Chapter 28: We'd Paid Our Bones

We no longer had any trouble anywhere in Europe or throughout the med, around India or the Pacific Rim--anywhere that we cared to steam. Sailors are an undeniably a superstitious folk. We weren't considered a death ship, but we were 'made men' and had proven that we had balls. The guys rarely had to buy their own drinks when in port. On the other hand my lifespan had been serverely impacted. Was I bitter? You damn' betcha.

I got another full blood replacement. I began to get stronger and the doctors had good news--my blood marrow was producing red blood cells again. The oncologist couldn't find any serum markers denoting any wild cancers. I stretched each morning and did a little--a very little--work with the staff. I no longer had the flexibility needed for the violent motions of Shotokan, most of Kumdo and TaeKwonDo. If I practiced Wushu and Silat slowly I didn't hurt myself but I didn't do any credit to the arts, either. My joints ached constantly. Sigh. Twenty minutes can destroy your life. I had looked upon the angel of death and regretted it evermore.

I still had over 40 million dollars in the bank. It slept, mocking me. I still had my diamonds as well. Rather than leave them in a drawer I decided to keep them a bit closer to me. I bought a big solid silver cross with a well-made chain. It had a two-inch square profile for both the vertical and horizontal elements. The guys in the machine shop cut off the long leg at the intersection, bored out the center of the shaft and the central cavity for me and put in threaded steel inserts at the joint. I filled the shaft with diamonds wrapped in cotton cloth, then carefully screwed it shut. Only a small seam betrayed its secret. A cabochon-shaped piece of amber glued to the intersection somewhat disguised the seam from the front. The guys watched me load the diamonds into the cross and close it up tight.