The Legacy Inheritance

by Patrick Donnell

  Each of these people taught me something in their own way, through their words and by their example. I want you to capture their knowledge and contribution to my life in a journal. Write the eulogy from that journal.

  That’s it! A gathering will be assembled when you are done. Read my eulogy to them and when you are finished you will obtain the legacy inheritance.

  The attorney will answer any questions. Good luck and Godspeed.”

  The man stared at the camera a little longer than was comfortable after he stopped speaking. There was something in his eyes that seemed almost sadly reminiscent. Jeremy wanted to help him.

  The tape ended and the screen went back to static. Simon Webb turned the television off and he turned back to his desk, lifting a file folder into the air.

  “Mr. Worth, this is the list of people you are to see and their current locations. There are sixteen people on it. All were important to Blake Kudrow. Your task is to find out why and put it in your journal. You will then prepare an acceptable eulogy as per his instructions.

  I have been retained to mentor you throughout the process if any questions or roadblocks come up. Other than that, I have strict instructions not to interfere. I am to issue you this credit card for any reasonable expenses that will come up while you are doing this.

  Do you have any questions?”

  Jeremy looked around. He did not know what to make from all of this. It was a lot to absorb in such little time.

  “Simon, I am overwhelmed. Where do I begin?”

  Simon opened a drawer and pulled out a blank notebook. He took a pencil from his desk and handed both to Jeremy, along with the file folder. “That, Sir, is up to you.”

  Jeremy took the items. Simon stood, escorted him to the door and summarily dismissed him. He suspected the attorney was just following some pre-established instruction to prevent interference or persuasion. Jeremy returned to his car and began the drive back home.

  Chapter Three

  It took less than twenty minutes for Jeremy’s mood to change. The more he thought about it, the more disappointed he became. He was not sure what to expect from an inheritance. Images of wealth had danced in his head. Instead he was given a task to do by someone he did not remember. This could not have come at a worse time with the pending second interview. He really needed the job.

  He had calmed down from his irked mood by the time he made it home. His gas tank was on empty when he pulled into the driveway. It amplified the fact that he was out of work. That gas tank somehow symbolized him. He was on empty and had no way to get a refill. The thought of spending time and putting effort out to write a stranger’s eulogy frustrated him more.

  Jeremy kept replaying the facts in his head. The totality of the situation overwhelmed his mood. He felt so sorry for himself that he almost cried right there in the parked car. He wondered if the company had called while he was out. He finally convinced himself to get out of the car and go inside.

  His house felt somehow emptier when he entered. He put the items from the attorney’s office down on the kitchen table and went to check his telephone messages. There were none. He realized that it could be days before the company called back. It was silly of him to think that he was the only applicant being interviewed.

  He almost laughed at his own ignorance when he actually knew better. He realized how desperate he had allowed himself to become. It was just that his life seemed so futile and purposeless anymore. What made it worse was that he neither knew how to fix it nor had the energy to.

  Jeremy changed out of his suit for the second time that day. He put on comfortable clothes but went barefoot through his house. His mood had become numb. He sat on his couch and tried to watch television. There was nothing on of interest. He thought about the inheritance chore and decided to put that off for awhile too. He was emotionally drained and fell asleep right there on the couch where he lay.

  It was dark when he awoke. Jeremy had no idea what time it was or how long he had slept. He sat groggily in the dark until his mind cleared. Somehow the darkness comforted him. He stood and walked into the kitchen. The clock on the wall showed that it was almost midnight.

  The sad thing was that Jeremy could have gone on to bed and slept the rest of the night. He decided to do something different instead of giving into his body’s weakness. Jeremy opened the cabinet and took out a tea bag and heated some water.

  He took his cup of hot tea to the kitchen table and sat down. He could not remember the last time he had made hot tea. It somehow comforted him. He went through the items given to him at the law firm.

  The pencil was a mere advertisement. ‘Webb and Associates’ was printed down the shaft along with the address and a phone number. The paper notebook was nothing special either. It was the type carried by every retail outlet that sold office supplies. Every page was blank. He was expected to keep his notes and journal in it. He could not help but wonder what this was all about. The folder was different. It contained one typed sheet of instructions. He picked it up and read it four times before the words sank in.

  “Mr. Worth,

  The following instructions are provided to assist you with completing the request made by Mr. Blake Kudrow.

  1. Interview each individual on the list.

  2. Take notes about what they say and do.

  3. Capture their contribution Mr. Kudrow thought important.

  4. Use these notes to write a eulogy about Blake Kudrow.

  5. Return to schedule the gathering.

  6. Present the eulogy.

  Note: Use the provided credit card to cover reasonable expenses incurred during the completion of this task.

  Good luck and Godspeed!”

  Admittedly, this had to be one of the strangest events that had ever happened in Jeremy’s life. This kind of thing does not really actually happen. Even if it did, it would not happen to him. Yet, here it was.

  Jeremy looked through the file at the list of names and addresses, sixteen people in all. He did not feel comfortable meeting new people. This task would definitely take him out of his comfort zone. It surprised him that the people were in such different locations. The task would definitely take longer than he expected. He just shook his head.

  Jeremy finished his tea, wondering where and when to begin. He felt that this task would interfere with interviewing at the company. But, he realized that he could not put his life on hold forever just because he was expecting a phone call.

  He decided that the best place to start would be at the top of the list.

  His mind relaxed some with his decision to actually follow through with

  the task. It was only then that he realized he had been considering it too much effort to mess with, even with the promise of some

  inheritance.

  Still, in the back of his mind, he hoped that the company would call first thing in the morning and he would have a reason not to do the task. There were more important issues to deal with and this task was just a lot of work. This would take more energy than he either possessed or desired to use.

  His bed somehow felt softer when he climbed into it. Sleeping on the couch had cramped his neck and stiffened his muscles. Jeremy stretched out his body to its full length feeling as if he had been granted a luxury.

  The alarm clock cut through the early morning silence at an unreasonably early time. He looked and realized it was still set for the wakeup time he needed to make yesterday’s interview. He shut the alarm off and contemplated getting an early start to the day.

  His body felt too comfortable in the bed. It was just the right temperature to provide maximum comfort. His mind was still foggy. He gave in to his body and allowed it to drift back to sleep.

  The sun was up when he awoke again. Jeremy thought back to the sunrise he had observed the day before. There was a part of him down deep that wished he would have gotten up to watch the sunrise again. He told himself that it was alright though, after all, his body had been so tired.

 
He rolled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. Ninety seconds later a pot of coffee was brewing and Jeremy retreated to the bathroom beginning his morning hygiene schedule. A shave and shower later he was dressing for the day.

  That first cup of coffee was a simple pleasure that Jeremy enjoyed. He sat at the kitchen table staring down at the empty journal pondering how he was going to begin. There was no inspiration within those empty pages. Nothing jumped out at him. He wished that the company would call so he would have an excuse to get out of this task.

  Jeremy looked at the first name on the list. The address was about five miles from his house. This would be something to do while he waited for the company to call. With any luck, he could knock this one out and be back home by early afternoon. That would give him the opportunity to get in a nap.

  It was a plan for the day that he could live with. Jeremy took out his city map to make sure he could find his destination. He packed the map with the journal, took the file folder with his instructions, and then tucked the pencil into his pocket for good measure. He started out the door on his way to meet Jeff Slack.

  He was curious what wisdom and knowledge Jeff would have to share. Jeremy actually wanted to hear some stories about Blake Kudrow. He wanted to paint the picture in his mind of who this mysterious stranger was that left him an inheritance.

  Chapter Four

  The road to Jeff Slack’s house went deeper into a neighborhood that Jeremy would not normally go into. He saw that the properties were poorly maintained. Many homes were in desperate need of painting or repair. Almost every house had iron bars on the windows to keep burglars out. The vehicles in yards, driveways and parked on the street were old. Many looked like they were incapable of movement.

  Jeremy pulled up to the address for Jeff Slack. The grass was tall and full of weeds. Litter was collected in small piles outside of his dented garage door. Many cigarette butts lay around a bent metal frame lawn chair.

  He pushed the doorbell button four times before realizing that it did not work. Jeremy knocked on the door through the screen door frame that had long stopped serving its usefulness. The whole house was definitely in a state of disrepair.

  The door creaked open. An overweight, thick necked man wearing wrinkled baggy clothes stood propped in the doorway. His six foot tall, three hundred and eight pound body exhaled heavily as if he were being interrupted. The man’s breathing was labored and his uncombed brown hair held its fair share of gray. He rolled his bulging brown eyes in Jeremy’s direction.

  “Yeah? What do you want?” The man’s words were deliberate and slow.

  “Are you Jeff Slack?” Jeremy stepped back on the porch so the man could see him.

  “Who’s asking? You a bill collector?” the man eyed Jeremy suspiciously.

  Jeremy almost laughed. It was a question he could see himself asking and probably would be if a job did not come through in the near future. “No, I’m no bill collector. I’m here for a different reason. I was sent to write a eulogy about a man from the people who had an impact on his life. Jeff Slack is one of those people.”

  The man seemed to soften some. “I’m Jeff Slack. Come on in.” He stepped away from the door disappearing from view.

  Jeremy could not see into the house and had second thoughts about going inside. But, he had come this far. He opened the screen door frame and pushed the door open enough and stepped inside.

  The room was dark. It took Jeremy’s eyes a minute to adjust. The room smelled musty and stale. The man had moved to a corner of the small room and seated himself in a dilapidated chair in front of a computer screen that displayed a video game and he all but ignored Jeremy as he introduced himself.

  Jeremy moved over to a chair near Jeff Slack. It was covered in the remains of fast food containers and snack food wrappers. He pushed them aside and sat down, his pencil ready to begin taking notes.

  “Did you know Blake Kudrow?”

  Jeff Slack never looked away from the computer game he played. “Yeah, I worked with him a long time ago. We used to talk a lot. Our company was set in its ways then. Blake kept coming up with new and different ways to do things. They didn’t want to hear it. He eventually got tired of trying and quit.”

  Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “What company was it?”

  Jeff shrugged his shoulders rolling his huge frame in the process.

  “Don’t matter. They went out of business. Things just changed around

  them. Eventually they were obsolete. I guess their precious traditions and methods were not strong enough. Maybe they should have listened to old Blake a little.”

  Jeremy nodded. But the man was not looking in his direction to see it. His eyes were fixed on the computer screen. “What kind of work did you and Blake do?”

  “Computers. It’s what I do, well, when I’m working. Right now I’m between jobs. Blake learned all that company had to teach. Then he said he had to leave or he would stagnate like the rest of us. I guess he was right.”

  Jeremy looked around the room seeing stacks of different computer games, comic books and movies. “Are those your kid’s comics?”

  Jeff laughed. “No, mine. It’s a hobby. I buy them all. One day they will be worth something and I can retire. As for the games, it’s my passion. I have all the latest and played them all. This one is an old one, but I really like it. I play it when I am not doing anything else. So why did Blake want you to talk to me? We only worked together for about six months.”

  It was Jeremy’s turn to shrug. “I was told he learned a lot from you.”

  They both shrugged almost in unison. Jeremy waited until Jeff began talking again.

  “That was probably the best job I ever had. I don’t think I could get another job like it. Most likely I will end up starting at the bottom of some company. I’m not as smart as the younger employees and want more money. I keep sending out resumes and waiting for something to happen. They must think I’m not good enough, because they rarely call. So, I just enjoy the time off until one of them thinks I am worth something.”

  Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows. It was almost a statement that he could have made. It gave him an eerie feeling to think that he could be looking at some future or alternate self. It was obvious that Jeff Slack was extremely insecure and very stagnated in his life. Hiding behind childish activities did nothing to break the cycle either. The condition of his house showed how lazy this individual was. He could not understand what someone like Blake Kudrow learned from him.

  “Well Jeff, thanks for your time. Here is my phone number in case you think of anything else to add.” Jeremy stood feeling as if he had wasted his time. He watched as Jeff put the piece of paper on top of the computer monitor where it slid off behind. Jeff did nothing to catch it.

  “Alright Jeremy, if I think of anything. Sorry that I didn’t have more to offer. Hey, call me if you hear of any job openings.” He was already engrossed in the game by the end of his own statement.

  Jeremy let himself out. He pulled the door closed as he squinted from the bright sunlight. The air outside smelled better than in the house. He was glad to be back outside.

  He climbed back into his vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat thinking about his visit with Jeff Slack. He picked up the journal and wrote down some thoughts including what was said about Blake Kudrow. Jeremy was at a loss for what Jeff Slack had taught Blake.

  Jeremy had to find a gas station immediately. His vehicle was riding on fumes. He decided to test the credit card to see if it would work. After all, it was for his task that he was working. He justified the purchase as a related expense and pulled in to fill his gas tank. The credit card worked and Jeremy had a full tank of gas for free.

  His next thought was about lunch. He might as well get some food while he was out. Meals were something associated with task related

  expense. He drove around until he found a nice restaurant to eat at. It was one he would not have picked if he were paying himself. But, he might as well take
advantage of the expense account while it lasted.

  The meal was delicious and definitely out of his price range. He was stuffed by the time he finished the appetizers, salad, main course and dessert. It was out of his usual standard. He justified it as a reward for his hard work. By the time he finished eating, he convinced himself that he had earned it.

  He drove home contemplating his visit with Jeff Slack. He had more in common than he cared to admit, even to himself. Once inside he smelled the familiar scent of burned coffee. He had left the coffee pot on two days in a row.

  Jeremy cleaned the coffee pot and then checked the answering machine for messages. No one had called. He made his way to the bedroom and decided to take a nap. He had put out enough effort for one day. On top of that the large meal had left him sleepy.

  He awoke in the early evening. His mind was refreshed, but his body did not feel like doing anything. He thought back to the visit with Jeff Slack and how his body dominated his mind and spirit. There was true slothfulness there. Jeremy thought back about what he observed. The gravitation to games and comic books seemed to lack maturity. It was a way to hide from his responsibilities. There was a lot that could have been done to clean his yard, or to fix up his house. Jeff Slack just chose not to.

  Jeremy forced himself to get up. He cleaned his bedroom then moved on to the other rooms in the house. It was only after his house was clean that he allowed himself to relax some.

  He spent the next hour looking over the list of names trying to decide who to visit next. Each person was in a different location. Jeremy

  thought about visiting them based on where they were located. After careful study he decided that the names were listed pretty much in the order he would have chosen anyway.

  Afterwards he checked the answering machine again to see if any new messages had come in. None had. He made himself a good dinner and cleaned up the mess. He remembered seeing the many days worth of fast food containers in Jeff Slacks house. Jeremy prepared for the next days visit when dinner was over.