Chapter 1

“Believe”
An inspirational fable
By Dayle Schear

His brothers Tony and Mario didn’t have a whole lot to say. They seemed disappointed in their brother. They expected much more from him. They let their sister Jan do the talking.
      Jan was furious with Joe for she knew what a womanizer he truly was. “Joe, when are you going to grow up? You have it all. You say you love this girl--well, why don’t you marry her? You know it’s the right thing to do.”
      Joe was clearly agitated by her remarks. “Jan, I just can’t do it. I won’t be roped into anything. She just got pregnant so I would marry her. Well, I'm not ready for marriage! Do you understand?”
      “Joe, I wash my hands of you. Who’s going to take care of that girl and her child? How can you just leave her? You know, I thought I knew my brother, but I don’t know you anymore. If you don’t help her in some way, I don’t want to have anything to do with you!” Jan shouted. “I’m sure I speak for Tony and Mario.”
      Jan turned to her brothers sitting quietly on the couch. They nodded. They knew this subject drove Jan crazy; they weren’t about to interfere.
      Joe was angry. “Well, if that’s the way you want it, I have only one thing to say to all of you--I don’t have a family anymore!” Joe slammed the door and drove off.
     Then the unforeseen event occurred, the stock market crashed. All of Joe's investments went south. There was nothing left. Pandemonium set in within his office. He spent many nights at the local bar, drinking his way
to oblivion.
     Everything he had worked so hard for now fell by the wayside. Joe drank away his troubles from morning to night. There went his job. Finally, the local bartender couldn’t extend any more credit to Joe.
     Meanwhile, Mary was lying in the hospital, giving birth to their son Michael. All alone with not a soul in the world to help her, Mary was so brave as Michael made his way screaming and crying into this world.
     As for Joe, well, he found himself on the streets of New York with the homeless. That's where he lived this life for well over a year.
     So this is where our story began.
      Joe tossed and turned in his sleep. Flashes of Mary’s face flooded his dreams, while he relived all the things he had been running away from. When he awoke, Joe realized this night of hell would be his last night on the
streets. The noises of the night intensified and terrified him for the first time.
     He clutched his book “Believe” and opened it to the words he felt deep
within his soul.
     “Believe”.
     Every person has the power to take control of his life; it’s never too late to change; it’s never too late to improve and make your life better.
     You must accept whatever will come your way, for the power of change is within your very grasp.
      Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect; let those you love help you. Always believe in miracles!
      Joe held the book so very tightly to his chest. He knew now what he had to do. He brushed himself off and made his way to the YMCA. Joe had now made his decision to clean up his life and to right his wrong with Mary.
     At the YMCA he showered, shaved and borrowed some clothes. Feeling better, he walked the streets of New York City looking for work. He saw a help-wanted sign at the New Rage Deli. He walked in the door and asked to speak to the manager.
      “Hi my name is Joe. I see you need some help here,” he said with that charismatic smile. “I believe I’m the man for the job.”
      “My name is Al. I’m the owner. What’s your work history?”
     Joe proceeded to tell him.
      Al wiped his hands on the apron tied around his waist. “Well, it’s only a dish-washing job, but if you want, I’ll give you a shot. Oh, by the way, Joe, you get two free meals a day here and all the coffee you can drink.”
      “I’ll take it. When can I start?”
      Al smiled. “Here's my apron, Pal.”
      Joe worked all day, happy to have a job for the first time in a long while. He took a room in the back of the deli for a short period of time and worked long and hard till he was able to save a little. Several weeks later
his confidence was building; he had a little money in his pocket.
       Every night he would open his book “Believe” and read a little while
slowly falling asleep. The book seemed to comfort him.
      “Believe”
      While going through life, the best way is to take it slowly; its the simplest way to get ahead.
      One step at a time. Don’t look back, for if you do you’ll never see what lies ahead.
      By the time you reach the top of the hill, you will have become better and a stronger person, stronger than you ever were before.
    One step at a time. One moment at a time. One day at a time. Follow your dreams and watch them come true. All you have to do is “Believe.”
      One Sunday morning Joe decided this was the day he would search for Mary and his child. He found a phone booth and feverishly began looking up Mary’s phone number. Finding her number as well as her address, he deposited fifty cents and slowly dialed Mary's number. He listened in silence as Mary answered with a sweet voice, then, shaking his head, he hung up the phone quietly. He put Mary’s address in the back pocket of his jeans.
      Walking, walking, walking, Joe arrived at Third Avenue. He paused when he reached the apartment building at 748 Third Avenue. Joe checked the directory. “There she is, Mary James; that's her.” He took a deep breath. “This is it.” Joe climbed up several flights of stairs and almost was out of breath when he reached the apartment. He paused to catch his breath. He stared intensely at the door. Then, he knocked.
      Mary checked the peephole to see who was knocking. She gasped when she recognized Joe. She was overcome with emotion. For the first few months after their breakup, Mary had sat by the phone, waiting for Joe to call. He never did.
      She had thought about him day and night from the time she woke up in the morning till the time she went to sleep. She believed with all her heart and soul that some day Joe would return, and now that day had come. It was the moment she has been waiting for all these months.
      Mary quickly unlocked the door. She stared at Joe and, after a pause, passionately embraced him. They held each other so tightly; no words needed to be said.
      Mary gently reached out for Joe’s hand and led him to the bedroom to see his son for the first time. Joe dropped to his knees as Michael turned and looked at him for the first time.
      Mary said softly, “This is your dad.”
      They embraced once more as Joe cried and told Michael and Mary how sorry he was for leaving them. He begged them to give him one more chance.
      Mary nodded. They would pick up the pieces of their once-tattered life together.
      Time passed. Mary and Joe were getting to know each other quite well. She still worked at the stock exchange, well on her way to becoming a stockbroker. Michael was now approaching his second birthday. Joe had now become the father of the year; he did everything with his son for his son.
     Joe decided to get into computers; he didn’t want to go back into the world of gambling and stocks. He wanted his life to be simple.