Glimmer of Hope (Land of Tomorrow Book 1)

Part I, Chapter 6

General Clarence Anderson’s professional opinion was that he was too old to be in charge of the local Mayfield VFW chapter; much less the defense of what was the battered remnants of what passed for civilization these days. He had felt tired and stretched thin five years ago when he retired after thirty-six years of wonderful, challenging, and sometimes painful military service. Now, he was inexplicably back at it again, but not for the U.S. Army. General Anderson sipped his hot tea and scowled at the heavily scribbled and highlighted map on his dining room table.

He and Rita had intended to spend their remaining years traveling the country in a large RV purchased the year before Anderson’s retirement, but Rita started feeling tired and dizzy for no reason. It wasn’t long before they confirmed that his wife of over forty years had terminal and inoperable cancer.

The doctors gave Rita only six months to live with chemotherapy, but she refused, saying she had seen too many friends die without their dignity that way. The doctors’ subsequent prognosis was grim, no more than a month. Rita, ever the fighter, ignored them. She lived life with her typical boundless joy, lasting another three years before finally dying last June. Anderson had yet to figure out what to do with that ever-present and gaping hole left in his life.

He had spent most of his time pursuing his two hobbies: reading and gardening. A lifetime of military service had also instilled habits which he found difficult to ignore, even when they made no sense. Anderson still ran ten to twelve miles a week and executed a series of push-up and sit-ups as soon as he rolled out of the bed each morning. He was old, he thought, but at least he wasn’t old and soft. This was no self-delusion, Anderson’s body was slim and muscular, strikingly so given his age.

Before N-Day he dutifully spoke with his two children every week; his son had a family of his own out in Tucson and his daughter was a junior at the University of Miami. They worried about him, but there was really no need. He would never truly be happy again without Rita, but he lived the best life he could until the day they could be together again. He hoped and prayed his children were okay wherever they were, but he feared in his heart that both, given where they lived, were now likely dead.

Anderson was not sure what the rest of his lonely days would have entailed if not for the terrible attacks on his country, but he knew what his remaining days would be like now…driven, purposeful, and relentless. He had never been accused of being imaginative, but General Anderson had been famous for this methodical and detail-oriented nature, which, when combined with a stubborn persistence, made him one of the best strategic planners in the Army. He was also infamous for hard cutting sarcasm and unwillingness to suffer fools or incompetence. These characteristics served him well as a division commander and corps deputy commander, two of the most difficult and demanding jobs in the military. The tasks before him were not new, but familiarity was not the same as comfort.

He was stunned by the events of a few months ago. As surprised as Anderson was by those events, Lieutenant Governor Philips’ subsequent visit to his house a few weeks later left him incredulous. Reggie Philips officially recalled him to active duty and placed him in charge of the military district made up of the Jackson Purchase area. Anderson did not think Philips had the authority to recall retired military members back to active duty, nor to place them in charge of Reserve and National Guard soldiers, but Philips said “authority” at this point was moot. There was what was legal, and then there was what was necessary.

Anderson politely refused, and Philips insisted. Anderson then impolitely rejected the offer and asked the Lieutenant Governor to leave his house. Philips’ response struck him.

 “General Anderson, I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, but you are recalled to active duty and you are in charge of the defense of us all. You have men and women who will look to you for direction and leadership even if you stay cooped up in this house.” He paused for a long moment and looked Anderson up and down, “And frankly sir, you don’t strike me as the sort of man who is able to shirk his duty and responsibility.”