Golden Boy

by R. G. Lawrence

  "Jody, what are you planning for next year? Are you going to college?" The question came from Shauna, who had been sitting off by herself most of the evening. The girl wanted to go home, felt terribly uncomfortable about what was happening out here in the woods. The events of the evening didn't calculate into her planned agenda, defied logic, and she wanted no part of what was going on.

  "I think I've decided what I'm going to do, but I'm not 100 percent sure yet. I've been accepted at Notre Dame, but there's something else I may do. I'm almost sure, but, well, we'll see," Jody answered

  "Jody, do you think you or Susie could take me home? I'm sorry, but this is becoming a bit, I don't know, strange for me," Shauna whispered.

  "I don't blame you; I think that's a great idea. Susie, Shauna wants to go home," Jody said in a loud voice, interrupting the conversation going on between the two other girls. "And so do I. Come on, let's all go back to town. This is all bullshit, and I don't think we belong out here with a complete stranger. We don't know who this man is. We can all go over to my house and party, it's a lot safer."

  "I'm really not ready to go home yet," Susie called back. "Can't you wait for a while, Shauna? This is too much fun. Don't you want to try it? I swear it really works, it's great," Susie answered.

  "I really would rather go," Shauna said. "I don't want to ruin the evening for you guys, but something isn't right about all this. It's not normal. My Gramma told me the only wish I need is that God never gives up on me. She told me that I better hope I never forsake Jesus' love, that if I have my faith, I don't need any wishes, nothing but prayer. I believe my Gram, she's never been wrong. I know exactly what I'm gonna do next year, and if that goes good, what I'm gonna do the year after that. I don't need to look in the future, I just have to worry about going to Crider State and working for Mr. Simon Greenway, that's all I need to know. That, and when I get home my little boy is gonna be waiting there for me. Him and Gram. I don't want to know no more. Now, I want to go home, because this is scaring me something awful."

  "Susie, let me have your keys, I'll run Shauna home and come right back. I don't have anything else to do," Andy said, resigned to the fact that the others weren't going to leave anytime soon. "Rod will be around if you need him."

  The girl flipped him the keys, which he caught easily. "I don't know what's going on here either, but I don't like it much. I hope all the voodoo stuff is finished when I get back and you guys are going to be ready to go home."

  "Be careful, I don't know if you're covered on the insurance," Susie called, laughing at her friends concern.

  "I'll talk to you in the morning, Shauna, tell Carl Alan I said goodnight," Gretta waved, turning back to her conversation with Susie as the pair walked away into the night, down the path to where the car was parked.

  Jody started to get up from her place on the ground. "I think I'll go with them," she said to nobody in particular.

  "Do you think maybe you're running away from something, Jody? Running away and hiding?"

  The girl jerked around at the stranger. He was talking straight into her head again, the girl so angry that words were failing her. He met her stare, the golden eyes boring into her green ones, the smile gone from his face, a look of total concentration replacing it.

  "I'm not hiding from anything. You mind your own business," she screamed. It took her a moment to regain her composure, all the time thinking about what he had said, and suddenly embarrassed that everyone was watching what appeared to be a one-sided confrontation.

  "What would I be hiding from," she asked in a calmer tone, much of the antagonism gone, the man's comments suddenly piquing her curiosity. Now she wanted to know more, it suddenly dawning on her that the stranger was reading her mind. Rather than make her angrier, it suddenly made her want to find out how he was doing the things he was doing, how he had manipulated half of this group of rather intelligent, college-bound youngsters into buying into his game. Or was it a game? Her natural proclivity was to find out if he was for real or not, the girl on another mission.

  "Someone with your blessings, your natural curiosity to find answers, to dig for those solutions to the truly important questions, you are destined to use those blessings for something more than your original plan calls for." He noticed the confusion on her face, tried to simplify what he was saying.

  "My dear girl, you have a gift, the gift of curiosity. And you are blessed with a tremendous intelligence to compliment your curiosity. Of course, a religious vocation is a tremendous honor, the opportunity to devote yourself to your faith...if that is truly what it is. But Jody, think hard, child, concentrate; is what you are experiencing a religious vocation? Is it really a calling from your God? Does your God want you to take this curiosity, this wonderful intelligence, this gift, and use it to teach in some Kansan elementary school? Does He wish you to do missionary work in some third-world nation...or maybe live in a convent, shunning the outside world, shutting out the evolution of civilization for the remainder of your years here on earth?"

  He was succeeding, making the redhead think, the concentration replacing the anger; curiosity the great equalizer. "Or have you asked yourself if you're actually hiding, running away from your God-given blessings? Sometimes we all become frightened, Jody Reed, frightened of our talents, frightened of our true path in life. And then we make decisions, choices that make life easier. We choose the simpler paths, the less demanding routes. And we go through life full of regrets, rationalizing our decisions to ourselves, knowing deep down in our souls that we might have made a difference, might have been able to right a wrong. We become martyrs to these lethargic decisions, to our mistakes. Is this what you are going through, Jody? Are you planning to hide from your destiny? Are you afraid, child?"

  "Who are you?" she whispered. "How do you...how do you know what I'm thinking?" Her heaves were taking her breath away, making her body shudder. He knew, somehow he knew her every thought, her every fear, frightening her more than anything ever had in her eighteen years of life.

  "Maybe I’m your conscious," he replied, the sad smile appearing. "What I am for sure is someone who wants to be your friend for a few, brief moments. Or as long as you will permit. That choice is yours, something we will talk about later. A friend is something you've gone a long time without, isn't it, Jody? A true friend. Just think about what I've said, child. Tonight, before you make a decision, think about all the things I've said. That is all I ask."

  "What am I supposed to do? I've been so confused about all this, about everything in my life. Sometimes I hate myself, the way I am. I'm not normal. And I hate it," she sobbed.

  "No, you're certainly not normal, Jody," the Wizard replied matter-of-factly, talking in that soft, soothing voice that only Jody could hear. "You're well above normal...you're special. And that, I realize, is what frightens you. You need to go for your dreams, don't back down from any part of it. Child, you have the potential to do anything, be anything you desire. Don't run away and hide. Don't waste it. The very worst part of life is growing old, knowing it's over, and then counting the regrets, the what-ifs. Jody, don't make a regretful decision tonight. Let me help you. Just a little bit."

  "Tell me what to do. I need you to tell me. Please." The redhead was begging, needing what the stranger had. "Please, will you help me?"

  "Close your eyes, child. Close your eyes and let me show you. I know, and you know, that you've made the decision. Let's see how it turns out. Oh, girl, you are so special, so very special. There, relax, trust me, go with me."

  25

  She was in the fog, floating, opening her eyes, then shutting them tightly, afraid of what she was going to find when she reopened them. She didn't have long to wait. Jody suddenly felt the trip come to an end, her feet firmly on the ground, the silence bringing her out of the fog. She opened her eyes, wondering where she could possibly be, remembering the Wizard had failed to ask her where she wanted to go. Heck, I didn't ask to go anywhere, she thought, but he sure convinced me
that I needed to go somewhere. Faith, he told me to have faith. Okay. Let's see what's in store for me.

  The first thing she saw was a lovely winding river, pleasure boats of all sizes and shapes motoring up and down the water, passing under the stone bridge off to her right. I've seen this scene somewhere before, she thought. This looks so familiar, a picture somewhere, in a book. Try to remember, Jody.

  "The Charles River. Beautiful, isn't it?"

  Jody jumped at the sound of the voice, turning to see the Wizard standing next to her, a beautiful park and golden amphitheater in the background seeming to halo the man's head. "Have you ever been to Boston before?" he asked conversationally.

  "Are you following me...or afraid I'll get lost?" she asked, the hostility finally gone from their relationship, replaced by a strange sort of kinship. Very strange, Jody chuckled to herself.

  "The truth? I wanted to catch a Red Sox game, and this way I can combine business with pleasure. Plus, I enjoy your company, believe it or not."

  "Quit being so nice, it spoils our previous rapport. And no, I haven't been to Boston, but I've seen a lot of pictures of it. The Charles...this is where Arthur Fiedler conducted the Boston Pops sometimes, when was it, on the Fourth of July each year?" she asked, pointing at the park.

  "Correct. This city has more historical memories than any other city in the nation. Would you like to visit some of those sights?" he asked.

  "I know you didn't bring me here to sight-see," she replied accusingly, lifting an eyebrow.

  "Not entirely, we have a lot to talk about today. But it would be a crime not to see the city while we're here. How about it?"

  "I would love to see Boston," she answered enthusiastically, a smile breaking across her face. "I love history, love everything about the past."

  "Yes, I know you do, Jody, I know you do. That's one of the things we're going to talk about."

  And they were off, visiting Beacon Hill, Trinity Church, Boston Common, the Old North Church, the JFK library, and Boston Harbor. It was a whirlwind trip, made even more so by their method of travel. They would step into the fog and step out at their destination.

  "Beats the heck out of cabs," Jody laughed the first time they moved across town in that manner. It was like a dream to the girl, a wonderful, surreal day of Americana. She stopped trying to understand the semantics, the how and why of what was happening and decided to let herself enjoy it all. And enjoy it she did, spending a marvelous afternoon with this most interesting man.

  As they were strolling through the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Dorchester, the Wizard gave her what sounded convincingly like a first person account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The man recited details of the week-long standoff that Jody had never read before in any history book.

  "You were there, weren't you?" she finally asked, convinced beyond any doubt. "The week that the world almost ended; when Kennedy backed down the Russians? Did you offer him a wish?"

  "That, my dear Jody, is confidential, as your evening will be. But it would have made things a bit easier for the great man, wouldn't it? And mark my word; he was a great man, a great president. An exciting time, a special period in the history of this young nation, those three short years."

  "It must be wonderful, being able to participate in history, having a bearing on the future of the world," the girl commented, wonder in her voice.

  "The most exciting, rewarding profession in the universe, I should think," he chuckled.

  In addition to the normal sightseeing spots, her new friend made it a point to take her past the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as Harvard Medical School. "Some of the greatest minds in the history of mankind have studied at these two institutions," he lectured. "Either, or even both of these schools might interest you, young lady."

  "That's the second time you've said that, about these schools," she said. "Why?"

  "They are wonderful schools. Two of the very best. And before the evening is over, you will have several choices to make, choices that will affect your life. When it comes time to make those choices, just use your brain. And your heart. And as you're making your decisions, you might want to figure these schools into the equation."

  "Sometimes you talk in riddles," she answered.

  "We'll see, child, we'll see. Riddles are easily unraveled by the right person, the competent player."

  As dusk was descending upon the town of Boston, Jody was no closer to figuring out her destiny, her future, than when she left the lake hours before. She was having the time of her life, being transported all over this marvelous town, had even asked herself what it would be like to live here, possibly go to school here. Was that the idea, she wondered? Maybe he thinks I should live in Boston.

  Their last stop in Boston was, of all places, a baseball stadium. The fans were on their feet, a sell-out crowd. Jody blinked her eyes several times, trying to clear her vision, not expecting the crowd to be so raucous, the noise level higher than anything she had experienced. It reminded her of senior year when Susie had played in the state high school basketball championship. Jody hated sports, seldom had attended any type of games or athletic events while in school, but when St. Margaret's had finally achieved a level of basketball success like they had last year, Susie had begged Jody to attend the championship game. The game had surprised her, along with the amount of energy that the St. Margaret fans exerted in support of their girl's basketball team. She had been caught up in the emotions, finding herself cheering her friend loudly, embarrassed several times with her loss of control, all over an athletic contest.

  Now Jody found herself staring around at a baseball field, the green grass beautifully manicured contrasting exquisitely with the wide brown dirt warning track running between the outfield and the fence. The crowd numbered in the tens of thousands, screaming fanatics, most of them wearing Boston Red Sox caps, waving banners and signs, television cameras mounted at strategic points around the park. Susie couldn't spot a vacant seat in the entire stadium. She was standing along with the rest of the audience, cheering for something that had happened down on the field. A player was rounding the bases in a slow gait, the other players awaiting his arrival at home plate. Must have hit a home run, Jody thought. She looked up at the scoreboard, saw the digital sign change to read Boston 2, New York 1. Above the score, the sign showed the name of the park to be Thomas P. O’Neill Memorial Stadium Home of the Boston Red Sox. A smaller sign under the stadium name said Former Site of Fenway Park.

  Jody, who had never been to a major league baseball game, was amazed at the energy and excitement coursing through the crowd. She sat back in her cushioned seat, noticing that she was sitting down the first base line in what she thought were probably pretty good seats. She remembered the old Bob Uecker commercial, the one where he always claimed to have "front row seats," and the memory made her giggle. She did have front row seats, and was enjoying the view.

  "How about a dog," the Wizard asked, shouting over the noise. She turned, noticing that he had a red and black Red Sox ball cap atop his white hair, the sight looking pretty funny to the girl.

  "Nice cap," she chuckled. "Been a Red Sox fan long?"

  "Much longer than you might believe," he replied, grinning. "Are you hungry?"

  "Starved. I'd love a hot dog."

  "Two dogs," he called to the vendor, who promptly flung two aluminum foil-wrapped hot dogs in his direction. He caught them deftly, sending several bills down the row of people. Opening one, he handed it to the girl, and bit into his own.

  "Two beers," he called to the next vendor, sending money down the row, taking the beers as they were returned the same way.

  "Some things never change, it doesn't matter how much time goes by," he said, handing Jody her cup of beer. "Hot dogs and beers at Red Sox games, it doesn’t get much better than this."

  "There's something I meant to ask you earlier. The others didn't mention that you had gone along with them. Did you?" she asked, taking a drink of the cold
draft beer. "Did you go with Gretta or Susie?"

  "No, I didn't think they needed or wanted the company. Since I'm a Red Sox fan, I thought I'd take you to a game. I love this place, although it's not as intimate as old Fenway was. Now that was a real ball park."

  "Did you think I needed your help, you know, when you sent me on the trip?" she asked seriously. A cheer went up as the Boston center fielder made a leaping grab of a line drive at the wall, saving a run and ending the inning.

  "I don't think you need anything but a friend to be honest with you, someone to trust. That and it's quite conceivable that I might someday need your help. I wasn't trying to talk you out of a convent tonight, Jody, I was simply trying to make you look at all your options, make you realize the choices weren't simply college or convent, but so much more. And I'm here to show you a few of those options, maybe a few that you don't even realize exist. But, most important, I wanted you to know you had a friend, if just for one night. That also is a choice you have tonight."

  "I'm sorry I was so crappy to you at the lake, but you embarrassed me, then I got kind of jealous when everyone seemed to be having such a good time and I was left out of it. Susie and Gretta loved their trips, and I thought for awhile you were playing a game with them, making me the butt of a joke. But then I thought about what you said, about different dimensions in the universe and stuff. The more I thought, the easier it became to believe. I'm sure there's so much more out there than we know about. It makes sense, in a strange kind of way, that you're what you say you are. And I've had a wonderful day with you; you're a terrific tour guide. Anyway, I'm sorry."

  "Accepted. Now, let's enjoy this game."

  Jody wasn't finished. "But you still haven't explained to me why we are here, you know, in Boston. At a baseball game. I never liked sports."

  "It's strange where life takes us sometimes," the Wizard answered. "You never know where you'll find yourself. Wait till you compare notes with Susie later on, if she feels like talking about it. She has a great story."