Eden was now quite a developed and growing settlement. The Big House had long been completed and was very elaborate. There were many other impressive structures as well, and many family homes dotted the landscape. The latest big development that Ramius poured himself into was the market square—a large, two-story structure surrounding an expansive open courtyard. It was to be designated for markets and restaurants on the ground floor and would have offices and workshops on the upper level.
Eden was now over thirty years in the making, and it was delivering on every promise of a better life to which Ramius and his original followers had committed. Ramius now spent a lot of his time on future urban planning and advising others on new designs and construction. He was older now but was still in good shape and nimble enough to supervise when it came to many of the details. Johnny had developed a real knack for construction using the new techniques and materials that Ramius had developed. Johnny was, thus, generally in charge of the major city-funded infrastructure projects, such as this one.
“I think you should consider adding the third level over the main entrance. It will have a grand appearance, and I’m sure it can handle the weight,” advised Ramius, pointing for effect as the two men stood on the roof of the newly constructed second floor.
“Yes. I know, Ramius. But we need a lot more materials.
As it is, I’m having trouble just getting this second level poured.
We need more timber for the forms and scaffolds. It’s really slowing us down,” Johnny complained.
“Well, I will work on that. Mr. Li is supposed to organize that timber, and I need to understand what the problem is. But do you see what I mean? Do you have the original drawings?”
“Yes. Yes, I have them. We are still using the same drawings. No change. It’s just been slower than we planned.”
“Okay. Very good. I will look into it.” Johnny walked back to the open roof, where they had climbed the ladder to ascend to the rooftop. He was about halfway down the ladder when Ramius swung his leg over and put his weight on the top rung.
“Ramius, wait! Only one at a time! Safety first, old man!” But Ramius was impatient and continued heading down.
Suddenly, the ladder buckled, and Johnny jumped off, still three yards from the bottom. “Ramius!” Johnny cried out. But it was too late. The ladder sprung back and flipped over, dropping Ramius like a sack of potatoes straight down from a height of six yards. He landed with a crunch and cried out in pain.
“Oh no! Oh shit! Help! Help!” cried Johnny. Ana was in the bedroom of the Big House, standing over Ramius with a cool, wet cloth; wiping his face and forehead; and trying to make him comfortable. Johnny, Mr. Li, and Hook walked in. Picket was already sitting in a chair near the bed. He had been there for hours as Ramius slept.
“How is he?” Hook asked.
Ana shook her head.
“He wakes up sometimes. But he moans and then drifts off again. I think he’s in a lot of pain,” said Picket.
“What did the doctor say?” asked Johnny.
“Both legs broken. Right hip and right arm also broken.
He is really busted up,” said Picket.
Ana wept quietly as she tried to comfort him, but to no avail. “The doctor says he should be able to recover. But it will take a long time,” concluded picket.
“What about walking?” asked Hook.
“That part is not looking good,” answered Picket, looking grave. The men all looked at each other, knowing what this would mean.
“Let’s all hope for the best,” said Ana, hoping that the discussion would end. Every word they spoke terrified her.
“Please. Just let him rest now.”
“Yes, Ana.” They all hugged her as a group, trying to calm her, but there was no assuaging her fears about what would happen next.
Weeks later, Ramius was still immobile, but he was able to sit up. Li brought a special chair with handles on the sides and the back, which made it easy for others to lift and move Ramius from place to place. Li taught the guards how to use it, and they tested it out. Ramius was very pleased with it, and he started getting fresh air out on the terrace and resuming council meetings in the hall. During the third such meeting, he asked his son RJ, who was also on the council in charge of security, to stay back.
“RJ, son … you of all people know what happens next. I cannot carry on. I must take the traditional path. And you will take my place.”
“Father, we have only ended lives so far based on serious crimes. There is no tradition in Eden that calls for the disabled to be sent away. I have thought about it. Eden is not Victory. Why must we follow those old traditions? You can carry on and lead until you expire of your own accord,” RJ reasoned.
“Those are fair conclusions, son. And I have thought about these things, of course. But I have a different concern.”
RJ cut in with emotion. “We are not nomads. We do not need to migrate. Why should we follow such principles?”
“Whether we move or we stay, each of us places the same burden on this world. We are just animals. The only difference is that we have the ability to choose. Our choices tend to be the ones that suit us, but at the expense of everything around us. This is the human flaw. No! We can only take what we can give. When we can no longer give, we must no longer take. That is the balance of nature.” “Father! Do you know what you’re saying?”
“RJ! Listen to me! Whatever I do here will forge our future. It’s not just about me or the fact that you will miss me.
I’m very sorry about that.” Ramius softened. “Son, please. I will continue to think about it. But one thing’s for sure: you are ready to assume my role, and the day will come soon. I need to show you something. Ask the guards to take me to my study.”
The guards carried Ramius down the long staircase to the lower level and then down the hallway to his study entrance.
“Bring me into the dining room.” They maneuvered Ramius through the second doorway. “Yes, over there. Put me at that end of the table. Perfect. Guards, you can go. Don’t wait.
Come back around dinnertime, will you?”
“Yes, Leader,” one of the guards acknowledged.
“Okay, Father. What is there to see in this old room that you never use for anything? I don’t think anyone has used it since the time I would sometimes do my studies in here while you worked over there.” RJ pointed to the big desk in the main room of the study.
“Close the door.”
RJ got up and closed it, still puzzled. Ramius swung his body around, leaned out over the arm of the chair as far as he could, and placed his hand flat against the wall. Suddenly, RJ’s eyes went wide as the wall seemed to open up, revealing a bright light within.
“Dream, I would like to introduce my son, Ramius Junior.”
“Ramius Junior, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” a woman’s voice responded.
Ramius and Ana relaxed on the terrace, and in a rare moment, they were having a strong drink. Ramius had made the suggestion, as he knew that Ana sometimes enjoyed it but always denied herself an occasional moment of relaxation.
“Darling, I have no regrets. Now or later, it’s not such a bad thing. I want our dream to survive for as long as possible. If it can only exist with me, then I have failed … totally.”
“So, you’re going through with it?” Ana responded, and then drained her cup, willing the soothing effects to be immediate. “RJ said you would think about it some more. But I knew.”
Ramius held out the bottle, and she aligned her cup to receive more of the drink. “Ana, do I have to explain it?”
“No. But I want you to know that I’m going with you.
That was also an option in the old country. So, while we are staying with tradition, you should know that I am exercising my right to die with my husband.”
“Are you saying that in an act of desperation to change my mind?”
“No. I’m just saying. We have always been together, and I will not be left here alone while you—”
“Ana, please be serious. I can’t tell whether you’re joking. But you know that RJ is still here. You are not alone.”
“RJ already has a complicated life. I don’t know if you’re aware, but Rex is not your only grandson. You have another one. And RJ has another wife.”
“I … no, I did not know this. But your point is …?”
“My point is that RJ has a complicated life. He won’t be needing a lonely old woman to look after. He has enough to worry about.”
“Well, I doubt he would feel that way. In fact, I think he will be quite hysterical to hear about your plans to join me. You are not just some old lady. You are his mother.”
“We left our parents. Abandoned them.”
“We tried to convince them. They were too afraid.
Were we wrong to leave them? I don’t know. I had hoped the entire affair could have been more collaborative. But things turned out differently.” Ramius continued, “Darling, RJ will take over. You will be in good hands. And you apparently have two grandsons to look after. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“Ramius, nothing sounds like fun without you. I’m not joking. I won’t let you leave me. We are going together. To wherever that is, and maybe it’s to nowhere. Now, pour me another.”
The announcement was made, and Eden was in a state of mourning. Ramius’s friends all needed explanations. They knew that this decision would bind all of them to the past. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
“Father, you know that we have never come up with anything like the Victory drug. We never cared much when we were scuttling murderers. But we were supposed to have this sorted out years ago,” RJ explained.
“RJ, make it a point to resolve that problem before my dear friends reach this stage. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have the arrangements been made?” asked Ramius.
“Yes. It’s done. Eleven days from now. Two days before, there will be a ceremony regarding my ascension. Then, one day before, there will be a party … or … I don’t know what to call it. It is to celebrate you—the greatest man any of us have ever known.”
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