The Mending

By R. R. Emmett

Although Bob and Peggy are both devastated by the loss of their loved one, through the strength of her faith and trust in God Peggy is able to accept the loss by stating her belief that the Lord will someday let her know the reason. In contrast Bob decries that reasoning, and openly begins to express his denial that a supreme being would allow a child so deeply loved by all the members of his family to suffer and die. Peggy is offended by Bobs outrage and demands he stop talking about his anger with God in front of her and the children, or it will be the end of their marriage.

Bob agrees to her demands, continues to provide for the family but his arrogance leads to his leaving the security of one job for the self satisfaction he derives from solving others problems and his own desires. It is only through Peggys refusal to move to Bobs newest location that Bob promises to accept a counseling program. The program they select brings Bob to the awareness that he is not the person he really wishes to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456735883

R. R. Emmett

R. R. Emmett expresses his delight about getting to this stage of the chronology. The three and a half years he and his real life wife Peggy spent serving the street people are considered the most rewarding of any of the many volunteer activities they performed over a period of eighteen years. In the next novel, The Outcasts he intends to share many more of the actual experiences they had while making trips to the inner city two or three times a week. Emmett continues to state that having Peggy with him in the story does somewhat ease the pain of losing her. He says he prays each day for the mental and physical strength to be able to complete his original plan.

Book preview

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One

Epilogue

About the Author

Prologue

It was an almost six year period between January second, nineteen seventy, the day our Thom was buried, and December fifth, nineteen seventy five, the day I discovered what an unbearable person I had become. My anger at God grew into my becoming selfish and egotistical. Although my concentration on work activity increased my reputation with the regulators, the way I aggressively conducted my audits within the bank was the obvious cause of my losing the respect of many of my fellow employees. In addition, there were several instances during that period when I let my selfish desires violate my promise of faithfulness to Peggy. It was not a frequent occurrence during the period, and even though I felt terrible remorse when it did occur I nevertheless allowed it to happen again. Of course I kept the infidelities from Peggy, my family and anyone within my circle of friends. My self-centeredness could have easily caused me to lose my wife and my precious children. Why that didn’t happen is the story I am about to tell.

Chapter One

From the moment folks became aware of Thom’s passing until the conclusion of the funeral meal there were numerous gestures of solace from friends, fellow employees, neighbors and even casual acquaintances. These came in the form of contributions of food and money, the performance of labor to tidy up our home, and the simple expression of being silently present to let us know someone was there if we needed anything. Because I was in something of a dazed condition, except for when I moved to the casket to kiss Thom goodbye at the service before the Mass, I believe my behavior could be described as normal under the circumstance. Even though I knew my Dad had come I apparently had only a brief conversation with him during the meal. To his credit he accepted my confusion but arranged that he and I would meet in private on Saturday afternoon.

When we were alone in our bedroom and the children were all in their respective rooms Peggy and I sat in bed to review the cards we had received. Many had cash with reference to helping in a small way toward the expense of the funeral. The one from my Dad had a check for five thousand dollars. His note stated there would be more once the actual cost of the burial was determined.

After looking at each card and expressing how fortunate we were to have such considerate friends Peggy suggested we make a listing of these during the weekend and also of the names of all the folks who came to our aid in any way during this trying time. I told her I would think about it.

My shallow response to her serious request obviously offended Peggy because she began to cry. Realizing I had no desire to cause Peggy more grief I apologized and promised I would do whatever was necessary, together with her tomorrow, as soon as I was finished meeting with my Dad to hear what he wanted to discuss. That somewhat satisfied Peggy, but she told me in no uncertain terms that she would not accept my blaming God for Thom’s death. She told me she also grieved the loss of our beautiful child, but she was willing to accept God’s Will knowing there was a reason, and trusting she would some day know that reason. She further reminded me that she loved me without reservation, and although she had difficulty accepting my present attitude she could not forget all the warmth and love I’d shared with her for almost nineteen years. Peggy’s honesty and willingness to share her affection for me in spite of my arrogance turned what could have been a lonely night into one of physical and emotional satisfaction for both of us.

Because Dad had to catch a three o’clock afternoon flight back to Washington he called early Saturday morning and said he would come by cab at noon to say goodbye to Peggy and the children, and then expect me to drive him to the airport in time for he and I to have lunch together while we discussed issues he felt needed to be addressed. I told him the timing was perfect because I wanted to have cake and ice cream to celebrate Marcie’s seventeenth birthday that evening. After breakfast Peggy and I went to our room to list the names of those who gave us money. Not counting Dad’s check we had been given eleven hundred thirty dollars.

Since I had no idea how much the mortuary was charging I made a phone call to find out. After being placed on hold for more than a few minutes the gentleman who was checking for me came back on the line and stated that information was not presently available and suggested I call the mortuary on Monday and ask for the director in charge. I was disappointed because I couldn’t give Dad the information he wanted. I would tell him I’ll let him know when I do find out.

All of the children were especially warm in saying goodbye to their grandfather. Dad gave Marcie an envelope but asked her to not open it until after he and I were gone to the airport. Marcie later told me there wasn’t a birthday card in the envelope, but there was a note wishing her and Meggie a happy birthday and stating that since they were getting up there in years they might need some extra funds to do some special things. He suggested they split the hundred dollar check that was with the note.

From the time we got into the limo until we got to the airport Dad expressed his concern about several comments I’d made to him yesterday and things he had overheard me say to others while at the funeral meal. He reminded me that the only time he had ever told me what I should do was the time when I ran away from the Majestic and came back to apologize to my Mom for saying some nasty things to her. He said he was not going to tell me what to do now, but he was going to ask me to think of the wonderful family I had and how much I could hurt all of them by continuing to blame God for Thom’s death. Dad asked me to remember how much he and my Mom grieved when they had to give me up.

Dad’s concern for me did initially ease my anger. When we got to the restaurant in the airport he completely changed the subject and spoke of how he wanted to help my family financially. I thanked him and told him about needing to contact the director in charge of the mortuary on Monday. I promised to call him about what I find out after that. I did say I estimated the cost would be somewhere around nine thousand dollars because I had approximate figures of what the charges for the casket and the cemetery plot were. I told him about the funds we’d received in the sympathy cards and said with the check he had already given us the most additional funds he might have to give us would be three thousand dollars. At that point I insisted whatever he has given us and will give us for this cause will be a loan, which I will pay back as soon as I get a mortgage on the house.

I expected Dad to give me an argument about my mention of a loan; instead he said Whatever, and changed the subject again by asking what we had in our operating account.

Knowing that we had only nine hundred and seventy dollars in the account to start December, and only four dollars in it before my pay was deposited into it at month end I responded that the lack of extra operating money was the primary reason I was going to speak to Mister Dickson about a mortgage. After a brief discussion Dad convinced me that if I persisted in getting a mortgage it should be with him as the mortgagee. He reminded me of the arrangement we made with our friends in Shipshewana, and stated he would have a similar document prepared, with no interest, no specific payment schedule and no actual maturity date.

It was interesting that Dad remembered that transaction. He apparently looked on the deal we made with Toby and Mandy as a generous gesture on our part to help them achieve their dream. In reality it was an attempt on my part to get out of a not very wise decision Peggy and I had made. I decided to not explain the real reason to Dad, at least not at that moment.

With the temporary solution to our problems discussed Dad and I finished our lunches, expressed the love we had for each other, and I walked Dad to the gate where he would board his plane. I once again promised to call him as soon as I found out the amount needed to satisfy payment for the final arrangements. On the drive home all I could think about was what would I have to do to either bring in more income, or eliminate some of the expenses we are currently experiencing. It was at that point that I remembered I was to stop and get the cake and ice cream for Marcie’s birthday.

Peggy gave me the usual warm greeting when I walked in with the desserts. With Marcie’s approval we decided to have the treat after supper. None of the kids seemed to have any interest in talking about anything. In fact, while Peggy and I prepared the meal all of them chose to go to their rooms until Peggy called them to supper. For some reason the silence irritated me. I was having a difficult time thinking about everything that had gone on during the past week and I was anxious to know how the rest of my family was feeling. It was while we were eating that I asked the stupid question regarding their feelings. The result was three of the girls and one of the boys left the table in tears. It ruined the party.

Peggy tried to explain that the children also grieved and had to work through that grief in their own way. My arrogance regarding my belief that we all needed to release our feelings about losing Thom resulted in very limited family interaction for the remainder of Saturday.

On Sunday I drove the family to Mass, but decided to not participate. I took over the care of Michael, and when it was time for Communion instead of going to the altar to receive I turned and went to the vestibule to wait until the service was ended. In response to the questions from Peggy and the older children I said I just didn’t feel like receiving Communion today.

As soon as we got home Peggy asked me to come with her into our bedroom for a discussion. It ended up being a declaration rather than a discussion, because Peggy was the only one who made a statement. She said she was not going to give up on me, would pray to Thom to help me return to being the faith filled person I was before this trial, and will expect me to once again be the loving husband and father I had been for the nineteen years we’ve been together. She also said she would not tolerate me displaying my anger with God around the children. She told me she had no right to tell me how to feel, but she was asking that I not do what could cause some of the children to also blame God for Thom’s death. She reminded me that I had never refused a request from her in the past and asked if I would comply with this one as well. My only statement during the so-called discussion was to respond by affirming that I would do as she requested. She thanked me, hugged me and we joined the kids in the living room.

Perhaps it was because Peggy and I walked into the living room holding hands and smiling, or maybe it was because I didn’t ask any more stupid questions; but whatever the reason was, the rest of Sunday was pleasant, and when the children were going to bed each of them gave me a hug. It was obvious once again that Peggy was the parent who best knew how to guide the family toward being the loving and considerate unit we both desired.

On Monday we returned to the routine we had before the funeral. I went into work early and Jerry took the kids to their various schools. I wasn’t anxious to see any of my co-workers so I went directly to my office and closed the door. Some of the staff did knock and came in to tell me how touching the service for Thom was, and how wonderful it was to be at the meal after the ceremony in the cemetery. I tried to remember those who gave us notes of condolence and money, but when I became aware I might make a mistake I decided to stop doing that. I did keep checking my watch so I could call the funeral home at nine o’clock when I assumed the director would be present. Mister Dickson came to my office before I was ready to make that call. Dave closed the door behind him and sat in one of the chairs that faced me.

Good morning, Bob. I wasn’t sure you would come in today. Are you comfortable coming back to work so soon?

Good morning to you, Dave, and yes, I need to get into the year end work. It will help me to set aside the happenings of the past several weeks, at least for the time I’m working on a project.

Well, I want you to know that you could stay home for a few more days if you needed to.

Thanks, Dave, but the kids had to go back to school and Peggy will find a way to work through her grief taking care of Michael. It’s best that we get back to normal as quickly as possible. I’m not certain at this point if we ever will, but it is important that we try.

"If that is what you wish then I am pleased you are back.

As you know, Dee Dee and I were at the funeral Mass, but I had to come back here before the trip to the cemetery. I did hear from several staff members who did go, and they mentioned how great the after meal was. You certainly are fortunate to have such caring friends.

We talked about the crowd that was at church and how blessed our family was to have so many friends. I agreed and recited some things about the friends who had come from out of town. When Dave stood up to leave he warned me to not get too involved in work until I was certain I was up to handling the time and energy required. I thanked him for his concern and promised to take his advice.

It was past nine when Dave left my office. I immediately called the Mungoven and Sons Funeral Home. I told the person who answered who I was and said I had been advised to speak to the director in charge. I was placed on hold for only a few seconds.

William Townsend here, Mister Garrett. I’ve been expecting your call. One of my associates told me you called the other day and because of the circumstance with the account he realized he had no authority to discuss the issue with you. That is why you had to wait until I came on duty to speak to me about the account.

Is there a problem, Mister Townsend? Was I supposed to pay the account in advance? When we made the arrangement with your representative the day Thom died I don’t remember being told we had to do anything in advance.

Sorry, Mister Garrett, I didn’t mean to imply that there was a problem. Because of a specific request the account was marked to not be discussed with you by anyone other than me. And, in order for you to not be further confused, the request was made by the party who paid the account in full. There is no balance due, Mister Garrett. Nothing! Someone has given you an extraordinary gift.

Can you tell me who did that?

No sir, I have been informed I may not answer any questions regarding the matter, including responding to whether or not a certain person might have been involved.

Wow!

Wow, indeed! I do apologize for making you wait until today to get this information, Mister Garrett, but I was away on personal business over the holidays. At any rate, the result certainly was worth the wait.

I thanked Mister Townsend and asked if he would send me some kind of form indicating there was no balance due for the service performed. He promised to do that after making me aware there would be no reference to dates, amounts charged or types of services actually performed. I said as long as the item said there was no balance outstanding I would be satisfied.

The moment I hung up from speaking with Townsend I called Peggy at home.

Hello.

Peggy’s voice sounded as though she was crying.

Hi, honey, are you okay? Can you speak with me for a short time, or are you busy with Michael?

I’m having a hard time, Bob. I start crying and poor little Michael can’t figure me out. It’s a big help to hear your voice, unless you’re going to say something I don’t want to hear.

What I have to say should really please you, honey. I called to check on the bill at the funeral home, and they told me there isn’t any. Somebody paid it in full. Can you believe that? Somebody paid for everything and we can’t even find out who did it.

There was a pause for a few seconds until Peggy spoke again.

I’ll bet it’s your Dad. We don’t have anyone else who would have that kind of money available that quickly.

Maybe so. I’ll call him from home tonight, but I just wanted you to know.

Do you feel any less angry because of this, Bob?

A little, I guess, but even if I’m still having a problem I will try to not show my anger around the house, honey.

Thanks, Bob. There is something we need to do tonight. We need to begin sending out thank you notes for all the condolences we received, especially for the ones that included cash.

I agree, and I’ll work side by side with you to get that job done. And while we’re doing that we can talk about where we are with our backup funds. It doesn’t look like we’ll need to get a mortgage loan for at least a couple of months.

Chapter Two

I stayed in my office all day Monday, accepting an occasional condolence from an employee, but I did get a schedule made up for the year end audits to be performed unless the regulators came in. If that happened my time would be spent doing whatever they requested that could expedite their visit.

When I left work the kids were all ready to be picked up at both locations. Every one of ours in high school and at Saint Pat’s stated their classmates had been exceptionally nice to them today. The other kids didn’t say anything on the way home.

After they took turns watching over Michael so their Mama could take a little nap and their Daddy could start fixing supper, all three of the older girls came and relieved me so I could go help Peggy to wake up. When that was accomplished she and I spoke about what a wonderful gift someone had given us. I estimated the final cost of the funeral was probably between eight and nine thousand dollars.

Every one of the kids seemed to enjoy supper and were definitely pleased when I brought the cake and ice cream we didn’t eat on Saturday out for dessert. I even lit a couple of candles so we could all sing happy birthday to Marcie. Graciously Marcie suggested we sing to Meggie as well because her birthday didn’t get celebrated at all. To her credit Meggie accepted the greeting then said we can make up for the limited celebration next year.

The three boys were assigned to doing the clean up while Moe took over caring for Michael. The other girls went to their room.

With everything seemingly under control Peggy and I went to our room, first to call my Dad, and then to begin writing the thank you notes. I was making the phone call to Dad as I settled onto the bed. When he found out it was me calling, the first thing he said was did I find out how much I owed the mortuary.

Yes, Dad, I found out we don’t owe anything.

There was a brief pause before Dad spoke.

The only way that could happen would be if someone paid the bill on your behalf, Bobby. Do you have any idea who might have done that?

Yes, we’re thinking it was you, Dad.

I assure you it wasn’t me, Bobby. I was ready to do it as soon as you told me what the figure was, but it was not me. Won’t the funeral home tell you who paid the bill?

No, Dad, I spoke with the director in charge and he told me any reference to the person who gave us this generous gift has been removed from the records at the request of the donor. He also stated he is not at liberty to respond to any questions I may ask about people who I think might be the donor. Heck, I don’t even know if it is a man or a woman.

Well, then let’s be grateful for the generosity of whoever it was, Bobby, and move on.

We will, Dad, and I’ll send back the check you gave us to start paying the bill. With the other checks we were given I don’t believe I’ll have to do a mortgage just yet. I do appreciate your offer to do one, and will keep it in mind for when I’m ready. It just won’t have to be this month.

Bobby, I do not want you to send that check back. Consider it a condolence gift like all of the others. Please allow me to feel as though Angie and I were of help in some small way. I know you are still struggling to make ends meet, and I realize how staying out of debt is of the utmost importance to you. You have done a tremendous job holding your large family together up to this point without going into debt, and emotionally this would not be the time to see all of your efforts go to waste. Yes, I realize how much money you and your family have gone through over the years, but consider what you have achieved and how wonderful your wife and family are. If my gift and the gifts of the others get you through another year you could be closer to a balancing point by then and possibly earning enough income to actually meet all of your expenses. Won’t you please let me have a part in doing that?

Gosh, Dad, how could I object to that kind of reasoning? All I can do is thank you and Angie and promise that Peggy and I will continue to try to get to a point in time when we are able to keep our expenses limited to our income.

Dad told me how pleased he was with my decision. We spoke for a few minutes longer and after expressing our feelings for each other and promising to speak again soon I hung up. Because Peggy had heard my side of the conversation there wasn’t too much I needed to explain. It was time to begin writing the thank you notes. The first one I wrote was to my Dad and Angie.

We only got a few of the notes we wanted to write done that first night. And because we chose to only write during our alone time we didn’t finish the project until the following Saturday.

So none of the gift givers would receive thank you notes prior to any other, Peggy suggested we not send any of them out until after we had all of them written. As such I didn’t get to the post office to mail them until Monday, the twelfth of January, just before I picked up the high school kids.

My efforts at the bank that first week of nineteen seventy were directed toward summarizing audits performed during nineteen sixty nine for disclosure in the forthcoming annual report. On Monday of the second week I spent the whole work day with Dave and the bank’s Comptroller, to make certain my summaries met with their approval. As I drove to the post office after work I reminded myself that I was now ready to begin the audits on my schedule. On Tuesday I started in the Installment Loan division.

I was comfortable that I had given the division head enough time to get familiar with the existing accounts he inherited and additional time to create new accounts I would take pleasure in evaluating. I chose to begin the audit by looking exclusively at the loans the division head had personally approved.

After only a few hours working with his files what I discovered gave me great cause for concern. Of the thirty four loan files I checked for the debtor’s residence location I found only three were within our bank’s service area. All three were revisions of loans made by the former division head. The other thirty one loans had been granted to individuals living in or around Chicago. All of these were unsecured, but were guaranteed by a company named Empire Financial Group. None of the files had financials on the borrowers or a reference to a depository account with our bank.

I next checked for a file on the guarantor. There was none for Empire Financial Group, but there was a thin file with the heading E. F. G. on it. When I opened that file I discovered why it was so thin. The only thing in it was a partially filled out application form with the company’s name, address and phone number on it. The file should have had current financial information as a guarantor in it and reference memos that the company was the guarantor for a number of active loans.

Going back to the files of the thirty one unsecured loans, in addition to not having financials on the borrowers, they also were without even the most basic information regarding the guarantor. There was an application, and copies of the note and the guaranty. The notes were signed by the sole individuals listed as the borrower in each