FIC: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, G

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

Title: Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Author: mechanicaljewel
Rating: G
Summary:  A very wise man once said, “If you live long enough, a lot of people close to you are going to die.”  Bertie lives a very long time.  MajorCharacterDeath
Disclaimer: Jeeves and Bertie Wooster were created by PG Wodehouse.  Certain quotes and paraphrases are the fruits of the most brilliant writer of the past century, if not longer.
Comments: This story is probably depressing.  And probably not of much interest in terms of the J&W fandom; thank you for humoring me.  It’s been a hard two days for me.  An old!Bertie story.

~          ~          ~       

It was Friday, the 13^th of April, in the year 2001, when she first met the eccentric old man.  He was one hundred years old and was still spry enough to live in the assisted living facility attached to the nursing home at which she had recently begun working.  Until two days prior, he had had a roommate.  She always forgot to get the full story behind their friendship.  She never thought about it at work, when she was around people who could tell her, because she was so busy attending to her duties.  She never asked him because he always was so pleasant, even on that Friday the 13^th when they had met.  The day of his friend’s funeral.

             Five years later, almost to the day, she brought him his dinner.  By this point, he spent most of his time in bed.  As usual, he had a subject to talk about.  Like most of the residents, he reminisced endlessly about his youth.  But he seemed so untouched by tragedy, he hardly seemed all that much older as he regaled her in his curious diction.  This day, he wanted to talk about his old friend.

             “Jeeves never forgave himself when we moved in here.”  She recalled that Jeeves was his friend’s surname.  “I told him to stop being such a silly blighter, but Jeeves had his habits.  He always took care of me, and it stung him a bit when he had to admit he couldn’t any longer.”

             “You knew him a long time, then?” she asked, her voice equally pleasant, her heart pounding in anticipation.

             He gave a short, bright laugh. “Oh Lord, yes.  He shimmered into my life as a manservant back in ’23.  But he quickly became so much more than that.  A friend, a confidante, a shoulder to cry on—though of course, we were both English, of the old school.  Crying usually took the form of a quick nod on the part of the bereaved, and the offer of a stiff drink on the part of the shoulder.”  He chuckled to himself again.

             “I always thought I would go before him, even though he was five years older.  He took such good care of himself, and I ate, drank, and was merry.  I also smoked like a chimney, which he never did.  I thought those would get me, but I suppose there are a group of chaps who can withstand the things.”

             He nodded to a book on the nightstand.  “Jeeves absolutely adored that particular scribbler.  I liked him too, though I know I  never appreciated him as deeply as Jeeves did.  This is his latest, and he says it’s his last.  But he’s said that about the past five, so I suspect in another five years, he’ll make himself a liar again.  Anyway, in this one he says that he’s going to sue his cigarette company, for not killing him.  He doesn’t like the way the world is being run, see, and he appears to have given up all hope.”  He smiled softly.  “Still, he made me laugh with this one, like all of them.”

             He leaned back against the bed, which was mechanically folded in a reclining position.  “When Jeeves went, I said to myself what this chap said we should say when people leave us for good: ‘So it goes.’”

             She nodded, and began to excuse herself; she really wished she could stay, but other meals needed delivery.  “Just one more moment?” he begged and held out his hand.  She nodded and took it.  He looked her deeply in the eyes and said, “There’s one rule in life: dash it, you’ve got to be kind.”  He squeezed her hand gently, then let it go.  She parted reluctantly.

             He died that night.  It was the same night that, five years earlier, his loyal friend had died.  And a year from that day, the writer they both admired died as well, and remained an honest man.  So it goes.

 ~          ~          ~

In memoriam.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
1922-2007

Comments

[woe-in-a-hoodie.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
That is all I have to say.
*hugs*

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

I'm just trying to deal, the only way I know how.
Aren't we all?

[comrade-sir.livejournal.com]

This made me choke up. Thanks for this.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

If he taught me anything it was that even though life is painful, we shouldn't have to go it alone.

[nerd-aesthetic.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful, and a wonderful tribute.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

I think Jon Stewart said it best: "The world has gotten a little less interesting, and a little grayer."

[emeraldreeve.livejournal.com]

Sniff! Now I'm all tearful!

I have no idea who Kurt Vonnegut is. Will google.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

There I go, spreading my grief to innocent people. But if it gets you reading Vonnegut, then the greater good has been served.

[spikejem.livejournal.com]

Thank you -- often in my duties, I wish I'd gotten to see my folks in their heyday; there are a million beautiful stories they tell me, and a million more I shall never know.

Thanks for reminding me that they're all precious.

*goes off to take care of her own aging Berties and Madeline Bassets*

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you didn't need me to remind you, but thanks.

[purplefluffycat.livejournal.com]

Very well done and very sad, yet bittersweet.

This line brought the tears to my eyes:

“There’s one rule in life: dash it, you’ve got to be kind.”

PurpleFluffyCat x

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

That line is a Bertified paraphrase of a line from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The full quote is this:

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"

[purplefluffycat.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for this. Bertie's version works beautifully in the context of your story.

PurpleFluffyCat x

[tourmaline1973.livejournal.com]

That's so sweet. I'm not familiar with Kurt Vonnegut's works, but you've made me curious to investigate now! But your story is sad and uplifting all at once.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

Well, if sad but uplifting works for you, then you should definitely check out Vonnegut. It's basically what he's known for.

[pandapony.livejournal.com]

I've been feeling a real sense of loss since Kurt Vonnegut died, as he is one of my heroes. Thank you for remembering him in such a touching manner!

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

It's like we lost a dear friend. I don't know why it occurred to me to bring J&W into it, but it really helped me--I haven't cried once today, which is more than can be said about the two previous days.

[ennui-blue-lite.livejournal.com]

Lovely. Beautiful. I'm not terribly familiar with Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. but I suddenly feel like I should be.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

Careful--he'll change your life.

[guineverefaye.livejournal.com]

my dad met him in '83, said he was one of the most down to earth authors/people he had ever met. amazing. i liked reading this.

so it goes

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

I always hoped that I'd meet him one day. And I honestly thought that he had a good ten years left. Glad to hear that he was really a nice guy--I thought he would be, but you always hear stories about otherwise cool people being asses to there fans (e.g. my high school English teacher was brushed off by John Updike when a mutual acquaintance had arranged a meeting).

[ayamemishi.livejournal.com]

I've never read Kurt Vonnegut, but my dad was upset to learn that he had passed. Very good, if mildly depressing story.

I love that one of them lived so long, though.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

Actually, I had them both live to be about 105. A bit of a stretch I know, but I had two great-grandparents live to be 95, and one to be 101. I would have had it been earlier, but Vonnegut didn't say that thing about the cigarettes until two years ago, and I wanted to use that.

[ayamemishi.livejournal.com]

It's not that much of a stretch. My relatives hang in there until we're all going "Get a move on already!"

[msliz4857.livejournal.com]

This is so moving and lovely. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with us in this bittersweet story. It is love.

I'm not at all familiar with Vonnegut's work, but I will make an effort to correct that lack in my education.

Bertie here is absolutely precious and himself.

Thank you again, my dear, for the new literature to explore and for this view of Bertie.

(Also, it is now linked in the Indeed Sir archive (http://frenchowlssayqui.org/indeedsir/).)