GENIUS

Colin Bernard Adams came into this world on Wednesday, 1975, April 3rd at 8:10am and weighed 7lbs, 4oz (3.289kg). He had a thick head of hair and bawled like a steer on its way to the slaughterhouse, when his umbilical cord was cut and knotted. His mom loved him right from the beginning, but his dad never had a chance; he was killed in Vietnam, a day before his son was born, when the helicopter flying his severely wounded body to a behind-the-lines hospital was shot down and exploded on impact. He had been a brave soldier (awarded the Silver Star posthumously).

Colin’s mother, although a very pretty woman, long blonde hair and eyes as blue as the Pacific Ocean, never remarried. It wasn’t because she had never had any lovers or proposals, but because she didn’t find them that interesting. She was hardly, as some women were called, “a dumb blonde”. Also, Colin’s IQ was through the roof, bordering on genius, move over Albert Einstein. She never doted on her son but had worked hard through the years to save money for his education.

Although Colin’s parents had been very attractive people, he on the other hand was bordering on plain. Not that he wasn’t handsome to some degree, he was just sort of non-descript. He wasn’t obese, nor was he thin, neither strong nor weak and his personality was neither exciting nor boring. However, his mind, although highly intelligent, bordered on eccentric.

At age 5, his mother enrolled him in kindergarten, not that he needed to start school early, because he could already read, very few words beyond his understanding, but because she couldn’t afford a babysitter. The teacher could scarcely believe how far advanced he was compared to the other children in the class, who were mostly at the stage of sounding out words, let alone reading paragraphs. And not only that, he could print legible sentences, and his artistry skills were also far advanced, colouring within the lines, no obstacle.

When Colin was enrolled in Grade 1, he almost immediately skipped into Grade 3, which was still as easy as Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall for him. To say passing elementary school was incredibly easy was no understatement. Instead of entering Grade 7, the beginning of high school, his teachers wanted to start him at Grade10. However, although skipping grades wouldn’t have been much of a challenge for Colin, his mother refused, saying she didn’t want him growing up too fast and becoming barely a teenager in an adult world. Although very smart, not nerdy by any means or a jock, his fellow students regarded him as simply being very smart; A’s and A+’s filling his report card. Even though Colin was brilliant, he never looked down on his fellow students and even tutored a few who asked for his help.

Of course, there’s no escaping puberty, and like other boys his age, it wasn’t long before his girly-voice cracked, and fuzz began growing on his face. Also, he began viewing girls very differently as well. It was hard not to notice flat-chested girls suddenly filling their blouses, long shapely legs and heart-shaped asses. However, being neither very tall nor short, fat or skinny, had nothing to do with how some girls felt about him; no, they were intimidated by his intelligence. But he didn’t care because the last thing he wanted was to have a serious relation with a girl, no matter how beautiful and sexy she looked. To him, looks and just getting laid were at the bottom of the ladder.

Strangely, although Colin excelled in the academic world, he also managed quite well in the creative world, often playing a role in a high school play. Memorizing lines were child’s play for him and he was not without emotional consideration, could even bring tears to his eyes and a fierceness as well if that’s what his characters had to display.

During his school years, Colin never really had a best friend and even as he grew older, it was also the case. Many acquaintances came and went but he was OK with that and didn’t feel the least bit left out. He was quite alright being alone, his sharp mind kept him too busy, always a project or projects happening.

Since he lived on the outskirts of a small city, he took a keen interest in Nature. Although his mother worried about him, he often went hiking and tenting solo in the wilderness, lush hills and meandering streams filling him with awe. He didn’t know if it was because his father had been a sniper and had no idea how many people he had killed during the war, but he bought a high-powered rifle with a scope. He had no intention of hunting animals because food had never been a shortage on the table. However, the idea of being an excellent marksman, like anything else he wanted to learn, seemed like an excellent idea. For some reason or another, which he couldn’t fathom, automobiles did not excite him, so he had saved up his money from after school jobs and purchased a motorcycle, one he could ride on trails. Like everything he put his mind to, before long he could shoot the nose hairs out of a grasshopper at 300yds (274.32m) and ride that motorcycle like it was a living part of his body.

Over the years, whenever he wanted to learn more about his father his mother was more than willing to tell him because she liked reliving some of the times they had shared together. Like his father, he had high standards of which, loyalty, honesty and integrity were at the forefront. He may not have been as academically intelligent as his mother but improvising, figuring out how to repair things and devising plans was at the top of his list. He was what one might call: well-rounded.

Through all the years of schooling, even attending University, Colin, as smart as he was, had no idea for a possible life career. However, he did like the idea of becoming a doctor to help heal people, but since the system was set up to bankrupt patients when surgery was required, he couldn’t be a part of that. Also, a good lawyer was too expensive for the ordinary citizen even though he considered donating much of his time. A scientist appealed to him but then if he discovered something very worthwhile, it would most likely be used by the military. So instead, although the wages weren’t high, he would never become rich, he did like Jesus, became a carpenter. Building, rather than destroying something, was far more appealing to Colin.

Colin’s 20’s and 30’s blew by as fast as a rocket soaring through the Universe and when he reached 42, his mother became ill. She had been a heavy smoker—cancer riddling her lungs, spreading to her bones. Still unmarried, some money in the bank, he quit work and began looking after her. It was unbearable to watch his mom waste away and then on a hot summer day in July, he watched her take her last breath before he shut her eyes.

His mother’s funeral was very quiet, like him she had had few friends. However, he did meet some relatives he never knew existed at the reception. After nibbling at the food, he had prepared, and sips of wine, they departed with barely a word and why wouldn’t they, they were all strangers. While going through his mother’s belongings, deciding what he should keep, toss out or donate, he came across a small wooden box; his father’s name stamped on the lid in bold black letters. When he opened it, the first thing that caught his eye was an envelope with a short note inside, which was written by his mother:

Colin

I probably should have given you this sooner, but it was all that I had left of your father’s and wanted to keep it until the end. All the letters that we exchanged while he was a soldier are in this box, and I would sometimes read them. In his notebook or journal, if you should read it, you’ll get an idea of who your father really was, especially when he was living in horrific hell. There are some photos of him during that time and of us too, which were taken while he was on leave. He was a passionate and very loving man, and I loved him so much. If he had survived the war, I’m sure he would have loved you too and been one helluva good father. Besides his medal, you’ll find a few things he had saved during his time in Vietnam, including a grenade. Why he saved that, I have no idea. But be careful with it, don’t pull the pin because he told me it was live. Since you are most likely reading this when I am dead, I want to tell you how proud I am of you and how much I have always loved you. I may not have liked some of the choices you made, especially after leaving University, when you could have made a shitload of money in any profession you chose, but I do understand, staying true to oneself is more important. Money does not determine the wealth of a real man—his heart and his actions do. And you have proven that in so many ways. I may have a little regret that you never married, because I am sure you would have made a wonderful husband and I would have had a grandchild. PS—it’s not too late.

Love mom, xo

After reading the note, Colin ran his fingers over his mother’s handwriting as if touching the words might suddenly bring her back to life. Tears ran down his face as he carefully folded the note and put it back into the envelope. He wasn’t ready to read his father’s journal yet, it could wait for another day when he wasn’t so emotionally drained. Unlike his father, Colin never joined the military. He couldn’t see any reason for invading another country and killing people who would never attack him.

As the years went by, hard physical work began taking a toll. When the aches, pains and stiffness began, Colin shrugged them off, but when they became arthritic, he could no longer ignore them. Even though he received a fairly good inheritance after his mother’s death and the small house he had built for himself was paid off, he still had no desire to retire. Besides, age 50 was still too young in his estimation. However, instead of acquiring large building contracts, he decided since he had become a very good finishing carpenter, and could even carve, he decided to pick and choose smaller speciality jobs—ones that wouldn’t be so painful.

Colin can’t help noticing that the political climate has taken a drastic turn for the worse—an ugly turn in his estimation, which most likely won’t affect him too much because he was as white as winter snow. He couldn’t support a New York mobster running for president that every word out of his lying mouth was a strike against democracy. He always voted and although he never belonged to any particular party, he always tried to vote for the person who was the most qualified. And if he was honest, he was very tired of always having to vote for the least bad contender for president, of which many terrible ones had held that prestigious office over the years. Fear hovered over the country like a cold shroud, and when people are afraid of speaking, especially in public—something has gone terribly wrong.

When he used to watch the evening news, especially Walter Cronkite years ago, the news was honest and reliable, not like now, all the media stations sucking up to a mobster for president. Has America fallen that low he wondered? Invading ally countries and threatening friendly Canada just across the border from Maine, where he was living seemed despicable.

Since Colin was working at smaller jobs from inside his garage that he had converted into a workshop, he had more time for other interests. He loved watching documentaries, especially when drones were used filming Nature programs and didn’t like that they were used more for warfare and blowing up cities and mostly innocent people. Since drones were easily accessible, he bought one that had an attached camera and then took a course on how to fly it; he didn’t want to mistakenly fly it into an airliner or something that might create a lot of damage and perhaps kill some people. He became very good at operating the drone and often during the evenings, would watch the flights he filmed, mostly zinging along streams, then close to the treetops and over the hills, especially in the fall, when all the foliage had turned an array of stunning colours.

Winters can be freezing cold in Maine and Colin had always had a yearn to go to Florida for a holiday. Now, since snow and ice covered everything, it seemed like a good time to go, so he bought an airline ticket to Jacksonville. He only planned to stay for two weeks but instead of renting a car, bought a motorcycle instead, with plans of selling it right before returning home, which would have been the same cost as renting a car. He wanted to ride it to the southern tip of Florida and maybe catch a tan on one of the many sunny beaches.

As he rode southward along the coast towards Miami, he was shocked by the terrible things he encountered. Trucks sporting Confederate and even nazi flags were in abundance. It became very clear by averting eyes that people were not just afraid, they were horrified. He had read about the atrocities committed by Hitler’s regime during WWII and watching the news of where the US was heading, he found it all very disturbing.

He thought he had brought his drone to Florida with the intention of filming some of the coastal areas but that wasn’t the real reason.

The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, as he rode the bike to Palm Beach and parked it just outside the National Historic Landmark. As soon as he made a few adjustments to the drone, it was soaring upwards and over the buildings towards a nearby golf course. He had attached a high-density telescopic lens to the camera, so he could get a close-up of the terrain from high up. He couldn’t believe it when he zoomed in and saw the mobster climbing into a golf cart. How could he simply go golfing he thought, when the man was destroying so many lives on a global scale. A few golfers looked upwards when they heard the drone just above them but not the golf cart driver or his passenger. When the drone struck, a rod he had cleverly devised on the front of the drone, pulled the pin on his father’s grenade.

Colin wasn’t sure if he had done a bad thing as he watched the news that night in a motel room, the golf cart exploding into fiery pieces of metal and plastic, but he sure in hell wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it.