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I Am My Father's Keeper

Flesh Of His Flesh, Blood Of His Blood

By Leland LewisPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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Nothing is more beautiful than the past, but in this present moment, as I can only imagine how worse it will be in the future. My past is merely a shattered window whence looked through, one can only see pieces of a life that could have been. I do not even know the names of these people sitting next to me. They were always loving and supportive of me whenever we did cross paths, like an estranged family member. I haven’t seen them since I was a little kid. It is a shame that things like this have to happen to bring people closer together. I miss the old days and my childhood days; he made sure I had the best birthdays. The choir is singing idyllic lyrics but their angelic voices are muffled by my thoughts of the past. I remember this birthday the most from when I was a vibrant and joyous child; this time he had a whole section of the bowling alley just for my friends and I. Usually, I would be gifted video games or the newest released basketball shoes, but this year he gave me this little black book. It is a story about a young boy that finds a lamp that produces a genie with three wishes for the child. I am the kid the book is about. After I finished reading it, I jumped around frolicking in front of him as he bellowed his signature laugh that everyone knew him for that could be heard from a mile away.

“You wrote a book about me, thank you!”

“You liked it didn’t you. I knew you would, Fathead!”

“I’m working on the second part to it and I want you to finish it when you grow up”

“I’m not that good at writing. What if I can’t finish it for you.”

He shot up off of the couch staring down at me. I stopped in the middle of hopping around, because I knew this look. He had a solemn countenance with a piercing scowl. “Don’t ever use the word can’t. Don’t ever say you can’t do something. You can do anything you set your mind to” quoth the older gentleman still holding a glass of liquor in one hand, but now looking at me eye to eye with a finger protruding into my chest.

I partially jump into the air when three rifle shots ring out. The arms of the man and woman I am sitting in between gently guide me back down to sit on the cold wooden pew. Trumpets are blaring a melancholic tune that is jerking at my core. Everyone stands up in their pews now. Thank God, it is all over and it went by faster than I thought it would. I haven’t seen my mom throughout the whole thing but I know she is here because I can hear her crying. I cried so much already since we found out the news two weeks ago so now I have been quiet and numb.

As my mother and I are being visited one by one with hugs, tokens, and envelopes, a man in a navy blue suit with a U.S. Army pin on the coat and a bouquet of flowers in hand approaches us.

He says, “my name is Detective Gary Hagurmen. Mrs. Louis, my condolences for the loss of your husband. Leon, my warmest regards for the loss of your father.”

My mom says “thank you” through a screechy voice.

I say “we haven’t heard from any of you since the night it happened.” Anger consumed me and my eyes swell with tears, and I ask “who killed my father?”

“Leon, I am sorry for what has happened. We don’t have any leads yet. It could have been a U.S. military soldier or a Korean civilian.” We are doing everything we can. I know it is hard to at this time, but please be patient with us. Here is my card.”

The detective starts to turn around and walk away, but he turns back to my mother and I and he says “Leon, I know you’re hurting, just try to be proud of your father. I understand that everyone loved him and he always tried to help people. Sometimes the people that have so much love in their hearts are hated the most.”

My mom and I start walking to the Bank of America. My mom explains to the teller what happened to my father and that we are here to see how much money he has left in his bank account. My mom and I both gasp as she tells us that my father had zero funds. We both start walking out, but the bank teller is staring at me wide-eyed. I wanted to say, “what” angrily but I wasn’t sure what the long stare into my eyes were for exactly. I never stepped foot in that bank before, so I am sure she doesn’t know me and I have never seen her. My mom was walking out briskly so I just followed after her.

“Leon, I am not surprised. He probably gambled it all away. All of his savings. All of your college savings. I’m sorry son” says my Mom.

“I can’t believe it mom. I’m sorry too.”

“Do you know any of your dad’s army buddies? Anyone he would gamble with?”

“No. You know how dad kept us away from all of that and how secretive he was.”

“When you were at school last week, some man called the house. He knew our address and apartment number. He said dad owed him ten thousand dollars and if we don’t pay him, he is going to kill me and you. He said something about some jewelry too and hung up. I didn’t get to say anything.”

“Mom! What! Oh my God. Why didn’t you tell the detective?”

“I don’t know. I’m scared. I don’t want to make this worse. Look, you have one month left in school, right after you’re done, I’m taking us to the States to your dad’s family and you’re going to finish your last year of high school in Virginia.”

“I don’t want to be here anymore anyway.”

I start walking to my friend’s house thinking to myself “that’s why we moved to another apartment so fast after my dad died.”

“Leon, I’m sorry man” my best friend, Jin, says as we both light our cigarettes.

“Hey bro, can you do me this solid man? Can I borrow one of your mom’s guns?”

Without hesitation, my friend that I have grown up with in Seoul, says “yeah, I got you.” If something goes down, let me know. Your dad was like a father to me.”

With one eye squinted aiming the gun, I say “thanks, but this is all me.”

I sneak into my room inebriated. “Some one killed my father. Why mine? Who would kill a military cop? And now they want to kill me and my mom over ten thousand dollars.” I’m pacing in my new bedroom while watching New Jack City holding my friend’s pistol in my hand. “How am I going to avenge my father’s murder? As soon as the military police informs us of any suspect, I’m going to find him and blow his head off! I’m not letting anything happen to my mom or me. I am my father’s keeper!” I break down crying, because it dawned on me that the last thing my father told me was “be a good boy” after taking me to school the same day he died. I didn’t talk to him all day after that. We were going to catch back up with each other at home like every other night. It’s not supposed to be this way; we had big plans for the future. I hear my dad’s voice “remember, finish the book.” I haven’t looked through that little black book he wrote for me in forever. I almost have a panic attack because I couldn’t find it, but I find it in one of my dad’s boxes. I read all of it. So far in the second part of this little black book, the young boy is a young man now matriculating into law school. I am inundated with the love I knew my father had for me as I read about the young boy with a big heart that grows into the relentless humanitarian he wanted me to become. I get to the end of my dad’s writing and flip through all of the blank pages to the back. I find taped securely at the back of this little black book is a golden key. I have no idea what this key is for. The only thing we need keys for is the front door and the car.

Me and Jin meet at our secret smoking spot before school. I show him the key I found.

I say, “Yo’, I have no clue what this key is for man, but I found it in that book I told you about” with cigarette smoke clouding out of my mouth with every word.

Jin says “have you been working on it? You definitely gotta finish it now bro after all of this craziness. Let me see that actually. He snatches it from me once he lays his eyes on it.”

“Leon, I think this is a safety deposit box key. This looks just like the one I saw my mom use at the bank to keep her favorite pistols.”

“Damn, how many guns does your mom have?”

“Man I lost count a long time ago bro.”

Jin goes to first class but I go straight to my dad’s bank. The same bank teller that was staring at me is there again staring right into my eyes as I walk up to her.

“I have the key to my father’s safety deposit box. Can I see if he had anything inside?”

She says, “I’m glad you made it back Leon” with a surreptitious smile. My name is Yongja. Your father does have a safety deposit box here. Let me take you in the back and you can see what is inside of it.”

I open the safety deposit box. There are stacks of one hundred dollar bills with three diamond crusted Rolex watches, three diamond rings, three diamond crusted necklaces, and a note at the bottom that says “be a good boy fathead and remember finish the book!” I look up with tears immediately flowing down my face.

I whisper, “how much money is this?”

“Twenty thousand dollars” Yongja says.

“So I can take what is inside here right, because Douglas Louis is my father?”

“Yes, that is correct Leon. I must say, your father would always talk about you. He was crazy about you.”

“Thanks”

I march out of the bank and sprint home still not believing what just happened.

“Mom, you don’t have to worry about the ten thousand dollars or the jewelry that man was talking about” as I dump what my father left us onto her bed.

“Oh my God! Leon, where did you get this? Did you steal this?”

“No, but if that man that threatened us calls again, we can pay dad’s debt and we will just keep the ten thousand that’s left.”

“No son. The military police are protecting us now. After you finish school, we’re going to your dads hometown in Virginia in protective custody. We will be alright.”

“Mom, how much do you think all of this jewelry is worth? If these are all real diamonds, we are set for life.”

“Yes, but I wish he could be here too. I can’t believe this. Thank you Doug” she says partially sobbing and smiling.

I grab my father’s little black book to go outside and write. I look up at the sky and tell him, “dad, I will be good. I will help people. I will finish our book!”

grief
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