Solitude

I came home from studying at the library today, there was a package mail to me sitting outside my front porch. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught my attention.

"Mr. George Griffhis" it read. He was my Sergeant and instructor of my Basic Underwater Demolition course. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...not just military skills and tricks of the trade but values, lessons and morals in life too. During training he’d put in extra time coaching me and made sure that I was focused and know the drills off by heart. He was a father figure to me during my years in military training up until I went over to Afghanistan. He always had a small pouch tied around his belt of his combats. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was “the thing I value most," he’d say.
I took the package to the kitchen and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. My hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Kelton Fung. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. My heart was racing, as tears filled my eyes, there was another note. It read:
Dear Kelton Fung,
I am sorry to tell you that my beloved son Sergeant George Griffhis was killed in action in Iraq March 28th. It was not covered in the media so you might have not known. My son spoke highly of you. The last conversation he had with me he said he left the bright lights of California to pursue is childhood dream, which was to be a U.S. Navy SEAL. As years progress during military service, he grew weary of it and soon his childhood dream turned into a nightmare. When you came to the Naval Special Warfare in Coronado to cross train with the Navy SEALS, it revitalized his vision to stay in the SEAL team. He saw you as himself training during his years as a new recruit. Wherever you are thanks you for being the light of his life when it was dark! May his undying spirit live on through you! God Bless!
Joanne
I opened the box and there…inside was his pouch he always wore. I opened the pouch hastily and found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running my fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, I unlatched the cover. Inside I found these words engraved:

"Kelton, Thanks for your time! - George Griffhis."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."
He had a little note attached to the watch, it read, “This was passed down to me by my Sergeant when I was a new recruit for being the top of my class. Now I pass this down to you. In Pace Paratus!”

Thanks for taking the time to read this!