D.B. and the Redemption of John Mead (eBook)

Robin West (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
268 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-1489-2 (ISBN)

Infos

John Mead grew up in the 1960s as an only child in a rural Washington community. In his youth, he loved football and hunting and fishing. Though his love for the outdoors never wanes, his life takes a new direction, first with the love of a young woman, and then in a fateful entanglement in one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century. From the jungles of Vietnam to the tundra of Alaska, John's life is filled with challenges and rewards, including a spiritual awakening, as well as painful illustrations that the ultimate cost of war can far exceed the price paid on the battlefield.

Robin West has published several nonfiction books, but 'D.B. and the Redemption of John Mead' is his first novel. His nonfiction books were written about things that he has studied or experienced; his first attempt at fiction includes these as well but also delve into delights of the imagination. Robin grew up in rural Oregon in the 1960s and graduated with a degree in wildlife science from Oregon State University in 1978. From there he started a career in Alaska working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. After thirty years he moved back to Oregon where he finished his career overseeing management of national wildlife refuges in the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands. In retirement he returned to Alaska where he and his wife spend their time with grandchildren and their labradoodle, in between their travels.

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Growing up in the 1960s in rural America created special memories for many. John Mead was no exception. Though an only child and with limited parenting from his mother and father, John nevertheless flourished in the care of his aunt and uncle and the carefree life of Woodland, Washington. He loved football and hunting and fishing most, except for his dog, Max; John had a special connection with animals - especially dogs. New love came too, with a high school romance that led to an early marriage after John was drafted and just before he was sent to Vietnam. There his life turned upside down. Far from home and family, John served as an Army radio operator in a strange and dangerous land. He met a remarkable man that would become a life-long friend. He called him Jonesy, and he was smart; he seemed to know something about just about everything. John also met a man that he would see once again soon after he returned home. That encounter was either a seemingly impossible coincidence, or an act of God. John didn't know which, and he didn't know his real name either, but the man later became known as D.B. Cooper. Life changed drastically again for John after he and Max found Cooper early Thanksgiving Day in 1971. A dead body and a lot of cash formed the basis for a secret that John would try to live with as he worked to get on with his life, and ultimately a secret that he would take to the grave.

Textauszug

Two

Cousin Carrie

Carrie Hanson was a Woodland High School cheerleader. It would be wholly inaccurate to say she had caught John’s eye. She had captured his heart and imagination since he first saw her their freshman year. And yet, they had never spoken. It was a small school, but she had her friends and John had his—well, not really. John enjoyed the company of his teammates but had little contact with other students after school. Deep down, John also felt that Carrie would have no interest in him. How could she? She was knockout gorgeous, and he was a big kid with hair that wouldn’t comb straight and he seemed to always have a bad case of acne. She came from old money—a well-off family of five; he came from no money—a poor family of two. Her father was the pastor of a megachurch in Vancouver; his was a trucker that was mostly out of town. She was a princess; he was a country bumpkin. But something changed one night after a game—a game the Beavers won. John was pulling off his helmet and running triumphantly towards his uncle in the stands when he saw Carrie looking at him. There was no doubt—she was looking at him. He smiled, and she smiled back, and then she waved before turning back to join others in a final cheer. It was just a small wiggling of her fingers in his direction, but John almost fell down.

John looked for Carrie throughout each school day. He learned which classes she was in and what her daily routine was. When his schedule allowed, he would wait and watch for a glimpse of her and hope for some conversation. No opportunity came at first, and honestly, John didn’t know what he would say if it had, but he kept up his vigil and finally worked up enough courage to approach her and see where it might lead. School was just out, and Carrie had been talking and laughing with another cheerleader about something near the bottom of the steps in the gymnasium. She turned and started for the parking lot when John hurried to intercept her. He knew where she always parked; he imagined everyone did as she drove a bright-red 1964 Ford Mustang convertible—without question the coolest car in the lot and the only one like it in town, as far as he knew.

John dodged in front of Carrie and blurted with a sheepish grin, “When are you going to take me for a ride in your car? I’m tired of waiting for an invitation, so thought I should just ask.”

Carrie stopped and folded her arms in pretend disgust but smiled widely and replied, “Well, John, how do I know that you are worthy of spending time with my car? What can you tell me about it?” and then started walking away again but slowly.

John stepped up quickly alongside. “Lots of stuff,” he said. “But probably nothing you don’t already know. You have one of the first models—the first really, made available in any number. There was one shown in James Bond, Goldfinger, but that one was white. Some have a 170 cubic inch inline-six engine; others, a 260 cubic inch V8. Yours has a V8, but it’s a 289—definitely the highest performance engine they make.”

Carrie stopped, still smiling, and looked John in the eyes. “Sounds like you know your car stuff, so you can come for a ride sometime, but not now. I have a date.”

John’s heart sank, and she pursed her lips and continued, “Not really, but I do have to get home and pick up my sister and go shopping. You aren’t asking for a date, are you?”

John was flustered. He was relieved Carrie wasn’t headed out on a date but was caught off guard when asked of his interest in that very thing. Of course he would like a date, but before he could respond, Carrie continued, “You know, we can’t date. I think we might be related, so it wouldn’t be proper—distant cousins maybe.”

John was ninety-nine percent sure she was joking, but again, before he could respond, she added, “Of course, we might be kissing cousins.” Still smiling, she blew him a kiss and continued to her car. He was sure his face had to be as red as her convertible.

Other students at school seemed to think it only logical that a popular cheerleader and football star got together, and while they started to speak with each other more frequently, John sensed it might just be a game to Carrie. At first, they would engage in small talk whenever they would see each other, but after a couple of weeks, they started to talk on the phone, and nearly every night. The conversations became less forced, and they talked more about real issues and events, though Carrie did most of the talking. That was fine with John. He enjoyed hearing her voice, and he was fascinated by her, whether she was telling stories, asking questions, or was serious or being silly. The phone calls were often the highlight of John’s evening. The only awkward part was sometimes on his end—not the talking or listening but actually getting to talk when they wanted to. The phone in his dad’s house had a party line. John didn’t even know who the people were who shared the line—only that he was annoyed that they were using it when he wanted to. If he was calling Carrie, he would pick up the receiver and listen, and if no one was on, he would dial her number. If he heard voices, he would hang up and try again in a few minutes. Generally, the unknown party’s calls were short, but once they were talking for nearly an hour, and Carrie commented that time.

“Why don’t you get your own phone line?” she asked, innocently enough.

It was the first time since the two had begun talking regularly that he thought about the difference in wealth between their two families. John sensed that the Hansons rarely were wanting for anything, whereas he knew that his father and he needed to stick to a pretty strict budget. But rather than raise the issue of money, John just said, “That’s a very good question, and one I hadn’t thought about until I started looking forward to talking with you.”

The answer was apparently sufficient, as Carrie quickly changed the subject and went on to ask John if he was a good dancer. I’m not a dancer at all, he thought but said, “Might be, if I had the right partner.”

Formal dances occurred twice a year at Woodland High School, but they also had less-formal sock hops in the school gymnasium at least once a month. These were supervised events where a classmate acted as a DJ and played records over the sound system in the gym, and students would slip off their shoes and wait around for someone to ask them to dance. Sometimes the girls asked, but usually it was the guys. John had gone once but felt out of place and had left early, and without dancing. He knew Carrie enjoyed such activities, and he was pleased that she wanted him to join her, but he still had mixed emotions. They hadn’t been able to date formally, as she said her dad was very strict about how and whom she went out with. That was to be a bigger discussion he knew. But talking on the phone and hanging out at school wasn’t dating, and John wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities he could to spend time with Carrie. Still, he was nervous about dancing and told her as much. She wasn’t fazed.

“No problem,” she said. “On fast, upbeat tunes, just look at me and let your body move quickly to the beat; for soft and slow songs, just hold me and move slowly to the beat.”

The thought both excited John and scared him to death.

The first song was hard to dance to. It was “Light My Fire” by the Doors. John felt foolish bobbing up and down in rhythm, but it seemed to be what everyone was doing, and Carrie was clearly enjoying it. Then came “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees. That was easier. The song had more of a beat, and John started to get into it, moving his arms more and shaking his head slightly. Carrie would spin and shake and wiggle her hips. It was fun. A few more fast dances were followed by the Beatles performing “Hey Jude.” Carrie came close to John, and he quickly looked around at other couples to see what they were doing, and then followed suit—gently holding Carrie around her waist and moving slowly with her body next to his. She looked up at him and bit her lip softly. When the music stopped, she leaned forward and stepped on top of John’s feet with hers, tipped her head up, and kissed him softly on the lips. John froze—certain that everyone was staring—but then realized that he didn’t care. Nothing else in the world mattered then, except the beautiful young girl in front of him—kissing him.

Nightly conversations between John and Carrie grew longer and more personal. They talked more about the future and things that they would like to see and do together, rather than the more mundane conversations that they had previously, which had usually revolved around school projects or family activities. One topic that kept coming up was that of serious dating—such as going to the coast or at least out to eat or the movies, unchaperoned. Carrie had made it clear that her father, who she emphasized was kind and loving, was nevertheless a pastor who practiced what he preached, and that his rules didn’t prohibit dating by his children but didn’t allow them to be alone with the opposite sex either, at least while they were still living at home. Carrie had an older brother, Teddy, who was a navy pilot serving in Vietnam. She hadn’t paid much attention when he had been her age, but she thought that her dad had allowed him to take a date, alone, to his senior prom, but she wasn’t sure. Her other sibling, Beth, was a year younger, and to her knowledge,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.9.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Historische Romane
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3178-1489-2 / 9798317814892