Home in suburban D.C., King sat reading, his phone rang. King picked it up and glanced at the time. An uneasiness in his stomach swelled. What was the emergency? Vaughn King thought when he heard the voice on the other end.
“Hello…Vaughn…”
An old friend was calling after three in the morning. Dan Mason’s voice was stoic and did not bear the usual excitement. Looking incredulously at the phone in his hand, King felt his stomach churning. He cleared his throat, swallowed hard, and answered.
“Hello, Dan. How are you, old man?” Vaughn King said.
“Vaughn… I’m not so bad. But…”
“But what, Dan…?”
“Ah…”
“I know you didn’t just call to check up on me at oh-dark-thirty hours in the morning, Dan… What’s the damn emergency?” King asked.
“Vaughn, you better hop on the next plane and get down here as fast as you can,” Mason said.
“What’s wrong, Dan? It’s three in the morning…”
“It’s your son, Vaughn.”
“What happened…? An accident…? Was he flying…?”
“No, but you best get on the next plane down here to—”
“Dammit, Dan! I’m ordering you to tell me right now! What’s going on?”
“Someone shot your son—”
“What…? Is he…?”
“I’m sorry, Vaughn.”
“Dammit! Give it to me straight, Dan.”
“Someone tried to rob him. He fought back, and the robber him shot three times. According to the doctors, one of the bullets perforated a blood vessel in his heart, causing massive hemorrhaging, resulting in internal bleeding. Vaughn, they couldn’t save. He lost too much blood—”
“Okay, okay. Dan, thank you,” the senior King loudly sighed. “I’ll leave right away,” King said. “How’s his wife? How’s Diana?”
“Thank God, she was unharmed. She was upstairs in her office when the incident happened. She was with him when the ambulance arrived. The police briefly questioned her. And detectives from Enterprise made sure she got home safely. They’ll have a more in-depth interview with her later in the morning.”
“I want our people from the CID keeping tabs on the investigation, Dan.”
“Vaughn, that’s what I did. We’ve already assigned one of our best.”
“It happened off-post, huh?”
“Yes…Enterprise…near the boll-weevil Monument—”
“All right, Dan…”
Shell-shocked by the dire news, the senior King gently set the phone in the cradle. He calmly sat back at his desk. The elder King remained silent, staring at the photos adorning his desk. Snapshots of family and friends caught in different settings. The retired general’s face twisted with the raw emotions running inside when his eyes found a picture of him and his son. They were both outfitted in army dress white uniforms.
His trembling fingers traced the outline of the picture frame. The photo, taken back in 1998, awoke King’s memory. He remembered being at a social function given for his son’s graduation from West Point. King stared at the face of his twenty-one years old son. They were both holding victory cigars, regaling in a celebration caused by his son’s success. The picture, along with thoughts of his son, took his cloudy mind to another time. Soon the mind of Vaughn King senior was wandering down memory lane.
A veteran of the Viet Nam war and Desert Storm, the older King was brigadier general and commander of all forces on Fort Hood, Texas. A Huey helicopter transported the general, his cadre of four officers from Fort Hood to Fort Drum, New York.
While at Fort Drum, King conducted meetings with other generals. Then he was transported by motorcade to West Point for his son’s graduation ceremonies, where he was a guest speaker. Although Mrs. Hilary King, a schoolteacher and the wife of the senior King, could not be there to share in her son’s graduation, it was still a proud day for the King family.
“You did great son,” he told his son on the day of the milestone accomplishment. “Lieutenant King, let’s take this photo, and please sign it for your mother. She, like myself, is proud of you.”
“Thank you, general,” the younger King said. His hand was raised in a crisp salute when he continued. “I’ll try to live up to the great standards you have set, sir.”
“You already have, son,” the father gushed with a satisfactory smile. Patting the younger King on the back, the proud father continued. “Lieutenant King… It’s got a common ring to it. The sky is the limit.”
“Flight school, here I come,” the younger King said, pumping his fist.
“You’ll be great there, son. The Aviation Branch will be proud to have you.”
“Thank you, sir,” the younger King said, his smile widening with excitement.
When the father and son hugged, flashbulbs went off, recording their happy moment. A week later, both father and son visited the ailing woman. There were more than enough photos for them to share with Hilary King.
The following day father and son would deliver the photos to the ailing but happy mother. Although she was still in the hospital and weakened by her battle with the disease, she had the bravest smile. He wouldn’t know it then, but it would be the last time Vaughn King Jr. saw his mother alive.
Hilary King was in her hospital bed for an advanced stage of breast cancer. She had been in and out of the hospital but would later succumb to the disease. The son and father had both signed the photo and given it to the matriarch who could not attend. That day was special and brought a lot of tears from the family. It was an emotional day. Vaughn King had graduated from college and was now moving on, walking proudly in his father’s footsteps.
“Lieutenant Vaughn King Jr. That has a certain familiar ring to it,” Hilary laughed.
“Mother, that’s what dad said,” the younger King said.
“That’s because twenty-five years ago, he was the freshly minted lieutenant looking forward to his stint in the military,” Hilary said.
“You remember that, huh, Hillary?” King said.
“Yes, I do, vividly. You stayed up the entire night polishing medals and shoes. I was proud of you then, just how I am now proud and happy for you, son.”
“Thank you, mother.”
“So, where do you go from here?” she asked.
“It’s off to flight school at Fort Rucker now. But before I go, mother, you have to promise that you’ll come to my graduation from flight school.”
“I promise you I will, lieutenant,” she smiled.
The disease had ravished her body so much that no one was for sure how long she would live. She had been battling cancer for six years now. The disease had gone into remission only to activate a year later, which happened three times. All these years, Hilary battled back. The family supported her all along.
“You as demanding as your dad. Like father, like son,” Hilary smiled.
They hugged and cried then soon, Hilary was too tired and had to take a nap. The men left and went to eat and promised to come and see her. It was the last time they would see her alive. After his wife succumbed to her illness, the general went into