by J. W. Huemme
“I will, and thank you for being honest with me Dr. Percell.” Mary got up and gathered her things to leave. “I think I’d better pack that bag and keep it by the door. I’m going to need it sooner than we thought.”
* * *
“Joe,” Mary paused for a moment. “Joe, wake up, honey. It’s time.”
“It can’t be time to get up yet. The sun’s not even showing through the, oh my lord! It’s time? That time? Why didn’t you say so?”
Mary calmly smiled. “I just did silly. Take my bag and put it in the car. Get the Chevy warmed up, and then come back and help me out. I’ll put something on while you do that.”
Joe was as nervous as a cat in the dog pound. “Are you all right, honey?”
“I’m fine. Now go start the car and come right back.” Joe flew out the front door, then remembered he had forgotten the suitcase Mary had by the front door. He ran back in, grabbed the suitcase, and flew back out to the car. He put the suitcase in the back seat and went to work on the old Chevy. “Come on baby, don’t fail me now,” Joe mumbled as he pulled out the choke, pumped the gas, and turned the key. “That-a-girl!” Joe exclaimed, as the old Chevy sparked to life.
“Now be careful on the steps, honey,” said Joe, his breath plainly visible in the brisk December air as he helped Mary down to the car. It took extra effort on Joe’s part not to speed. He knew it would upset Mary and that would be the last thing he wanted to do at a time like this. The hospital was less than a mile from their house, but tonight it seemed like a hundred miles.
“My wife’s having a baby. Hurry!” Joe shouted to the personnel in the emergency room as he grabbed a wheel chair and headed for the car. Moments later he was joined at the car by several of the nurses on duty to help him bring Mary into the delivery room. Once inside, they wheeled her away and left him to register with the nurses at the front desk.
“What’s her doctor’s name?” asked one of the nurses.
“Uh, oh, I’ve got it right here.” Joe said nervously as he reached into his pocket and produced a small piece of paper containing the needed information. “It’s Dr. Percell.”
“Why don’t you have a seat while I call him, then I’ll take you in to see your wife,” the nurse said motioning to some chairs as she reached for the telephone. “Ah, okay, sure. Please hurry. Is she going to be all right?”
“She’ll be fine,” the nurse smiled as she dialed Dr. Percell’s number on the telephone. Never has there been a father to be that wasn’t nervous, she thought. She set the phone down on the hook after speaking with the doctor. “Dr. Percell said he’d only be a few minutes. He lives just a couple of blocks from here. Let’s go see how Mary’s doing while we wait.”
“I don’t know if the baby’s going to wait much longer,” one of the other nurses said as Joe arrived in the delivery room.
“Are you all right, honey?” Joe asked as he took Mary’s hand.
“Yes, I’m fine” Mary responded trying to appear calm.
“Dr. Percell will be here in just a couple of minutes. Try to hold on,” Joe said trying to comfort her.
“I’ll, oooh! I’ll try.” Mary was clearly trying to fight delivering before Dr. Percell’s arrival. “I hope he hurries.”
“Did I tell you how proud I am of you?” Joe asked. “I know you’re going to be the best mother there ever was.”
Dr. Percell was just walking into the delivery room when one of the nurses exclaimed, “Here it comes; I can see the head!”
Doctor Percell dropped his little black bag and peeled off his coat. “Here, let me take that,” he said to the nurse as he cupped his hand under the baby’s head. “All right now Mary, push, again.” He gently cradled the baby’s head like the old country doctor he was. “A little more now, that’s it, you’re doing just fine.” Dr. Percell knew just to let Mother Nature take her course. “All right, Mary, I’ve got…” Dr. Percell paused for just a moment, “him! It’s a boy. Joe, you’ve got a son!” he said turning his head toward the door where Joe stood.
Mary raised her head slightly. “A boy?” she asked.
The nurse handed a clamp to Dr. Percell for the umbilical cord. Once it was cut, he passed the baby to a nurse. The nurse wiped the newborn off and wrapped him in a small blanket. She then took the baby to Mary so she could hold him for a few moments. Everyone in the delivery room could sense the joy they felt.
“Look at those eyes,” Mary said. “I’ve never seen a baby with such depth and awareness in his eyes before.”
“I see what you mean. He seems so aware of everything,” Joe responded.
“Dr. Percell, shouldn’t he be crying?” Mary inquired.
“He does seem rather quiet. Let’s have a look.” Dr. Percell checked the baby’s heart and lungs with his stethoscope. “He seems perfectly healthy to me, and amazingly calm. I think you have a very special little miracle here. I’m happy for the both of you.” Doctor Percell went on, “You better get some rest now, Mary, and you too, Joe. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep and come back in the morning.”
The nurse gingerly took the newborn from Mary and took him to the nursery. Dr. Percell gave Mary a quick check and a clean bill of health. “You get some sleep now and I’ll be back to see you in the morning. Oh, yes, and congratulations!”
* * *
“Good morning, Mary and Joe. How are our new parents this morning?” asked Dr. Percell as he entered Mary’s room. “And how’s…?” Dr. Percell paused.
“Christopher,” Mary responded. “We’ve decided to name him Christopher.”
“Well, how is Christopher this morning?”
“He’s amazing,” Joe replied. “You know he hasn’t cried once—not a peep. He just keeps looking at everything. He watches every move we make.” Joe was beaming with pride with every word.
“I’m happy for all three of you,” Dr. Percell said as he set his little black bag on the small table by Mary’s bed, “happier than words can describe.” Doctor Percell paused as Joe and Mary looked at each other and Christopher. They all three seemed to glow with joy. “I hesitate to bring this up, but, as you know, I still have no idea how you were able to conceive. To the best of my medical knowledge, you shouldn’t have been able to have Christopher. I have a friend, Dr. McKinley—he’s a specialist at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. I spoke to him last night about your situation. I’d like him to have a look at you. Perhaps he can tell us how you were able to defy nature and give birth. With your permission, I’ll call him and he can be here later this afternoon. If anyone can figure this out, he’s the one.”
Mary and Joe looked at each other for only a moment, and then Mary replied, “Please don’t misunderstand, Dr. Percell. We’re very grateful for all you have done, but, we just want to go home and begin our lives as a family. We have a son to raise now and, well— you understand, don’t you?”
“I believe I do,” the doctor replied. “If you should change your mind, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” Dr. Percell turned his attention to Christopher and said, “Well, let’s see how the newest member of the family is doing this morning.” Dr. Percell proceeded to give Christopher a quick check. “I’ll stop by the house and see how you and Christopher are doing in a couple days. In the meantime, I don’t see any reason why you can’t go home in the morning. If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me. Okay?”
As Dr. Percell turned to leave, Mary responded, “Thank you, Dr. Percell. I’ll see you in a couple days.”
Chapter Five
Magical Beginning
All children are curious and Christopher was no exception. As a matter of fact, he made curiosity an art form. If it could be disassembled, he took it apart. He was especially fascinated with the radio. He pulled the knobs off so many times that Mary decided to leave them in the kitchen drawer. He also continually tried to get into the back of the radio in order to find out where the voices and music came from. Unlike most things, which once examined we
re discarded and no longer considered to be of interest to Christopher, the radio was the one thing that he was unable to make sense of. Mary seemed to sense that his attention to the radio wasn’t due to the voices or the music, but rather where they came from. Mary hadn’t yet made the connection between Christopher’s curiosity and her need for puzzle solving, but she soon would.
Christopher seemed to grow much faster than other children—not necessarily in size, but rather in his level of awareness and in his ability to communicate. He was already starting to walk by the time he was 9 months old and he started talking at 18 months. He was nothing short of amazing. Mary and Joe knew they had a truly gifted child on their hands.
Not being in a position to put Christopher into any kind of special preschool, Mary decided to share with Christopher her fascination with puzzle solving. Christopher was just turning two when Mary pulled out a puzzle she had done several times while pregnant. She spread the pieces on the floor. Christopher watched as she began to put the pieces together, and, to Mary’s amazement, he was soon putting the pieces into their place as fast as she was.
It’s time to get serious and do something, Mary thought. She realized she was running out of things to satisfy Christopher’s never-ending thirst for information. With Christopher in tow, Mary headed off to the school supply store a few blocks away.
Even though Joe had been doing well these past two years, Mary was still a prudent shopper. There was so much to choose from, and Mary was careful to select only those items that would most benefit Christopher’s developing mind. Flash cards for both the alphabet as well as basic math were a must. Mary thought a first grade basic reading book might not be such a bad idea. Then Mary noticed the frosting for the cake—puzzle books! She was able to find a couple puzzle books for first graders that didn’t require reading skills—mostly mazes, connect the dots and the like. These will be perfect for Christopher, she thought.
“Good looking boy you’ve got there. Look at those bright eyes. What’s his name?” the clerk asked.
“My name is Christopher.”
The clerk was stunned—he didn’t expect Christopher to be able to talk. “How old are you Christopher?”
“I’m two,” he responded. Mary could see the clerk was at a loss for words.
“Christopher is quite a gifted young child. I’m hoping these materials will help fill his desire to learn for at least a little while. He just seems to absorb everything so fast.”
“I’m sure all this will keep young Christopher busy for a while,” the clerk replied. “Thank you very much, and come back any time. You too, Christopher.”
Mary was beaming with pride on the short walk home. Christopher, of course, was asking questions the whole way. It was only natural for a mother to be proud of her child, but Mary seemed to have a little more reason than most.
As much as Mary wanted to get right to the new materials she had just gotten for Christopher, it would have to wait. It was getting late and Joe would be home soon and there wasn’t much time to get dinner ready. Mary gave Christopher one of the puzzle books and a crayon and then went right to work in the kitchen.
Mary had just finished working her usual magic in the kitchen when she heard the slam of the car door in the driveway. It was the right time for Joe to arrive, but the slam of the car door didn’t sound like Joe’s old Chevy. She feared that the old Chevy had finally died for good, leaving Joe to hitch a ride home from someone at the office.
Whoever it is, I wish they would stop honking the horn. Mary went to look out the window, and saw it was Joe honking the horn, only he wasn’t in the old Chevy.
“What do you think?” Joe asked as Mary walked down the driveway.
“Well, it’s very nice, but—”
“It’s all ours,” Joe interrupted.
“But Joe, we can’t afford something like this,” Mary responded.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but today I closed a deal with the Henderson farm—a policy to cover their entire family. Come upstairs and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Oh, honey! That’s wonderful. Well, let me take a look at this first. It’s beautiful. Joe, are you sure we can afford it?”
“Come on, I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.”
As Mary brought dinner in from the kitchen, Joe explained. “Like I said, I didn’t want to get your hopes up about this deal because I didn’t know if it was going to go through for sure, but it’s a big one—my biggest deal yet.” Mary knew, as did everyone in that area, that the Henderson farm was the largest family run farm in the county. “And as if that wasn’t enough, their oldest son just went away to school and they were looking to sell his car. They made me a terrific deal for treating them so well. One of their hands bought the old Chevy to boot. Sweetest deal I ever made.”
Mary said, “After dinner, how about we all go for a ride?”
“Good idea. I know you’re really going to love it,” Joe replied.
It was far from a new car, and they still lived in a second story flat and didn’t even own their own television, but they felt rich in happiness. Joe was even becoming good friends with his boss, Mickey. As they drove along, Christopher in Mary’s lap and Mary’s hand on Joe’s shoulder, life was good.
That night, after Mary put Christopher to bed, Joe sat in his favorite chair listening to Benny Goodman on the radio. Mary brought him the puzzle book Christopher had been looking at while she was making dinner. “Look what I got for Christopher today,” Mary said as she handed the puzzle book to Joe.
“Looks as if he’s already been hard at it,” Joe said as he opened the book to the first page. “Will you look at that,” he exclaimed as he looked at the maze on the first page. “He solved this maze the first try. It looks like he never lifted the crayon from start to finish.” Joe turned to the next page, then the next, and the next. “How long did he work on this?” Joe asked as he continued to turn the pages.
“Just while I was making dinner,” Mary paused. “I can’t believe he did so much.” Joe and Mary looked in amazement as they turned the pages to realize Christopher had completed three mazes, four connect-the-dots, and two find-the-differences perfectly.
“You know, Joe, he’s really special. I’m not just saying that because he’s ours. He really is gifted.”
“You know, you’re right, honey,” Joe said.
“We need to find some kind of program for kids like Christopher. There must be something somewhere.” Mary continued, “Didn’t the Henderson boy go to a special school or something?”
“Well, I’ll tell you what,” Joe replied. “I have to take the final policies back out to Mr. Henderson this week. I’ll ask him if he knows anything.”
Mary smiled, “Oh, honey, do you think they might?”
“I’ll ask him, I’ll ask him.”
A couple days went by and then Joe headed out to the Henderson farm. Mary tried to wait patiently for him to return home that night, but it seemed to take forever. Mary knew her son was special and she could only imagine how he would benefit from an opportunity to attend a special school.
Finally, Mary heard the car pull in and the motor come to a rest. She went to the door to greet Joe.
“Hi, honey,” Joe said as he took off his hat and coat. “Well, I talked to Mr. Henderson, and he gave me the name and address of the teacher that worked with his son. He thought Christopher might be a bit too young, but it couldn’t hurt to try.”
Mary was filled with excitement. “I’ll write to them tomorrow while you’re at work.”
The next day Mary looked a little sad when Joe came home. As much as she tried to hide it, Joe could tell.
“Hi, honey. What’s the matter?” Joe asked.
“They said Christopher is too young.”
Joe held Mary close. “Well, he isn’t even three years old yet. What else did they say?”
“They suggested we get him a tutor or work with him ourselves until he’
s at least five, and to contact them again then.”
“Well, what would you do all day if Christopher was gone at school? I know how much you enjoy the time you two spend together. Come on, admit it. You’d miss him so much you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.”
Sometimes, Joe could say just the right thing. “I guess I didn’t think about that,” Mary admitted.
“Besides, who would care as much, or give as much as you—his mother?” Joe was batting a thousand.
“Of course, you’re right, honey,” Mary replied. “I just want him to have the best.”
Joe looked deep into Mary’s eyes and said, “Mary, you’re the best.”
* * *
“Back for more?” The clerk said as he totaled Mary’s most recent purchase of supplies for Christopher.
“Yes. He just can’t seem to get enough of these, especially the puzzle books,” Mary replied.
“I like puzzles,” remarked Christopher.
“It seems you do,” said the clerk as he handed Mary her change. “You have a nice day. We’ll see you next time.”
“Thank you.” Mary responded.
“Thank you,” Christopher echoed. “Bye.”
Mary had taken it upon herself to work as closely with Christopher as possible. Making sure he worked as much on reading, writing, and math as he did on his favorite puzzles. Mary encouraged him to play with other children, but Christopher just didn’t seem interested. He would rather work on his reading and math with Mary than play and he would rather work on puzzles than anything. It didn’t matter if it was a maze, a picture puzzle, or find-the-difference—as long as there was an unknown end to be achieved, it was fine with Christopher.
The days, weeks, and months went by. Mary continued to work with Christopher, trying desperately to keep up with his desire for more and more things to learn. Mary was careful to teach Christopher a sense of right and wrong as well, although he never seemed to need it. He seemed to naturally be a well-behaved and loving child. But Mary knew he would soon have to interact with other children when he started attending school.
