The Two Lives of Jake

By Diane Reaves

If you read The Egyptian Cat, you'll remember the history professor, Jake, who is now in a loving relationship with Leigh, and the family life they are building with her two young sons. But it isn't his love life that has unpleasantly taken over Jake. It's a Confederate army officer who appears at will and both enters Jake's head and turns him into a soldier who hates war. Jake and Leigh struggle to find out why and how this man has picked Jake for his parallel life, and what is the purpose that Jake must pursue if he's ever going to rid himself of another man.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane Reaves
• Release date: Jan 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215209929

Diane Reaves

Diane has always been a writer of sorts, from making up stories in her head when she was a pre-teen, working for the high school & college papers, majoring in radio-TV journalism in college, and giving her talents to non-fiction as a public relations professional - a real job. In between, she co-authored two fitness books, one translated in several languages and brought in royalties for over 20 years. Now retired, she’s finally writing the fiction she imagined creating all along. Growing up in the Midwest and living in the Southeast, Northeast and now the beautiful Northwest, she includes her scenic travels in the stories she creates about the characters she has met and known. Diane and husband, Graham, co-authored restaurant reviews for a newspaper and co-hosted a radio program of romantic music for a non-profit station. Expect some romance in her books, including “Michael's Muse,” the sequel to The Egyptian Cat.Now her third book is "The Two Lives of Jake", visiting one of the lead characters of the series in a parallel life experience,

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The Two Lives of Jake

Diane C. Reaves

Copyright © 2022 by Diane C. Reaves

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – A Wretch Like Me

Chapter 2 – The Man That I Am

Chapter 3 – The Two of Us

Chapter 4 – Why me?

Chapter 5 – The Street Where You Lived

Chapter 6 – Back to Glenda – and Yvonne

Chapter 7 – Sam Spade or Nancy Drew?

Chapter 8 – Searching

Chapter 9 – The Same, but Different

Chapter 10 – The Women

Chapter 11 – Elena

Chapter 12 – More Answers – and Questions

Chapter 13 – Leigh and Elena

Chapter 14 – War and Peace

Chapter 15 – All of Them - and Cats

Chapter 16 – What to do First

Chapter 17 – More Searching

Chapter 18 – The Day from Hell

Chapter 19 – Involving Children

Chapter 20 – The Next Step

Chapter 21 – Finding Another Lambert

Chapter 22 – Moving Forward

Chapter 23 – Help me, Elena

Chapter 24 – A Lambert at Last

Chapter 25 – Where is the Confederate?

Chapter 26 – Will We Ever Know?

Chapter 1 – A Wretch Like Me

What does that mean, paw paw? What is a wretch?" asked my dear, young grandson.

"A villain – a nasty person. It is also not a happy person. There are many meanings to that word."

"But what does it mean? You’re not a nasty person, paw paw. I don’t understand."

He was referring to the phrase ‘a wretch like me’ from the hymn they had sung in church that day – Amazing Grace. There was much in church that he didn’t understand, but that word had made him most curious, especially the like me part of the phrase.

I had been trying to explain my life in the war – the War Between the States, The War of Aggression as some called it. For some reason, we had transitioned to his concern with the word wretch. Perhaps it was a good transition after all. The war had been filled with wretches, most especially me, I thought.

"Grandson, in war we are all wretches. On both sides of the battles."

"But you were one of the good people. You were given medals. You were in charge of people – an officer."

"Yes, I was an officer – one of the worst sort of wretches in a war. I sent men to battle. I hope to god that you never have to experience that.

* * *

Are you all right Professor Hartlette? asked one of his students. Like you look like you’re in some other world.

I’m sorry, Jamie. Did you ask me a question?

Well, yah. I asked you about these people in Chapter 10. The ones that were fighting with the Egyptians. Like are they important? I mean, I never heard of them before and all. He paused and stared at Jake with his mouth open. Are you sure you’re okay?

Appointment time was short and he tried to give his students a quality session when they had questions. But he had been in another world – or so it seemed. Whoever this grandfather was, this soldier from the Civil War, had for a moment seemed – to be him.

* * *

As usual, he got home before Leigh, who kept her food shop open until about 5:30. They took turns picking up the boys from whatever sport or school activity they were doing, and today it was her turn to bring them home. They weren’t legally his, but he was growing to love them as if they were. Once they got married, he’d love to adopt them, if their father would let him. But of course he never would.

The ranch style house belonged to Leigh, and he had moved in with her and the boys a couple of months after their relationship got serious. It wasn’t fancy, but the kitchen was modern enough for people who liked to cook, like him.

Starting dinner gave him alone time to think about what had happened earlier, about the man from the Civil War. He had gone from the student appointment with Jamie, not one of the brighter stars in his Ancient History class, directly to another section of that same subject. He hadn’t had time to think about it until now, and it was probably just as well.

The history of the Civil War was not his teaching specialty, and even though he lived and taught college in the South, he was a Midwesterner, born and raised.

Whoever this self-proclaimed wretch might be, he had picked the wrong guy’s mind to visit. Still, it was a very odd experience.

With his quick chopping of vegetables for the stir fry and the table easily set, his new family was soon filling the house with noise and love.

It smells good in here. Wish we’d found you sooner, Professor, said Leigh with a warm hug.

Get washed up boys. Looks like homework will have to wait for after dinner.

Eating the evening meal together was their time to continue to get to know each other as a family, and Andy and Rob were pretty easy kids to get to know.

What’s on tap for homework tonight? Need any help with anything? he offered.

American History. Not my favorite, said Rob, Leigh’s oldest. I’m sorry, Jeff. With you teaching history and all, but I’m really better at math. You know?

American is not my specialty, but I’ve been getting curious about some of it lately – like the Civil War – from living here in the South. What time period are you studying now?

I didn’t know you were getting interested in the Civil War, said Leigh. When did that happen?

Actually, today. He put down his fork and hesitated before he told them about his experience that afternoon. He was pretty sure that Leigh would be okay with the idea of a man from the past in his head, since the two had actually found each other in a rather paranormal adventure. But he was not so sure about the boys.

Andy started laughing at his story. Rob’s mouth fell open and his eyes got bigger than usual. Leigh just nodded her head and smiled.

That certainly sounds like something that could happen to one of us. We already know a time traveler from England, so why not some guy from the Civil War, she said and continued eating her stir fry.

Mom, what are you talking about? asked Rob.

She means Uncle Michael, right? said Andy. He went back to shoveling food into his mouth like a typical, healthy seven year old.

Maybe I was just trying to escape Jamie, my student. So I, you know, had a daydream about someone else. What bothers me is that it was a Civil War officer. I’ve never been interested in the Civil War. Talking about it now made him even more curious.

That’s what we’re studying now, the Civil War. Rob had a rather pathetic look on his face.

I’ll help you if I can. If we need to, I’ll make a stop at the college library and get some extra background info for us. Don’t worry. We’ll do this together.

Hey, that would be great- about helping me. But that part about Uncle Michael – is he really a time traveler?

He’s from England, I said.

* * *

That night, in a dream, the Civil War guy showed up again. At least I thought it was a dream.

With Elena and the children gone from Decatur, there was no reason to stay in the damaged central part of Georgia. All that was left of the family had retreated back to Savannah. It would be my responsibility to salvage what I could of what survived of the shipping business – the family business. It should have been my brother’s task, but his loss was another of the ravages of war.

I lingered as long as I could, dreading what penalties we might be facing for our part in the blockade and serving the Confederate cause. I hated the thought of it – all of it – anything to do with war.

The house in Decatur was a reminder of the woman that I loved more than life itself. It was here we had spent a brief part of the war together, and it was from here in this house on Nelson’s Ferry Road that I had written the letters that became my lifeline to her.

Was it a dream? Jake wrote down the name of the street in Decatur on the sticky note next to the bed. The college library would have to be added to his schedule for the next day.

He asked Rob about his Civil War problem over cereal in the morning. Naturally he was supposed to write a paper about The Battle of Atlanta. It seemed he could do double duty – info for Rob’s paper and research on his long gone officer. It would help if he had a name for the old coot, but he could begin with any lists about Georgia officers.

What else did he know? A street name, a man who had a family shipping business out of Savannah, and a wife named Elena. All personal things. How much of that sort of information stayed on historical records? And why was he bothering with this anyway?

It was a review day for mid-terms, and lots of appointments, so his time at the library was short. He managed to get what he thought might help Rob with his project and didn’t bother with his officer who disliked war. He’d worry about him if he bothered to come back and haunt him again.

* * *

After helping Rob with his Battle of Atlanta information, he joined Leigh in the family room for what he hoped would be some quiet time for the two of them. Andy was in the boy’s bedroom with the toy soldiers he had gotten as a birthday gift from his father. Leigh was going over the ledger from her shop, and seemed engrossed in her work.

Would you hate me if I interrupted you for some private time? I haven’t really told you enough about this Civil War guy who keeps turning up.

Has he come back again? You haven’t spaced out in class have you?

No, this time is was like a dream – last night. But it seemed so real – not like any other dream I’ve ever had. Both times, I thought he was me. I was going to try to check him out at the library today, but I didn’t have time, and…… well I decided to wait and see if he came back again.

Do you have a name for him or anything? Leigh put her ledger aside and snuggled up to him on the sofa.

No, but I have his wife’s name, and I know they had children. I have a street name where they spent part of the war – in Decatur. And his family was in the shipping business in Savannah. I’m guessing they either got involved in running the blockade or went out of business because of it. Thought I could start there if I did any research. What do you think?

Jake, I know this is not your territory, but you already sound interested in this character. Now I’m curious about him. I’m especially curious about the wife?

Elena – her name was Elena. And he loved her more than life itself.

How do you know that? Now Leigh was really into the story of his Civil War character. Those are pretty strong words – more than life itself.

He told me. Or I just know. Actually I don’t just know. I could feel his emotional link to her. How could that be?

"Could being in love have anything to do with it? I mean you may be more open to these kinds of feelings since we’ve been together, and…..

Hey Jake – I’m stuck. I need help with this stupid battle. Rob seemed to come in just at the wrong time. He was learning that kids did that – a lot.

I’ll be right there. Your mom and I were talking about something and….I’ll be right there. Leigh nodded at him and shrugged her shoulders. She knew he was learning how to be a parent, something she already knew how to do.

* * *

No dreams that night, but his visitor showed up while he was giving an exam the next morning. This time he seemed to be worried about the shipping business.

There would be recriminations from the Union, of course. Some of our ships had been taken by the Confederate Navy. And we had lost several smaller vessels to federal ironclads later as we acted as privateers. It was in one of those battles that my brother Sidney was lost.

He had insisted on using them for the Southern cause, in spite of my objections. And when he found himself running the business and unable to take part in battles of war, he chose to captain one of our ships – several actually. The Amethyst was not the first that he lost at sea, but it was his last. I could not be there for the family when they got news of his death, and there was no body found to bury.

I was locked in a battle that I did not choose. I chose none of them, and ….

Professor – are you okay? Mine is the last paper, and the pile of them is landing on the floor.

Had done it