The Gift of Life
Heath held the note in his hands as he sat in his parked 1996 Cavalier. He drove 1100 miles to get to Flagstaff, Arizona. After one blown tire and an overheated radiator, he sat in front of the house listed in the letter. Aside from the faded paint and dingy windows, it looked just like it did in the picture that was enclosed. He had been sitting in front of the house for a while, scared. He showed up early and waited, hoping to calm his nerves. For Heath, this was a fear of the unknown. Why was he here? Why would his father, Glen, lead him to a house he’s never seen?
Nothing in the envelope specified why he was here either. In it was a small letter with limited, but specific instructions. It gave a date and time to show up to the address listed. Included was a key attached to a worn-out wooden keychain. The note read: “Heath, I know you have a lot of questions, but I assure you everything will make sense shortly. When you get to the house at this address knock once instead of using the doorbell, then use the key to come in. You’ll know what to do when you get inside. I love you, seed planter.”
Heath smiled as he read the note repeatedly. He couldn’t help but recall all the great times he had with his father. Although he was only 13 when his father passed away, he had a plethora of wonderful memories. He often reflected on the last few days with his dad. He could sometimes still smell the hospital room. The smell was a mixture of the cafeteria meatloaf neither one of them ate and rubbing alcohol. It was during the last few days when Glen handed Heath the envelope.
“Bud, I need you to take this,” Glen stated as he shakily handed over the envelope. “Don’t open it until your 25th birthday. This is my gift to you, but you must wait until then. Promise me you will honor my request. That’s very important. I pray you forgive me for keeping secrets. Heath,” a tear trickled down his father’s cheek as he gave a huge smile. “Heath, everything I did was done to protect you, to help guide you in a better direction than what my father did for me. He took advantage of the gift this family was given. Look, you’re stronger than you know. I’ve always known that. Don’t lose this letter. Put it somewhere safe.”
It wasn’t too long before that moment when cancer struck Glen with a vengeance. After spending a couple of weeks being sick, Glen decided to get help. The doctor delivered the bad news of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and Glen didn’t even seem to be fazed by it. Heath had always known his father to be a strong, intense, but loving man. He was the kind of man who would do anything for anybody. Glen, being a single father, would take his son to serve the community every Saturday. Although they were always on the move, the two of them would find a way to serve the people. One Saturday they may be serving food to the homeless, then another day they would be picking up trash along the road.
“We never wait for someone else to make this world a better place,” Glen would repeatedly tell his son. “It’s up to us to plant seeds of good and hope someone else comes along to water them.”
Heath sat in his car watching the minutes pass until it was finally time. He got out of his car and walked up to the door. There was something refreshing about the air here. On the gate into the yard was a handmade welcome sign. Heath couldn’t help but think that the writing looked familiar. He was being overly cautious as he stepped into the yard. Heath didn’t know what expectations he had, but this definitely wasn’t it. Driving 1100 miles leaves a lot of time for the mind to run wild with endless possibilities. Why would his father lead him here?
He looked around to see if anyone was watching. There were only three other houses on the street and it didn’t look like anyone was home. As he stepped on the first step it let out a loud creak which sent two nearby pigeons flying. Heath looked to stable himself by grabbing the wobbly handrail. With his heart racing a slight laugh escaped from his lips. The absurdity of this moment began to amuse him. He wasn’t known for being easily frightened.
He knocked on the door as the letter stated. As he inserted the key into the lock, Heath felt like his heart had stopped. Whenever he turned the key the click of the deadbolt indicated that the door was now unlocked. Turning the doorknob was the most difficult part. His mind was flooded with questions. What if there’s nothing here? Whose house is this? Why would I have to wait for this day specifically? What was his dad hiding?
He opened the door. With the limited light shining through the windows, Heath could see a figure sitting in a chair on the far side of the living room. The figure reached forward to turn on the lamp.
“Heath,” the familiar voice called out. “Please come in! I’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
Heath was paralyzed. He fell to his knees as the tears began to flow.
“Dad? How are you here?” Heath stared in disbelief. “And why doesn’t it look like you’ve aged?”
“Sit down, bud. We have a lot to discuss.”