My Father's Ring

Chapter Thirteen

In the open field, the dry grass is now burning as it jumps across the road toward some of the residential homes in the area though unknown to anyone.  We find Bart sitting in the fire station with some of the firemen talking about the upcoming event in the small town of Beaumont. Candice is now sitting in her third-period art class making the required project which happens to be an ashtray. She continues to write into the firm clay " I love you daddy from your precious thing, Candice Clark."  Rita looks at her ashtray and says to her, " you are so very good, your daddy will love it?" The bell rings as they head toward their next class which was physical education. In the meantime, Rachel is cleaning all of the windows to the house she gets up on the step ladder thinking about Bart and what the waitress had said about how lucky she was to have him. It was just then a strange feeling came to her concerning Bart. He was her everything and could never picture herself without him. The siren goes off in the little local town of Beaumont after the fire station had received the call from the local dispatcher. The fireman and first responders suit up for another fire but this time it is in the adjacent town of Brenham. The word comes in " A grass fire out of control, several barns and one house are now ablaze and Brenham are requesting our assistance." Bart jumps into his car and heads in the direction of Brenham as a first responder. He is thinking as he does everytime about the fire that took the lives of his parents. He crosses the county line at a high rate of speed. Candice is now in her seventh-period Geography class with Mr. Knox. The class hears the sirens an starts to rubberneck to see if they can see the firetruck as it flies past the school but Mr. Knox reminds them there is nothing to see just another fire. Candice had learned a long time ago it was never just a fire when it came to her daddy. Bart is traveling at a high rate of speed when his car climbs over a small hill, but unknown to him is a tractor pulling a wagon full of freshly cut hay. He glances down at his citizen band radio for just a second and when he looks back to the road there is a tractor pulling a bail of hay. He responds as quickly as possible by the turning of his wheel to the right to avoid an accident. He has the steering wheel firmly in his grasp as his right front tire blows out sending him off of the side of the road. All he had time to do was to turn his head to the right very quickly before his vehicle slammed head-on into a very large Oak tree. His car stopped instantly as it burst into flames and its that kind of accidents that no one walks away from. In the distance, you see the ghostly images of Bart, his mother, and his father watching the wreckage as it burns everything to a crisp. His mother remarks, " how in the world did you escape from that accident, Bart." His father says, " he didn't!" As his mother turns her head to the left and says, " Bart! You scared me, I didn't see you there! Wow, that was quite an accident!" Bart just looks on as the car continues to burn.
Candice is sitting in class as the door to her room opens and in walks the principal that walks over and whispers to the teacher. Candice can be seen walking out the door with the principal as Rita says in a loud whisper, " call me later." During the removal of the accident as the workers are filling the remains into body bags one of the men finds the remains of a little finger with a ring still attached. He calls the captain over and says, " we both know to whom this ring belongs." The captain says,
" Yep, that's Bart Clarks ring I have seen it a thousand times. Please bag it up and we will submit it for the investigation."
The next few days everyone is in turmoil over the senseless death of Bart Clark who gave his life fulfilling a promise he had made to his parents when he was just sixteen years old.
On the day of the celebration of his life there were more people then Rachel could have, imagined.  They finally lay him to rest beside his parents for their eternal resting place. The celebration is finally concluded as the fire marshall walks up to Rachel and Candice who were now in tears. He hands them a white box and contained within the box is her father's ring as shiny as it was on the day it was given to him. His grandfather had worn the ring and upon his death, it was given to his son. It was then after the death of his father and mother in a fire it was given to Bart and now Candice has received her father's ring. The most treasured possession she could have received from her father next to the love he had left in her heart.
It was six months later that Rachel and Candice are at home and still trying to cope with the death of her husband and Candice's father. The doorbell rings and an attorney by the name of Loyd G. Kerns introduce himself and ask for Candice Clark the daughter of his client the former Bart Clark. Her mother says, " I am her guardian Rachel Clark." The attorney says, " I was given specific instructions to give this letter only to Candice Renee Clark." She calls Candice from her room and is given a sealed letter from her father which has been disclosed since the day of its formation by a one Bart Clark. She signs the release form and is given the letter as she turns it over she can see some writing on it. " This letter is to only be open upon my death by my daughter Candice Renee Clark."