Lost and Found: (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) by Karey White Page B

“you work too much.”
    Before I go any further, it’s important that I tell you that I loved your grandmother with all my heart. She saved me. I was a broken, lonely man and somehow your grandmother put me back together. She gave me your father and you and your brother. She brought me laughter and joy and love. She was my world.
    But Gladys was my first great love. I met her in the fall of 1945. I was a resident at Boston Medical Center, and Gladys came to the emergency room with her roommate. They were students at Boston College and her roommate (I don’t remember her name) had cut her hand fixing dinner and needed stitches. I took care of her friend, but Gladys is the one that caught my eye.
    When I lost her, I thought I’d lost it all. For many years, I thought she’d destroyed me. It wasn’t until I was almost forty years old that I realized I’d destroyed myself. I spent years telling myself I was noble and good because I was so devoted to my work. But I wasn’t noble and good. I was selfish and arrogant. I told myself I wanted to be successful because of what it would let me do for those I loved, but when I looked at my heart, I knew I was doing it for me. Those I loved would have been perfectly happy even if I hadn’t become the Chief of Staff. Gladys married an insurance salesman who made less than half what I did, and she went on to have a happy life.
    Blake, your father wasn’t like me. He’s a successful man and a good provider, but he was never driven to work the way I was. Neither is Pete. They’ve both found balance in their lives. But you aren’t like them, my dear grandson. Sadly, you’re too much like me. I see you breaking your back, putting in ridiculous hours, missing important things, permanent things, all so you can be successful, so you can become a partner and make more money.
    Please stop. Let this old man teach you a lesson while you’re still young enough not to be ruined by the drive that almost ruined me. It doesn’t matter if you’re a partner. I know you think it does, but it doesn’t. You’re sacrificing permanent things—family, memories, peace—for temporary things—accolades, money, power. Those things don’t make you happy, Blake, and when you’re an old man, you’ll realize how empty they are.
    You’re on a path that leads to disappointment, and you’re running as fast as you can. If you keep going down that path, you’ll surely reach it.
    I hope when you meet Gladys, you’ll recognize what I gave up. I hope when you read my letters, you’ll see some of the pain I caused Gladys and myself. I was angry at her for a long time, but she did the right thing by leaving me. A good woman doesn’t want or deserve what I was trying to give. A good woman just wants a good man and a happy family.
    Be a good man, Blake. Find a good woman. Love her. Work to provide for your family, not for honors and accolades. The people telling you what you’re worth at your office would gladly rob you of the joy of pushing your child on a swing. The clients you devote your life to won’t make you soup when you’re sick and go grocery shopping with you. They won’t sleep beside you at night. Don’t live your life for the wrong people.
    And most of all, don’t confuse the worth of a career with the worth of relationships. Your career will never deserve more of you than the people you love who love you back. Don’t learn these lessons the hard way.
    I love you, Blake. It’s my family that made my life worth something.
    Love,
    Grandpa Knowles
     
    The letter sounded just like Grandpa. The words pierced Blake in his heart. He wiped his eyes and put it away. Grandpa had said he and Blake were the most alike. It was true. Blake had always looked up to him, had channeled his drive as he went through school and started at the firm. But after reading the letters tonight, Blake felt both honored and scared. Grandpa had been a good man, but his wisdom had taken time and had cost him plenty