Kota is the one that they always call when they need help. Maybe this time it will be to his advantage.
This is my first attempt at writing, so please go easy on me. I have had this idea in my head for some time and I need to get it out. Any help...
When Sean pulls out the small silver object, I knew that he did this on purpose, just because I laughed at him. It was a funny situation and he didn't quite tell it right. When I got there, he was in even more of a predicament than he let on. Someday the real story will come out. I am glad he has stopped flirting since we met Miss Sorenson though, except for with her that is. As long as she is not uncomfortable with it, it think that Sean flirting with her helps to boost her self-esteem.
I look at the object and motion for Sean to give it to me. I run my fingers over the engraved surface. The memories flood to the forefront of my consciousness. This silver Zippo lighter has several stories associated with it. I know the one that Sean is thinking about, but I think I will start with how I got the lighter.
When I was growing up, my grandfather took care of me most days. My father was not a nice man, in fact he was downright mean. My mother would take me to see my grandfather to get me away from the house and potential danger. She never stayed though. I always begged her to stay, but she never did. She had to be home in case my father came home in the middle of the day. He didn't care about where I was, but her place was in the home.
One day, my mom took me to my grandfather. The day started like most others, with my father yelling about some perceived infraction. When he left for work, my mom walked me down the street and dropped me off. My grandfather was working in his workshop. He loved to tinker with just about anything.
You, Darling, remind me of him a lot. He had a lot of different skills in so many areas. On this day he was soldering an electronic circuit board. He was trying to repair the microwave. Next to him, on the workbench, was his Zippo lighter. It was engraved with a yellow shield with a black line going diagonally through it and a horse head in the top portion. His name and rank were on the other side.
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When he saw me looking at it, he didn't get mad like some people would have. He explained to me about the dangers of the lighter and made me promise that I would not play with it. That was a promise that I was happy to make. He also told me the story of how he got the lighter. The shield on the front was for the First Cavalry Battalion. My grandfather fought in Vietnam. He and several of his buddies all got the same lighter one weekend when they were on leave.
Less than 2 years later, my grandfather died in an accident. In his will, he left everything to me, with his attorney as the trustee. so my father would not get the money or house. At the reading of the will, the attorney gave me the lighter. He had taken the flint out so it would not light, but just having it was important. It was like I had a part of my grandfather with me all of the time.
I carried that lighter everywhere, including to school. I was suspended once because I had it. My mother had to come to the school to pick me up. Unfortunately, my father was at the house when the school called. He beat her because she raised a troublemaker. Not long after that, he beat her to death and I couldn't do anything about it.
