Jack turned off the ignition and looked to his right at his stepson sitting in the front passenger seat of the van. James was wearing a dress shirt and one of Jack's ties, making sure to have the proper appearance for this special occasion. They were parked on Green Street in downtown Fayetteville, next to the large post office building. There was a time not long ago when Jack and James had a rather difficult relationship. But now they frequently enjoyed each others company, talking and laughing.
Jack regarded the significant improvement in their relationship as accidental. In his early twenties and struggling with several life challenges, James was perhaps exhausted with older people constantly telling him what he should or should not be doing with his life. In any event, during the past year there had been very little communication between Jack and James. Jack had been unsuccessful in efforts to improve the communication, even after meeting with Dr. Cuzin. Jack felt he had failed as a stepfather.
Just a month ago, Jack had been sitting on a chair in the family room eating ice cream directly out of its container. James walked through the room on his way to the kitchen. Jack had decided to try making fun of himself. It was simply trial-and-error. Mocking himself was not something he had ever done before in the presence of his stepson.
"I'm just a ridiculous middle-aged man stuffing myself with ice cream like an addict." Jack said in a loud voice.
James suddenly stopped, looked back at Jack with surprise, and then laughed loudly. Jack was surprised and pleased with this reaction. Jack rambled on about the special properties of coffee ice cream and how the grocery store on nearby Raeford Road was essentially Jack's own secret drug building.
Jack even made fun of his growing pot belly. James laughed and laughed.
Why did it take me so long to try self-deprecating humor, Jack wondered.
Now, a month later, Jack and James were on Green Street in downtown Fayettevile ready to follow through on their unusual plan. They entered at the front of the Systel building and headed to the door of the stairwell, just left of the elevators. The Systel security guard was standing by the elevator talking to a middle-aged man dressed much like Jack, with dress pants and dress shirt, loose tie, and sleeves rolled up near the elbows. Jack waved at the security guard as he opened the door to the stairwell and the guard waved back. James followed behind Jack and they began the march up the stairwell.
They stopped on the 6th floor to catch their breath. They had only gone halfway up the building steps, but James needed a rest. James was much younger than Jack, but his smoking habit was taking a bit of a toll on him. Jack appreciated the moment of rest. He used to walk briskly up these steps five days a week when he worked in the Systel building. However, he had not set foot in the building for nearly a year. His love of ice cream had added more pounds to carry up against the pull of gravity.
Until Jack's resignation last year, every workday morning Lori and Jack would walk quickly up the long flight of stairs. They had the stairwell all to themselves since the other building employees used the elevators. Lori was always the first to complete the climb up to their work floor. She was very athletic, a runner and biker, as well as long walks with the family dogs. Lori was five feet tall with the muscles of a dancer or gymnast. At the stairwell landing to their work floor Lori would stop and wait for Jack to catch up. Before opening the door to their floor they would touch hands and gently kiss. It was always a magical moment!
After five minutes of rest Jack and James continued the long march up the stairwell.
When they finally reached the top of the building Jack pushed open the entry way to the roof. They stepped up, now surrounded by clear sky. It was mid-afternoon and sunny, a beautiful November day in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
Jack was extremely high. He had always been invigorated by heights. There was also the oxygen from the long stairwell climb. And, of course, the caffeine from the coffee he drank a half hour ago at his beloved Fayetteville Barnes & Noble.
"See, this is perfect. Any time we feel depressed we can come up here." Jack said while looking towards the east in the direction of Green Street.
Jack started walking quickly toward the east edge of the building's large flat roof. James followed cautiously. While Jack loved heights, James preferred ground level.
"We need to decide which direction we prefer," Jack said as he glanced back at James.
Jack continued talking as if suddenly a large group of invisible tourists stood on the building roof listening to him. Jack was someone invigorated by large audiences.
"To the east is Green Street and the beautiful St. John's Episcopal Church. And next door to the attractive church is a well-regarded law firm. They were quite helpful when I was trying to find the appropriate attorney in Raleigh to help get past a stubborn brick wall. And behind those impressive buildings is a cemetery with beautiful, old trees. Cemeteries are fascinating places."
"And to the south is Cumberland County's delightful Cross Creek, steadily making its way through downtown Fayetteville. We all enjoy and appreciate creeks, rivers, and lakes."
James was laughing at Jack's absurd presentation from the roof of Fayetteville's Systel building.
"To the west is the downtown branch of the Cumberland County public library. Of course, we all love and appreciate books," Jack stated with a tone of authority to his invisible audience.
"And to the north is the busy United States Postal Service building, the hub of Green Street energy. Regardless of which direction we choose, we want to fully appreciate all the wonderful sights on the journey downward."
Jack was certainly enjoying himself. James kept laughing.
They had talked and laughed before about the ridiculous idea of simultaneously jumping off the roof of the Systel building. They were especially entertained by the discussion of how to make the jump simultaneous. Previously, James had suggested Jack should go first because he is older and wiser. Jack argued James should go first because younger people tend to be more adventurous and less fearful. Eventually, they agreed it would be best if they stood together at the edge of the roof and counted "one-two-three-jump." But what if one person jumps, while the other freezes? It seemed to be a fair question that needed some discussion and agreement. It was nonsense talk and laughter, perhaps the best medicine for times of melancholy.
Jack began talking to James and the invisible group of tourists about how climbing up the stairwell to the top of a tall building was healthier than eating ice cream or smoking cigarettes. He pointed out that Dr. Cuzin would be pleased to hear this. Perhaps they should climb the stairwell to the Systel roof every day?
It seemed fairly certain they had no intention of actually jumping off the roof of the Systel building. It was just an entertaining discussion of a far-fetched idea. There was something proposterous about discussing the best direction, east-south-west-north, for an imaginary jump off the roof of the tallest building in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina.
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