School Days

by Ed Nelson

  He just picked it up with the others. By lunch time he was up to nineteen thirty five. He would have many an hour in this basement.

  Denny went from the ads to following World War II. He told me he was glad he knew we had won because it didn’t look good at the beginning. He hadn’t realized that Mum’s war was two years longer than Dad’s war. The bombings she had lived through started in nineteen forty and the United States didn’t come into the war until the end of nineteen forty one.

  He asked me what she did in those days. At one time I thought I knew. Now I wasn’t so sure. I told him to ask her. I hoped I was there when he asked. Her answer would be interesting.

  After returning the hard bound newspapers to the top of the cabinets where they were kept, and having a good sneeze from all the dust and weird smell of old paper we headed down to Don’s.

  At fifteen cents a hamburger and a dime for fries they managed to eat over a dollars’ worth of food. Well, I did have two hamburgers myself so that was part of the cost. I wondered if I could get the money back from Dad. There wouldn’t be a chance with Mum.

  There were a lot of high school kids there and a few from middle school. What I thought was cute was this one middle school girl who made a point of talking to Denny, and saying she hadn’t seen him here before. She hoped he would become a regular.

  What was neat was how red he could get. Eddie didn’t help when he said real loud as she walked away, “I bet she has cooties.”

  From red to pale took Denny about five seconds. I thought he was going to pass out. He survived. I asked him the girl’s name as he hadn’t introduced us.

  “That’s Carla, she never misses anything. You have to be real careful around her. You can’t tell a fib or make anything up. She pays close attention to everything. She is scary.”

  “She may be scary, but she is a cute chick.”

  “I know that is what’s scary. I think she likes me and I don’t know what to do.”

  “Brother, welcome to the club.”

  In the meantime Eddie was looking at us like we were crazy.

  “Why would you like girls?” he wanted to know.

  Denny and I exchanged looks and laughed.

  “One of these days you will understand why girls are likeable,” I replied.

  “Never,” returned Eddie stoutly.

  “Okay guys why don’t we walk down by the train depot and see if any freight trains are coming through.”

  Both boys went for this. It was fun to count how many box cars made up the train and how many different railroad companies there were. Very common were cars from the New York Central, Pennsylvania. Erie, Lackawanna, Reading Railroad, Ann Arbor Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh Valley, and Lehigh and Hudson River.

  The Canadian Pacific had cars through all the time. Best of all was when you saw a Union Pacific, Pacific Southwest, Burlington Line, Grand Trunk Western or even an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe car.

  There was the Sun Coast line and many I couldn’t even remember. My record was one hundred and forty seven cars with fourteen different companies on one train.

  We walked down to the train station. It was located on McKinley Street which is only twenty feet long. It is supposed to be the shortest street in America. The train station is longer.

  Anyway there was a passenger train sitting there. I checked the schedules and found out we could ride it to Kenton and catch another one back with only an hour layover. It would cost forty five cents a person but would kill a few hours.

  The boys were up for it. It was a shame that the last steam engines had gone out of service on the New York Central. They were so cool. Diesels were okay but they were dull in comparison.

  On the ride up to Kenton Eddie made a great discovery. He had to pee so he went to the toilet. He was gone long enough that I was about to go see if he was okay. When he got back he exclaimed, “Did you know when you pee they dump it right on the tracks!”

  “Yes, I did know that Eddie.”

  “What about when you have to poop?”

  “Same place. As you saw when you flush the toilet the bottom opens up and dumps it in the middle of the track. That is why the sign says don’t use the toilet while the train is stopped in the station.”

  Acting like he might throw up, he said, “Oh Yuck!”

  “Eddie that mess is one reason that Dad didn’t like working on the railroad. Can you imagine what it’s like under the bottom of these cars? Poop and pee scattered everywhere.”

  “Oh, I thought it was a good job.”

  “It paid very well when you had work, but you would have to switch the cars to make up a train out in the rain and cold. I’m very glad that Dad is now in the housing business.”

  “Well, he still has to unplug toilets!”

  What is it with young kids and their fascination with toilets?

  “Hey, here is the conductor show him your ticket so he can punch it.”

  We got to Kenton shortly thereafter. We had an hour wait for the train back, so we walked the three blocks downtown. Their stores had different names than ours but they had the same sort of stuff.

  We went into a drug store and I let the boys pick out a couple of Superman and Batman comics for themselves. I picked up the latest issue of Amazing Stories. They had a new serial starting called, “Starship Troopers,” by Robert Heinlein.

  These safely got us back to Bellefontaine. By then it was four o’clock so we headed home. Well after a stop at Isley’s for a milkshake. The boys had strawberry but I went with my favorite butterscotch.

  While we were sitting there a couple of middle school girls walked by us on the way out.

  They both said, “Hi Denny.”

  I think my brother is going to enjoy high school.

  We got home in time to clear off the kitchen table. We hadn’t cleared the table before leaving. I didn’t want to catch it from Mum. The boys must have really enjoyed the day because they helped wash and dry the few dishes with no back talk.

  Chapter 41

  We had just finished and about to head into watch TV when our parents made it home. First through the door was Hurricane Mary. She was so excited, they had been to the big city shopping, and she had some new clothes!

  Mum and Dad followed her at a more sedate pace. Dad looked like he had been shopping. Tired that is. Mum was happy and full of energy. She looked like she had been shopping. Between her and Mary we had an instant fashion show.

  Mary had a plaid jumper with a white blouse. Mum had what she called a little black dress. It reminded me of what I had seen Audrey Hepburn wear in movies. It was very simple and elegant. I even said so.

  Dad whispered to me, “Sixteen dollars of elegant.”

  That was a lot, a normal dress was six or seven dollars.

  Mum said, “I heard that!”

  “Worth every penny dear,” Dad came back with.

  “Nice save Dad.”

  “Jack, show him the Bulova watch you just paid ten dollars for,” Mum said sweetly.

  Dad opened the box showing me his new wrist watch, and I said the right things then headed for my room. There is a time to retreat from the battlefield and this was it.

  When I came out for dinner, Dad had just woke from a nap, and it seems peace had been declared. At least Mum and Dad were cheerful with each other. We had spaghetti for dinner. Mum had frozen some sauce she had made last year with tomatoes from our garden.

  At dinner I asked if we were going to have a garden this year. If we were, where would it be?

  Dad said well that raises some issues. Mum and I have been talking. We think we should go to England this year.

  We finally can afford it and your English grandparents have not seen you since you were a baby, and they have never seen the others. They are in their seventies and not the best of health.

  “How would we get there?” I asked.

  “Well, we would be flying,” replied Mum. The way she said it I wasn’t certain that I was include
d.

  So I asked, “Am I part of this?”

  “Well no, we thought you should take a ship,” said Dad.

  “Why can’t I travel with you?”

  This was confusing. What was going on?

  Dad replied, “You had such an adventure last summer we thought you might like to have another one this year.”

  “I am missing something, what are you thinking off.”

  Mum broke in, “We thought you might like to work your passage on a tramp freighter. Your cousin John has worked for the last year as an apprentice engineer on a passenger ship for the British India Line.”

  “He is on the SS Uganda sailing from Liverpool to East Africa. There is no reason you couldn’t work most of the summer on a freighter with a final destination of Liverpool or London.”

  “Let me get this straight. You are flying to England this summer to visit family and I am welcome to join you if I work my way?”

  “You got it,” said Dad with a big smile.

  “Wow this is out of the blue, it sounds exciting. How do I get a job on a ship?”

  “I’m sure you will figure something out,” Mum replied with a smile.

  I knew that smile. I was going to get nothing else from her.

  “This is for real. I can spend this summer working my way across the Atlantic?”

  “Yes it is Rick, you need to continue to grow and learn. Would you really be happy hanging out at the Lake all summer with the speed boat and pretty girls?”

  “Yes I would, that sounds like a plan to me.”

  “Not going to happen, you will work your summer. It is up to you where you work.”

  “Can I think about it? This is out of the blue.”

  “Certainly that is why we brought it up now.”

  “I am surprised that you will let a fifteen year old travel alone around the world.”

  “You didn’t complain last summer. Besides that is the problem with America today. Children are being kept children too long. Besides your cousin John who is only a year older than you, your cousin David who is your age is apprenticed to a pharmacist. He will be able to dispense medicines on his own within two years.”

  Mum said this, but Dad was nodding his head.

  Dad added, “When I was fifteen I was in the Ohio National Guard helping to break a strike at the rubber factories in Akron. Of course I lied about my age I told them I was eighteen and my mother signed for it. My sergeant told me they knew I was really sixteen but I was big for my age so it was okay.”

  Have I mentioned that my parents could be strange at times?

  “You are still a member of the International Oil Workers Union or whatever it is?”

  “It is the International Oil Rig and Drillers Union, and yes I am paid up till next August. I’m also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and that is good till July.”

  “Why don’t you write to the IORD and ask them for a recommendation to the union hiring hall for the steamship lines in New York City?”

  “I could do that. That won’t hurt anything even if I decide not to do it.”

  Denny broke in, “Can I do this stuff when I’m older?”

  “Certainly,” Dad replied.

  “Good, I want to spend a summer as a spy for the CIA.”

  “If they will take you, you have my permission.”

  Mum asked, “What’s wrong with MI6?”

  “What’s that,” asked Denny?

  “The British version of CIA, only it’s much better.”

  “Peg, we don’t want to go there, remember.”

  “Sorry Jack I got carried away.”

  I thought better of asking what that was about. It would go nowhere.

  Eddie piped up, “I want to spend my summer vacations at Disneyland when I’m old enough.”

  Mary chimed in, “Can I live in the castle at Disney?”

  “Sure kids,” said Dad changing the subject from spying.

  Anyway the bottom line is that we wouldn’t start a garden this year, as there would be no one to tend it.

  That night I started a new book that just came out. It was the retelling of an old story. It starts out with The Wart meeting the magician in the woods.

  Chapter 42

  Tuesday was still warm, well above freezing, so the last of the snow and ice disappeared. There would be more I knew, but I was glad for what we had. It was still overcast and grey. We may never see the sun again I thought. Anyway after my morning exercises I did manage a run.

  All it did was show how fast you can get out of shape. I did okay, but my stamina had taken a hit from the winter’s inactivity.

  We had just finished breakfast when the phone rang. Dad answered it without his usual, City Morgue…bit.”

  He listened for a while and said, “We will stop by after lunch today.”

  He turned around and said, “That was Douglas Hicks a lawyer for that kid on the Moped, Sam Butler. He asked that we stop by and give a statement on the events at the pond. They seem to think they have a law suit against the city.”

  “How could they have a law suit? He was the stupid one who rode a Moped on ice like a madman,” Mum asked.

  “They don’t have signs up saying it’s not safe to ride a motor vehicle on the ice.”

  “Well I never!”

  “Anyway he asked that I accompany Rick to his office so he can take a statement. I told him that I would, but first I’m calling Eugene Burke.”

  Dad called Mr. Burke and explained the situation. Then Dad listened and listened some more.

  He said, “Can you accompany us then? Good we will meet at your office at one o’clock and walk across the street to his.”

  Dad told us the gist of his conversation, “This Hicks has a reputation as being an ambulance chaser. He hunts for problems like this and tries for a cash settlement without a trial.”

  “Eugene warned me that he will try to get Rick to admit that he treated this Butler kid someway. Then he will claim malpractice of some sort hoping to get our homeowners insurance to settle with him.”

  “Eugene has agreed to go with us and keep this from happening.”

  Needless to say this set off a small uproar in the house. Mum was all for settling things out of hand. I’m not sure what this meant, but I got the impression that it included violence.

  I tried reading to pass the morning but it was a drag. Finally Dad and I left for our attorney’s office. When we got there Mr. Burke asked me to recount the events of the day. He had me repeat my conversation with Sergeant Woodruff.

  He was really interested that I had told him that I didn’t do any treatment because I saw that I would only cause further injury.

  “Once again, that is what you told the police and he took notes?”

  “Yes Sir,” I replied.

  “Then that is exactly what you will tell Hicks, the truth. He might try to talk you around to saying you treated Butler in some way. You said that you provided blankets because he was cold and your Boy Scout training led you to believe he might go into shock. He will then say that is a form of treatment. Is it treatment?”

  “No Sir, it is not treatment of the injury it is an attempt at preventing further injury.”

  “Excellent, now you have told me these things. Have I tried to lead you to these answers in anyway?”

  “No you just asked me to tell you what happened and then recommended I relate exactly that since it is the truth.”

  Mr. Burke looked at Dad and said, “You have one smart kid here.”

  We walked across the street. At Hicks office we were forced to wait for half an hour. Mr. Burke winked after fifteen minutes. “I bet he doesn’t know I’m with you, he is trying to make you nervous.”

  I didn’t say anything but it was working.

  When we were escorted to Mr. Hick’s office he was surprised to see Mr. Burke with us.

  He made the comment, “Oh, you have concerns about Rick’s actions since you have brought an attorney with you.”

  �
�Still working on intimidation tactics, Doug?” responded our lawyer.

  I don’t know what I expected his office to look like but it was as plain as could be. The desk was a battered metal one. There was one bookcase with a few law books on it. I compared that with Mr. Burke’s office which had a nice wooden desk, credenza, two barrister book cases full of law books, nice carpeting and drapes. This place was a dump by comparison.

  The interview went exactly as Mr. Burke had predicted. He must have asked me ten different ways if I had touched or manipulated Sam Butler’s ankle in any way shape or form. I kept my answers the same as with the police and Mr. Burke.

  His questions then turned to were there any city personnel present.

  “No Sir, not to my knowledge.”

  Was there any signage saying under what conditions it was not safe to be on the ice?

  “No Sir, not to my knowledge.”

  “You don’t know much do you?”

  At that point Dad turned to Mr. Burke, “We are done here.”

  “I agree,” we stood to leave.

  Hicks tried to shake Dad’s hand and said, “I am just doing my job.”

  Dad looked at Hick’s hand without taking it and replied, “With your job I don’t know where your hand has been.”

  Mr. Burke and Mr. Hicks did shake hands but it was perfunctorily. I did love all the new words I was learning as I read.

  While I was being interviewed Mr. Burke had taken notes of my replies. We went back to his office and asked me to review, and sign them if I agreed with their accuracy. They were very good notes, almost a transcript of the conversation.

  “Normal courtesy would be for Hicks to provide us a copy of his notes to review for accuracy. That isn’t how he works. If by some chance he asks you to sign anything let me review it first.”

  Dad and I returned home. Mum wanted all the details. She was still ready to rip some ones heart out. I never knew she could get so angry. I mentioned that to Dad while Mum was out of the room.

  He told me, “This isn’t when you should be scared. She is just venting. It is when she goes all quiet and gets remote that you should be concerned.”

  Boy, this was a side of Mum that I never knew existed!