The Short-Timers Chain

“Hi, grampa.”

“Well, hi, sweetheart. What brings you over? And you're alone, where’s your mother?”

“Mom had an appointment and she was late so she just dropped me off.”

“Okay, good, when I finish here we can go check out that new ice cream store.”

“Can we? Oh, please, please, please, please, can we?”

“Of course. Soon as I get rid of this stuff on the table.”

“What stuff?”

“Things I’ve kept for over 50 years, from my navy time. I don’t need all this junk any more. ”

”I remember. You told me a lot about living with 10,000 sailors on a big ship with airplanes.”

“Yeah, sweetie, an aircraft carrier. It was 3,000 sailors and for 3 years.”

“Wow! That’s half of my life.”

“Yes, it is sweetheart.”

“What’re those little silver beads?”

“What’s left of a short-timers chain.”

“A what?”

“When you have a year left you get a beaded chain with 12 beads and each month you cut one off so everyone can see how long you have left. It makes the guys with a lot longer time jealous. Like you felt when your friend Emily got to go to Disneyland.”

“I remember. I was mad at her for a while, but we’re still best friends.”

“That anger was jealousy. When your last months window opens you get another chain with 30 beads and start cutting them off again. Those are from my last month.”

“Can I have ’em? I like ’em.”

“If you promise not to make a mess your mother has to clean up. They make horrible noises in a vacuum.”

“I promise. Now ice cream?”

“Okay, sweetie, I can finish later. You can have the box too, it’s hand carved Jade from Japan.”

“Wow! I love you grampa.”

“I love you too sweetheart.”