorities on the football team and the coach kicked many of those players off the team. Cameron did not know why he was kicked off the team as he had never talked to the coach nor had he talked badly about the football program. There was a purge of nearly all the blacks from the football team.

  Two hours later, Cameron was in his Business Government and Society class taught by the head of the college faculty.

  “Are you a football player?” the professor inquired, no doubt looking at Cameron’s build, especially his large neck. The professor had also come to know Cameron as one of his top academic students in his class.

  “I was,” said Cameron.

  “Why aren’t you on the team?” asked the professor.

  Cameron then laid out his disappointment, telling the professor how the coach had dismissed him and how the coach lacked everything from player focus on offensive and defensive assignments, team spirit, and inspirational energy. In fact, not one player knew the name of the player next to him. How can you have a great team if you do not know anything about the player to your left or right? “Digest that,” he told him. He went on to say the coach was surrounded by incompetent assistant coaches.

  The professor stopped Cameron and said, “Would you mind writing me a summary paper on the condition of the football program from your vantage point?”

  “Sure,” said Cameron.

  Then it happened. As Cameron began writing, he entered the zone that life had in store for him. He could laser-focus his arguments and win. “The pen is mightier than the sword.” He had heard the saying many times, now it became his mantra. The mass appeal of well-reasoned honesty is an elixir to the mind. He was a natural.

  Cam subsequently learned that his professor had been charged with the task of recommending his coach’s future to the Board of Regents. The coach’s win-loss football record did not help him, but when he read Cameron’s letter, it explained why the record was so poor and on the decline. The coach was fired. All the assistant coaches were let go. Cameron’s wide receivers coach left the university to take the head coaching job at Wilder College. He lasted one season and then Wilder eliminated the entire football program.”

  It was really hard for Cameron to say goodbye to football. When the time comes to hang up your cleats for good, it is like a part of you dies, never to get the call to go to war again because you are too old or injured. Warriors want to be warriors. They live for the battles. Cameron knew it was time for him to move on.

  One day, Cameron went to visit his cousin, Brad, who worked at a men’s clothing store. Upon entering the store, he saw a lady who had vibrant red hair and emerald eyes. Brad was standing next to her. Cameron said, with this trademark impish twinkling smile! “What’s your name?”

  She blushed and smiled back, “Kora.”

  “How long have you been working with my cousin?”

  She looked at Brad, smiled and said “About a year.”

  Cameron had met many beautiful women but Kora was absolutely stunning. She really should have been a Hollywood movie star with her classic looks. Cameron knew immediately from breaking the code on love, Gold Key No. 8, that this was not the love that he was searching for but, “my oh my,” was she extremely attractive.

  Cousin Brad smiled and laughed out loud, as he had never seen Cameron so fixated on a woman. “Why don’t we all get together this weekend?” said Brad. “I’ll bring my wife.”

  Kora said it was fine with her. They had a picnic at a nearby lake. Kora and Cameron were a steamy item and she moved in with him about two weeks later.

  Kora was really into Cam and told him she liked his happy personality, his keen mind, and his Karate and football build.

  Cameron aced all his classes that quarter and then something surprising happened. Business students began asking him if they could study with him. Cameron said he would be pleased to help. After flunking out of college to now leading gifted business students in their class preparation, he was now achieving success that he never dreamed possible.

  His advisor could only shake his head when Cameron showed him his grades. “And yes, I want you to sign off on an additional four credits this
quarter.” “Are you sure you don’t want to take eight credits?” his advisor asked in a very serious voice.

  “No, four is plenty.”

  Over the course of a year Kora and Cameron traveled the state on picnics, hunting, fishing, and parties with friends and relatives. Kora had a wonderful stepfather and mother who didn’t object to their dating. Cameron sensed that they felt that the relationship would break off in due time and it would be smarter not to say anything until that day happened. Her parents lived in a beautiful home on the saltwater side of Seattle. Cameron made a mental note that some day, he would like a house on the water.

  Kora’s grandmother did object to their dating, but they rarely saw her.

  Cameron continued teaching his Karate class. The young students enjoyed learning karate kicks, punches, and katas. Their smiles grew large as Cameron said, “good job!” Cameron thought to himself, if only he were rich, he would buy gi’s or Karate uniforms for each student and teach Karate classes free and forever. After class one evening he talked to several of the parents about having a car wash to raise money to buy Karate uniforms. Cameron was surprised to learn that only a few of his students’ parents owned a car. It was a major luxury that they could not afford. The parents agreed to find a gas station that would let them use water. They also promised to bring ten people to help wash cars. It was an overcast day, not conducive to having a car wash, so at the end of the day they only earned approximately about a fourth of the cost of the Karate uniforms.

  Cameron talked to his dad about his monetary shortfall. His father was impressed that they tried to earn the money themselves. He agreed to sponsor the karate class if they sewed the logo of his business on the uniform. The karate gi’s, belts, and supplies were ordered from Cameron’s karate master in the Philippines.

  Several months later, Cameron was happily surprised one evening when he opened up the door to his apartment. It was his sensei, Marshall. He had not seen Marshall since the Philippines.

  Marshall told Cameron that he was traveling to California to live with one of his former karate students, Kennedy, who had a large Karate school. He planned to teach Karate and raise his family there. He also mentioned that because his father had served in the Navy during World War II and his family was granted permanent US citizenship. His plane had a layover in Seattle and he wanted to take the opportunity to deliver the Karate supplies and to visit with him.

  Marshall asked if he could attend Cam’s next class. “I would be so honored, if you could join us,” Cameron replied. He invited Marshall to spend the night at his apartment.

  The next day Cameron took Marshall on a brief tour around Tacoma and Seattle. They visited the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. They also visited two of his classes on campus, then Cameron took him to a very nice restaurant serving Hawaiian barbecue with rice and salad. “Tacoma and Seattle are so green and beautiful,” said Marshall. “The rain here is really a mist, not like the downpours from the monsoons in the Philippines. The people here are very nice, the food here is very good, and the tourist attractions are wonderful. I can see why people from the Philippines enjoy Tacoma and Seattle.”

  Cameron’s Karate students could not believe when they learned they were in the presence of a sixth-degree black belt. Marshall was wearing his white karate gi with his black belt and six red stripes on it. You could hear a pin drop when the students lined up in rows and bowed to sensei Price and sensei Marshall. It was a wonderful sight seeing fifty young students moving in unison through the challenging katas that sensei Price had taught them.

  Cameron then bowed to his sensei and to his students and went through his powerful second-degree black belt katas. When he had completed the katas, sensei Marshall asked Price for permission to address the class.

  “Yes, of course,” said Cameron.

  Marshall walked to the front of the class and bowed to Cameron and the students. He then went through his sixth-degree black belt kata that few people had ever seen. This was a master of the Go-joryu style of Karate. He jumped, spun, adding a powerful roundhouse kick. With pulsating veins, his powerful fists rained blows on an invisible opponent. The loud noise grew louder and louder with each kick, punch, or snap of his gi. The students were mesmerized by the beautiful art form and the power behind the kicks and punches. Their mouths grew wider as their eyes focused on this incredible display of human power.

  When he was done, his sensei said in a no-nonsense and matter-of-fact voice that he was very pleased to be able to join Cameron Price and all the students that evening. “I have something in my possession that belongs to sensei Price,” he said. I have been closely following sensei Price’s progress in Karate from the Philippines, Italy, and to Tacoma and Seattle. I have a black belt with four red stripes on it.” “Cameron, effective this very moment, you are a fourth-degree black belt.”

  Cameron thanked his sensei. This was an unanticipated honor. He had again used Gold Key No. 1, study karate, to open up many closed doors, from rescuing friends, staying out of can’t-win fights, to being a helping philanthropist advocating for youth development.

  “Cameron, here are the Karate Gis and supplies for your students.”

  The students cheered with excitement!

  Shortly thereafter, sensei Marshall joined sensei Kennedy in California to form one of the largest karate associations in the United States.

  Cameron did not see much of Nelson even though they were at the same university. Their colleges were far apart on campus. He had heard that Nelson’s wife, Irene, was pregnant, so he was pleased to hear the great news that they had a baby boy. Nelson purchased a very nice house and it appeared that family life and student life had been good to them. Then, one day, Irene received a phone call from an old high school boyfriend living in Texas. According to Nelson, the old boyfriend told Irene he still had feelings for her and wanted to see her.

  After thoroughly discussing the issues, Nelson and Irene came to the conclusion that their love was so strong that no past boyfriend could tear them apart. Irene held strong that it was important to test their conclusion by going to Texas to visit the old boyfriend.

  Irene was on the plane to Texas when Nelson told Cameron about all the recent activities.

  Cameron said, “that was a very nice idea you came up with but you have a wife and child. Are you nuts? What have you been smoking? Very bad reasoning. Never put your family at risk.”

  A week later, upon Irene’s return from Texas, she packed all of her belongings, left the house, and gave up custody of her son, and moved to Texas.

  Nelson’s heart was shattered.

  On campus, Cameron was still surprised that so many students wanted to study with him. All of his classmates from accounting, operational systems, administrative organization, and marketing students knew that Cameron was the ace in the class. Just three weeks into his stock marketing class, the professor said “Cameron, your analysis of the management goals, mission, and in-depth research and analysis of the company’s earnings, forecasted earnings, in addition to their research and development programs will lead you to be a successful stockbroker. I can tell already, Cameron, you are going to get an A in this class. I haven’t come across anyone with your talent in a long time. You have the aptitude to be a very good stockbroker.”

  Cameron was flying high after receiving such praise and the news that he was getting an A in his marketing class, which would result in another 4.0 for the quarter.

  Interestingly, Cameron had developed a bond with one of the guys in his marketing class who was also on track to get an A. His name was Kurt and he was witty and probably smarter than most everyone in the class. He also had an appetite for all-you-can-eat buffets and had a thirst for cold beer. Over a full plate of biscuits and gravy and a 12 egg omelet, Kurt asked Cameron, “What are you going to do after you graduate?”

  “I’m not sure,” said Cameron. “Maybe go to grad school for a master’s degree, or I may see if there are any stockbroker jobs out there for me
. What are you going to do Kurt?”

  “I’m thinking about going to law school. I just submitted my application and if I get accepted, that is where I will be next year,” Kurt responded.

  “That’s wonderful, Kurt. I hope you get in to law school next year. What kind of GPA did you have?”

  “Three point eight,” said Kurt. “How about you?”

  “I have a four point but with some baggage from another university that I attended,” replied Cam.

  “With a GPA like that, have you ever thought about going to law school? You should apply,” Kurt commented.

  In less than a minute Kurt had motivated Cameron to see if he could get into law school. He knew his parents would be very proud of him if he were to go to law school, but ever since Wilder the thought of going to law school had been an unreachable dream.

  He wondered, how much effort it could be to fill out applications to law schools. That night, he filled out five applications to different law schools around the country. He wanted to complete the application to Harvard, but they required a $250 application fee, which he could not afford. Nearly all the colleges wanted a written essay, so Cameron, knowing that all the law schools would focus on his early 0.5 GPA average, focused on how his life experiences in the military had motivated him to achieve success towards his perfect 4.0. at NU.

  Cameron learned that he had to take the LSAT exam to see if and where he might qualify to go to law school. Financially, he learned that it was expensive to take the exam. He had no problem signing up for the exam that would take place in one week. Fearlessly, Cameron walked through the doors to the LSAT exam. His mind raced back to Biloxi, Mississippi when he took the difficult code-breaking exam. He sat down, grabbed the pencil and exam book. Later, he would tell his friends who were interested in gaining an understanding on what the LSAT exam was like, “It felt like I spent the entire day with my head in a meat grinder and when I came out of the exam, nothing in my brain seemed untapped.”

  He received an excellent LSAT score and learned that not only had he been accepted to a law school, he had been accepted by all the law schools to which he had applied. A lesson he learned here was what he would call “Law School, Target Five.” If you want to go to law school, look at your GPA and LSAT score and apply to five law schools. First, apply to the top law school above your ranking (he called this your stretch law school), then apply to three law schools in your ranking, and then apply to the lowest ranking law school in the country. You may have to go to a law school on an island but that doesn’t sound too bad.