Horizons of Heroes Page 7

  His mom cried with joy on learning the news that Cameron had been accepted to five law schools. “Cameron,” she said, “you have to promise me something. I know it will be a big decision where you will attend law school and if you want to go law school, but we have a Great-Uncle who is a very successful lawyer in Shaker Heights, Ohio. I will call him and see if you could spend a few weeks with him to help you decide.”

  Somehow, it’s always hard to say no to a loving mother, so Cameron said “okay.”

  After receiving confirmation from his mother that it was okay to stay with Cameron’s Great Uncle, he talked with Kora. He told her that he would be gone for two weeks or so to see if he really wanted to be a lawyer. He then asked her if she could survive without him?

  She laughed and said that “she could.”

  Two weeks later Cameron was at the doorstep of his Great-Uncle’s home near Cleveland, Ohio. Specifically, Great Uncle Terrence and Great Aunt Mary lived in the palatial suburb of Shaker Heights. Their seven story 12,000-foot, brick home came with two kitchens, a greenhouse filled with orchids and exotic plants, a wine cellar floor, a root cellar floor, a ballroom, dance, and orchestra floor where music was performed live, seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, gold bathroom fixtures as in real gold, hardwood floors throughout, Persian rugs everywhere, expensive paintings by world renowned painters, plus a swimming pool, a guest house, a gardener’s and maid quarters, and a chauffeur’s building on three acres of land. Terrence’s chauffeur drove a large Mercedes and a Cadillac.

  “Very nice to meet you, Great Uncle. My mother says so many very nice things about you and Great Aunt Mary. I understand you’ve been a lawyer for years. What’s your specialty?”

  “I’m a plaintiff ’s personal injury attorney. I sue on behalf of people who have been damaged by the negligence of others and collect huge sums of money. How about you Cameron?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” Cam replied.

  “Well, the first thing that you’re going to do is to shave off that Fu Manchu mustache. It is not appropriate for a future attorney.”

  Cameron started to protest when his uncle Terrence said, “And that is final!”

  Cameron complied but wasn’t too happy.

  Uncle Terrence and Aunt Mary were models for success. Aunt Mary and her staff cooked in both kitchens preparing delicious meals. The butler brought martinis, wine, and other beverages each evening.

  Cameron learned that his Uncle and Aunt had traveled around the world visiting Europe, and Asia. Aunt Mary was most proud of her Persian rugs from Turkey and her full-length ermine fur coat from Russia. The expensive paintings on the walls were very enchanting. They had original paintings by Claude Monet and Edgar De Gas. Uncle Terrence and Aunt Mary were indeed socialites as they had many special guests and celebrities over for dinner and drinks. Mayors, senators, US representatives and one movie star client dined with Cameron.

  Unbeknownst to Cameron, word spread quickly that Terrence and Mary had a handsome single nephew. Aunt Mary laughed out loud at how so many mothers wanted Cameron to meet their daughters. One night, Louisa, a daughter of one of Aunt Mary’s friends showed up unannounced. The best way to describe what happened next was to say that this young lady with long dark brown hair and dark eyes, was anxious to start a relationship with Cam. She was all over him telling him the many wonderful things they could do together.

  Cameron thought this young lady was sophisticated, mature, attracted to money and went after whatever she wanted. There were zero love sparks from him.

  As Louisa was flirting with Cameron, Aunt Mary came into the living room and said, “Cameron, you have a long-distance phone call.” “You can pick up the phone over there,” as she pointing to the phone on the nearby table.

  Cameron had no idea who was calling. It was Kora. It had been a while since they had last spoken and she missed him.

  “Just tell me, how much you love me?” she asked.

  Cameron looking at Louisa sitting right next to him. “I can’t get into that right now. Let me call you back.” Louisa said a few words, just loud enough to be heard by Kora.

  ‘Cameron, who is with you there and what are you doing?”

  “Nothing,” said Cameron. “I have to go, but I will call you back.”

  Shortly after the phone call, Cameron politely said good night to Louisa. He said he wasn’t interested in going to a party later with her.

  He tried to call Kora back, but she did not answer any of his phone calls.

  Cameron never thought for a moment that his Aunt and Uncle would try to set him up so he never told them about his girlfriend Kora, but as soon as Louisa left he told them.

  Two weeks went by and the issue of which law school Cameron would attend came down to money. As he had rapidly completed undergraduate school, he still had two full years left of the GI Bill. Case Western in Cleveland Ohio or NU near Seattle, Washington were two Law Schools on the top of Cameron’s list. His Uncle said he could stay with them through law school as long as he kept his chin and mouth cleanly shaven. All of his friends were in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area and Cameron felt it was frankly rather stuffy with the rich and famous in Shaker Heights. So, after deep thought, Cameron was headed back to Tacoma where he planned to attend law school.

  Upon his return, he found that Kora had moved out. He eventually touched base with her. First, she said that when she heard that woman’s voice on the phone she knew he had cheated on her. Cameron told her he hadn’t, but she did not believe him. She showed up at his apartment years later with two babies, pleading with him to let everyone stay with him. She also wanted to get married. She told him the father of the babies was her boyfriend before Cameron.

  While he liked Kora a lot, the children were not his and he had really moved on with his life. She had made choices along the way and she would have to live them. He said, “I’m Sorry.”

  Cameron wondered if he would ever find real love?

  He briefly dated a very attractive Japanese girl named Robin. They were more friends than lovers. She had completed college and had a great job as a pharmacy representative encouraging doctors to recommend her company’s medications to patients. One evening she came over to Cameron’s apartment and spent the night. In the morning, the doorbell rang and Cameron answered the door. He could not believe it was Amy, his old Canadian girlfriend.

  “Cameron, may I come in? I flew all the way from Toronto to see you.”

  It was awkward with Robin sitting at the nearby breakfast table in her embroidered peignor.

  “What do you want Amy?” Cam asked, as she had now walked into the apartment.

  “I want you back.” She was looking at Cameron and trying to size up Robin. “I am so sorry about my father and the terrible things he said. I just want you to know that I will do anything to get you back. I love you, Cameron and I can’t live without you.”

  “I am so sorry,” said Cameron. “You should have called me before you went to the huge expense of flying here. It is over and I have moved on.”

  She started crying. Her crying turned into loud sobs. “Please take me back!”

  Cameron turned to Robin and said, “Will you do me a favor?”

  “I guess so,” she said reluctantly.

  “I want you to come with me as I am going to drive Amy back to the airport now.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Inside Cameron’s car the sound level went from being pin-drop quiet to screams with Amy pleading with Cameron to give her another chance.

  As they neared the departure gates, Amy said, “Why in the world would you leave me for that slant-eyed China girl?”

  “Amy, I am leaving you because you are exactly as racist as your father.” Cameron opened the door and said “goodbye.”

  “Unbelievable,” said Robin as they drove off. “ It was so agonizing to hear her plead for you to come back.”

  “I had no idea she would say what she did,” said Cam apologetically.

  “
No worries. I understand the situation.”

  Robin and Cameron remained good friends for years.

  Summer break was nearly over when Cameron walked to the mailbox to see if his grades had arrived. They had. He opened up the envelope very slowly. Maybe because these grades represented his graduation grades from college. When the envelope was open, he squinted with one eye at the GPA at the bottom of the form. It read 4.0! Cameron did his happy dance blended with powerful karate kicks. He thought to himself that this had to be one of the greatest comeback stories against all odds. From a .5 GPA at Wilder battling painful discrimination, battling enemies abroad, and using or clinging to the Tuskegee airmen’s endurance and fortitude by fighting racism. To the power of great friendship, and Karate had eventually moved Cameron to achieve his greatest dream of succeeding in college with a 4.0. Now he had been accepted to five prestigious law schools and he would be attending one of the leading universities in the nation, NU.

  Back in Rhode Island, Big El said to Susan, “let’s go out to dinner this weekend at Cedar Plank Restaurant. It’s been ages since we’ve been there.”

  “My, that sounds lovely,” said Susan. “You are so sweet Elston.”

  Happy clapped his hands together when he saw Big El and Susan walk in. “I’ve got your coats. Now tell me, do you want your favorites or do you want to see the menu?”

  “Favorites,” said big El with a smile. Big El was dressed up in his very best slacks and favorite purple shirt. Susan was so beautiful in her short sexy skirt and black silk blouse.

  After the Jack Daniels came out and they each had a big sip. Big El took a knife from the table and clanged it on his glass of bourbon. Louder and louder he clanged until all the people in the restaurant were quiet and looking at him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to propose a toast. This is my girlfriend Susan. She and I have been going together for nearly five years.” Big El then got down on one knee and asked, “Susan, will you marry me?”

  Susan’s face was flushed and then turned bright red. She was so surprised and happy.

  Big El held up the 2-carat diamond engagement ring that he had saved for months to buy. The stone was large. So was his love for her.

  She looked into his soft puppy-dog blue eyes and said solemnly, “Yes, Elston, I will marry you.”

  The restaurant crowd cheered loudly and bought them rounds and rounds of drinks. The owner of the restaurant picked up the dinner tab again.

  Several days later back at the condo, Susan asked, “When do you want to have our wedding?”

  “I think we should get married after I graduate from the academy, so let’s plan on a September wedding.”

  “How many bridesmaids do you want to have, Susan?”

  “I’m thinking a maid of honor and four bridesmaids. Your eldest sister, my girlfriends from college, and your baby sister Mary Dane should be the flower girl,” replied Susan. “How about you, Big El?”

  “Cameron will be the best man. Then your brother, neighbor Peter, cousin-in-law Ted, and your old friend Christian Sharpen will be my groomsmen.”

  “Big El, can we get married in the stunning OceanCliff Castle in Newport, Rhode, Island.?”

  “Of course, my future queen,” he said.

  “Do you like bagpipe players?”

  Susan said with a laugh, “Those dresses and hairy legs are so sexy and I understand they wear nothing underneath.”

  “Okay,” said Big El. “I’ll take care of getting these Scottish bagpipe players. Doesn’t your dad have a friend who owns a shiny classic 1927 black Rolls-Royce?”

  “Yes, he does,” said Susan.

  “Can you see if we can use his car on the day of our wedding?”

  “Yes, I will check,” said Susan.

  “I assume your mom, dad, and granny will take care of the food, flowers, drinks, and music?” Big El inquired.

  “Yes, I’m sure they will. I’ll talk to them about those arrangements.”

  “I will take care of the rehearsal party,” said Big El.

  They contacted each of their family members and close friends to tell them of their engagement and requested their participation in the September wedding.

  “Hey Cam, Susan said yes when I asked her to marry me! I know it’s a long ways for you to come, but will you be the best man in our wedding?”

  “Congratulations! Of course,” said Cameron. “You are my best friend, so of course I will be there. What day is the big event?”

  “It will be September 15th. We will be partying all week.”

  “Cameron, I have another request.”

  “You name it, buddy,” said Cam.

  “You are the best dancer I know. After I introduce you as my best man, would you mind shaking it up on the dance floor for five minutes or so?”

  Cameron said, “Only if you have a shot of Jack Daniels and I have a shot of Johnny Walker Red before I dance.”

  “Done,” said Big El.

  “So are you a Rhode Island state patrolman?” asked Cameron.

  “Yes,” said Big El.

  “I can’t wait to hear all about it.” I will definitely be there. I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” said Cam.

  Cameron didn’t tell Big El that the wedding date was the first week of law school. Instead, he went to visit the dean of the law school to tell him he would be gone that first week.

  The dean became very agitated. He said, “Listen! to miss one day or even one hour is a death sentence that most law students cannot overcome. Cameron, listen to me very closely. There are 10,000 people who applied for your seat in law school. For you not to show up the first week will completely jeopardize your standing in this institution. I’m not saying you will be kicked out of law school if you miss the first week, but in all my years at this school, I know of no one that has done it before. If I were you, I would not miss my first week of law school classes.”

  Big El was Cameron’s best friend. He had saved Cameron’s life. Nothing was going to keep him away from the wedding.

  Chapter 4

  Susan and Big El’s Wedding

  “You look great, Big El.”

  “Thanks, you look great too!”

  “Congrats again on becoming a state trooper. How do you like it?”

  “Well, I just got out of the academy but I love it already,” said Big El.

  “Look at this. It’s my revolver they issued to me. It is a Smith Wesson Model 66 issued exclusively to the Rhode Island State Troopers. It is just as powerful as the .44 Magnum revolver in the Clint Eastwood movie. Besides the gun, they gave me my own car. Susan doesn’t like the car at all as it really is a piece of crap. The car has seen better days. Everything breaks down all the time. Our Rhode Island state trooper’s operating budget had been depleted, so they have very little money to spend on new vehicles for us. Susan calls my jalopy a wreck on wheels. I don’t know how they can put us in vehicles like this considering the liability. Anyway, it’s all my car, the flashing lights work, and I can fly down the highway going well over one hundred twenty miles an hour as I chase cars.”

  “Do you give out many tickets?” asked Cameron.

  “Quite the contrary. Pretty much zero,” said Big El. “While it’s not the standard operating procedure, I have a thirty to forty mile-per-hour over the speed limit tolerance so any driver driving more than that I pull them over and I read them the riot act. I don’t give them a ticket. I give them a warning. Second warning gets a ticket. When I was a cop with the city in Sterling, I never gave any tickets. The sergeant was so mad at me he wanted to fire me. However, my jokes, and accolades, routinely made me the hit of the police force so even though the city needed the revenue, it made it difficult for my sergeant to fire me. I know how hard it can be on families to pay these tickets with their hard-earned money and I believe there was a better approach to get people to follow the rules.”

  “You are a great man,” said Cameron. “I wish all cops were like you.”

  Driving up Susan’s pa
rent’s driveway, Cameron yelled out the window “Sano roo Nikki, sano roo!”

  Nicki, the large husky, started barking and chasing the car.

  Granny was the first to greet Cameron. She hugged him tightly and said, “I will fix you your special Schnapps drink, Cameron.”

  “Thank you, Granny,” said Cameron with a big smile.

  Susan came out next and hugged Cameron and thanked him for coming all the way from Tacoma for their wedding. She looked beautiful and radiantly happy, just four days from the wedding.

  Larry Senior and Betty came out next and hugged Cameron. Larry said in his firm deep Finnish voice, “I understand you’ve got into law school so I know your arrow has been flying straight.”

  Helen said, “I made you some Kristiana Cringle.”

  Lastly, Larry Junior standing 6 foot 6 inches, came out with a beer in one hand and his girlfriend in the other. “Cameron, it’s always special when you are here. Welcome to your other home, my brother!”

  After a wonderful lunch, Big El said, “Here are the wedding plans.” With a huge smile he added, “Today is our rest and party day. We are going to drink and party heavily into the evening. We will be going down to Snapps’ Pond, have a wonderful sauna, and drink lots of beer. Tomorrow the rest of the wedding party will arrive and the guys will get fitted for their tuxes. We will see how much beer we can drink afterwards. The next day we’re going to have a pre-wedding party at Lexington Hall. Cameron, would you mind helping me set up my stereo equipment from Italy at the hall?”

  “Absolutely. I can’t believe we’re going to bring back the music like we did in Italy,” said Cameron.