Unforeseen Path
Chapter 8
Lee and Amanda were cleaning up their lunch when the phone rang. Lee answered. "Hello? "
It was the base calling."Frank Tompkins, sir. I'm sorry to bother you, but I needed to speak to you on an urgent matter? "
Lee looked at Amanda and shrugged saying, "What's wrong, Frank? The service was great. You all did a fine job. The Colonel would've approved wholeheartedly. "
Frank said, "Yes sir, thank you sir. But I called to see when you'd like to clear out the Colonel's office and quarters. I understand your loss and we can all appreciate your situation, but we have a new Colonel starting next week and we need to get the place ready. It was the General's orders. I'm sorry sir if the timing is bad."
Lee swallowed hard and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Uh, n-no, it's fine. I've got to make a few calls and then I can be by in say, an hour? That all right with you? "
Frank nodded. "Yes sir. That's fine. When you get here, just have me paged, all right? And thank you for your time."
They hung up and Amanda said, "What's the matter? "
Lee sighed. "Ah, they are sending someone to take the Colonel's place next week." Leaving the kitchen he said, "I've gotta get ready to go. Excuse me..."
Amanda followed him to the bedroom where Lee was putting on his windbreaker and was hunting down his keys when Amanda stopped him. "Lee? Do you want me to go with you? I don't mind. I know it will be hard for you as it is. "
Lee swallowed again and shook his head slowly. "Nah. I'll be okay. It shouldn't take too long..."
He found his keys in the bathroom and left his room and suddenly stopped at the couch and sat down.
Amanda knelt down in front of him. "What is it? Tell me."
Lee gulped and sighed saying, "I-I have to get his stuff, Amanda. No one ever touched his office or quarters before. Not even me! Why do I feel like God will suddenly strike me down if I go near the area? "
Amanda patted his knee. "It'll be okay. I have a feeling that God's told him that it's something that needs to be done for life to go on here."
They both got up and Lee said, "Sorry I got all weird for a second there. Maybe I do need your help after all. Let's go, huh? "
They got into his car and as Lee was pulling out Amanda said, "You said something earlier about making calls? Who to? "
Lee said, "Right. Thanks for reminding me. A storage place. I can't fit everything of his at my place, right? "
While Lee was on the phone, Amanda thought about when her father had died and how difficult it had been for her and her mother to go through the bills and the clothes he had and sorting things out at the bank. She didn't envy Lee at this stage at all.
Hanging up a few moments later Lee said," Okay. When we're through at the base, we'll check out the storage place and I have to ask Frank about his bank stuff. I don't know how to go about that since he was Air Force."
When they got to the gate, the guard on duty let him in to drive to the Colonel's quarters and let Frank Tompkins know that Lee had arrived.
Lee and Amanda were given visitor's passes and met Frank at the office. Frank unlocked the door and Lee walked in slowly letting in and out a deep breath.
Frank said, "I'll leave you both now. If you need me for anything, I'll be at my desk out front. "
Lee and Amanda nodded and Amanda said, "Thank you, Frank. "
Frank closed the door and Lee sat in the Colonel's chair and said, "I remember the first time I sat in the old man's chair. It was just after I arrived with him and he told me to stay put and not touch anything? Well, I was 7 at the time and I thought it would be cool to try and spin in the chair. He had something to talk over with the commander and said he'd be back. "
Amanda shook her head. "Oh, boy. So what happened? "
Lee shook his head and said, "Well, I spun a little too quick and knocked his papers off the desk and chipped his eagle figurine when it hit the corner of the lamp here..."
Amanda saw the figurine with the chipped wing and said, "Ooh! What did he do to you? "
Lee shrugged, "Called me Skip from that day on! Meaning common sense had "skipped" a generation here and there in my family. Also made me do K.P. duty for two straight weeks while also going to school and enduring his room inspections every day! "
Clearing his throat at the memories it brought back he said, "Okay. Let's get this done and get out of here as quick as we can, huh? "
Almost two hours later, Lee and Amanda finished packing up both areas and were getting ready to leave when Lee said, "I've gotta tell Frank we're done. I'll meet you at the car."
Amanda nodded and looked around the Colonel's former quarters and sighed looking around the place when she noticed something sticking out from behind the couch. She went and bent down and pulled out a old picture.
It was of the Colonel and it looked like Lee and a dark haired woman next to him and she was holding a baby. Then she realized that the baby was Lee! She shook her head wondering if Lee had even seen this before and how they could've missed it!
Lee came in just then and said, "Hey! I thought you were going to the car. What's wrong? "
Amanda said giving him the picture,"I saw this behind the couch. I wonder how it got there ? I thought we got everything here. "
Lee looked at it and sighed deeply. "Wow... he-he told me he didn't have any pictures of Mom and Dad together or of me. The S.O.B. had a heart after all. Whad'ya know? " Turning the picture over the date on the back said 1950.
Lee put the picture in his pocket and said, "Let's go, huh? Oh, Frank said the Colonel's lawyer wanted to meet with me tomorrow to sign papers and stuff. Pretty cut and dried since I'm the only heir."
As they drove out of the base and towards the storage place that was near Lee's apartment in Georgetown, Amanda wondered if Lee would ever be ready to talk about his feelings concerning his uncle. She would just have to wait and see...
TBC