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It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls,
career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the
country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack
had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his
wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The
funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old
newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. "Jack, did you
hear me?" "Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I
thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack
said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were
doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over on 'his side of the
fence,' as he put it," Mom told him. "I loved that old house he lived in,"
Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure
you had a man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught
me carpentry," Jack said. "I wouldn't be in the business if it weren't for
him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important....
Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," he added.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his
hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children
of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his mom stopped by to see
the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused
for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap
through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step
held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture ... Jack stopped
suddenly. "What's wrong, Jack?" his mom asked. "The box is gone," he said.
"What box?" "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his
desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever
tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack answered.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it,
except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get
some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work
one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a
package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next
three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package.
The small package was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years
ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught
his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser," it read. Jack took the package out to
his car and ripped it open. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.
Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please
forward this package and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I
valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart
racing, as tears filled his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the gold box.
There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers
slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, thanks for our time! Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most ... was ... my time," Jack thought.
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared
his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," Jack said. "Oh, by the way, Janet,
... thanks for your time!"
Have a great day .. and oh,
Thanks For Your Time.
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