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Authors: Jim Stovall

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BOOK: The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1)
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After several moments, Nathan stood to his full height, which was, indeed, impressive. I estimated at least 6 feet, 8 inches. At that point, the boys went silent, and Nathan spoke.
“Boys, as you know, your regular houseparent, Brad, will be on vacation for the next month. Jason Stevens will be filling in for him.”
Nathan turned to Jason and said, “Stand up, Jason.”
Jason stood slowly, and a chorus of young boys called out in ragged unison, “Hi, Jason.”
Jason cleared his throat and stammered, “Hi.” Jason sat back down quickly.
Nathan resumed his address to the young boys. “Also, Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings will be with us for the next month as well. Some of you will remember them being here during our board of director visits with Mr. Stevens. They are very fine people that we are lucky to have here.”
Then Nathan bowed his head and gave thanks for the food. All of the boys followed suit and were polite and respectful throughout the meal.
As we enjoyed our lunch, Jason asked Nathan, “Have you been here before?”
Nathan laughed and responded, “You better believe it. The first time I came here, I was smaller than the smallest kid at this table. I was in and out of a few foster homes, but when I think of the good things from my childhood, they all happened here.”
“Do you work here now or something?” Jason asked.
Nathan laughed, which sounded like a low rumble of thunder. “Yes and no,” he said. “I guess people would think of my main job as being the tight end for the New England Patriots, but as soon as the season’s over, I do whatever I can to be useful around here.”
Jason seemed shocked and said, “I’m sorry. I thought you were just a limo driver.”
“Well, today I am, and proud to do it,” Nathan responded. “Tomorrow I may be the head maintenance man or disciplinarian here. One of the things we learned from Red Stevens when I was growing up is that we all do what needs to be done because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do here?” Jason asked.
“I believe Mr. Stevens’ instructions through Mr. Hamilton were to let the boys help you figure out what you’re supposed to do here,” Nathan answered. “So, if they’re done eating, I will take Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings to the administration building to discuss next year’s budget and let your lessons begin.”
Nathan slapped Jason on the back with a giant hand and led Miss Hastings and me from the dining room building. As we were passing through the door, I heard Jason calling to us, “Look, I don’t have a clue here. I’ve never been around any kids.”
The young boys around the table all erupted into laughter which could be heard as we walked across the courtyard and into the administration building.
For the next month, Miss Hastings and I did all of the legal and budgetary work required for the coming year. We did have several opportunities each day to look in on Jason, and Nathan told us he would keep us informed.
For the first several days, Jason seemed like a stranger. But, eventually he settled into his duties as father, brother, teacher, and friend to three dozen boys. On the last day, as Nathan was loading our luggage into the limousine, each of the boys came out, one at a time, to tell Jason good-bye. Hugs were exchanged, a few tears were shed, and Jason received a number of gifts which would be considered exceedingly valuable to young boys. I noticed several oddly shaped rocks, a four-leaf clover, and an arrowhead, among other heartfelt offerings.
As Nathan drove us out of the courtyard along the gravel driveway, Jason was turned in the seat waving to the boys until they were out of sight. We sat in silence until we were well along the highway back to Boston.
Finally, Jason spoke. “You know what’s amazing? Not one of those boys has a family, but each of them knew more about a family than I did. I think family is not as much about being related by blood as it is about relating through love.”
The limousine horn honked, and Nathan let out a blood-curdling yell which I am sure serves him well on the football field. “You finally got it!” he shouted. “I thought you were pretty useless when you got here, but I knew that if you were related to Red Stevens, we had a chance. You see, you come from a great family, and so do I.”
NINE
 
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
 
Laughter is good medicine for the soul.
Our world is desperately in need
of more such medicine.
When you become an octogenarian, you find yourself dealing with your memories and your mortality. I was sitting in my office thinking of all the wonderful memories I carried with me, and my mind drifted back to Red Stevens.
I had just gotten out of law school and opened my office. The sign on the door read, Hamilton and Associates. The Associates part was more of a wish than a reality, as I spent the majority of each day by myself.
One day, I heard the bell on the outer door ring. I knew that my part-time secretary had already left for the day, so I got up and rushed out to see who it was. There stood a formidable man I later learned was Red Stevens. He told me that he was going to be the biggest oil man and the biggest cattleman in Texas, and he was looking for a good lawyer. He said that he had called the best law school in America and learned that I had graduated first in my class the previous spring.
He just smiled that huge smile I came to know and love, and boomed, “So I thought the best lawyer in the world and the best oil man and cattleman in the world ought to get together.”
It didn’t seem to bother either of us that I was a lawyer fresh out of law school with no clients, and he was an oil man and a cattleman without any oil or cattle. It began that simply and grew into a longtime professional and personal relationship.
My thoughts of Red were interrupted when Miss Hastings stuck her head into my office and said that Jason Stevens was waiting for us in the conference room.
 
Red appeared on the video screen and said, “Well, Jason, you’ve made it through six months of this twelve-month project. I want to remind you that you’ve come a long way, but you have a long way to go, and if at any point your attitude or your conduct does not meet Mr. Hamilton’s expectations, we will end this journey immediately, and you will not receive the ultimate gift, which is the bequest I have left to you in my will.
“This month, you are going to learn about the gift of laughter. The gift of laughter I want you to learn about is not a comedian in a nightclub or a funny movie. It is the ability to look at yourself, your problems, and life in general, and just laugh. Many people live unhappy lives because they take things too seriously. I hope you have learned in the last six months that there are things in life to be serious about and to treasure, but life without laughter is not worth living.
“This month, I want you to go out and find one example of a person who is experiencing difficulties or challenges in his or her life but who maintains the ability to laugh. If a person can laugh in the face of adversity, that individual will be happy throughout life.
“At the end of the month, you will report to Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings about the individual you have found and what you have learned from him or her about the gift of laughter.”
Red Stevens began laughing and said, “Someday, Jason, you will have to ask Ted to tell you about some of the laughable situations we got ourselves into in the olden days.” As Red continued laughing to himself, the screen went black.
Jason asked, “What is he talking about, Mr. Hamilton?”
I smiled and replied, “That would, indeed, be for another time and another place, but for now, young man, it is time for you to get serious about the gift of laughter.”
At that, Miss Hastings walked Jason out of the office.
 
Our firm’s private investigator, Reggie Turner, discreetly followed Jason throughout the month. Reggie reported that Jason seemed to be going about his normal routine and did not appear to be showing any outward signs of exploring the gift of laughter.
On the last day of the month, Miss Hastings buzzed me to say that Jason had called and asked if he could stop by in the afternoon. I told her that would be fine, and she let me know that Jason had informed her he would be bringing someone with him.
At the appointed hour, Miss Hastings escorted Jason into my office along with another young man who was obviously blind. He wore dark glasses and carried a white cane. Miss Hastings seemed uncomfortable as she watched the blind man walk across the office, and I must admit to feeling a bit of apprehension myself.
“Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings,” Jason said, “I’d like you to meet David Reese.”
Mr. Reese held his hand out and said, “Long time, no see.”
It took me a moment to overcome my anxiety and to be able to enjoy his humor. I shook his hand, and we all sat down.
“I met David on a commuter train last week,” Jason explained. “We talked during the train trip and several times since, over the phone. He is simply the best example I can imagine of the gift of laughter.”
David Reese blurted out, “Yeah, David told me that you guys needed a few laughs around here, so he dragged me in.”
David turned his head to the right and said, “Boy, this is really a beautiful office.”
“Thank you,” I said and was about to tell him about my furnishings when I realized he had been pulling my leg. We all laughed.
I asked Jason, “What was it about this young man that made you believe he had the gift of laughter when you first met him on the train?”
David Reese cut in and answered, “It was my magazine trick, sir.”
I smiled and asked, “Okay, what’s the magazine trick?”
David Reese explained. “Some of the commuter trains are not as clean as they should be, so whenever the seats are dusty, people often sit on magazines. Since I can’t tell when they’re clean and when they’re not, I always sit on a magazine. While Jason and I were getting acquainted on the train, a gentleman behind me, as people often do when they’re looking for something to read on the train, asked me if I was reading the magazine.”
At that point, Jason began laughing out loud and interrupted. “Right after the guy asked David, ‘Are you reading that magazine? ’ David stood up, turned the page, sat back down, and said, ‘Yes, sir, but I’ll be done before long.’”
When our laughter died down, I asked David how and when he developed the gift of laughter. He explained that he lost his sight early in life and had dealt with many struggles and challenges, not the least of which being people treating him poorly.
“Mr. Hamilton, sometimes in life, either you laugh or you cry,” he said. “And I prefer to laugh.”
I thought about David Reese and what a wonderful outlook he had on life. His gift of laughter had not only benefited him, but everyone around him, including me. I told Jason that he had certainly fulfilled the assignment for this month.
As Jason walked with David Reese out of the office, David stopped, turned, and said, “Mr. Hamilton, I wanted to tell you before I left—I think that’s a beautiful tie you have on.”
I was halfway through thanking him for the compliment when I realized he had done it to me again. He and Jason could be heard laughing all the way down the hall to the elevator. Miss Hastings was laughing softly as well.
“So, what are you laughing about?” I finally asked her.
“Well, it is a nice tie,” she replied.
TEN
 
THE GIFT OF DREAMS
 
Faith is all that dreamers need
to see into the future.
There are days when you can just feel in your bones that something extraordinary is going to happen. There are other days when the extraordinary things in life surprise you.
As I was waiting for Jason Stevens to arrive for his scheduled appointment, which would begin another month of discovery for both of us, I was standing at my window looking over the Boston skyline and thinking about Red Stevens. It is hard to feel the loss of someone you love when so much of that person remains with you all the time. There are people who have such a huge impact in our lives that they become almost a part of us. Red Stevens had that effect on me, and I know he had the same effect on many others.
There were, indeed, many days I wanted to pick up the phone and hear that gravelly voice with the West Texas accent boom back at me. But, somehow, I knew that I would never be without the good things that Red Stevens had brought into my life.
Red Stevens appeared before us on the large video screen at the end of the conference room. He was, indeed, a great man, and his greatness had manifested itself in every area of his life. Now he was attempting to pass that greatness on to his great-nephew.
“Jason, while you’re sitting there, I want to take just a minute to thank Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings for agreeing to take on this yearlong project. I hope you’ll remember that when you receive the ultimate gift that I have planned for you as my final bequest, the delivery of that gift will be due in large measure to the efforts of my dear friends Theodore Hamilton and Margaret Hastings.”
BOOK: The Ultimate Gift (The Ultimate Series #1)
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