Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

Even though I was still brimming with victory Saturday night, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.I didn't have anything planned on Sunday, but I woke up shortly after dawn, showered, shaved, dressed, and after a refreshing breakfast, I drove to Maplewood Cemetery and parked in a narrow lane. Sally and Rick's graves are a short walk down the narrow, hard-surfaced path.The fresh green grass that was trimmed recently has already covered their resting place, but there is a new narrow rectangular grave not far away, the gray soil is soft, covered with a few withered wreaths and withered flower baskets, which makes me feel sad. Think of the sad past.

I crouched slowly and sat back on the grass with my hands clasped in my lap, as if I was relaxed waiting for someone to open a picnic basket and start handing out drinks and sandwiches.It's still early, and I'm probably the only human visiting the cemetery.There were only a few chickadees around, and it came from an old maple tree nearby.I closed my eyes and tried to recall the prayer my mother taught me many years ago.When I stammered and recited the prayers silently, a sense of joy and peace swept over my body, reminding me of the wonderful relaxation I always felt when I came home after working overtime. , my nerves were so strained by the stress of work that Sally made sure I lay on the couch in the living room with my head on her lap so she could gently rub my temples and forehead.

My eyes were still closed when I heard myself say, Honey, I'm so sorry I haven't been here before, but I know you and Rick will understand me.I just can't bring myself to accept the fact that both of you mother and son are buried here, buried in the ground.However, I have begun to feel that at this moment, my self-pity is almost gone, and I am ready to face the world again. Even the job in Concord, which is so important to our family of three and The meaning of our future could have been very significant work.Most importantly, I think I have to rely on the memory of you two to continue living. So, do you want to pray for Dad?In the days to come, I will need all the support I can get.

I stood up and was about to pick up my steps and leave. Before turning around, I said softly: Oh, by the way, I'm sorry, I haven't erected a monument here yet.There is no way to justify this.Go to Zhang Luo tomorrow, I promise. On Monday morning, I made two phone calls and made appointments on both occasions.After nearly two hours of discussion with a very patient salesman at Concord Monuments, an unpretentious red granite tombstone was finally settled on, and I went to the executive dining room of Millennium Infinity to take my place as interim general manager. Good friend Rafe.Manson had lunch.I also invited three other senior executives to join me, including Chief Financial Officer Larry.Stephenson, when they heard me announce that I was going back to work, everyone seemed really happy I guess.

The day after Labor Day, thanks to Reeve's tireless coordination and lengthy meetings, I was back at the helm.Millennium Infinity was almost ready at this time to launch a powerful new word processor called Concord 2000, the product of which some of the brightest minds in the company had worked on long before I joined the company. They started research and development at the time, so from the perspective of the company's interests, the timing of my return to work was not the best choice.However, everyone still kept smiling. Everyone worked harder and harder every day, and got off work later and later.God bless Reeve for being a good old man, he was even willing to give up Betty.Anden When I joined the company, Betty was my secretary and has always been my right-hand man, and also served as Reeve's secretary.With Betty's assistance, I managed to get through the first two weeks of my return, and the long hours were no problem for me as I now had no reason to go home.I was working an average of fifteen hours a day, even on Saturdays, until we finally launched Concord 2000 at the Software Expo in Las Vegas in early November.The new product was well-received, and I tried my best to give raises and promotions to those employees who put a lot of effort into it, especially Reeve, who I named CEO.

One day, at the end of my usual day's work as I had done for many weeks, I came home not long after nine o'clock in the evening.That night, I took out the letter from the mailbox, drove the car up a gentle slope and parked it in the garage. After making a cup of tea in the kitchen, I took the tea cup, letter and briefcase and walked to the end of the corridor and entered the study. Open letters here, browse must-read items brought in from the office, check answering machines for messages.This evening, I had a good cup of tea before pressing the play button under the slowly flashing red light of the answering machine.The answering machine played the familiar voice of Dr. Mason: Mr. Harding, it is very difficult to find you to say a few words.I've been calling you for about a week now, and I'll admit, I hung up on the answering machine as soon as I heard it.I didn't hang up because of your greeting on the answering machine, but because of my recklessness with these modern gadgets.Still, in the end I judged that what I had to say was important enough to leave a message on the answering machine, at the risk of embarrassing myself.Mr. Harding, as I am recording this, just after seven o'clock in the evening, please do me a favor, if you will, please, tonight, whatever time you will be home, could you please You show mercy and give me a call?I have something very important to tell you, otherwise I promise not to bother you in the future.My phone number is 223︱4575.Thank you.

No matter what time you get home?These few words are sufficient reason to me.I dialed his number and he answered the phone immediately after the first ring. Doctor, I'm John.Harding.I just entered the house and heard your message. Thank you very much for your willingness to call me back.Now can I ask you one more favor? sure. I'm sure you've had a long and tiring day, but how much free time do you have before bed tonight? Oh, maybe another hour is fine. Mr. Harding, I live only ten minutes' drive from the house.May I beg you, for friendship's sake, to let me pay you a visit, and there is something I would like to mention to you, which I am sure you will agree is very important.I promise it will never take up too much of your time.

After I stared at the phone receiver for about ten seconds, I replied: No problem, doctor, just come here.I'll turn on the lights outside the house for you. There was a click from the receiver.He couldn't even wait to thank me before hanging up. The doorbell was still disconnected, so I kept looking out the living room window until I saw headlights in the driveway.Before the old man could press the doorbell button, I opened the front door and held out my right hand: Doctor, welcome, please come in. Mr. Harding, it's good to see you again. Doctor, please call me John. He smiled and nodded.Hope everything is going well for you at Millennium Infinity.

Well, most of the time I'm not sure.This big company is so big that it is almost impossible to make all the links work as usual, and big companies like General Motors and IBM have found this out in the end.I suspect that nature has been trying to tell us this for hundreds of years.For the record, a six-foot-tall human being has nothing to trouble him.However, those unlucky enough to grow to a height of eight feet may struggle to dress and feed themselves.Size is a thing that ultimately has little to do with ability and achievement. The doctor nodded frequently, followed me to the bottom of the corridor, and came to the study.When he entered the study, he looked around with admiration, and he was about to speak, but wisely kept silent.I figured he'd understand that I didn't need to hear anyone compliment my wife Sally on how well the place was decorated.I asked him if he wanted something to drink and he shook his head.We both sat down on the couch, facing the dark backyard at the moment.We had no gossip, and there was no conversation for several minutes, the doctor turning his old hat nervously in his hand.I figured I'd better sit still and keep quiet at the moment.So I sat quietly without speaking.

At last the doctor leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees, and frowned down at the top of his old hat.When he finally spoke, his voice sounded much hoarse than usual, and he didn't even look in my direction as he spoke. John, I'm afraid what I'm about to tell you is bad news, alas, as if you hadn't heard enough bad news for a lifetime to digest.In any case, you also know that since Timothy.Since Nobel and his mother moved here in Brantown, and Timothy's father left them for warmer climates, their health has been under the care of me, the doctor.When Timothy first came back to see a doctor, his mother said that his sense of balance was not quite right, and that he occasionally saw a double image of things called diplopia.After I examined this guy twice, and with his mother's approval, I decided to have him examined by some of my colleagues at the I. Hitchcock Medical Center in Dartmouth.They gave Timothy a long list of tests.

The doctor suddenly stood up and turned his face away.I suddenly wanted to jump up and rush out the door.I don't want to hear any more! John, they found out that Timothy had a brain tumor that couldn't be operated on because of the rare location of the tumor.This nasty condition has an odd-sounding medical name called medulla blastoma. Symptoms.) We considered chemotherapy at one point, but colleagues better than me eventually talked us out of it, because the location of the tumor made it almost impossible to buy any valuable time with any palliative therapy.After many ordeal discussions with me, his mother decided that for as long as Timothy could last, he would continue to live his life like any other child his age.Of course, Timothy is very satisfied with this, but the boy has a condition.He asked his mother and me to promise not to tell about his illness.He said he didn't want anyone, especially friends at school, to feel sorry for him and give him special treatment knowing he was dying.He wanted to be treated the same as every eleven-year-old. I could hear every word of the doctor clearly.I understood exactly what the doctor was saying.But I found myself saying, Doc, do you mean that Timothy knew his days were numbered, he knew he was dying?he knows? he knows.His mother, Paige, was a special and strong little woman.As I said, after several long conversations with me, she came to the conclusion that Timothy should know the truth.I remember very well that night, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she said that if God decides she can only spend eleven or twelve years with her precious son, at least she can tell him the truth so that he can at least Try to face the gifts that each new day brings with you. I found myself raising my voice and apologized.And then I said: Doc, you've seen it all this season, that kid never stopped working hard.He never stops trying and always cheers for his teammates.Remember how day after day, on every level, I would get better and better and never, never, never give up?Only God knows how much he means to the Angels.Now you tell me that the kid practiced, played, and did everything with enthusiasm, hard work, courage, cheers, and smiles, and encouraged other kids repeatedly, even when he knew he was dying. Same? The doctor looked down at the floor and nodded slowly. Can he play baseball like this? He asked my opinion with his mother, and I thought it was good for him because it couldn't possibly do him any other harm, and it would help him focus on other things.If anything, I believe that playing may help extend the period of his freedom of movement. Doctor, I haven't seen him for more than three months.How is he doing? For a while, it took a lot of effort to keep the smile on his face, because now he was in constant pain, maintaining his balance was terribly difficult, and he had to rely on a wheelchair to move around.There wasn't much room to move around in the small house they lived in, though, so he could manage. Where is his mother? She quit her job to stay by his side.The school would send homework or other things to their home from time to time, but she couldn't handle the school stuff, so she had to feed his stomach, keep his body clean, and try to be with him.She told me this morning that the kid is sleeping a lot now and trying to read and watch a little TV when he's not sleeping. Doctor, she didn't work as usual, how did the mother and son live?Do they still have money? He shook his head, still avoiding my sight.Not at all.I help them somewhat.Anyway, I'm at my age, and I don't have anyone to worry about or spend money on. The doctor finally sat down again, closer to me this time.I put my hand on his shoulder.What about the hospital?Wouldn't it be better to send Timothy to the hospital? I think none is better.Anyway, not yet.Even though their home is very simple, I think it is better for him to stay in his own home and lie on his own bed.The symptom relief effect that special medical facilities and equipment can achieve is negligible, and Peggy does not have group hospitalization insurance.We had to find a way to keep him as comfortable as possible. Doctor, how can I help? The old gentleman smiled slightly and said: I was expecting you to ask this question.John, the most helpful thing you can do is to visit that child.He still talks about his single and how Mr. Harding taught him the right grip and swing.Do you know what is next to him when he sleeps? what is it That baseball glove you gave him. The next morning, I called Betty in the office and told her I would be two to three hours late for work.She reminded me that I had a lunch appointment that noon with some of the editors of Mack Intelligence, and said she would take care of things for me before I came into the office.I drove to the bank, withdrew 1,000 yuan, all in twenty-dollar bills, and then went to Stewart in the office.Rand waved, and I was out of the bank before he could stop me and chat with me for a long time.Then I went into the Jerry's Bicycle and Gift Shop next door to the bank and bought a boxed set of Tapps Major League Baseball cards from the last two seasons.Jerry's wife was very thoughtful and packed the baseball cards into gift boxes for me. When I finally came to the gray mailbox with the Nobles' surname painted in uneven strokes, it began to rain lightly.I turned onto the dirt road and drove on, approaching the door of the cottage.Peggy.Noble must have seen or heard my car approaching the cabin, for the door was open before I knocked.She was standing at the door, wearing an old green sportswear, with her outstretched right index finger pressed against her pursed lips repeatedly, beckoning me not to speak.Slowly closing the door behind me, she whispered: I'm so glad you're here.Timothy had just been watching a cartoon on TV and dozed off. I turned to the old black and white TV.There was a wheelchair not far from the TV, and Timothy was sitting in the wheelchair. His head was tilted back, his mouth was slightly opened, and the sound of breathing sounded like he was asleep.I squatted down next to the wheelchair and looked at him carefully.I was staring at his handsome little face when his eyes suddenly opened wide.Then he leaned forward and stretched out his arms towards me. Mr. Harding, you have come to see me!Wow!Mom, look, Mr. Harding is here! Yes, dear son.Isn't that great? I just can't help it.I reached forward and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the cheek and then on the forehead.He kissed me too, putting his arms around my neck. I know you will come.I knew it!I knew it! I wiped my face with the palm of my hand, and handed over two gift boxes, which he opened immediately.oh wow!Mom, look!Baseball Kaye!There are hundreds of them!marvelous!Thank you, Mr. Harding.thank you! Timothy, I was overdue to visit you, but I never knew you were sick.real.I've been working long hours in Concord lately so I hadn't heard at all until Magcenture mentioned you to me. Did he tell you that I was dying? I don't know how to answer.In the end I just nodded. He ran his thin fingers through the blonde hair and grinned.But my wish came true, Mr. Harding.You know what, I pray to God.I asked God to let me play the whole season, let me hit a hit, and I did, and I did, thanks to you and God. He reached under the blanket that covered his lower body and pulled out a baseball glove.Then, as suddenly as he had just woken up, his vitality seemed to dry up suddenly, and his eyes began to close.Within minutes he fell asleep.I patted his arm lightly and turned to his mother, who had been sitting patiently at the kitchen table, letting Timothy and me chat about men. Mr. Harding, would you like a cup of coffee?I just finished cooking a pot. With pleasure, thank you. Sitting next to her in that tiny kitchen, I felt so helpless.Then I remembered something and reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the brown envelope with the money in it.I pushed the envelope from the table to Mrs. Noble, then reached out and grabbed her hand, pressing on the envelope.What's this?she asked. I hold her hand.Just treat it like a small unemployment check, okay?Well, don't say anything, please. Then I reached into my pocket again, took out my personal checkbook and pen, and wrote her a check.I want you to use it however you want, so you and Timothy can go stock up on what you need.Also, while I was talking, I took out a business card from my wallet and scribbled on the back, this is my home phone number, call me if you need anything, it’s a deal?There is my office phone number on the front of the business card, let me arrange it, if you call me in the office, the call will be transferred to me immediately. She just sat there watching me, shaking her head, confused.Why do you do so much?Mr. Harding, you know next to nothing about us. Mrs Noble Just call me Peggy. Paige, this child came into my life at the beginning of this summer, when I was about to take my own life.At that time, I lost my wife and children, and I didn't want to live at all.Life was worthless to me, but Timothy's courage and high spirit cut through my darkest moments of desperation, lifted me up, washed me clean, and taught me how to smile again , Remind me to know the blessings and cherish them, and encourage me to face every day and cheer up.Timothy's struggles in the strike zone reminded me that miracles are possible for anyone who just refuses to give up.That kid taught me how to get back to life.What is my life worth?How could I put a price on Timothy for saving my life?How could I repay the candle he lit in my life?How much will it cost to pay back? I buried my face in my hands. Mr. Harding, are you Timothy woke up.I got up and walked over to him and sat on the floor next to the wheelchair.Timothy, what's the matter? Have you prayed for your son? Of course there is. So, after I die, will you also pray for me?Every time I pray for Rick, I always pray for you. He nodded and smiled.Will you come to see me as long as I live here? I must come and see you. I keep my promise and see him several times a week, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas New Years Eve