 |
| Homecoming |
Eugene Aghul
My father was Eugene Aghul. I was able to speak to him about our family history before he passed away in 2004 due to complications from diabetes. It turns out that he knew very little about our family.
Eugene Aghul was not called to the ministry, but he voiced on several occasions that he hoped I would be called. He spent his life working as maintenance in factories, for the city of Dobbs, and finally for a telephone company. For the latter, he served primarily as a mechanic for heavy construction equipment. He lacked "book smarts," but he was loaded with common sense. He could easily repair all kinds of vehicles, and he could do math problems in his head, but that was about it. He didn't graduate high school, nor did he take any other steps to improve his education.
As I noted, my father left this world in 2004. I still have mixed feelings about him, and I dwell on these often - probably too often. He always professed to have been bullied by his older brother when they were both youths. He declared to me more than once that I would not be allowed to treat my own younger brother in the same way. At the same time, my father himself was occasionally a bully toward us. I guess it's true that you can become the thing you despise. Eugene and his wife Elizabeth (my stepmom) are buried in the Haven Cemetery.
Present Day
I began my adult life as a soldier in the U.S. Army. I served for three years. I admit that I was not a very good soldier. I had no interest in military life, but I only discovered that fact after I had joined the service. I left the army as soon as my contract expired.
I drifted through life. I had no real family. I had no wife or any woman in my life. I had no prospects. My life was primarily one of loneliness, disappointment, and depression. I spent hours traveling to the VA clinic, being treated for everything from PTSD to bipolar disorder of the rapid cycling sort. I was a wreck, and unsure why.
For the next few years, I worked as a laborer in different factories. I never stayed long, but I did stay with one job for about 10 years. After this, I felt my own pull toward the ministry, or at least I thought I did. I prepared to attend a seminary. As I was waiting for my first semester to start, I became a temporary "fill-in" for the Haven Church. Their former pastor had resigned to move elsewhere; I don't remember where.
One Sunday evening after church dismissed, I turned off all the lights and shut down the central air conditioning. I departed the sanctuary, walked through the foyer, and locked the church doors. It was 5:30 P.M.
See Part 6 here.
Or:
See more fiction here.
© 2024-2025 Lonestar Hobby Blog
