The people that would be living there were
complaining that they should get the birth certificates for the new
living space instead of it going out in lottery. My mate was
encouraging me to side with them.
153 As our helicopter was flying through the mountains an explosion
suddenly blew off its tail. He crashed into the side of the
mountain. For hours I laid pinned in the wreck, my head on my wife's
body and my son hanging on top of me. Somehow the Pilot had gotten out alive. Though he had a bad head injury, a broken arm,
and several broken ribs he made his way to a nearby village and got
help. They were already looking for us, but in that wilderness, it may
have taken days for them to find us.
154 I was months recovering from my injury, but kept my post. Working
from first my bed, then my wheelchair, then crutches, I continued my
duties, trying to keep busy enough to blot out the memories. But one
day I finally did what I had been putting off. I opened my son's room,
put his things in boxes, and had them distributed to the poor. I
entered my mate's room and began to clean out her things, also.
155 To my surprise I found a safe hidden in the closet. Wondering what
the combination was, I played a hunch. My mate's favorite song had been
an old ballad that mentioned a certain date. I broke that date down
into numbers. It didn't work. Then, I reversed the numbers and the safe
opened. Inside were several diaries, and some other papers. I took them
out and began to read them. After only a few pages I closed them and
began to weep.
156 They were detailed accounts of all my mate's activities from a few
years before she met me, until her death. They told in careful detail
how she really felt about me and how she had carefully used me for