Drew's Story
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Chapter 4
I've never seen so many people in one place in my life as there is in the stadium where the university holds graduation. Tor takes me in early and tells me not to change my seat, no matter what. I know he's planned it, because when he marches in with the others, he's sitting in the row right in front of me. I don't even recognize him at first because he's wearing a robe and has a gold cord around his neck. He's wearing the hand, too. When they're seated, he turns and winks at me.
The sun's hot and I'm not the least interested in the speeches. I must have dozed off, because Tor's standing and has punched me on the arm. I sit up as the people in Tor's row walk to the platform. A man in a fancy robe announces that Gregory Torrence graduates suma cum laude. I let out a yell and start clapping. This old dame sitting next to me gives me a look.
"He's my brother."
"How nice. But where are your parents? I know they must be as proud as you."
"I don't have anybody but Tor."
She drops her eyes and sees my leg. "You poor child."
Tor keeps telling me I look five years younger than I am, so I guess she must think I'm about eleven or twelve. I'm about to make some nasty remark when I see Tor coming back, so I keep quiet. Tor leans over and hands me his diploma. I'll kill anybody tries to take it from me. That's when I think of my camera and wish I had it, 'cause I want a picture of Tor in his robe, holding his diploma. I stay in my seat until they all march out and the crowd thins. No way I want to be on crutches in that mob. Tor comes back for me and laughs when I tell him I wish I had my camera.
"Don't be so damn plebian, Drew, everybody's taking pictures like that. You get to see me every night, and not dressed up like some damn monkey, either."
He's right about that, but I still want the picture. He's taken off the robe and we're going to turn it in when somebody yells his name. Tor stops and we wait for one of the professors to catch up with us. He gives me the once over and shakes hands with me when Tor introduces me as his brother.
"My God, Torrence! Is this why you were out of class so much?"
"Drew's all the family I've got. I couldn't let him stay in the hospital and not be with him."
"Of course not. Why didn't you tell me it was so serious instead of just saying your little brother was in the hospital?"
Tor puts his arm around my shoulder. "We take care of our problems together."
"But if you'd told me, perhaps Mrs. Langford or I could have done something to help."
I can see the guy's really shook. I guess it's thinking the two of us are brothers, knowing Tor has one arm, and seeing me with just one leg.
"Thanks, Dr. Langford, but there was no need to bother anyone else. I really appreciate your letting me make up the work I missed, though."
He smiles at Tor. "When I get a student like you, Torrence, I'm not about to follow the rules. You did enough extra work that you'd have passed even if you'd missed all my lectures. If there's anyway I can help either of you, let me know."
"He seems like a nice guy," I say as Langford moves on.
"He's head of the department and the best teacher in the school. He wants me to stay on as his teaching assistant and go for my doctorate."
"You going to?"
"It depends on what happens with Vince. Let's go."
We get stopped a couple of times more by professors wanting to say something to Tor. What with his honors and the way all these people are talking to him, I almost bust with joy.
Tor takes off his tie, so I come out of my coat and tie and hand them to him to carry. We're about half way across the campus when Tor stops dead and his face goes white under his tan. Vince is coming toward us. He doesn't say anything at first, just keeps looking at us. Finally he holds out his hand to me.
"How are you, Andy?"
"Fine."
He holds his hand out to Tor, but Tor ignores it.
"Greg, I'm very proud of you. I knew you would succeed, but to do so with highest honors at your age exceeds my expectations."
"I did it for Drew. I'm going to need a good job so I can take care of him."
"There's no need just now. You know I'll see he has everything he needs. Won't you come home now that school's out? Please, Greg, I've missed you both so much."
"Will it bring back Drew's leg?"
Vince staggers back and looks sick. "I didn't mean that to happen. I . . . I can't bring his leg back, but I'll buy him the best prosthesis available and anything he needs. You have to come back for his sake. Hilliard tells me he's ready for his finals and can get his certification from the board of regents. He's worked hard for it and he'll need it if he's to go on with his education. You wouldn't deny him that, would you, Greg? I want you to see how proficient he's become in photography, too. He's already far better than I'll ever be and he's done it for you."
I never could stand to see a grown man beg like a little kid. I know I couldn't do it no matter much I wanted something, so I squeeze Tor's hand. "Let's go for a little while."
"If you want to, babe."
Vince tries to smile as he walks away.
Next morning, Tor puts some things into a bag for both of us. He stops downstairs to pay the manager the rent for the summer months.
"Why?" I ask when we're in the Triumph.
Apartments this close to campus are impossible to find. I only got ours because the guy flunked out and needed to get out of his lease. I don't trust Vince and I'm not leaving us with nowhere to go, 'specially if you get into school."
I wish I could think ahead like Tor. All I ever think about is what's going down right then. When we get to the house, John meets us at the door and gives us the first smile I ever saw on his face. He holds out his hand to me and Tor.
"Mr. Andrew, Mr. Gregory, I didn't think I would see you again. It's good to have you back."
"Thanks, John," Tor says. "It's good to see you, too, but I'm not sure how long we'll be staying."
"If it's Dr. Malloy you're worried about, I think you'll find him quite changed. He hasn't been the same since Mr. Andrew's trouble. I'm sorry about your leg, Mr. Andrew. Perhaps I should have done something, but it's not my place to criticize. Had I known what would happen, though, I would have found some way to stop it. I have sons of my own."
John looks old to me for the first time. Tor notices, because he pats John on the back and says, "It was unfortunate, John, but there was nothing you could do. You weren't even here when it happened. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I should have been more careful."
"Everything in your room is just as it was, Mr. Gregory." He hands Tor a key. "Dr. Malloy has another young man here at the moment. I locked your room because I happened to see him go in one morning and start looking through your things."
"Thank you, John. I hope you didn't have any trouble over it."
"No, sir. Dr. Malloy would have been quite upset if he had known."
Tor gets our bags and we go up to our room. It's perfect like always.
When we go down for lunch, there's a skinny pimply-faced kid already at the table. I can spot a common hustler the minute I see one, and this kid is. Besides, he looks like a rat, long pointy nose, weak chin, and all. Vince must be desperate to have somebody like him around.
"Who are you?" He whines.
"I'm Greg and he's Andy. We're visiting Vince," Tor says. "Who are you?"
"Tony. I wish that nigger would bring my hamburger."
We take seats and John comes from the kitchen with our plates. "It's hot, so I thought you and Mr. Andrew might like a cold salad plate, Mr. Gregory."
"Thank you, John. It looks great. Andy and I have missed the good meals we always had here."
The rat looks at his plate, turns up his nose, and whines at John, "I told you I wanted a hamburger."
"Shut up and eat what John puts before you," Tor snarls. "It's probably better than anything you've ever had before."
"You don't own this place."
"Neither do you. Drew and I were both here a long time before you, so shut up and eat or get the hell out."
"I'm gonna tell Vince. Ain't no cripples gonna tell me what to do."
Tor comes out of his chair so fast it falls over. He reaches for the rat with the hook and draws back his fist, but John steps between them and whispers something in Tor's ear.
Tor sets his chair back up and sits down. "I'm sorry, John. You're quite right."
Tony gobbles his lunch down and darts from the room. Puny as he is, it's for sure he's not about to stand up to a guy big as Tor.
Tor and I are in the pool when Vince comes home from his office. Greg? Andy?" I hear him call.
Tor gets out of the water and dries off. "Where'd you find that ratty looking kid?" He asks when Vince comes to the pool.
"Oh, don't mind Tony. He hasn't bothered you, has he? I'll admit that he's rough around the edges, but he's nice enough."
"Ha!" Greg snorts. "I wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him."
"I know, but I was so lonely and he was willing to stay. Now that you and Andy are here, I'll get rid of him. I'm glad you're home where you belong."
"If you want him, you'd better keep him around. We're only here for a few days."
"You've got to stay longer than that."
"No way. I'm going to start my graduate work if Drew gets into the university. Besides, he still has to see the doctor on a regular basis and you know what you promised to do for him. He'll need therapy for quite a while."
"I will, Greg, as soon as he's ready. Hilliard will be here Monday to work with him."
When we go up to dress for dinner Tor says, "Vince may be getting his kicks with that kid, but you aren't to be alone with him at any time. I mean it. I don't trust him, no matter what John says."
Vince is nice as can be at dinner. He shows Tor the pictures I'd taken before the accident and talks about how proud he is that both of us are going to be at the university.
Tony just sits glowering at both of us, but with Vince's excitement over our going on with school, he whines, "What about me?"
Vince looks at him coldly. "You were a total waste of Hilliard's time when he tried to work with you. You haven't finished grade school, and with no more ambition than you've shown, a decent education would be a waste."
"You ain't being fair."
"Don't talk about being fair," Tor snaps.
"I ain't done nothin' to you, and you ain't done nothin' but ride my ass ever since you come here. Like I'm nothin'."
"Nothing but a piece of ass. You're getting more than you deserve just being here. Life isn't fair, kid. If it were, Drew would still have his leg and I'd have my arm. At least you have that."
"No, I ain't." He holds up his left hand so we can see he's missing two fingers.
"Tough."
"Don't be mean, Greg." Vince says, ending the discussion.
When we go up for bed, Tor tells me to go ahead and get in the whirlpool and he'll be back. I'm still in the bath when he comes back and gets in with me. I know he's been in Vince's room.
"How come Vince didn't come in our room like he used to?"
"I wouldn't let him." He puts his hand on my stump. "He was hoping this would happen and it did, but I'm not letting him get his kicks from it like it's some kind of reward."
"Then why'd you go to him?"
"He asked me to and he's agreed to pay our tuition at the U, so I guess I owe him a little something. He's got what he wants anyway."
"You mean that kid?"
"Hell, no. I'll show you tomorrow."
John wakes us when he comes in with a big tray, but he doesn't bat an eye at our being in the same bed. "I brought your breakfast, Mr. Andrew."
The tray is set for two. I've never eaten in bed before except in the hospital, but that was nothing compared with this. There's no way I can plow through all that food, but Tor really puts it away. Once he's finished his, he even eats what I left, then gets up to ring for John to take the tray away. He dresses and stands there looking at me, patting his stomach.
"We'd better get out and run a couple of miles after all that. Oh, shit!"
"What?"
"It's so much like before, I forgot, babe."
"About what?"
"Running. I'm sorry."
I don't mind Tor talking about it, so I let him have it. "Okay, smart-ass. I'll run a couple of miles with you if you'll rub my back with both hands." He starts to giggle.
John comes in for the tray and tells me Hilliard is waiting for me in Vince's study. Tor goes down to talk with him while I get dressed. When I get down, Hilliard runs me through a couple of short exam reviews.
"How's he doing?" Tor asks him when I'm done.
"Superbly, as did you. With a couple of morning's work, I can certify him to the regents for his diploma and he'll have no difficulty getting into the university. I know he's only sixteen, but so were you. Knowing how well you've done will make it easier for him to be accepted."
"Great. I don't know what we'll be doing just yet, but I want Drew in school."
After Hilliard leaves, Tor takes me up to Vince's room. I've never been inside it before.
"See what I mean," Tor says.
I almost fall over. The wall facing his bed is covered with large photographs Vince has taken or gotten from somewhere. There's a life-size picture of me on my crutches I never knew Vince got close enough to me to take after the accident. Every one of the photos is of some kid or young guy with an arm or a leg missing. One of the pictures really shakes me. It's of a good-looking guy sitting in a wheelchair with both his legs cut off above the knee. He's grinning like everything's just great. It sure makes me glad to have the one leg I've got. The one that gets to me most is a life-size shot of Tor standing there naked holding out his stump. He's got his beautiful half-smile.
Tor says in a choked voice, "That picture of you and the one of me go when we split this place for good, babe. You know the darkroom, so I want you to get all the negatives of you and me and give them to me when I ask you."
"Sure."
Tony stays out of our way. In fact, the only time we see him is at the table, where he keeps his mouth shut and looks sulky. I figure it's because Tor's taking his place with Vince in the evening. We stay for another week after I take the exams Hilliard lays out for me. Not once does Tor let Vince see me without my clothes on. He goes to Vince's room every night for a while, then comes back to me. I couldn't care less about Vince as long as I've got Tor to hold me.
After making me sweat a few days, Hilliard comes through with my diploma. Vince gives me a small party to celebrate. He's all smiles and saying how proud he is of his boys and how lucky he is to have them. Hilliard and his lover come for it, too. Soon as he grabs a plate of food and a beer, Tony disappears.
Tor's grinning when he comes back from Vince's room the night after the party, but he won't tell me why.
The next morning he drags me out of bed early.
"What's the rush?"
"We've got an appointment in town. You'll see when we get there."
After breakfast we take off. I can't understand it when Tor turns into the professional village where most of the doctors have their offices and drags me out. I'm getting bad vibes, cause I was here often enough for my check-ups.
A receptionist tells us where to go and Tor pushes me in a small room and starts to undress me. I'm sitting on the examining table in my bikini briefs when this young guy comes in with an armload of stuff and sets it down, then begins to examine my stump. First thing I know, he's smearing it with some kind of grease and then troweling plastic goo all over it. Once the plastic is hard, he pulls it off and examines it carefully. He measures my good leg and writes some notes on a pad, then tells me I can get dressed and leave. When he leaves the room, I ask Tor what it's all about.
"It's for your new leg, baby. We're going back to our apartment because you'll have to spend a lot of time learning to use it. Once you learn, nobody will know you've got fake leg from seeing you walk."
"You're kidding."
"No way. The guy just made the impression has two artificial legs."
"Come on."
"No kidding. I've seen him a couple of times out tossing a basketball around. He can't run very well, but I've seen him playing with some of the faculty kids."
Vince pouts when we bring our bags down, but Tony comes around the side of the house as we're getting in the Triumph and gives us a smirk, figuring he's back in Vince's good graces. Tor and I grin at each other knowing the kid isn't more than tolerated just for Vince's games. It hasn't bothered me all that much being at the house, but I can tell Tor's delighted to be away. He keeps telling me that I'm too easy about things, but some things you just gotta accept because you can't change them.
Back in town, we register for our summer classes. Hilliard had my diploma made out as Andrew Torrence, so that's the way I register and list Tor as nearest kin, relationship: brother.
I thought I was going to get the leg and walk out of there like it was my real one, so I couldn't wait for the guy to put it on me. But when I tried to swing it, it wouldn't do anything. Even though I was holding on to a set of parallel bars, I fell flat on my ass a couple of times. Every time I think I'm getting the hang it, the guy tinkers around with it and I have to start all over. I'm getting madder and madder and then he calls quits on me. By the time I get out to the Triumph where Tor's waiting for me, it boils over.
"I hate that goddamn thing! I want my leg back! I hate these fuckin' crutches, too." I fling them out of the car and start crying.
When shaking me doesn't do any good, Tor lets me have it across the mouth hard enough to jar my teeth. "Stop it, Drew!" He yells, then hugs me.
His coming on so strong shocks me back to good sense. He gets out and hands me my crutches, "Look, I know it's not easy. It was the same with my arm, but I learned and so can you. Did you think you were going to put it on and walk out like nothing happened? No way, babe. It's going to take a lot of time and practice, especially on stairs, but I know you can do it." He gives me a look I want to see again. "Do it for me."
Getting started in summer classes at the U is a breeze with Tor's help about what classes to take with which professors. After Hilliard, my classes are a snap. I can do the work they hand out without even thinking about it. It's only with the leg I have problems. For one thing, it weighs a ton. The guy tells me it's lighter than the part they cut off, but I don't believe it. He keeps tinkering with it, too. He says he's trying to adjust it to my walking pattern, but whatever he does, the damn thing's unmanageable. The first time I make it the length of the room without using the parallel bars the guy goes on like I've done a mile. I don't tell Tor, 'cause I'm not saying anything until I can walk out of there, down the steps, and into the car without falling.
Time flies when you're busy. The classes are getting tougher so I'm having to put in a little serious study time. I'm let down only by the leg. By now I can walk where I want with it and up and down the stairs, but it doesn't feel natural. I like using crutches much better and I guess I've bitched about it so much the guy gets pissed and tells me I lack the proper attitude to make a full adjustment and there's nothing more he can do.
That makes me feel like a dog, because the first time I walked out to the car, Tor made me feel like I'd really accomplished something. If the guy I was working with could have made me feel like Tor does I'd of learned a lot better. To please Tor, I work at it until I use it all day, going to classes and the like, but the real pleasure for me comes at night when I take the thing off and Tor massages my stump. We lie there and fool around until we wind up making love.
I find a statue of Tor in the university's museum one day. I mean it isn't Tor, but it looks a lot like him, even to having one arm broken off. When I drag Tor in to see it, he tells me it's a statue of a young Greek who was madly in love with his warrior companion. When he was killed in battle, the warrior had the statue made so he could always see the boy like he was.
I can't resist saying to Tor, "You mean like us? Because he sure looks like you."
Tor gets a kick out of that.
Tor's doing some lab work one afternoon when I have to go to the supermarket for a few things. Without thinking, I go on my crutches. While I'm trying to push the cart around, an old man with a peg-leg stops me.
"You outta get one of these," he says, slapping the peg with his hand. "It's a hell of a lot better than crutches."
"Yeah?"
He nods. "I got a fake leg, too, but I hate it. This here's the next best thing to a real one."
He sounds so sincere I'm interested. He shows me how it's made and tells me where he got it. I think about it for the rest of the week and decide it can't hurt to talk to the man that makes them.
Soon as my classes are over Monday, I go home and take the leg off, then start out. The bus driver tells me how to get where I want to go, so I settle back until he tells me this is the stop. It's an old part of town and the houses are beginning to run down. There aren't any numbers on most of them so I start counting from the corner.
I would have gone to the door, but I look down the weedy driveway and see an old man puttering around in the garage he's turned it into a workshop. I go back there. He's stooped and got two or three days' growth of grizzled beard. He gives me a hard look. "What'cha want, kid?"
"You the man makes peg-legs?"
He grunts, so I guess he is.
"I want one."
"Kin ya pay fer it?"
"Yeah."
"Well come on. I got things to do."
I prop on a barrel and drop my jeans. In a minute he's all over me with a tape measure, twisting my stump every which way. All of a sudden he whacks the bit that's left below the knee with his hand.
"Hurt?"
Not much it didn't! I see stars for a minute. But I don't want him thinking I'm a sissy, so I say, "No."
He nods. "Fifty now. You kin come git it Friday 'bout this time."
I'm lucky Vince slipped me some money when Tor wasn't looking. I've hardly enough left for the bus fare after I pay him.
By Friday I'm all psyched into it. If it works like the old man in the market told me, it'll be a lot better than that leg. I guess the old man's had a few good days, because he's in a great mood when I get there.
He's made it different from the one the man I talked to had, because this one is slender and it doesn't have a high part on the outside with a strap to go around my waist. Instead, the top strap goes around my upper thigh. He's made it of some pretty wood, too, with a soft beautiful finish
"I figured a little kid like you would want one you can move around easy. If you ain't rough on it, it ain't likely to break. Yer stump's so short you can wear it un'er yer pants 'stead of outside if you want. That's how come I made it this way. Give it a try."
It slips on easy as can be and the padding under my knee is soft as butter. It feels great, even when I pull the straps tight. I pull my jeans up and stand up. He's gotten the length right, too. When I start to take a step he grabs my arm.
"You gonna bust yer ass lessen you use them crutches 'til you learn how."
"Like hell."
He turns me loose and I'm out the door, down the drive and back with no trouble once I remember I have to swing the peg out and around a little instead of trying to take a straight step. Like the old man in the market told me, it feels right and natural as can be. The old man's watching me with his mouth open.
"I ain't never seen nobody catch on so fast like you done."
"You got it perfect. It's easy."
When I start to get on the bus, the real learning begins. I have to step up with my foot and drag the peg up after. It don't bend like the leg either, so I have to sit on the edge of the seat with it sticking out in the aisle. If I remember those two things, I'll be okay.
There's nobody else on the bus and the driver's the chatty kind. "Got one of old man Smith's peg-legs, hunh?"
"Yeah."
"You'd be surprised how many people I bring out here. Guess he's about the only one left knows how to make one. I don't know what people like you are gonna do when he quits. Don't figure he's got that many years left. Where you go to school, kid?"
"University."
He busts out laughing. "You mean junior high, don't you?"
That pisses me off, so I nod and don't talk to him any more.
I've just gotten myself a beer and settled down with one of my textbooks when Tor comes in.
"I'm beat. Get me one, will ya?" He asks and flops down in his chair.
When I hand the bottle to him, he gives me a grin. "I'm glad you're wearing that leg longer. The more you use it the easier it gets."
I don't say anything, but settle back in my chair and prop my foot and the peg up on the ottoman.
Tor drops his beer and comes up like he's been burned. "What the hell is that?"
"Something I can manage."
He jerks me up and for a second I think he might smack me. "How the hell do you expect to learn to walk on that leg if you don't use it? Besides, it cost a bundle."
"What the hell if it did? It's Vince's fault I got it. Remember?"
Tor looks so sad I'm sorry I blew up at him. "I gotta have something to get around with. If I like a peg better than that stupid leg or crutches, what's the difference? You ought to understand that."
"I guess. I either use the arm or I don't. I know the leg's uncomfortable to you and with the crutches you can't carry much. Let's see it."
I lean against the chair, drop my jeans, and take it off. Tor looks at it closely. "Whoever made it sure put a nice finish on it. The padding feels real soft, too."
"It is. It feels good and I can do everything but run with it."
I pull my jeans back up, strap the peg on outside, and go to fix some supper for us. Tor stands close by to help if I want. He says I'm a better cook than he is, so I do most of it. Even when my mom was around, she was too drunk most of the time to fix anything for me and the old man, so I've had lots of practice. I can't fix anything fancy like we had at Vince's, just plain cooking.
When I turn to get some butter out of the fridge, Tor's grinning at me. "I hate to say it, but Vince was on to something."
"Like what?"
"You're sexy as hell with that peg-leg."
I about flip. "You ain't gettin' kinky, are you?"
"No way, but it doesn't spoil your looks a bit."
I must have looked funny, because he grabs me in a hug. "I didn't mean it like that, babe. You cried over my arm and that's the nicest thing anybody ever did for me, and here I sound like I'm glad your leg's gone. I'm not, baby." He runs his hand through my hair. "But long as it's done, it doesn't change the way I feel about you a bit."
I know what he's trying to say. I grab the end of his arm. "Like I wouldn't know you if you had the rest of this?"
"Yeah, something like that."
I use the leg when I go to classes, cause the spaces between the desks in the classrooms are so narrow having the peg sticking out tripped the professor and a couple of students who walked down the aisle and didn't see it the first time I used it. The rest of the time I leave the leg stashed in the corner with my crutches unless we're going somewhere in the Triumph. There isn't enough legroom for it. The first time we go back to Vince's for a weekend, I want to carry the peg, but Tor won't have it.
One afternoon while we're poking around the mall after buying a few things, Tor gets a wild idea. He pulls me into a jewelry store. "Come on, babe, we're going to prove to the world we belong to each other."
He points to a pair of small gold earrings. "Those real gold?" He asks the clerk.
"Yes, sir. They're for pierced ears, though."
"That's what I want. You have anybody here to do it?"
"Since we're having a sale, we have a nurse in the booth over there. Are these for you?"
Tor grins. "One for him and one for me."
The nurse doesn't give us a second glance and a minute or two later we each have a ring in our right ear. As we leave, I hear the nurse tell the clerk, "I swear there must not be a real man left in this town. All I've done is pierce queers' ears."
With his temper, I'm glad Tor didn't hear her.
When we're in the car, he grabs my hand. "We're married now, baby. These will have to do, cause I don't have a ring finger, but the meaning's the same to me."
If he says we're married that means he isn't going to get tired of me and kick me out. I'm so happy, I don't give a damn who sees me, I give him a long kiss.
It's the last day of the summer session, our exams are over, and Tor and I don't have a care in the world. He's in solid as Langford's teaching assistant and we're both registered for the fall semester. There's nothing out of the ordinary about today except it's the day I finally put a good one over on Tor.
About a week after the summer session began, I saw a notice on the bulletin board about a specialized graduate workshop in photomicrography. Though he should have taken it, I know Tor didn't because he hasn't taken any of the basic courses. I tried to sign up, but the registrar laughed at me and pointed out that it's for graduates only. I really want to take this workshop because it covers some of the stuff I'll need to know to help Tor later on. I also wanted it to prove to myself that I can do something on my own.
I happened to think of Dr. Langford. He's so great to Tor and being the department chairman maybe he'll help me. I put together a portfolio of my work the way Vince showed me and took it to his office. Langford told me he liked my work, but he couldn't judge or give me permission to take someone else's class but he'd pass it on to Dr. Joynes.
Tor was buried in the library, so I grabbed a hamburger in the student union before going back. I don't know how he did it, but Langford smiled and handed me the written permission form I needed to sign up. The weeklong class is in the afternoons of the last week of school so fits perfectly into my schedule.
The first class was rough. Even though he was the one gave me permission, Joynes tried twice to throw me out. Telling him how I got a couple of my shots proved I knew enough to stay, but only with a promise I'd keep my mouth shut and stay out of the way. When Joynes paired us off for lab work he put me with the next youngest guy in the class. It was obvious Joynes didn't like him either, but I do. He's got a great personality and bubbles with humor. Too, he was the only one who didn't look at me and deliberately turn his back. Since we had to stand all the time we were working in the afternoon lab sessions, I'd go back to the apartment at the break between lecture and lab and put on the peg-leg for comfort. Though I was wearing it under my jeans, Brian spotted it when he leaned down to pick up the notebook he dropped during the first lab. After he spotted my earring a little later he dubbed me Pirate. From then on it was him and me against all the rest.
Joynes must use the first lab period as a way to weed out the incompetent, because he required us to photomicrograph a jellyfish so tiny it has to handled with a plankton net. There's no way to see it except through a microscope. I was lucky because I got one on the slide glass on the second try. One look at it through the scope and I knew it was going to be impossible to get a good shot of it with the set-up Joynes provided, but Vince had taught me a trick he said dated back to a time before there were lights bright enough for working through a microscope. I rummaged through the supply cabinet until I came up with what I wanted. The whole idea is to use two lights in such a way that the background looks black instead of lighted. It's called dark field illumination.
Just as I was ready to start photographing the specimen, Joynes stopped by me and took a look at my setup. Instead of being sarcastic, he grinned and said, "Where the hell did you learn that? I haven't thought of that one in years."
He moved on and Brian and I got our shots and printed them up to his praise. It seems we're the only ones to get a sharp photo of what we were supposed to. From then on Brian treated me like the teacher and all but ignored Joynes. I saw some change in the attitude of the others toward us, too.
Instead of an exam Joynes made us enlarge and mount the two best shots we've made in the class for an exhibit, and he's gotten some photographers from National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and science publications to judge our work. What they say will determine our grade. Tonight we'll find out.
Joynes has invited the marine science faculty and the administration to this last session. Langford has invited Tor who wants me to go with him. I refuse flatly so he's pissed at me and growling about having to go alone. I know he's going to the Langfords' for a drink before hand, which will leave me time to get to class before they get there.
To be continued...
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Posted: 09/14/07