1) The Old Man

The Earl Grey was brewed strong, the old man liked his tea strong a little bitter, with a little honey. The boy across the table, sat on a dictionary just see over the edge of table. The platinum blonde child looked like a miniature version of the ancient man seated across from him. The old man looked at the boy and asked how he liked the tea. The boy fumbled to take another sip and tried to grin to fast and a little tea dripped from his lips. He smiled a little more and the old man rumbled a low laugh, and the two of them shared some more tea. 

“Grandpa was tea always this good?” the boy asked. The old man’s eyes went wide as he looked over the edge of the table at the boy. “I really didn’t like tea until I was much older than you, and I never liked it as much as it looks like you do.” The old man said. The boy then asked “did you drink tea with your grandpa?” “No my boy, my grandfather drank coffee, lots of it, and I drank hot chocolate.” 

As the old man and the child continued their conversation a middle aged woman crossing the room, passed their table and stopped in her tracks as she heard the old man say “When we lived on the boats we didn’t have any coffee, hot chocolate or tea.” She slowly began to turn and look at the old man. She appeared to not notice the boy and looked as if the old man was speaking to her. His eyes moved up from her waist past her breast and to her face. He smiled and said “yes my dear” in answer to her questioning face. Leaning toward the ancient man as if she couldn’t see him clear enough, the young woman asked “Admiral?” 

The old man had been on television lately. He was given the civilian equivalent to the medal of honor, for his role in reconstituting the United States, at least as it sits today. Most of the major cities were taken over and not returned after the war. But much of country was back to normal. Shelly only recognized his voice from his acceptance speech, which to her sounded like a humble man saying "it was just part of the job.", but to the rest of the world, it was a gracious old man saying thank you to all those who were thanking him. 

As he nodded back to her and she began to turn away the boy asked an unfamiliar question to the old man, “Why did that lady call you ‘abmirl’, grandpa?” She turned back and knelt down to the boy and brushed back his hair and asked “Is this your grandfather?” The boy nodded as he looked back to the old man for a moment, then back to the pretty ladies eyes. He sipped his tea with the cup in both hands and grin on his face.  

She looked up at the old man, he grinned and motioned to the chair as he pulled it out towards the woman. She looked grateful to be given the honor to sit with a national hero. She realized that she was about to be the one to tell “The Admiral’s” grandchild who the Admiral is. Almost at once she turned from an excited little school girl to a player with opening night jitters. She realized that she was just invited to a conversation with not just the “Admiral”, but his family as well. She realized that she had no choice but to tell the entire story, and she had to get it right. She was now very conscious of her appearance as she noticed the old man taking in her figure as she sat down beside him. 

He looked her in the eyes after taking her in, hoping she wouldn't notice, and offered her his hand and said “Good day miss, my name is Edward James Phoenix, my friends call me Eddie. A pleasure to meet you…” She replied “It’s an honor Admiral, my name is Shelly.” “I hope you don’t mind, I couldn’t help but over hear your grandson, ask why I called Admiral.” she continued. “Shelly, may I introduce, Edwin, my grandson.” The old man said as he gestured toward the smiling youth still holding his tea with both hands. He smiled and once again, struggled a little to place the cup back on the table and excitedly extended his hand to the pretty lady. 

Eddie the younger grinned happily as the pretty lady, Shelly, shook his hand. He said “very nice to meet you” as he quickly returned to his cup of tea. The smile on the boys face stretched from ear to ear, and put little dimples on his now very red cheeks. She smiled back almost as big and said “very nice to meet you too.”  she looked to the old man and asked if she could tell the boy how she knows his grandfather. "I would be delighted my dear." the ancient man said with a smile, "but can we first ask who you are?" 

Shelly explained to the old man that she was a reporter for a local paper and that she was on her way to the office to type up tomorrows news. That she went to school for literary arts and that journalism paid more than an unpublished Romeo and Juliette retelling. She was polite and gracious, Eddie, the older looked amused and willing to hear her out . Her story unfolded towards the news and how she had read about the Admiral and his armada when she was in college. As the conversation went on she began to look in to the child's eyes and tell in child like detail how the very old man next to them was an average man in extraordinary circumstances . 

After several hours and many missed phone calls the woman had successfully instilled awe and wonder in the youths understanding of who his grandfather is, and why random people know his name or call him "Admiral". She shared several cups of tea with the ancient man and his grandson. The “Admiral” was quite gracious and charming.  

He liked her, the way she summed up the important bits and made the young one understand without the gory details. He thought about it while she was talking, if anyone was going to get the story of his life right, it would be this kind, young, beautiful woman. Not one of those over stuffed self-righteous, glory hounds on the national syndicates. The ones that begged before, during and after his award ceremony last week. 

They exchanged grins and nods and pleasantries, and the woman expressed great thanks for the opportunity and the two made plans to talk the next day and work out plans to meet regularly for tea at the same time in one week. 

As it happened Shelly was a reporter for a local newspaper, The Charlotte Herald. She never liked writing the trivial stories of this tiny hamlet. The day to day gossip and ramblings of local squawkers is not what she had signed up for. She went to school to become a writer, not a columnist.  

She charmed the Admiral, made arrangements with him to write his story. They will be meeting once a week to talk and exchange stories. He will tell her about the turn of the US, the exodus, the conversion and she will tell him about the new world and how it affects such a young and beautiful woman. This is going to be the chance of a life time. Writing the official biography of the Admiral.  

Shelly checked her messages as she practically ran to her office. Most of the messages were from her boss looking for her column which was due this morning before she even got to the tea house. But the next to last message was from her publisher friend from New York. She once again stopped dead in her tracks and began to dial Nicholas Franz, Editor of the New York Sheik’s Publishing Company.  

“Nicholas Franz, Editing” the gruff academic voice on the phone answered. “Nicky, this is Shelly, you will never believe who I just spent the morning with.” Shelly responded. “That’s not important right now, I have an idea for a book and I want you to right it.” Nicholas replied. “How about the official biography of the Admiral?” Shelly asked sarcastically. “Seriously Shelly, I want to commission you for a book. I can bring you up here...” Nicholas  rambled on and after several seconds of giddy silence Shelly couldn’t keep it in anymore, and cut Nicholas off. “I just spent the morning and most of the afternoon with the “Admiral!”  

The traffic rolling by kicked up dust and soot. The smog from the exhaust of 40 year old cars was almost enough to gag. That fact didn’t stop Shelly from speaking a mile a minute, telling Nicholas Franz all about her conversation, the charisma and intelligence of the old man and the boy she spent the morning talking and laughing with. She walked and talked, continuing on with the arrangements she made to get the Admirals story, and his agreement with her to write his official biography. 

On the 14th floor of the New York Sheik’s Publishing Company, in Manhattan New York, Nicholas Franz’s jaw could not close and he drooled on his desk calendar before he realized that he was allowed to close it. The idea of an official biography was astounding. The dollar signs rolled in his eyes. “Shelly, how?? Wha??when? Shelly, how did you do this?” Nicholas interrupted. She spelled out the details to Nicholas, after which he completely forgot about the story he wanted to commission her for. 

On the noisy and polluted side walk in front of the Charlotte Herald in Punta Gorda, FL, Shelly closed her phone and spoke to no one in particular “I fucking told his grandson who he is, his fucking GRANDSON didn’t know who he is and I got to tell him.” As the sound of her familiar voice made its way up to the second floor to her boss’s office, Terry Jones, craned his neck to the window. As he walked from the editing table to the window and slammed it open his face went pale. “What the hell are doing?” Terry bellowed from the now open window. 

Having missed all her deadlines, Shelly got the ass chewing of her career... but she didn't give a fuck!

The following day.

After what seemed to Shelly to be forever and a day plus a bonus endless night, she met back up with the Admiral. Eddie, he said to call him. "First name basis with the Admiral, WOW!" 

"Good morning Shelly how are you today?" The Admiral smiled. " I would like to introduce you to my wife, Samantha."  After some pleasantries, the tea finally arrived at their table and they began to talk of the time before the war. The Admiral was a normal guy working a normal job. Emily was a normal girl working a normal job. They had parent who were normal working and retired folk. Normal suburbia family types.

The Admiral started in on the meat of the story. 

"We have all heard the text book version of how the war started and how it traveled to the shores of the USA and how our daily lives were crippled. But where were you on that day? I was at ground zero of a local attack. I was working at the time for local government as a server admin and it was lunch time. I don 't think it really mattered that it was lunch time to anyone but I remember that I was starving that day and I took some of the guys with me. Our office was across from the mall, and we were going to the food court like we hadn't done in a very long time. I conned three of the guys to come with me, Rusty, Craig, and Javier."