A Second Chance

by Timothy Paterson

Robin. He told them to open them one at a time.

  Tom went first. He opened his present and found a single diamond earring. As he held up the earring for everyone to see, He had a puzzled look on his face.

  John told him, "Tomorrow afternoon, you and I are going to the jewelry store to get your ear pierced. When I was your age, I got a tattoo and today, an earring is the current trend. I was wrong to tell you no. I hope you can forgive me.

  Tom smiled and told his Dad that he was the coolest dad in town.

  Katie opened her present next. The first thing she pulled out of the box was a gold heart pendant on a gold chain. There was also a $2,000 gift certificate for the most popular teen store in the city. There was also a gift certificate for her and her mom to spend the entire day at a day spa for a mother-daughter complete makeover and massage.

  Katie went over to her dad, gave him a big hug and a kiss, and thanked him ten times.

  John looked into her eyes and said, "Well, you will want to look your best when you go to the Spring Dance, Won't you?"

  Katie's eyes got very big and she asked, "You mean I can go to the dance?"

  John smiled and said, "I was wrong to tell you that you could not date until you were seventeen. You have to grow up sometime. Just don't grow up too fast."

  Brian opened his present next. He started shouting when he pulled out season tickets for the Chicago Cubs. Then, he saw that there were two sets of tickets. "Who is the other set of tickets for?" he asked his dad."

  "Well" said his dad, "I thought you and I could go together, if you don't mind being seen with your old man."

  Brian hugged his dad and said, "All I've ever wanted was to spend time with you, no matter where it is." Brian was beaming with pride as he looked at his dad.

  Then, John pulled a set out of his pocket and threw them to Tom. "I have purchased a new car for the exclusive use of you three children. It is not fancy, but it is safe. It is for all three of you, but since Tom is the only one who can drive, he gets it for a year before he has to share it with Katie and Brian. That also means that he can drive Brian and Katie places, within reason."

  Robin looked at the faces of her three children and had never seen them this happy before. She knew that they loved their father and that he loved them. That was worth more than any gift John had gotten for her.

  As she opened her gift, Robin saw a diamond ring. At that moment, John took the ring, slipped it on her finger, and said, "Our twentieth anniversary is next month. I would be deeply honored, if you would marry me again. We could renew our vows, before God."

  Robin started crying and told John, "Yes!, Yes!, I will marry you again, I would really love to do that.

  Then, John got a real serious look on his face. "I do have some bad news, though," he said.

  His family thought that John was sick. Then John continued, "You kids won't be able to go to summer camp this year." John paused for effect and then added, "That's because we will be on a summer long family vacation. We will spend two weeks in California, two weeks in Florida, two weeks in Hawaii, and five weeks in Europe visiting sixteen countries in thirty two days.".

  Robin, Tom and Katie were all very excited, but Brian looked worried. "But Dad, can you take that much time away from work?"

  Everybody got very quiet, as John answered Brian's question.

  "This heart attack has made me realize what is most important to me and that is the four of you. This week, I signed the papers, selling my company and security system to Microsoft Corporation. They have agreed to keep all of the employees on the payroll, and I will work part time as a consultant. They paid me enough in cash and stock that I will never have to work another day in my life. We are financially secure, with money for all of your college expenses, trust funds, and your mother's and my retirement."

  As everyone just stared at John in disbelief, John added, "God has given me a second chance at life. It may be only a few days, or it may be several years, but I want to live every second to its fullest and spend it with the people I love; all of you."

 

  The End