Accept the Unexpected

Soon I heard the sirens, and vehicles crashing their way down the road. The first person in the room was the sheriff pointing a shotgun at me. What a sight he must have seen. A blubbering idiot holding a dead woman in a blue gown.

As I looked into Jeff's face I could see he was fighting back the tears and emotions at this memory. His lips quivered, his nose ran, and he clamped his eyes closed tight. He was reliving the worst night of his life. This man definitely loved his woman with all his soul. She must have been one hell of a woman, to affect him like this.

Jeff took a deep sobering breath and continued, I had her buried beside her father. There was no one to mourn her but me and the priest I asked to preside over her service. The service was short, but the priest stayed with me for the first couple of hours. I pleaded with the funeral director to let me stay with her overnight, as tomorrow was the funeral, and I would never get to see her again. She looked so peaceful in her casket wearing the same smile I saw when I woke up that morning, and the same blue dress I put on her.

I pulled up a chair, and talked to her all night long. I told her once again how I felt about her, and wished she had told me of the cancer. I knew I couldn't heal her, and the comfort I tried to give her was no where near what she deserved. I wished over and over that God could somehow let me change places with her.

I couldn't understand how such a wonderful person had no other mourners. No one came by to say good bye, or give me condolences. After the funeral, I went back to the ranch, and everywhere I looked I saw her, and remembered the fun we had, and life we shared. I started to pack my stuff, with a plan to leave in the morning.

The next morning as I packed my truck I heard a rumbling and saw a small pick up coming up the drive. Some guy in a cheap suit stepped out, walked over to me, claimed he was Rachel's attorney, and asked me my name, then said he needed to speak to me.

We went into the house and sat down, where he proceeded to inform me that Rachel named me as her sole heir. She had put the deed, several bank accounts, stock portfolio, and a trust fund in my name. She knew she had an incurable cancer, and was going to die soon, but she didn't want me to know.

He filled me in on the family history. Her grandfather found a gold mine somewhere on the ranch, and took millions out of it. There was over twenty million in the accounts and it was still growing. I signed some papers, and he left me in shock, just looking at the papers. I didn't know what to do, I was in shock. I went back out and unloaded the truck. I realized I had spent my life with the best woman in the world.

And that's when I started looking for you, Bill. I hired a detective agency, and they began to track you down starting from the day you got out of the Army, but they took my money without giving me any information. They should have called themselves magicians, because they made my money disappear. They claimed there were too many guys named Bill Stevens running around. It was very frustrating.

I almost gave up hope. Then I woke up early last Thursday, and saw you driving past the city limits sign and turn into your company's lot. It took me a couple of days to get the right phone numbers, but I found you.

With that, he put his briefcase on the table, opened it and started pulling out papers. I just can't live there with her memories. "I signed it all over to you, the bank accounts, deed, everything. Bill, if you didn't save my life that night in Vietnam, I would never have met Rachel."

I just looked at him with my jaw on my chest, I can't accept it. "Jeff, it's yours, she wanted you to have it, you loved, lived, sweated and worked for it". He looked up at me, smiled and said "Not anymore.", and with a tear in his eye he pushed everything over to me. "Bill, I gotta run, I have another appointment", with that he stood up, extended his hand, and shook mine. "Thanks for everything", he said. Then he turned around and made his way out of the bar.

I was stunned, I never expected anything like this. Then I heard his voice "Goodbye my friend". At that moment I realized what this was all about. He was going to kill himself.

I jumped up, shouting "NOOOOO DON'T DO IT!", and started running to the door. I ran into the waitress and knocked her ass over tea kettle. Her tray of full beer mugs went flying, and tripped me as I passed. The whole bar went silent, and we all heard the gunshot, then more silence. Slowly, I got up off the floor with my head hanging down. I didn't want to go out, I knew what I was going to find, but I had no choice.

I made my way to the door, stepped outside, and looked around. The first thing I saw was Jeff's hat as it rolled past me. Looking in the direction where the hat came from, I saw a body laying on the ground. It looked weird, the right arm had two elbows and the head sat at an unnatural angle.

I stumbled towards it, when someone caught me, as I lost my balance. I looked up into Jeff's face, I thought I was looking at a ghost and it startled me. "You okay?" he asked. I just couldn't believe it. "What happened?"

He pointed at the body, "This idiot over here, jumped me as I walked outside. He pointed a gun at my face. I looked at him, and said "Good bye my friend" as I grabbed him. The gun went off, and I stopped him."

I just stood there, and hugged him in relief . I poked my head back in the bar,and shouted "Someone call 911, we got a dead man out here!" Then I noticed there was a trickle of blood going down Jeff's shoulder. He looked at my face then down at his arm, saying "I never even felt it, so it can't be too bad".

Jeff and I sat against the wall, as the curious started filing out the door. The police cruiser and ambulance showed up a few minutes later. The two cops got out and ushered the crowd back inside, then turned to face us. As an EMT bandaged his shoulder, one cop listened to Jeff, while the other looked around, and found the pistol. After getting our stories, and ID's they informed us this wasn't the first time this guy held up patrons of this bar. He would jump guys as they came out figuring the alcohol and darkness gave him the advantage. He held his hand out to Jeff, "Good job, man. I doubt you will hear anything more about this."

I grabbed Jeff, and pulled him back inside for a drink. As we entered the bar, everyone stood up, applauded and cheered for Jeff. I looked at Jeff, he was blushing bright red. So I asked him "Do you realize this is the first time you ever walked into a bar where you got a shot in the arm before you got the clap?"

While we were laughing, the waitress returned the briefcase to us, and I promptly handed it back to Jeff. "Jeff I can't accept this. I didn't react in Vietnam expecting to get anything back but my best friend. If the tables were turned, you would have done the same thing , you and I both know it."

Jeff took one long look into my eyes, and with a big sigh, he accepted it. Then with a big smile he said, "On one condition, we split it, there's more than enough for both of us. I will write my will naming you and your family as my heirs, since I have no one else. And I expect you all to come out, and help me build a place for all of us to retire and go looking for that gold mine. If we find it, your kids will never have to work again."

With a tear in my eye, I called my wife to tell her to pack, because we are going on a trip with my best friend. My next call was to my boss, but there were no tears, just a big smile. It also happened to be the last call he ever got from me.