The Lesson

 “All rise” resounded the booming voice of the court clerk, as he began his afternoon duties in the Lutsel K’e village of the Dene First Nation courthouse. “This court is now in session. Justice Bernie London presiding”

The small log frame court room was packed with relatives and friends of August, the defendant, who looked frail and tired in his gray, tattered smokehouse jacket and rumpled khaki fishing pants.

The defendant sat, alone, with an aroma of campfire wood-smoke invisibly seeping from his clothes. The case was poorly prosecuted.

By the time the translator whispered to August, the words, “Not guilty. Case dismissed”, there was already a smile on his face.

Bernie flew back to Yellowknife, drove his Jeep to the Gold Range Hotel to call Patsy.

The next few minutes changed everything in his life.

 

“Can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Can you count my fingers?”

“I can’t see your hand.”

Gradually, like the opening scene in a movie, the room filled with light and a doctor was holding up his hand in front of Bernie’s face.

“Five”, whispered Bernie. “I feel tired.”

“I’ll let you rest in a minute. Can you remember what happened,” insisted the doctor as he moved closer to Bernie. In the background was Patsy and a few friends who were blurry.

“I remember picking up the payphone at the whaddyacallit hotel and then you asked me if I could hear you”

“You had a grand mal seizure. You need to rest a bit then you can go home. I need to see you for an assessment tomorrow. Just come to emerg and ask for me. Can I see your driver’s licence?”

Bernie reached in his hip pocket for his wallet and gave his licence card to the doctor.

     You make sure I see him tomorrow, Bernie heard the doctor say to Patsy. Then he was gone.

“Where’s my driver’s licence?

“The doctor has it”

“Can you call him back?”

“I don’t think you should drive right now”

A cold sweat started to form on Bernie’s forehead and panic started to set in as if he were on death row and looking at the hangman.

“The men at the hotel found you on your back, shaking, heaving, frothing at the mouth and having a seizure. One of them called me and I told him to call an ambulance. Just walk slowly.”

 “Why do my calf muscles pain so much? This is nuts.”

“Don’t worry. Just take my arm and I’ll bring you to the car”

“The Jeep. Where’s the Jeep?”

“Don’t worry. I had your vice principal drive it home. Everything’s ok”

The furor of the day’s events seemed to clash with each other at a sickening speed. The confusion bashed against the reality. The present slammed against the past.

 “Here we are” whispered Patsy in her soft, caring tone. Her steady, reassuring words kept flowing and Bernie loved it. Her comforting words seem to make all the muddle go away. He felt confidence in those compassionate tones and empathetic words. Patsy’s depth of kindness knew no bounds. That, and her beauty was why he fell in love with her on that Tobago beach.

As a fifteen-year-old, Bernie had learned from his esteemed boss, Lloyd Pridham, to drive every farm vehicle possible on his farm. One day Bernie paused beside his revered mentor and posed, ‘What’s life for. What’s it all about?’ Without batting an eye at this teenage existential question, he replied ‘When my feet hit the floor each morning and when I lift them into bed each night, I have to assure myself that I have been the best person possible and have tried to make my every waking moment honourable, meaningful and helpful to make this world a better place to live in.’

As Bernie reflected on that realistic response to his reality question, he knew that the most important thing in his life was not the driver’s licence, instead it was the daily actions of kindness, honour, integrity and productivity. This reality check put everything into perspective.

That night, as Bernie was about to lift his feet into bed and kiss his wife good night, he paused and looked deep into her russet, caring eyes and whispered, “Thank you for everything you have done today. I know this world is a better place because you’ve done your very best.”

With welled eyes and a tiny trickle of tears on the side of her face, she kissed Bernie good night.