Up Through The Thermals

Chapter One

Tyler stepped out of the Doctor's office. He was not surprised that his cancer had spread. He had expected that, and all things considered, he was feeling good. It had spread into his lymph nodes and some of his bones. The Oncologist gives him 12, maybe 15 months if he does chemo for the first six months or 3 to 6 months if he doesn't do anything. He had already gone through 3 years of chemo with his wife Wendy before she died, and then, although he had had success with a round of chemo himself a couple of years ago, he was just not sure if he wanted to go through that again, the weakness, nausea, the hair loss. He could go with the chemo, or he could go with his other plan. He had come up with "the other plan" shortly after he had buried his wife.

Three vultures circled overhead as he crossed the parking lot toward his car. He smiled and waved to them, "hey, vultures," he hollered. He had always loved the vultures, particularly the turkey vultures. To him, they were the most beautiful birds, always bringing joy when he saw them. Since he was a child, turkey vultures have held a unique and powerful place in his heart. When he was five years old, a new neighbor moved in. Marcus befriended Tyler's family and spent the next three years raping him in their backyard. To cope, Tyler had learned to leave his body and fly up into the sky. No one believed him, so he hadn't mentioned the Vulture to anyone since he was a little kid, but in his memory, it was a turkey vulture that swept down, grabbed him, and taught his little soul how to fly away whenever that neighbor took him behind those oak trees.

Being raped at such a young age had done a number on him emotionally, sexually, you name it, but he was always thankful to Vulture for teaching him how to fly and get away during the abuse. He always believed that that saved him from being even more messed up from that experience. For over fifty years, he's been watching the skies to find Vulture keeping an eye on him. Living near the coast in a more rural part of the city, Tyler felt somewhat blessed because the weather there was mild enough year-round that most vultures would not leave, and he would see them throughout the year. Most days, he needed only to look up.

Now, he needed to find a place to get away from it all. As soon as he got home, he turned on his computer. While he waited for it to load, he made himself a cappuccino. He checked the answering machine. No calls. Just as well. He felt a little giddy about going with his "other plan." He grabbed his laptop and sat in his Lazyboy. He searched for a secluded mountaintop cabin rental. There were many of them from all over, so he added Northern California to the search. As he searched through the listings, he noticed that some people's idea of seclusion was different from his, such as five private cabins all clumped together on four acres. Some were much too fancy for his liking. He needed to be secluded and alone, far away from any neighbors. He kept looking, and after he finished his cappuccino, he decided he need not be in a big hurry. He had plenty of time.

The following day, he found a website for a place that sounded perfect. It was called “Lonely Peak Cabin.” It was located up in the mountains, about a four-hour drive from his home. He read through the website, enjoying the many pictures. “This vacation cabin sleeps 2-4 people. The cabin has a wood stove for heat, a screened porch, and a deck. The fully-equipped kitchen has dishes, pots, and pans. Linens and towels are provided.” That sounded fine. He read on, "The cabin is 12 miles from the nearest electrical grid. Cabin lighting is by gas lamps, and refrigeration is powered by propane. There is a public phone 4 miles away on the highway." For Tyler, this was perfect. "The cabin is remote and very quiet, and the property is wooded and mountainous. The mountain cabin is nestled among large ancient fir trees and majestic hardwoods - making it the perfect base camp to explore the surrounding rivers and mountains or just relax and enjoy the quietness." But what caught his eye was, "Enjoy expansive views from a small meadow less than a two-minute walk from the cabin."

He sent an email saying he was interested in renting the cabin for a couple of months of peacefulness. Next, he called his brother and sister to tell them he'd like to get together to tell them something. He suggested he could drive down to his brothers on the weekend and asked that his sister come too. They both wanted to know what was up, but he just said, "Let's talk this weekend."

Over the next few days, his emotions were all over the place. He was excited and scared all at the same time. He received an email about the cabin asking for the dates he was interested in. He wanted to be sure to go while he was still well enough to get around and requested any two months that the cabin was available beginning the next month, which would be April. Tyler informed the owner that it was imperative that he not be disturbed during the two months, and he planned to pay for his stay in advance. Tyler woke up early, made his cappuccino, and started a list of things he needed and places to go before being ready to stay at the cabin.

Talk to Ben and Jill

Lawyer

Bank

Tank, bag, and stuff

Grocery Store

Pick up box of gloves, tarp, and bucket

Write letters

Goodwill

Tyler drove to his brother's place the following Sunday for brunch with Ben and his wife, Laura. His sister Jill would be there, and he could fill them all in on the latest news. As he was parking out on the street, Jill came out.

"Hey Tyler, you look good!"

"Thanks! Sis, I feel pretty good, actually."

"Hope you are hungry. Laura cooked up quite a feast!"

Ben strolled out onto the porch. "Morning, Ty."

"Hey, great to see you guys. I hear Laura is at it again in the kitchen!"

"Oh yeah, her sour cream waffles, eggs, and bacon."

"Love those waffles!"

"Come on in, come on in. You want some coffee?"

"Yea, of course, thanks!"

As Laura finished putting out the brunch, Tyler caught up on what his nieces and nephews had been up to.

"Made your favorite, Tyler," said Laura as she placed the plateful of waffles on the table.

"Thank you, Laura, your waffles are the best!"

As they ate, they chatted about this and that, but Tyler could sense everyone was waiting for him to tell them what news he had.

Finally, Ben spoke up, "So Ty, what's up? Did you get news from the Doctor?"

Tyler paused a moment, "Yeah, …… it's not great news, but…," He suddenly was unsure what to say. "Um, you guys know I love you all so much, and I…I"

Jill came around the table to Tyler, "Oh Ty, what is it? We know you love us, and we will always be here loving you."

Oh shit, Tyler thought. This was not where he wanted this to go.

"I know, I know, thanks. I just don't want you guys to worry or be concerned about me. No matter what happens, I'm okay with it."

"Well, wait a minute Ty," Ben cuts in. "What's going to happen? What did the Doctor say?"

"Okay, well, basically, the cancer has spread, and it doesn't look good. I can do treatment or not, but there's a good chance I'll be a goner in a year."

Ben stands up, "Well, you got to do the treatment! After that, they may have a new, better treatment. You can't just give up. Your voice sounds like you're giving up."

Oh no! Tyler thinks. I don't know why I didn't expect that response.

"No, no, no," Tyler lied, "No, I'm not giving up, but I just need to get away for a little bit to get my head together around this."

"Man Ty," Ben sits down, "Don't waste time thinking about it. You have to be more aggressive than the cancer."

"I know," Tyler lied again. "The Doctor says I have a month or so to decide what I want to do."

"Tyler, we will be there to help get you through this," Jill says with a concerned smile.

"Yeah," Laura says, "And I'm not working now, so I am happy to do whatever, cook, Doctor appointments, whatever you need, Tyler."

"Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it. How about another cup of coffee?" Tyler says, trying to move on from this topic.

They all enjoyed a little more coffee, and Tyler managed to keep the conversation moving until Jill had to leave to get ready for some other commitment, and Tyler could slip away also.

As Tyler drove home, he realized he had to move carefully along as he navigated his way. Maybe he should tell Jill his plan? She might understand. No, he didn't want her to be the sole person that knew what he was up to. This was something he felt he wanted and needed to do. I mean, they'll be mad, he thought, but with time they will understand. He had always been the quirky brother. This was just taking quirky a bit further, he thought with a laugh.

Although Tyler could feel that he did not have the energy he once had and felt some pain here and there in this old body of his, overall, he felt pretty good. He was happy and at peace with his life.

That evening Tyler got an email from the owner of the cabin saying that it was already rented out for the next couple of weekends but was available the months of April and May until just before Memorial Day weekend. He had a family coming in the Thursday before the holiday for a week. "Wow," he thought, "it's the middle of March already. Am I ready for this?" He emailed the guy back and said he would like the cabin for April through the third week in May. He would be out by that weekend. He asked if they could meet up at the place to finalize the arrangement, and the owner was okay with that as long as he could meet him there on the weekend.

They agreed to meet there the following Sunday afternoon at 1:00. The couple staying would be out that morning. Tyler was excited to see the place, and as soon as he had the address, he went onto Google Earth to check it out. There were a lot of trees, but he thought he could see the small meadow mentioned in the ad.

As Tyler lay in bed that night, his thoughts returned to when he was in third grade. It was only maybe a year since Marcus had moved away. There was an assembly for all the Third Graders. An organization that cared for birds of prey had brought several birds to the school to share with the kids. There was an owl, an eagle, a peregrine falcon, and some hawks of different kinds. But all Tyler could look at was the turkey vulture, which was pretty much ignored over to one side as the kids in the class called it ugly and were much more impressed with hawks, eagles, and owls. As the presenter talked about each raptor, the children could ask questions. The last bird was the turkey vulture.

"So kids, this last bird is a turkey vulture. Do you know what turkey vultures do?"

"Yea, they kill things," yelled Eddie.

"Well, no, they actually are the only bird up here that does not kill things. They are known as scavengers. They are very important as they eat carrion which are dead animals like you might see along the roadside. They help rid the world of disease, which keeps us all safer. This guy's name is Van."

Tyler had scooted as close as he could to Van and raised his hand.

"Yes, what's your name?"

"Tyler."

"Do you have a question?"

"He's my friend," Tyler spoke quietly.

The whole class erupted in laughter.

"His only friend," added Eddie as most of the kids continued the laughter.

The presenter gave Tyler a caring look. "Tyler? Yes, Van is your friend. Would you like to feed him?"

"Can I? Yes"

"Now he eats dead mice. Do you mind touching a dead mouse?"

"Eww" from his classmates.

"No, I don't mind."

"Okay, stand up and move over this way slowly. I can tell Van already likes you, but we don't want to scare him."

Tyler got up slowly and walked over to the presenter and Van, standing on a metal perch wrapped with rope.

Van was very calm as Tyler approached, and they both looked into each other's eyes. Tyler whispered, "Let's fly."

"What was that, Tyler?"

"Um, Nothing."

"Okay, take this mouse and slowly hold it out to Van."

Tyler had the biggest smile as he held out the little white mouse. Van reached out carefully with his beak and grabbed the mouse. He then dropped it onto the perch and held it with one foot as he quickly tore into and devoured it. All to the sounds of third-graders squealing.

"Thank you, Tyler. You did very well with your friend."

Tyler smiled. "Bye, Van," he said as he walked away.

Tyler had made an appointment with Jim, his Lawyer, to go over his end-of-life wishes and make sure everything was in order should anything happen to him. Jim had drawn up the Revocable Trust for him and his wife, which he felt was no longer needed, so he wanted to get advice on what to do with it. Besides that, he just wanted to ensure his brother and sister would share his estate equally.

"Hi, Jim! It's been a while."

"It sure has, Tyler. It's great to see you. You look good. Hope all is going well."

"Well, I'm feeling pretty good. My cancer has spread some, so I'm dealing with that."

"Oh, Tyler, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks, Jim. That's why I'm here. Um, I just have a couple of questions or concerns, I guess."

"Sure, Of course."

"Yeah, well, first, I was wondering what to do with the Trust that Wendy and I had. I mean, nothing is left in it since I sold the house we had and bought the smaller one."

"Well, that is easy enough to remedy. I can just make an amendment to the Trust declaring it revoked and terminated."

"Other than that, I just want to make sure that Ben and Jill share my estate equally if and when I should pass."

"I can get those papers drawn up, and you can come by and sign them sometime next week. But there is still treatment, isn't there?"

"Oh yes, Jim, of course. Just want all my ducks in a row, as they say."

"Always best to be prepared, my friend." Jim chuckled.

"Thanks, Jim! How about I drop by Tuesday to sign?"

"Yeah, they should be ready by then. And keep me posted, Tyler, on how you're doing."

"Will do, Jim."

Before he knew it, Saturday came along, and Tyler became more excited about seeing the cabin and the mountaintop. It was at least a four-hour drive up there, and he wanted to give himself plenty of time, so he set his alarm to get up at 6:00 am. He could leave at 7:00/7:30 and have plenty of time to stop along the way.