Meeting Max

by Richard Brumer

  “Of course, that would be a good thing.”

  “It’s just that I think it would be important for Max if I…”

  “Rick, you don’t need a reason. Max is eight and he knows his father was adopted.”

  “I see. So, does he know what adoption means?”

  “Yes, he’s a bright kid. Even though Eric and I had strong differences, you’re Max’s grandfather, and he does need family.”

  “Thanks for that, Sarah.”

  “I really felt bad when I heard about Eric’s birth mom. She was so young.”

  “Yes, I was devastated when I heard the news. We had something beautiful together, but circumstances changed, and we split. I still have second thoughts about that.”

  “I know it’s not easy for you. Eric was too young when he left us forever. I don’t know what he was thinking. He probably was in such a bad state. I’ll never understand. All Max knows is that his father got sick and died.”

  “If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

  “Thank you. I’m not doing that great. It hurts. I miss Eric and I don’t think time will make a difference. Eric and I got married when we were very young. We started college soon after. He was a chemistry major and I was in an education program. Eric told me you guys had quite a long chat, and he couldn’t believe how much you had in common. Did he say anything about me?”

  “Just that you were a good mother and…”

  “Well, that’s hard to believe. He usually badmouths me to everyone. We are divorced, in case you didn’t know, and we had spent a lot of time in court fighting over visitation. Eric was addicted to drugs, really addicted. I felt I had to protect Max because Eric was unpredictable. That made him angry and he fought me every inch of the way.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “I loved Eric, but there was no way he could have any kind of relationship with me or Max with that big wall of drugs between us. It’s amazing that he even made it through college, but then again, he was brilliant and could learn anything on his own. I guess he told you he was a sound engineer. He made over two hundred albums, but kept his name off the credits. He had his reasons.”

  “Yeah, he told me, but I didn’t know he’d made so many recordings. We felt a strong connection when we talked on the phone. We found we had the same philosophy about life and shared a passion for music. Maybe that’s why Eric repeated the expression nature over nurture so often.”

  “Tell me how Eric came into this world.” Her voice broke. “You’re the only one who knows.”

  “In a few words, Eric was born out of young love.”

  “Why didn’t you stay together?” she asked softly.

  “Even though we had agreed that adoption would be the best thing for the baby, after the adoption took place, Julie became severely depressed. Maybe I should have been more understanding. We kept in touch and always said we had to find him. We never tried. Then she died, and I made the journey alone.”

  “So sad, but It’s good that we talked.” she said, her voice weak. “Well, you have Max now.”

  “Sarah, thank you.”

  “I mean it,” she said firmly. “He misses his father terribly. They truly loved each other. You’ll like Max when you meet him. He’s a sweet kid.”

  Rick didn’t know what to say. She sobbed and he listened as she took deep breaths. For a moment, there was silence.

  “Let me know when you think it would be a good time,” Rick said. “You have so much pulling at you, so when you’re ready…”

  “Rick, I think it would be a big help for you and Max to get to know each other, and for him to know that you gave his father life. He has nice grandparents on my side, and Eric’s adoptive father is very caring, but he lives so far away. You’re his grandfather too, and you’re part of the family now. It would be wonderful for Max, and it would make things easier for me. How would next weekend work for you?”

  ***

  The following weekend worked out fine, as did all the weekends after that. It was easygoing from the beginning. Eric’s belief in nature over nurture seemed to be true. Grandpa Rick often helped Max with his homework and Max proved to be a good student.

  That summer, Rick visited Mr. and Mrs. Weisz and they spent an afternoon over lunch reminiscing about Elena. They wanted to know more about their relationship, what they did together, what India was like, and how she died. Rick beamed as he spoke to them about the magic of India. He answered all their questions, but glossed over the sensitive details.

  Rick liked her parents and he saw Elena’s face in her mother. As they talked, Elena was brought to life again. He recalled Gandhi’s words when Rick told him about her. Love is God’s gift. He left with several pictures of Elena.

  The year passed quickly and Rick busied himself with school activities and his time with Max. Winter recess was near and Rick asked Sarah if he could take Max skiing for a few days. She agreed and was happy that Max had a part of Eric in his life.

  “It was Eric who had Max on skis as soon as he could walk,” Sarah said, “and he’s good at it.”

  Together, grandpa and grandson took the long drive up to Stowe, Vermont, bypassing some of the other ski towns along the way. Rick liked Stowe. It was the ski capital of the east. It was old and established. In the crisp air, he breathed in the history of the charming town as they drove by the small shops that offered old time friendly service.

  They arrived at Auberge de Quatre Saisons de Stowe, a ski lodge close to Mt. Mansfield, which was run by Pierre and Adrianne, a young French couple from Bordeaux. It accommodated about twenty guests. Max and Grandpa Rick had dinner, sat by the fire for a while, and went to bed early.

  The next morning, they ate hotcakes and maple syrup, then they made their way to the slopes. It was cold and sunny with a solid blue sky. Fresh snow had fallen during the night. They brought their own skis and boots and soon found themselves on a chairlift heading for Easy Mile, a beautiful trail surrounded by snow-dusted pine trees.

  Rick felt good being on his skis again. He was at home on them. Max shivered a bit as they took the chairlift to the top, but there were no complaints. The chairlift was always a good place for conversation as it ambled its way slowly to the top of the mountain along the steel cable. The sunlight danced in and out of the snow-laden pine trees as the chairlift moved along.

  “I love this, Grandpa. It’s cold, but I love it,” Max said excitedly as he tapped the snow off his skis with his poles.

  “We’ll both warm up as we start skiing down.”

  “Can I take my jacket off if it warms up later? My sweater is pretty heavy.”

  “Sure, let’s see how it goes.”

  Rick felt good when Max asked his permission to do the smallest things. He was a respectful kid and seemed to have a natural ability for sports.

  They peeled off the chairlift, stopped at the top, and soaked up the mountainous surroundings in the crisp, cold air. A few random snowflakes fell. They skied between the tall pines on each side of them as the trail twisted and turned, offering its challenges.

  Rick watched Max skiing in front of him. He was young and his legs were like rubber as he moved his body from side to side, carving his way down the snowy terrain. Rick knew the happiness he felt.

  They skied all morning, then took the quad lift to the top of the mountain and walked to the Octagon Café. They passed under the knife-like icicles over the entrance, and, once inside, found a table near the fireplace and kicked off their ski boots to allow their wet socks to dry.

  Soon, they wrapped their hands around cups of hot cocoa, served by a cheerful teenage waitress. To Max’s delight, Rick ordered cheeseburgers and cokes for their lunch.

  “My mom doesn’t let me have burgers and cokes too often, but I love them! Thanks, Grandpa!” Rick smiled and thought about how Julie had loved them too.

  “Grandpa, you’re a pretty good skier.”

  “Well, I’ve skied a lot over the years, but
I couldn’t keep up with you.”

  “Stowe is great. Have you ever skied here before?”

  “Yes, once, with your grandmother.”

  “Did she like it?”

  “She loved it. She was an outdoor person, like you.”

  They finished their lunch and skied the rest of the day. That night, after dinner, they walked along a snowy trail in the woods toward an almost full moon which sat, tucked, in the evergreens. The moon lit up Max’s face as they walked and talked along the trail.

  “Grandpa? I don’t know if you know, but my mom got engaged.”

  “Oh, really? I didn’t know. How do you feel about that?”

  “I’m okay with it. He’s an engineer and smart, like you.”

  “I’m happy to hear the news and I look forward to meeting him. Tell me about school, Max. Keep me posted. What are you reading in your English class this term? I like to know what’s going on.”

  “I have a great teacher. His name is Mr. Goldberg. We just finished reading Gulliver’s Travels. I loved it. My dad was like Mr. Goldberg,” Max recalled. “I learned a lot from my dad. He always told me to do the right thing, no matter what. He was a good dad. I think about him every day and look at all the pictures. It makes me sad. I miss him so much. It’s too bad he got sick.”

  A lump formed in Rick’s throat when he heard Max’s words. He didn’t know the truth and wondered if he ever would.

  “I know,” Rick said sadly. “He was a good father. He would be happy to know we’re here together.”

  “He does know we’re together,” Max said matter-of-factly. “He’s in heaven and sees us.”

  “Yes, I’m sure he does, Max. I know he does.”

  ***

  On their last night in Stowe, they went for their usual walk in the woods. It was cold, but bearable, and stars lit up the sky.

  “Grandpa.”

  “Yeah, Max.”

  “Grandpa…”

  “Did you want to say something?”

  “I want to tell you something, but I want you to promise not to tell my mom.”

  “That’s not a promise I can give. I love you, Max, and you’re a nice kid. If what you want to tell me is the truth and you want to talk about it, then I will understand. I can always handle the truth. Lies will hurt both of us.”

  “No lies. Something is bothering me and I haven’t told anyone and I would definitely not tell my mom.”

  “If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen. I can’t promise I won’t tell your mom. It’s up to you if you want to tell me or not.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you. I think about it every night when I go to sleep and again when I wake up. I’m still not sure if I should tell you.”

  “You can think about it and then decide.”

  “I smoked pot,” Max blurted out. “My friend Jesse gave it to me after school and we went behind his house and I smoked it.”

  “What happened?”

  “I coughed a lot and got dizzy. My head was spinning, then I felt okay, and Jesse taught me how to smoke it the right way. We sat up against the tree and Jesse gave me another one and I liked it.”

  “Why did you want to try it?”

  “Almost everybody in my class did it.”

  “Almost everybody? You’re not even ten years old.”

  “Well, I guess it was only one other kid. It’s bothering me that I did it, and I didn’t say anything to my mom. I won’t smoke it again.”

  “That’s good. If you continue doing it, your mom will find out anyway.”

  “How?”

  “It will make you look different. Your eyes will look dull and you won’t be acting right. You’ll look spaced out. Do you want to look that way, spaced out with drooping eyes?

  “No, Grandpa. I like my looks the way they are. I always keep looking in the mirror to see how I look with different smiles.”

  “I used to do the same thing, but smoking that stuff is not a good thing, and it can hurt you. Maybe it will affect your learning too. Besides, why would you want to put anything in your body that’s not good for you? And it’s also illegal. I won’t say anything to your mom, she has enough to deal with, but I want you to promise me one thing.”

  “What?”

  “Think about telling her.”

  Max twisted and turned his body back and forth. He looked down, deep in thought, and said, “I’ll think about it..”

  Rick hoped he would say, ‘I’ll tell her,’ but felt it was a good start.

  Max asked Rick about things that went through his mind. He wanted to know why God didn’t answer his prayers, and if he could train to be a skier in the Olympics. Rick answered every question during the long ride home.

  Sarah greeted Max with a big hug. He was sleepy after the long drive and headed straight to his room. Rick spent a few minutes with Sarah, who thanked him for taking Max away for a few days. She said it was good for her too and that she needed a break.

  After their ski trip, Rick spoke to Max once or twice a week on the phone and they exchanged e-mails. In one of his e-mails, Max told Rick he finally got up the nerve to tell his mom about his pot smoking. He said his mom asked him if he tried it after that one time. He said no and she made him promise that if he ever felt like doing it again, he would tell her first.

  Chapter 28

  Rick’s teaching position consumed him. It was a good thing because he loved being a professor. It energized him. Since he taught at NYU, he was surrounded by the memories of his college years, Julie, and Greenwich Village. He found happiness being with Max, and they shared many meals at Caffe Reggio and strolled down the same streets that Rick and Julie had.

  Rick told Max all about his grandmother. They even had their palms read at the place where Julie and Rick learned about their futures from Eeluminada. Times had changed, and a Hungarian man named Zoltan replaced the gypsy lady. He had a bushy mustache and wore a turban. All went well. They were promised wonderful futures and Max beamed when they left. Rick smiled.

  You get what you pay for.

  In March of 2014, Max turned fourteen. He was a gift from Rick’s past. Max invigorated him by asking many questions about school, life, his future, and religion. They formed a strong bond, and Rick learned about the things a fourteen year old does. Video games were high on the list.

  ***

  Sarah was already married to Stan, and she called Rick to surprise him with the news that she and her husband were planning to move to California with Max before the fall school term began. Stan had secured an excellent position teaching mechanical engineering at Stanford University, and she would be teaching at San Mateo College while working on her doctorate degree.

  She was excited about the move and made Rick promise to visit often. Rick was unhappy that Max would be moving out of New York, but rationalized that California was only a few hours away by air, and he always had a lot of free time before school semesters. Besides, Sarah deserved to have love in her life and he was happy for her.

  Rick and Max had frequently talked about sailing, but a trip never materialized. He proposed a sailing vacation for Max and him to the British Virgin Islands over the summer and Sarah agreed. She thought it was a wonderful idea for Max to spend time with his grandfather out at sea and both Sarah and Rick knew he would love it.

  Max developed into a nice adolescent. He was slim with good muscle tone and had blue eyes, like Eric’s and Julie’s. He was bright and curious, with an offbeat, dry sense of humor.

  ***

  Rick’s brother, David, and his wife, Daniela, both marine biologists, lived on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. They had a home high on a hill that surrounded Cane Garden Bay, a popular anchorage on the north shore of the island. They looked forward to Rick and Max’s arrival and offered them their thirty-six foot sloop rigged sailboat for as long as they wanted it.

  Rick and Max flew from New York to St. Thomas, then took a ferry to Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands. David and Daniela met
them with their Jeep and drove them up the steep, winding mountain road and then down to Cane Garden Bay, where they had a home built into the mountainside. The view from their deck was spectacular, especially when the sun was setting. It offered a different show every night.

  Rick chatted with David as he prepared dinner, which consisted of pumpkin soup, fried fish, and okra. Daniela was in the next room with Max teaching him about navigation, nautical lingo, and plotting a course. This adventure would be a great learning experience for Max.

  Rick and Max sat at the dinner table as Max’s Aunt and Uncle laid out the sailing charts and pointed to the different ports of call that Rick and Max would soon visit. Max leaned forward and appeared to soak up every word. Rick looked at him with an inner smile, feeling that Max’s imagination was as ignited as his sense of excitement.

  A few days later, the four of them took a ferry to North Sound on Virgin Gorda to load provisions onto their sailboat, Gone With the Wind. The boat was nestled comfortably in its slip as her dock lines tugged at her in the breeze. An inflatable dinghy with an outboard motor was attached to a stern cleat.

  They carried ice and food onboard, topped off the water and fuel, and taught Max the safety rules. After sharing a quick lunch on board, David refreshed Rick’s memory regarding the boat’s operation and discussed a few new upgrades. David and Daniela threw them the bow and stern lines and wished them Bon Voyage. They were on their way!

  Rick and Max sailed out of North Sound with a fifteen-knot breeze off their starboard quarter as they headed toward Anegada, a flat island surrounded by reefs. Max held the course under Rick’s close watch. They allowed the current to set them slightly to the west, away from the coral heads, and when they got close to the anchorage, Rick lowered the sails and motored their way in. It was a safe passage during the day.