The Future Awaits
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Chapter 6
With Easter falling late this year, the weather has warmed up nicely, and many of the places we couldn't show Tommy during his first visit have opened. We spend two full days showing him various attractions, but he likes the historical sites best of all. He's bubbling with enthusiasm when he comes down from climbing to the top of the Hatteras lighthouse with Mike. "Oh, man, it was like I was standing on top of a mountain; I could see forever, the way the ocean just run into the sky. An' everything on the ground looked no bigger than Mike's trains. I even saw a big boat out there."
"Did your feet give you any trouble on all those steps?"
"A little, but it was sure worth it. Mike helped me."
When we're back home after the second day, he spreads out the brochures he's picked up at the places we've taken him and the booklets we bought him on his bed. "All that stuff I read about in the history book means something now I seen it. Sure wish I'd paid more attention to the teacher."
"That's the reason for the institute being here, Tommy. Our students learn the basics from books and lectures, but nothing beats working with the real thing. That's practical experience. You'll understand when you work this summer." Tor tells him.
"I wish, but I don't guess they'll give me any better job than they done before, be a janitor or somethin' like that."
"Don't let it discourage you. A lot of successful men have started out that way."
"I guess, but I ain't goin' to learn much about business doin' that."
"It all counts. I thought Drew had the easy job when we first started working together, but he taught me quite a bit about photography." Tor grins. "Be glad you don't have to work for him; he's a perfectionist. I never could satisfy him, so I let him work alone."
"We have a deal, Tommy. I don't criticize his work and he doesn't criticize mine. We might fight a little about the way a book is to be arranged, but mostly we agree on things because I love him."
"I love you, too."
Tommy smiles. "Don't take a lot of smarts to see that. Mike's lucky."
The next morning Mike answers the phone and talks for a bit, then says, "Okay."
He hangs up and asks, "Can I have the car for a while?"
"Where are you going?" Tor asks.
"Mrs. Hanson wants me to play the last hymn and postlude Sunday. I need to go practice. Come with me, Tommy."
"Okay."
With the boys gone, I do some general cleaning and Tor goes down to get his lab in order. When they come back, Tommy's shaking his head again.
"What?" I ask him.
"I thought I done learned somethin' 'bout Mike, but I never knew he had so much music in 'im. He made playing that organ look easy, even when his hands and feet was all over that thing."
"He does play well. We're going to Mass on Sunday and we'd like to have you go with us."
"I ain't got no good clothes."
"That's all right. Warm as it is a lot of the young people will be wearing jeans or shorts. After, we'll be going to Dave and Martha's for dinner."
"You mean Mike's aunt and uncle? I like 'em."
After dinner Mike and Tommy take off to a party one of the guys Mike used to play soccer with is having. Tor's working on some lecture notes and I pick up a book I've been trying to find time to read. It's just a little after ten when I hear the boys coming back. I expected them to be out much later. I'm shocked when the door opens and they come in, Mike's arm around Tommy to help him. He's limping and the knuckles of his right hand are bloody.
I jump off the bed. "What happened? Sit down Tommy and let me clean up your hand."
"I can do it. It's nothing, sir."
"Don't try to hand me that. Mike, I'll talk to you after I help Tommy."
I wet a clean wash cloth and wipe the blood off Tommy's hand, then put some antiseptic on his split knuckles. When he flinches at my touch, I ask him, "Am I hurting you?"
"No, sir."
"Good, I need to get these cuts cleaned up." I get him to lie down so I can take off his feet and wash the abraded places on his right leg. It's then I notice a tiny little foot no bigger than my thumbnail on the end.
I touch it. "Does this ever give you any trouble?"
"Not much, sir. Sometimes if I don't put on my foot right, it hurts."
"Didn't they suggest taking it off when you got your feet?"
He shakes his head. "I don't care. It's good to have feet I can walk on."
After I've put antiseptic on the sore places on his leg, he says apologetically, "I didn't mean to cause you no trouble, Dr. Torrence."
"It's no trouble. I'm just sorry you didn't have a good time. Did Mike get you into this?"
"No, sir. He didn't have nothin' to do with it."
"Good. Now you relax, read or something. If you want anything, give Tor or me a yell."
Mike's already gone down below. I see him practicing his piano when I drop through the hatch.
"You want to tell me why Tommy got into a fight?"
"There was a guy there I've never seen before. He made some crack about queers and Tommy told him he didn't know nothing about 'em, cause he knew some and they were nice. The guy called Tommy a queer and Tommy decked him. I would of decked him, too, if Tommy hadn't beat me to it. That sort of broke up the party, so we came on home."
"How did Tommy hurt his leg?"
"I did it accidentally when I pulled him off the guy. Tommy was going after him so hard I was scared he might kill 'im. His foot got hung up under the guy somehow and I almost pulled it off trying to get it free."
"I'm sorry, babe."
"For what? What's wrong with loving somebody? You and Tor love each other, and you love me. You're good to Tommy and he really likes you and Tor. Why can't people leave it alone?"
"I've told you before. Prejudice. Like I'm willing to guess there are some students who don't like Tommy just because he's an Indian."
"Yeah. I've heard one or two cracks, and one of the guys down the hall in our dorm told me I was crazy to room with an Indian, 'cause they are meaner than hell. I never saw Tommy mean before tonight." He grins. "Boy, was he going after that guy."
"Has Tommy ever fought over remarks before this? "
"No, but I always know when he's heard something, cause he comes in looking kind of sad. He told me one time he liked me cause I didn't treat him no different. But if I'm ever around when somebody makes a crack and he hears it, I'll get 'em."
"I'm proud of you, Mike. Finish up your practice. I want a minute with Tommy."
Tommy's propped up on pillows reading. I go over and sit on the edge of his bed. "Mike told me why you were fighting. I'm glad you like Tor and me and we appreciate your defending us, but please don't get into any more fights because of us. We've learned to let such comments go. It's worse if you try to force others to accept what we are."
"It ain't fair. Just like people hating me cause I'm Indian, when I ain't done nothing to 'em."
"No, Tommy, it isn't fair, but that's the way some people are. You and Tor and I just have to accept it. It's over, so forget it ever happened. But thank you."
He gives me a little smile. "You teach me a lot, sir. I'm glad I got to know you."
"And we're glad to know you. You're a man of principles."
When he starts to put on his feet the next morning, I stop him. I want the skinned places on his leg to heal before he makes them worse. I talk him into putting on one of the little leather boots and using his crutches when he wants to move about. Mike unwittingly comes to my aid when he suggests that he and Tommy work on the papers they have due when classes resume. Tommy props up on pillows and puts Mike's lap-top on his knees, while Mike sits down with my lap-top and begins work.
About eleven, Tor yells up from his lab. "Mike, I need a couple of sections. Will you come do them?"
"Sure thing."
"Can I watch?" Tommy asks.
"Sure."
They go down and I start lunch.
"Man, I don't know how you do that stuff." Tommy says when they come up for lunch.
"It's easy. Tor hates it, but I think it's fun. Besides, dad's going to photograph these, so they've got to be just right."
"Can I watch you, Dr. Torrence?"
"If you wish. I'll be doing it after lunch. Mike and Tor can wash the dishes."
"Aw, dad." Mike hates doing dishes.
"You like eating, so you help clean up." Tor tells him.
"Then I better help, too," Tommy says quickly.
"You're our guest, Tommy. There's not enough room in the galley for more than two, anyway. You go ahead with Drew."
"Yes, sir."
Tommy seems fascinated with what I am doing, so I take him into the darkroom with me, putting him near the door so he'll be out of my way.
"How you know what you’re doing in the dark, sir?" He asks when I turn out the lights.
"Practice. If I have a number of shots to develop, I use the machine at the institute, but with just a few, I work them by hand. As soon as I get the film in the tank, I'll turn on the lights."
I screw the cap on the tank and turn on a dim light, then pour the developer in the tank and start the timer. When it buzzes, I pour off the developer and add the fixer, again setting the timer. Now all that's left is the washing, and putting the film in the dryer.
"Is that all?" Tommy asks.
"I'm going to make some prints, if you want to stay."
"Please."
He watches me run a test strip and select the shots I want to print. He shakes his head when I show him the strip. "Them pictures is so little, how can you tell which one you want?"
"It's practice again. I've learned to judge which shots are best and I know what Tor wants. I use the best ones for the prints."
He watches intently as I make the three by five prints for Tor to look at. When I show them to him, he says, "Them's just like the pictures in the book you give me."
"They are photomicrographs, but of quite different things. That's why I studied basic marine science, too. I have to know what Tor wants."
"I thought you just knew how to make pictures. I didn't know you had to know about all that other stuff."
"Tor could show me, but this way I don't need him every time I work. I had to have it for my degree anyway. Photography alone isn't enough. You will have to learn a lot of things other than just finance and management for your degree."
"I was wondering why they make us take some courses that don't have nothin' to do with what I want. Watchin' you it makes sense now."
"I'm glad you did, then."
To be continued...
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