Mary and Ron were madly in love. In fairy tales they speak of love at first sight. Well, in the case of Mary and Ron it was the real deal. Mary was browsing T-shirts at the Dollar General in Zanesville, Ohio and Ron was buying a quart of motor oil in the next aisle. They exited the aisles simultaneously and Ron nearly bowled her over. But really, her blue eyes and sweet smile bowled him over! Stammering and stuttering, Ron walked with her to the cashier. They stood in the parking lot for a minute to chat and when he looked at his watch Ron realized it had actually been 35 minutes. Late for work, Ron started to rush off but turned and got Mary’s number.
That night they talked for three hours on the phone.
They became inseparable and after high school they both enrolled at the local state university. Mary was interested in early childhood education and Ron majored in electrical engineering, specializing in cyber security.
Their love never waned. Their commitment to each other was solid and, as a symbol of their love, they exchanged love letters and locks of hair. Ron put Mary’s in his high school yearbook and Mary added his to her bible.
In their senior year Mary’s grandmother passed away. The funeral was held out of state and Mary accompanied her parents and stayed several days to help her mother dispose of her grandmother’s things.
While Mary attended her grandmother’s services, Ron stayed at school and focused on his studies.
That Friday night, Ron was invited to a party at the frat house of one of his buddies. He had a great time but felt a bit guilty because Mary wasn’t there to share in the fun. As the night grew late his inhibitions, relaxed by beer and a wee bit of pot, became even more relaxed. That was when he caught the eye of Janet, a rather attractive junior. Actually, “caught the eye” was a little tame. More like she hit him like a bull running in the streets of Pamplona, Spain.
They ended up spending the night together. The next morning, Ron was still smitten, but he was not sure what to do about Mary. He was reminded of that old song, “I wonder should I stay or should I go?”
Women know. Somehow. If Mary returned home from her grandmother’s Ron never knew it. In fact, he never saw her again.
His tryst with Janet lasted a few weeks before she broke it off.
Realizing the mistake he made, he searched for Mary. Her parents wouldn’t speak to him; his internet and social media searches were fruitless. Eventually, after several months he gave up searching but even as the years passed, he was unable to put Mary out of his mind.
Ron’s career choice of cyber security was a wise one. He got a job immediately after graduation and rose quickly in the company. He amassed many shares of the company’s stock as stock options and when it went public, he became an instant multi-millionaire.
Even though Ron was wealthy, he never left Zanesville, the town in which he grew up.
So strong was his love of the town, he became a local philanthropist. He founded a shelter for homeless families, built a new town library, bought police cars for the town and performed many other charitable acts. Often, but not always, these were anonymous. The one exception Ron made was if he could draw attention to a problem, like homelessness and the homeless shelter. He wanted his neighbors to know about the problem so they could pitch in and help.
***
Ron was a workaholic. He never married. Work became the love of his life and he barely ever took a day off. He wasn’t exactly a recluse, but his only friends were his work friends. Eventually, his parents passed away. As an only child he had no one else in his life.
After years, the company’s HR department wouldn’t let Ron ignore vacations any longer. The company CEO intervened and politely told Ron to take three weeks off.
Unsure what to do or where to go, Ron met with a travel agent who had a lot of ideas but what appealed to Ron most was snorkeling in the Bahamas. Ron booked two weeks at the French Leave Resort in Grand Bahamas. A four-star hotel, it was pricey but, well, he could afford it.
What Ron didn’t know was that Grand Bahama Island’s West End has the most sharks of all the Caribbean Islands. Grand Bahama also has one of the world’s most shark-infested beaches. This region is home to several shark species, including Hammerhead Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Caribbean Reef Sharks, and Nurse Sharks.
Ron fell in love with the waters of the Bahamas. Fish like lionfish, blue tang and even barracuda were plentiful. Ron just couldn’t get enough of them.
On day three of his trip, Ron was out chasing a poisonous lionfish when he was rammed by what felt like a boat or submarine. The force knocked off his face mask and snorkel and he was pulled deep into the sea. What Ron didn’t know was that he was just attacked by a large Tiger Shark and the last thing he saw was the lionfish he was chasing.
***
Shark attacks get limited news coverage when they occur in a foreign land. But there’s more coverage when an American is the victim and when the victim is wealthy there’s still more coverage.
Mary was watching the evening news at her home in Altoona, PA when she heard of Ron’s untimely death by shark.
Needless to say, Mary was shocked and, at some level, saddened to hear about Ron. With one exception, she had put him out of her mind.
That exception was her son. Ron’s son.
When Mary left Ron that day, thirty-some years before, neither knew that Mary was pregnant. In fact, it was several weeks before she found out.
Mary’s bitterness over Ron’s betrayal festered within her. Instead of moving on, she infected her son Matt with her vitriol. She started when Matt was just three or four years old. Her hate built like the crescendo in a symphony – “he’s no good,” “he’s a liar,” “he’s a cheat,” and, finally, *BANG*, the symbols in the orchestra crash with “I wish he was dead!”
Other than the hate Mary sowed in him, Matt turned out to be a fine young man. He married and he and his wife were expecting their first child – Mary’s first grandchild – in a few months.
Now she had a decision to make. Should she hide Ron’s existence and death from Matt, or allow him to make a claim on his father’s estate?
After several sleepless nights, Mary decided to tell Matt and drove the 40 miles to his home in Johnstown, PA. She wanted to do this to benefit her unborn grandchild, even if it hurt her so much to break the news to her son.
Matt was floored by not only the knowledge of his father, but of his father’s death and the remorse he felt not knowing the man he had come to hate.
Matt arrived in Zanesville the day of Ron’s funeral. He was shocked at the public displays of grief and the number of places in the town that bore his name. Plaques on the sides of buildings attested to his generosity. The town hall was adorned with black crepe. The police department wore black armbands.
Although he was floored by the community’s mourning, Matt bore no animosity towards his mother as her pain was deeply held.
***
After the services, Matt approached the pastor who had performed the service and explained who he was. To put it mildly, the pastor was shocked. But then again in nearly fifty years of ministering, he’d seen and heard a lot.
The pastor directed Matt to Mr. Jonathan Locke, a local lawyer. The pastor felt that probably Mr. Locke would be able to help Matt with his inheritance claim.
Mr. Locke listened to Matt but remained skeptical. Matt’s story sounded rather fantastical, and Locke told him that Matt needed to provide proof that Ron was his dad.
Not an easy task.
Matt drove home to Johnstown and on the way spoke with his mom. Mary wasn’t sure how to help her son prove Ron’s paternity. But then she remembered the bible. She hadn’t opened it for many years; her feelings of betrayal had grown so strong that she turned away from her God. But now her God was rescuing her.
The lock of hair was still there, along with the love letter signed by Ron.
Mr. Locke, the attorney, had the hair tested against the DNA offered by Matt. It was a match. The handwriting sample from Ron’s love letter to Mary sealed the deal. The probate court designated Matt as the sole beneficiary of Ron’s estate, valued at $65 million.
***
Matt sat in Ron’s wood-paneled office, looking through his papers. Legal contracts, stock certificates, deeds, insurance policies, Matt knew he needed a financial advisor to help him wade through all the paperwork.
Finally, a locksmith arrived to open the large safe that Ron had in a walk-in closet. Matt felt it was like opening a long-undiscovered treasure trove, sort of like when Hiraldo opened Al Capone’s safe on live TV. Except in this case, he was looking for his own treasure!
The locksmith took surprisingly little time to get the combination and all Matt had to do was spin the big wheel that pulled the various bolts from their seat in the frame of the safe. The wheel stopped turning and Matt swung the heavy door open.
The safe was nearly empty. The only contents were a stack of envelopes tied with a red ribbon.
After the locksmith left, Matt took the letters, sat back at Ron’s desk and read the first:
“My Dearest Mary,
“Today, I spent all afternoon driving around Zanesville hoping to catch a glimpse of you, somewhere, anywhere. I’m desperate for you. I miss you terribly. I was so wrong. I can’t apologize enough. Please come back to me.
“Your Loving Ron”
The letter was dated eight months before Matt was born.
Matt took a second letter, dated months after his birth:
“My Dearest Mary,
“I’m writing this letter out of desperation. I have no place to send it; I can’t find you. I’m insane with grief for losing you. I can’t sleep. I miss you terribly. These letters are my only connection with you. Please come back to me.
“Your Loving Ron”
There were dozens of letters, just like these.
Matt sat at his father’s desk, tears streaming down his face, his sobs growing with each new letter he read. He realized that he never knew his father. He knew that, regardless of his mother’s jaundice, he had been cheated out of a loving relationship.
He knew his father was a good man.
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*** Many thanks to my friend Bill who gave me the idea for this story.
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Extremely thought provoking excellent read.