Bruce and Wendy returned from Maine one week before we left for our trip to the Jersey shore. Grandmother Marie went back home to Maryland but not before one last rib crushing hug and a few tears from Mom.
While Bruce and Wendy were away, it was the first time I missed having friends. The day after they returned, Bruce invited me over to his house. Despite rushing over, by the time I arrived, Wendy was already there. Even if she was missed, I never told her.
Bruce led Wendy and I into the dining room where a few games were sitting on a long table covered with a white cloth and eight chairs. I sat on one side of the table while Bruce and Wendy sat across from me. Nothing much had changed among the three of us. I wanted to play Monopoly. Bruce sided with Wendy. We played Battleship. It was Bruce and Wendy against me. I lost three games before Bruce’s mom brought in a stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some juice. I finally won a game while we were eating.
“If I was on your team, Alex, we woulda won every game,” Wendy said. “Boys think they know how to play war games but they don’t. Girl power!”
I didn’t know why I allowed Wendy to bug me so easily. Maybe because I was eleven and didn’t know how to treat girls. It’s not like I could push them, like I did with Greg Lewis at the movie theatre. I knew if I yelled at Wendy, Mom and Dad would punish me. Girls sure had a big advantage over us boys. I still wonder if they know it.
“How did you spend your entire vacation with Wendy talking trash?” I asked Bruce.
Bruce shrugged.
“I am lots of fun to be around, Alex,” Wendy said. “It’s not my fault you stink at Battleship.”
I looked at Bruce. He was looking out the window eating chips his mother had just put on the table. I lost most of the games and the battle of words with Wendy. As much as I hated to lose, it was nice having them both back.
“Did you go and visit our new school, Alex?” Wendy asked. “My mom is taking me next week. Isn’t it exciting to be able to change classrooms and learn from different teachers? Plus we even get our own locker. I’m going to decorate mine with pink paper.”
“Mom said she would take me after we get back from vacation.” I said. “But I don’t think you can put stuff other than your books and clothes in your locker. The school has rules against it. This is middle school.”
“You boys are so stupid, Alex. Of course you can decorate your locker. Haven’t you ever watched Saved by the Bell? They make the lockers look so bright and happy. My locker will be the happiest one of all the sixth graders.”
“Whatever, Wendy. I don’t think your locker will be next to mine anyway. Make it as happy as you like. Mine will have books and gym clothes in it. That’s why they give you a locker.”
After listening to Wendy ramble on about how she was getting new clothes for the upcoming school year and Bruce tell me all about how he and his dad caught plenty of trout in Maine, I wanted to go home. I missed them both, but maybe I still could only take them in small doses.
Later that evening, I settled in bed and read writings left by Thomas Jefferson. Thomas wrote about how his friend John Adams convinced him and the other men in the Second Continental Congress that Thomas should write some words because they all wanted a resolution of independence. In 1775 some of the people who lived in America wanted their freedom from King George and Great Britain. Some of the past presidents, who I had already met, were fighting with soldiers from Great Britain who wore red coats. I assumed the British soldiers didn’t know about the cool G.I Joe camouflage uniforms?
Jefferson wrote about how some people dressed as Indians, boarded ships in Boston Harbor and threw all the tea into the water. Angry people declared there would be, “No taxation without representation.” That was a big reason why people asked Thomas Jefferson to write his now famous words. Many citizens wanted to be a free from King George.
Mom came to tuck me in bed. I asked if I could stay up an extra half hour to read more about Mr. Jefferson. She agreed, but made me promise I would throw all my dirty clothes in the laundry room, first thing in the morning. She wanted to get my clothes ready for our vacation.
Mom left. I read more. Other men wanted John Adams to write the words demanding their independence but Mr. Adams convinced the committee that Thomas Jefferson should write the words. Adams promised others that he would watch what Jefferson was writing. Mr. Jefferson took seventeen days to write the famous words and finished his first draft on June 28, 1776. For the next several days, the men in the Congress changed some of the words Thomas Jefferson wrote. Mr. Jefferson was unhappy the other men wanted to make changes. Against Jefferson’s wishes, he removed the words about how Britain forced slavery upon the colonies along with almost one quarter of the words he wrote.
On July 2, 1776, the men voted to seek independence from Great Britain. On July 4, 1776 they all decided they had made enough changes. Fifty-six men ratified the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. John Hancock signed his name extra big so King George could read his name without wearing glasses. Mr. Hancock didn’t like the King. Mr. Jefferson wrote in my book that all the men signed the Declaration on July 4th. However, some men claimed that some of the fifty-six men signed the document weeks later.
It was late. I was sleepy. I placed my book on the table next to my bed, turned on the radio and fell asleep. The next morning I got up early and did my chores, including moving the laundry for Mom. I didn’t want to upset her a few days before vacation.
After chores, I pulled my bike from the basement and sat on the front porch. Bruce and Wendy were going to come over to ride bikes. I was waiting on the steps when a man appeared.
“The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money,” the man said.
I looked at him. “What does that mean, mister?”
He laughed. “It means I’m curious to know what you are thinking about, Alex.”
“Oh. Not much. I’m waiting for Wendy and Bruce to come over. Bruce says he knows where there’s a dead raccoon. We’re gonna surprise Wendy and see if she’ll scream and puke her guts out.”
“That’s not how a gentleman treats his lady, kind sir. I would never have done that to my wife Martha. What I wouldn’t do to see her beautiful face again.”
“Hey, mister, Wendy’s not my wife. She’s just some girl who lives next to Bruce, so his mom makes us play with her. I don’t even like her that much. She kicks my desk and wears pink every day.”
“I think you will be surprised at how much the young lady stays involved in your life. My bond with my wife was so strong that when she passed at a tender age, I promised never to marry again. I will forever keep my word.”
“Yeah well, I’m not promising Wendy nothing. She cheats at Battleship too. She kept getting up from the table and trying to peek at my board.”
The man with white hair pulled back in a ponytail said, “Friendship is precious not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement, the greater part of life is sunshine.”
I scratched my head. I was confused. “You talk in words I really don’t understand. Some of the presidents in my book write as you talk. You must be one of those presidents from a long time ago. They all talk funny. What’s your name?”
“Books, yes, I cannot live without books. My name is Thomas Jefferson.”
“Hey, I was reading about you last night. I shoulda known who you were. You were the first Secretary of State with George Washington and later Vice President with your friend John Adams and then President. Plus you wrote the Declaration of Independence.”
Thomas frowned. “Yes, General Washington. Don’t assume by my acceptance into his cabinet that the man and I were friends. And Adams, we have taken to letter writing in our later years. We now maintain a healthy friendship, but we never can agree much on how to form a more perfect union.”
“You mean all you old presidents weren’t friends?”
Mr. Jefferson narrowed his eyes before looking towards the street. “We were attem
pting to form the greatest nation on earth, young man. We fought bitterly over how our government and nation should take shape. My dear friend James Madison and I believed the power of our nation should lie within the states. We never encouraged a large government with much power, after all an energetic government is always oppressive.”
“I don’t know what that means, Mr. Jefferson. I guess I’ll learn more in school.”
“Mr. Wilson requested I speak with you, Alex. My responsibility is for you to understand from the beginning of this great nation’s founding, there were some who believed the power should reside with the states, while some believed in a more centralized form of rule. I firmly believe every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.”
I looked out at the street for Bruce and Wendy but didn’t see them. I continued speaking with Mr. Jefferson. “If you ever meet this guy Greg from my class, I don’t think you would get along with him. I argue with Greg the same way you fought those people about wanting to change your words. Be careful making bets with Greg. He won’t pay up.”
Thomas stood up and took a deep breath. He was either listening to the birds chirping in the tree or smelling Mom’s roses growing next to the steps.
He looked at me and said, “An association of men who will not quarrel with one another is a thing which has never yet existed, from the greatest confederacy of nations down to a town meeting or a vestry.”
“You talk with strange big words, Mr. Jefferson. No wonder they asked you to write that Declaration thing. Maybe Dad or Grandpa would know what you are talking about, but I’m confused. Stick around. Wendy will be showing up soon. She thinks she’s so smart. I think you will confuse her too. But tell me what you meant so I can look smart in front of my friends.”
“People quarrel. It is our nature.”
“Do you know one of the other presidents who came to visit with me? His name is Tommy Wilson. When he was president, people called him Woodrow. He thinks I should work extra hard so that I can put money into his treasury. He calls it taxes. Dad told me that sometimes they spend more money in the treasury than they have in it. It’s called deficit spending. I lost several weeks of allowance because Dad made me buy a tape player I didn’t have enough money for on the night we bought it.”
Thomas pinched his nose with his fingers. He looked at our house. He bent down on one knee and looked at Mom’s roses. “I’ve not heard of Wilson but this sounds more like the work of Alexander Hamilton. The man ranted for years about setting up a banking system. I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. And Alex, never spend your money before you earn it.”
“I agree with you President Jefferson, but Dad said that tape player was a better value. I have to listen to Dad. He’s a pretty smart guy.”
Thomas stood up and took another whiff of air. “I must have some of these roses for my home at Monticello. I quite enjoy working on my home. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”
Thomas talked funny but he was fun. I enjoyed our conversation. I didn’t want it to end but I knew Bruce and Wendy would be along soon. “I gotta go soon, President Jefferson. I never read the Declaration thing. But what words do you think were the best you wrote?”
Thomas smiled. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“More giant words to think about, sir. I like the part about men being created equal. We have some kids in my class that think they are so much better than everyone else is. Wendy thinks women are better than men.”
Bruce and Wendy pulled up on their bikes. Wendy’s of course was pink trimmed in white with a white basket. I couldn’t wait till she saw that dead raccoon and screamed. I turned to say good-bye to Thomas. “It’s been really cool meeting you, President Jefferson, even if I didn’t understand half of what you were talking about. I hope we get to meet again.”
“In looking at your girlfriend over there, I find it hard to believe she would be the source of your ills. However if she upsets you, count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.”
“Whatever. I gotta go. Maybe we can talk later. See ya.” I waved bye to Thomas Jefferson.
I hopped on my bike and peddled to the curb to meet with Bruce and Wendy.
“Who are you waving at?” Wendy asked.
“My new friend Thomas Jefferson. He told me to tell you that, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, Wendy. You always tell me how smart you are. I thought you could explain it to me. It’s why I told you.”
“You’re acting weird, Alex. No one was standing there. And Thomas Jefferson has been dead for like nine hundred years. He was president even before my grandma was born.”
“I told you before, Wendy. My friends only talk to me. I asked President Jefferson to talk with you and Bruce but he said he was going home to plant some roses.”
Wendy turned to Bruce. “Did you see anybody on Alex’s front steps?”
Bruce shrugged.
“Boys are so stupid sometimes. Come on. Let’s go for a bike ride,” Wendy said.
Bruce and I smiled at each other anticipating Wendy’s screams from seeing a dead animal.
We rode our bikes several blocks beyond the park and around the lake. There was a long street, lined with trees. Near the end of the street was a long dirt road. Our parents told us that there were campgrounds and hiking trails along the dirt road. The Boy Scouts camped there in the summers. The three of us were forbidden to ride our bikes down the dirt road.
Bruce stopped half way down the street for a sip of his water from the plastic bottle clipped to the frame of his bike. He looked around and explained we were near where we needed to be. He wanted to explore the area before continuing our journey. Bruce got off his bike and hit the kickstand. Wendy and I watched. He wandered along a small patch of grass between the street and the trees.
“Whatcha looking for?” Wendy said.
I got off my bike and started walking near Bruce. I couldn’t find any trace of a dead raccoon. Bruce started walking in a bigger circle. I moved closer to the edge of the trees. Wendy got off her bike and walked towards me.
“I thought we were going for a bike ride. What are you two looking for?” Wendy asked.
“It’s not here, Bruce,” I said. Maybe somebody found it and took it home.”
Bruce shrugged.
“Tell me right now what you two are looking for or I’m leaving.”
“Bruce told me there was a dead raccoon here yesterday and we wanted to see if you would puke up your lunch when you saw it,” I said.
“Ewe, gross. I wouldn’t puke at nothing. I cleaned all the fish my dad caught in Maine and even used the cracker tool to open my own lobster. Besides, when I grow up I’m gonna be a famous doctor and get my hands all gooey with blood from doing heart surgery. Do you think I’d be scared of some dead animal on the side of the road?”
“I thought you were going to rule the world and make everyone wear pink?” I said.
“I can do both you know,” Wendy said. “My mom tells me all the time as long as I get good grades and keep my room clean I can do whatever I want.”
I looked at Bruce. We both shrugged.
“I don’t know, Bruce.” I said. “Maybe a bear came outta the woods and ate the raccoon.”
He shrugged.
“Bears don’t eat dead raccoons,” Wendy said. “They eat salmon and berries. Don’t you ever watch Wild Kingdom on television? I love Jim Fowler.”
“They eat lots of stuff, Wendy. They even eat smarty-pants girls who wear pink,” I said.
“How rude! They don’t eat girls. Besides there aren’t any bears in these woods. The Jersey Devil a
te all the bears. Don’t you know anything about these woods? That’s why my mom and dad told me I can’t go down that dirt road to the campgrounds. A long time ago when my dad was my age, some boy went down that road and the Jersey Devil ate him. Unless you are older or with lots of people to scare the monster away, you should never go in the woods.”
“Grandpa Frank told me the Jersey Devil is fake, just like Big Foot. You’re the one who doesn’t know anything, Wendy.”
Wendy pointed to the trees. “Fine then Alex Schuler. You walk into the trees and go look for the bears and the dead raccoon. But when you get chased and eaten up by the Devil, don’t you come crying to me.”
“Awe, if I’m dead, how am I supposed to talk with you?”
Wendy marched at a brisk pace back to her bike and jumped on. Bruce followed behind her. I moved a few feet inside the line of trees to listen for bears or the Jersey Devil. Bruce yelled at me to hurry up and get back on my bike. I did. We rode around the neighborhood several times until we were too bored to make another loop. Bruce and Wendy peddled home. I ended up back on my front porch steps.
Mom brought out some iced tea and went back inside. I took some deep breaths and wiped the sweat from my forehead. A few cars drove along our street. I was about to go inside when Mr. Jefferson came around from the side wiping dirt from his hands.
“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. By the way, Alex, did your friend Wendy scream at the sight of the dead critter?”
“Nah, we couldn’t even find it. What a rip off.”
“Yes, well move on from the disappointment. After all, dreams of the future are better than the history of the past.”
“If you say so, President Jefferson. I still wanted to see Wendy puke all over her pink sneakers.”
“You talk of me speaking funny, Alex. I would suggest it is you, who uses colorful phrases. I am unfamiliar with your constant use of the word, puke. If you are to lead our nation one day, I do hope you increase your vocabulary skills.”
I shook my head at Thomas. “When Grandpa Frank gave me my book, he told me that past presidents were going to come to visit me. He told me not to be scared. He told me that you guys were being sent to guide me, to teach me how to be a leader. He told me that you guys would show up outta nowhere. He asked me to show you respect, even Tommy Wilson. But I don’t wanna be a leader. I don’t wanna change my vocabulary. I wanna be a kid. I wanna toss a baseball and learn to swim. I wanna ride my bike and listen to my radio. I love reading that book and meeting you presidents, but I’m still a kid.”
Thomas sat on the step with me. He placed his arm around my shoulder. “It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which gives you happiness. I am not asking you to grow past your years. I am offering you some history and guidance in the event you chose to lead our nation. Governing is a thankless position. I understand what it takes to lead others. But my time has ended. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
I smiled at Thomas. He disappeared with the whispering wind.
~~~*~~~
Chapter Ten
Presidential Shadows Page 9
