Passing of the Torch
#11 of 1849
"Do you know why I called you to come over, my son?" the fox asked, before drinking some water with some of his rheumatoid arthritis medicine. Grasping the bottle of water was a challenge for his old and enfeebled body.
"No sir, I have no idea why you called me over", was his folf son's response, the same kind of response that a private would give a commanding officer when the private knew he had done something wrong. The mixed-breed (just like the rest of his family in more ways than one) was in the eyes of his father just a little too immature, having never married and was still somewhat dependent on his father for financial support.
"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, David- I've grown old." The fox had grown old. His fur was graying and starting to fall off completely in patches, a trend which reared its ugly head when he was an extra on "Gam Saan". Chan was no longer the sprightly young fox he once knew and to be fair, the experiences he lived through aged him as well. What would happen to someone who had experienced racism his whole life, an earthquake as a newlywed, two World Wars (the first of which he fought in) and the Great Depression? Of course, they would get older and at a much faster rate than someone else, especially because the Second World War had seen him lose many of his friends' sons. Every Sunday at prayers at St. Mary's, Chan was always praying for the safety and protection of the American soldier and for an end to the war. No one in California was more overjoyed to see this madness in Europe and Japan finally come to an end than this old vulpine. But in a cruel trick of fate, three days after V-J Day, Annette his old wolf bride passed away of a cancer that did not respond to treatment. She was 61 at the time of her death.
This old fox whose fur had grayed and fallen out for the most part was "losing the heat", his term for the reduced circulation and warmth that accompanies aging. Even on the warmest summer days, he had to wear a jacket and whatever remaining hair his body had, he would have to keep meaning he never molted. The fire was warm and alive but Chan knew that just like him, when the last embers stopped burning, the only thing that awaited was a cold long and bitter night- a fitting metaphor for his own mortality.
"Just a few years ago, you were fit enough to be an extra in that movie," his son interjected, straightening his tie. He was always more than a little nervous around his father, especially when discussing the inevitable event that we all must face. Chan knew very well that there would come a day when the sun would rise but he would not- he knew that he would die someday. Chan could already envision all his friends and family, crying over his dead body as he returned to the earth from whence he came. But Chan could imagine the good food, the beautiful people dressed in their best clothes, the funny jokes, the happiness at the reception and he knew that life would continue whether he was alive to see it.
"But that took so much out of me. I'm beginning to think that wasn't such a good idea, as much as I love my sister Edna and her husband Ch'i Lin. And the fact that I prayed around the clock for the children of friends and strangers did not help my condition either. But that's how I lived- trying to help others to the best of my abilities in trying times. If it sends me to an early grave", the fox's gold-colored eyes welled up with tears "then that's the way it... simply... has to be."
"Tell your children and their children that I served my country well in the First World War and survived so many trials and tribulations. Do not let our heritage be lost to history. There is so much which must be taught for the future generations, and not just the ones who bear the name Vulpino."
"Be brave! I haven't been anything but helpful to you. I have passed up high-paying jobs to support you with the care that you need. And I will fulfill those requests even if it takes me the rest of my life" the folf said, grasping his weak father in his muscled arms, a sign of the many blue-collar jobs he had taken over the years. But even if he did not admit it, David needed his father Chan. The two canids stared into each other's eyes, the kind of love that a father and son share inherent in their looks.
"Do you know what my absolute favorite memory from the past is?" the fox asked. It was a question that he knew David would be unable to answer. Chan had never told any of his sons about the positive memories from his life, even though his struggles and things he'd rather have forgotten were the things most discussed.
"It happened in the city of San Francisco, just a few months ago- it was the California Centennial celebration. I remember seeing the young and beautiful Californians of all species parading, going down those San Francisco streets. And it fills me with so many mixed emotions- I feel so sad that I will not be able to join those young men and women in developing this state into something even better. There are many things in this world that you will see that I in my old age, will not. Build California into something great."
"But now the state is old, 100 years old and counting and it needs good people like you, like me to keep it strong. I feel blessed to watch California ascend to where it is now. Tell this to Edna, your aunt and her husband that Chan Vulpino lived a good life when that day should come."