Amber reappeared with two young boys. She was ecstatic to see her car running. She thanked him profusely. He turned down her offer to pay him. He left her with another card and departed for home. Jeremy felt a little better about himself and was a hero for a moment to Amber and her boys.
After Jeremy returned home, he updated the journal again adding in notes about poverty. He saw that it was beyond a financial state; it was also a poorness of spirit.
He checked his answering machine. There were no messages. He did not feel so bad about it though. The fact that there were no messages only meant that he had no bad news.
Chapter Eleven
Jeremy prepared a humble dinner and relaxed for the evening. He went to bed early and awoke energetic. His morning was brighter and he had something to look forward to.
He organized his paperwork and set out for the next person on the list. Jeremy was enjoying the project. It gave him a sense of purpose while he waited on the company to call. It occurred to him that he could not remember having a sense of purpose about anything. It felt good again.
Elizabeth Haught lived in a mansion located in the richest section of town. Jeremy felt a little intimidated parking his car in the huge driveway. She opened the door with extravagant flair. Her tall, lanky frame was enhanced with a quick stride and musical presence.
She hummed under her breath as introductions were made and Jeremy was allowed inside. He could not help but notice the gold bracelets, gold and diamond necklace, and especially the huge diamond ring that she seemed to flaunt.
They walked through the house to a sitting room. Jeremy sat in an upright chair that was more pleasing to the eye than it was comfortable. The house was a stark abstract to Amber Covet. Everything anyone could ever need was there and then some.
“You see all of this, Mr. Worth? This house is my pride and joy. The books in that bookcase are all original editions. The carpet is hand made in Singapore and the chair you are sitting on cost more than most people make in a month.” She waved her hand as she spoke making the gold bracelets clink together. “The point of all of this is not about money, it is about what I have accomplished in this life.
Simply put, this is about me. This sounds ostentatious and egotistic, but it makes me who I am. It makes me a better person and shows that I have learned all there is to know in this life.
I barely remember Blake Kudrow. He knew my husband years ago. He was probably important to someone. He probably had a lot to teach people and offer to the world. It is simply that he was not important to me. Therefore, it is as if he did not exist. I was busy with my life. Blake was outside of that. But, I will try to assist.”
Jeremy remained silent allowing Elizabeth to talk. A lot of words were said. All he heard were different statements about flagrant pride and ego. She was so caught up in her own world that she purposely stayed ignorant to everything beyond that.
“Mr. Worth, would you like a cup of tea?”
The offer caught him off guard. He had anticipated letting her talk for awhile longer, then politely excusing himself. He decided it would be prudent to accept. “Mrs. Haught, I would love one.”
She disappeared through a side door for a few minutes. Elizabeth returned with a silver tray with tea settings for two and smiled sweetly as she sat the tray down like a well rehearsed hostess.
“As I do recall, Mr. Blake Kudrow did not always have money. My, it seems to me that he was destitute in both finances and spirit at one time.” She poured both of them a cup of tea.
“Thank you, Mrs. Haught. Please go on. This is interesting and helpful to the eulogy I have to write.” Jeremy accepted the tea and took a sip to be polite.
“Well, one does not usually recover from spiritual bankruptcy like Mr. Kudrow. He made a fantastic turnaround at one point with no obvious external influences. This can lead one to believe only one
thing.” She offered sugar to Jeremy by holding up the silver bowl and spoon. He shook his head to decline.
“What is that one thing?” His curiosity was piqued.
“It is the one thing that each of us must come to know thoroughly in this lifetime. He grew to know himself and in doing so showed what most people are not able to see.” She paused and looked at him thoughtfully.
“What is it that most people are not able to see?” He gave her the opening to continue.
“Mr. Worth, most people cannot tell what is real from what is fake. They cannot distinguish the genuine article from a fraud. Whether it is furniture or people, they have rarely seen the real thing to tell it apart. So, they assume that everything is a fake and everyone is a liar. He accomplished the most difficult...to ‘know thyself!”
Jeremy thought her observation was almost profound and recognized it as true at some deeply intuitive level. Elizabeth Haught may choose to be ignorant of many things in the world. But, she did have some insight into other things. “That is interesting and almost profound.”
“Do not give me credit for that. It is what Blake Kudrow told my husband and me. It is really his perspective that I quoted and not my own insight. Although, it was the answer I received when he was asked what changed in his life.”
Jeremy seemed puzzled. “I see.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Do you know anything about diamonds, Mr. Worth?”
Jeremy shook his head. “Not much. They start out as coal and with enough pressure over a long period of time turn into diamonds. Some still have flaws and bits of coal in them. Miners dig them out of the ground, cut them and polish them.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Exactly, Blake said that people were like diamonds.”
They finished their tea over small talk. Jeremy thanked her for the time she had spent with him, and then departed. It took him awhile to write meaningfully in his journal. He wanted to capture the pearls of wisdom that had come from a prideful and purposely ignorant person.
He wrote until that perspective was recorded on paper. Many other observations of grace, confidence and self understanding were written too. It had been a good visit.
He read through his notes realizing that he had gained some deeper insights into two of his previous visits. Jeremy thought about Randy Libid and Adam Hogg.
Randy Libid’s life was so focused on lustful things that he had become distracted in all other areas. He recalled Randy bouncing from topic to topic each time a question was asked. Something in the conversation with Elizabeth Haught made Jeremy recognize the distraction.
Jeremy suddenly became introspective and realized how he was distracted in his own life. One or two areas in his life seemed overwhelming and kept him from fully focusing on important times when it really mattered.
He thought about Adam Hogg as he reread the notes written in the
journal to freshen his memory. Adam suddenly seemed aimless. Jeremy
remembered an old saying, “Pity the warrior who has slain all his enemies.”
Adam was like that. There was no aim in his life. Jeremy related to how there was no target to shoot for. Adam did not have a reason for going on and slipped into mundane mediocrity and deliberate indifference.
The sad realization overcame Jeremy that he too had done the same. Somewhere along the line he had fallen into a rut repeating day after day without direction. He flushed with embarrassment recognizing how many traits he disliked in others were contained in himself as well. He started to feel sorry for himself until he realized that was a trait Robert Furtive had.
Jeremy sucked up the wave of emotion that had overtaken him. He did not allow himself the luxury of self pity. Instead he turned to the list of names and addresses.
Chapter Twelve
He did not recognize the address for Irene Placid until he was in the immediate vicinity. Irene’s address was within the city’s botanical garden in a building marked ‘Horticulture’.
A muscular, in-shape woman finished watering a potted rose bush when Jeremy stepped through the door. She looked up at him with ice blue eyes. He was captivate
d by her almost white blond hair that grew long and straight to her mid back.
She wore a long sleeve shirt that opened wide at the wrist giving her a spriteful appearance. Her liquid movements were graceful with eyes that felt to Jeremy as if they looked into his soul. Her thin lips and cheeks were reddened naturally, even though she wore no makeup. He picked up the scent of roses as she approached.
“Hello, I’m Irene Placid. Welcome to the Horticulture center. You must be a gardener too.”
Jeremy smiled at her cool, calm and relaxed manner. “A gardener of sorts maybe. My name is Jeremy Worth. I was looking for you to talk about a man named Blake Kudrow. I am writing his eulogy.”
She turned motioning him to follow her. Irene was collected and literally felt to Jeremy as if she calmed the surroundings in her wake. She led him to two wooden lawn chairs amidst the rose garden. She sat calmly amidst the garden of flowers with such stillness that her presence blended right in. Jeremy sat opposite of her, suddenly aware of his own fidgeting only by her contrast.
“What is it you wish to know?” Irene’s body was motionless while she spoke.
“Anything you can tell me, Irene.” He was quite taken by her calmness.
“There really isn’t anything exciting to tell. Blake Kudrow had me help him landscape his yard. It was a great project.” She went introspective for a moment while a memory played out in her mind.
Jeremy felt compelled to break the silence with asking, “Did you talk much with him?”
Irene’s eyes moved back to look into Jeremy’s. “Somewhat. He would ask for my opinions on things. You see, I consider myself a student in the University of Life. I sit, I watch, I think and reflect. It is all very boring, I can assure you.”
He understood how her tranquility would be quite dull for people who lacked patience. Those multitudes who rushed to productively utilize every waking minute in constant activity would not be able to stay still, even though many constantly missed the tranquility as if it were some lost luxury.
Irene continued after a pause that was used to organize her thoughts. “Jeremy, internal contemplation is like a fine wine. It is to be savored and enjoyed. Many subtle flavors exist that only a patient and experienced person will recognize and appreciate.”
Jeremy nodded mostly because his body craved movement. “I think I understand.” As interested as he was, his body felt bored from Irene’s inactivity. He was anxious for a faster pace and was unable to understand his boredom.
She smiled a smile that contained the peace of the ages. “It is amazing what you learn when you quiet yourself and do not speak. You really get to know who you are when your companion is the stream of
thoughts that constantly flow through your head. That is the beginning of understanding.”
As for Blake, he understood that. He was always go, go, go. But, he could shut that off and sit in almost a meditative state conserving his energy and sharpening his focus. I found him to be a very unique individual, quite an enigma.” She smiled.
“I do understand that. He knew a lot of people and yet, they did not know him, not in any depth anyway.” Jeremy wondered more about the man behind the name.
Irene looked absently across the rose bushes. “Yes, explaining Blake Kudrow to anyone is like explaining the flavor of chocolate to someone who has never tasted it.”
Jeremy thought about that statement for a moment. He assumed a stillness while he sat. He was unconsciously imitating Irene’s demeanor. His quiet reflection ended and they chatted for a short while before Irene walked him back to the front door of the horticulture club. He wrote quietly in his journal for some time before moving on.
Jeremy forced himself into reflection, gathering mentally in preparation for the next name on his list. He almost felt as if he were on a pilgrimage for Blake Kudrow. A thought came through his mind. He hoped that he would finish the eulogy before the company called for a second interview.
Chapter Thirteen
Jill Ires was small framed, thin and carried herself as if she were ten feet tall. Her straight black shoulder length hair was mixed with gray.
She worked as a midlevel manager in a medium size company. The receptionist called for her explaining Jeremy’s reason for the visit. Jill came up and escorted him back to her office, stopping along the way to check an employee’s work.
He noticed that she had a commanding presence being both decisive and demanding with the worker. Jeremy observed the actions taking mental notes of details. Jill flashed with anger when she found an error in the worker’s project. She lashed out at him in a wrathful tone. He suspected that her comments were probably subdued because of him being there with her.
They continued on to her office. Jill invited him in motioning to a chair in front of her desk. She shut the door and then took a seat at the big desk and moved the stapler to a corner where it lined up with other accessories on an otherwise spotless surface.
“Tell me, Mr. Worth, what I am supposed to contribute in regards to Blake Kudrow?” Her tone was intimidating.
“Well, for starters, how did you know him? What was he like?” Jeremy maintained his composure even though she somehow made him feel like he was in trouble.
“Alright, I met him when I worked in the marketing department and tried to sell our services to him. I thought he was frustrating because he was so thorough. He would see me getting flustered and tell me to ‘relax’ or ‘calm down.’ It would only make me madder.
We had a few things alike to find common ground. Both of us had strong ambition and drive. We went the extra mile and both of our businesses benefited. I understood effort and the value of it.” She pursed her lips as if for dramatic effect setting in the last statement.
Jeremy leaned forward in his chair, “effort?”
Jill nodded. “Yes, it is the only true medium of exchange. A boy needs money and can do yard work in the neighborhood. He exchanges his effort in trade for the money paid. Many workers are hired for an hourly amount of money that they will receive for their effort. Even though most do not put in full effort for their hour and still expect to be fully compensated.
You see, money has no real value. Money is only a concept. Money is only pictures and numbers printed on fancy paper. We all choose to pretend that it has varying value to use it as a downstream means of exchange for things after the initial acquisition of it. It just has no value in itself. You cannot eat it, wear it or even take it with you when you die.
If it were not for my addiction to food and electricity, I would not need it. But it all comes down to effort used in the acquisition of money. That effort is exchanged for money no matter what method is used to obtain it.”
The telephone rang, interrupting their conversation. She had given Jeremy much to think about already. Jill’s tone on the telephone almost shocked him. She began yelling in a very agitated manner. Her voice was so loud that he was sure it could be heard by the workers outside her office. She unleashed wrath and fury towards the other end of the phone line until she terminated the conversation and then hung up.
Jill regained her composure. The redness left her face. Jeremy sat speechless as she started talking again.
“You have to excuse me, Mr. Worth. I swear it is national idiot day and everyone showed up. Sometimes I think they do things poorly just to upset me. That is not good with annual performance reviews coming up.” She inhaled, still calming down.
Jeremy was convinced she made a true statement and would hold grudges that would show up in the employee files. He would not want to work for her. Jill continued talking.
“Where were we? Oh yes, effort. Your effort generates your income. What you have to understand next is how economy works. Picture a teenager that works at the local grocery store. That teenager gets paid then buys a drink and some chips at the same store. A percentage in the pricing of those products is used to pay labor.
In effect, that teenager is contributing to his or her own paycheck. That is a small and simple
example of an economy. The cash flowing through the store and customer allows continuation of operations.
Reverse the example and say that the teenager ate lunch at a different place. The store would be deprived of that profit and, in effect, potentially hurting his or her own job security since there is less available funds to pay labor.
This is about economies of scale. Increase the scale to international trade between countries. Replace the store and customer with two different country names. The example model still fits only with a lot of additional complexities.
Go back to the effort example. Making money to put into an economy is not difficult. It is a lot like baking a chocolate cake from scratch. You can do that, can’t you?”
Jeremy nodded. “I guess so.”
She leaned in. “What would you need first?”
He sat thoughtfully for a second imagining random ingredients and remembering previous baking that he had done. Jeremy realized that he could not bake a cake from memory. “I would need a recipe.”
She smiled at him. “Exactly. You need a recipe.”
Jeremy smiled, proud of himself for getting the answer correct.
Jill continued speaking. “The recipe shows you what ingredients to gather, what quantities to use and in what sequence. Mix it together then put it in the oven and you end up with a chocolate cake.
You can vary the recipe a little bit. But, vary it too much and you do not get the required result. Follow it exactly each time and you will end up with a cake each time. Follow it each time you want a cake and you will have one. The only thing you have to put in is the effort.”
A knock at the door distracted Jill. She rolled her eyes toward the interruption. A worker opened the door and reminded Jill of an upcoming meeting in ten minutes. The worker left and Jill looked back at Jeremy.
“Never a dull moment around here, it is something different every day. I suppose that is why I like working here. Every day is an adventure with something to look forward to. Mr. Worth, if you will excuse me, I have to get to a meeting.”
The Legacy Inheritance Page 5
