Young Again
Copyright© 2018 by Edward Douglass Patterson
Prologue
After eating, Mark Sawyer picked one of the family photo albums and took it out on the porch of the isolated mountain cabin. The photographs of those he held dear would help him to keep their memories longer as the Alzheimer’s disease slowly took his memory. He planned to add labels with information about each picture so he could read them and possibly renew the memories once the losses started.
“Ashley Carol Sawyer.” He spoke the words as he wrote them better to strengthen the memory. “Golden Princess. Carol hated it when I first called you that but gave up after the first year. Now it is something we share between us.” Mark was glad to be alone. It felt odd talking to himself. Carol tried to convince him to come with them on the Hawaiian vacation, but he told her he preferred ensuring he remembered the memories he already had, rather than making new ones.
“Don and Abby with newborn Ashley. Our first grandchild was such a joyous occasion for Carol and me.” I need to remember this one especially. Ashley will one day run the company. “I wish I could be there to help her.” Don and the rest of their children were doing a good job with the company, but Ashley will make as big of an impact as when I took over the company from Dad. Why do Ashley and Sarah hide their true abilities? I need to talk to her when she gets back. “I wonder if I’m the only one who knows they are hiding how smart they really are. I wish I could be here to see what they will make of their lives. The way they work together is something I never had with anyone, even Carol.” He sat listening to an owl and missing Carol. “Why didn’t I go to Hawaii?” I could have done this after we got back. It’s not as if I am doing anything else most days. Don doesn’t need my advice. Mark knew he had been unreasonable, but the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease had hit him hard. I wanted them to enjoy themselves without me ruining the vacation for them. “I miss them.”
He continued to work, labeling the pictures and reliving the memories. “Which of the boys is this? Two thousand one. Mark Jr. Named after me, and I can’t remember his name.” A year or three, and I won’t remember any of them. Doc Woolgar doesn’t want me to drive. I guess I will get a chauffeur so I don’t keep Carol from working. “Who is she designing a house for? No, that is not something I need to remember.” Carol got mad when I told her that I needed to go into a nursing home as soon as I started keeping her from doing what she wanted to do. She yelled that she was going to take care of me. Then she started to cry. She hadn’t cried like that since her mother died. “I don’t want to lose you either.”
He forgot about the picture and just sat listening to the night sounds of the woods, remembering the many times the two of them had sat there together. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.
General Zhang Haiyang was making another of his unscheduled inspections of the command center of the Second Artillery Corps of the People’s Liberation Army. They weren’t really surprise inspections since he had to travel from Beijing. The three-hour trip gave time for word of his coming to precede him. The inspections were just to remind the personnel that he expected them to maintain a high state of alertness. His spies would let him know about problems.
“There are multiple missile launches from North Korea.” One of the officers spoke loudly as he continued watching over the shoulder of the soldier manning the display.
Zhang looked over at Colonel Wei Jhiyuan, the shift commander. He nodded for the Colonel to continue. He knew better than to interject himself into the team, which was trained to handle this type of occurrence. Why didn’t we have any warning about the North Korean launches?
“Captain Cao, do you have information on where they are heading?” Colonel Jhiyuan asked.
“There are three missiles heading towards South Korea and another three on course towards Japan.”
Zhang was surprised by the missile attacks, but he had known for a long time that North Korea was under the influence of a man that would kill his own family. “Major Liang, there is no reason to call out our response forces at this time, but have them go to a higher state of readiness.” He considered how others would see what he had just ordered. “Major, ensure the forces don’t prepare for action at this time. We don’t want the United States thinking we were working with the North Koreans.”
“Yes, General.”
Zhang smiled that the Colonel had also nodded, acknowledging his concern. If Wei Jhiyuan did well today, he would see he was listed early for promotion.
“Patriot systems responding to missiles launched at South Korea have knocked out the three missiles.” Moments later, there was a second report. “A Japanese destroyer has destroyed the three missiles launched at Japan.” Captain Cao had turned to address both the Colonel and the General.
The soldier watching the display interrupted. “Captain, another missile.”
After turning back to the display, the captain quickly provided more information, but his voice was very troubled. “Short-range missile from close to the border has impacted in Seoul.” He hurried to another of the manned displays and discussed it with the soldier there. He looked shaken when he addressed the General. “It was nuclear. It appears to have been a mobile cruise missile.”
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