The Compass

by Deborah Radwan

  He had only been in Jacob’s home to use the bathroom. He hadn’t seen the rest of it, only the little bit he had seen through the door his first day. How that seemed like a lifetime ago—actually three lifetimes, Frederick’s, Yoshito’s, and Jacob’s. One day he would have a story to tell, and he knew this would be an important chapter in his tale.

  Rudy dialed his mother’s number at work. “Mama? It’s Rudy. No, nothing is wrong. Really. Mama, listen… can you come over to Jacob’s tonight and have dinner with all the guys? Yes, mama, of course, I’ll be there too. It’s kind of a celebration for taking down the fence. I’d really like you to meet them. Great. Can you come from work? Okay, sure, go ahead and change clothes first, but then come right over! Okay. Bye. Mama? I love you.”

  Rudy’s mother sat at the other end with the phone still up to her ear and tears in her eyes long after Rudy had disconnected. Her son had not said I love you since he was a small child. Yes, she absolutely, positively wanted to have dinner with these men. They must be quite extraordinary, and she wouldn’t miss this opportunity for anything.

  Chapter 14

  Rudy kept watching out for his mother by running from back yard to front yard every few minutes. Finally, he saw her turn the corner. Running to the back yard like an excited school child, he yelled to the others, “She’s coming!”

  “I would not recognize that boy as the same one who came to my door just over two months ago,” Jacob mused.

  “I think our young friend has changed, but I think we have too,” Yoshito offered.

  “Truer words were never spoken, my friend. You know, I told him about Blanca and my parents. That is the change you noticed, Frederick. Somehow telling him changed me. I think I have finally banished those fears that have haunted me.”

  “Just like you tore down that fence,” Yoshito offered nodding to the others, just before they turned to see Rudy’s mother walking up Jacob’s driveway with Rudy by her side.

  For just a moment as she turned the corner into the yard, she stopped, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She looked around her.

  “This is like being in heaven. I had no idea this existed behind your homes. Rudy, you said it was beautiful, but never in my wildest imagination…”

  “Words don’t do it justice, do they?” he said proudly as if somehow he were a part of its creation. Jacob, Frederick, and Yoshito smiled modestly.

  “No, you are absolutely right about that. And these gentlemen are the masterminds behind this beauty? Hello, Frederick,” she said as she approached the men and put out her hand to shake Frederick’s. She wanted to hug each of her angels, but thought she should restrain herself at least through the introductions.

  “Hello, Julia. How are you?” he asked, and took her hand in both of his. Standing next to him was a shorter, thin, older Asian man, and next to him another older gent who was stockier but surprisingly muscled.

  “Julia, allow me to introduce you to Jacob and Yoshito. Yoshito here owns the house on the other side of mine, and this is Jacob’s home.”

  “It’s wonderful meeting you all. Thank you for letting Rudy work here this summer. Your yards are just amazing!”

  “Thank you, Julia. Rudy helped us pull down the stubborn fence that separated my yard from the others. Now, with your son’s help, that fence is down. He’s a fine boy; you should be very proud,” Jacob praised, patting Rudy on the back and giving him a smile.

  “Mama, let me show you around. Is it all right, guys?”

  “Of course, Rudy, go and show her the results of your hard work,” Jacob offered.

  Julia followed Rudy, her smile permanently set on her face. Rudy directed her through the winding twists and turns of the garden paths to start out his tour at Yoshito’s. Here he showed her the mosaic stone path that resembled a river flowing toward the water basin, the Tsukubai, and told her how one must assume a position of humility to use it. Leading her farther back into the garden past the ishi toro, he lovingly pointed out Yoshito’s place of meditation and prayer with such reverence that Julia thought she would cry. When Rudy picked up Yoshito’s cat Ling and kissed it and rubbed his face into Ling’s cheek, Julia’s breath was taken away by the display of tenderness. He then led her to the spot that changed Frederick’s life and was the beginning of the entire garden, the place where singing voices were heard and where the compass stood atop the pedestal to designate the spot. Rudy encouraged Julia to close her eyes and listen for the voices. When she said she didn’t hear anything, Rudy assured her she would one day, as Frederick had assured him and that he now believed. Finally, he showed her where the fence had been, and told her how bringing down that fence with Jacob had been one of the most important things he had ever done. Julia could only listen disbelievingly. Was this the same boy she had fought with at the beginning of summer over this job? Thank you, Jesus, for listening to a mother’s prayer! was all she could repeat to herself over and over.

  The men busied themselves preparing the dinner table and setting the food on the table. Rudy came back and helped while his mother watched in amazement.

  “Wait, don’t forget the nectar of the gods!” Rudy yelled to Frederick as he brought out the last of the serving dishes.

  “The what?” Julia asked.

  “It’s Frederick’s iced tea. We call it the nectar of the gods,” and they all laughed. And when at last drinks were in hand, Frederick toasted Rudy and Jacob for finishing the job, and Jacob let out a resounding “L’chaim,” and meant it for the first time in a very long time.

  That evening they sat, laughed, talked, and ate dishes prepared by each of the men: Frederick made southern fried chicken; Yoshito prepared tempura with vegetables from the garden, along with a cabbage, noodle, and peanut salad; Jacob made rolls and cooked corn on the cob. Julia promised to bake a pie and bring it by one evening. Most of all, Julia watched her son in full bloom. He joked and laughed easily with these men, patted them on the back, smiled smiles that normally would have been reserved for a beloved father or grandfather. These men had worked a miracle with her boy, and watching, she couldn’t guess how it had happened, only that it had.

  As the evening moved into twilight, candles and lamps were lit and good-byes said with promises of more of these dinners and Julia’s pie. Julia hugged each man and thanked them for what they had given to her boy.

  As Rudy and his mother were walking down the driveway, Rudy ran back. “Do you think it would be okay if I told your stories to my mother?” Rudy asked tentatively. “I want her to know you the way I do.”

  Jacob looked around to the others who nodded to him. Then Jacob turned to Rudy and said, “Yes, yes, I think that would be fine with us. But you must remember to handle these memories with care and know that they are real.” Jacob patted Rudy’s cheek, and Rudy nodded his understanding.

  Watching him run to meet up with his mother who was waiting for him, Jacob said to the others, “He’s a good boy. He deserves a better start to life.” The others could only nod in agreement.

  “Frederick? Yoshito? I have a proposition for you. Have a seat.” And so the three men sat back down again and talked into the night, their words and intentions floating off and dissolving into the night sky.

  Chapter 15

  The next day, Rudy arrived at Jacob’s early in the morning as he had done all summer long.

  “What brings my warrior friend out of bed this early? The fence is down; you have earned some well-deserved rest,” Jacob said.

  “Just thought I would come and help you clean up.” Jacob nodded his approval.

  “Truth is, I’m going to miss coming over every day, working in the garden with you,” Rudy admitted.

  Jacob smiled. “Truth is, I am going to miss you too when you go back to school.”

  “Ugh, school,” Rudy said sadly.

  “What’s wrong? School is a great thin
g,” Jacob replied.

  “I know. You know those guys that I was hanging out with at the end of the school year? Well, I’ve kind of blown them off this summer. I’m not sure how they will react. Truth is, I don’t want them as friends anymore. So I don’t really have any friends at school now.”

  “I see,” Jacob replied, nodding understanding.

  “I learned so much from you and the other guys this summer. To tell you the truth, I was never too good at schoolwork, but I want to do better now; I want to make something of myself. I guess I’m just nervous about what the kids will say. I’m afraid that I’ve changed and they haven’t, or that they’ve changed in other ways.”

  “Yes, that is quite a dilemma. But, I have a feeling things will work out. They always do. Come; help an old man fill the gap where we pulled out the last of that stubborn fence.”

  Together Rudy and Jacob planted some new plants and added soil to fill the trench where the fence had been dug out. Rudy relished the warmth and feel of manure and peat moss in his hands mixed with the soil, and he wished these summer days could go on forever. How he dreaded the prospect of going back to school with the old gang waiting for him—to tease and taunt him. He wondered if his fate was to be the next boy on the ground having been beat up. Well, he just had to put it out of his mind for today and enjoy the last couple of weeks before school started.

  The day had a relaxed feel. The pressure of bringing down the fence was gone. Now they could work, rest, work again, visit with Frederick and Yoshito, and go examine and help out with their projects. Later that day, when the four of them were gathered together, Jacob casually asked if his mother and he would like to come for another picnic dinner Saturday evening. Rudy excitedly said he was 99 percent sure they could make it.

  “Talk to your mother about it tonight, and let us know tomorrow. That will give us a day to create our feast. Summer is coming to an end,” Jacob replied.

  That night at home, Julia was swept up in Rudy’s enthusiasm and agreed to attend, deciding to bring over the pie she had promised. She had heard the stories of these remarkable men and wanted Rudy to spend as much time with them as possible. These were men that would be her son’s role models, help him navigate through the difficulties of growing up in a way she couldn’t.

  As Rudy lay in bed that night, and for the first time ever, he closed his eyes and said a prayer, thanking whoever was listening, for the three old men with calloused hands.

  Chapter 16

  It seemed that everyone stopped talking at about the same time. Stomachs were full, compliments on the pie delivered, laughter eased, conversation wound down. The changing light seemed to signal the time to begin clearing dishes and getting ready to go home.

  Frederick and Yoshito looked at Jacob, and he nodded understanding.

  “Rudy, Julia, the three of us would like to discuss something with you.”

  Jacob had their attention.

  “Rudy, you and I discussed your uneasiness about returning to the school with that old group of kids waiting for you.”

  Julia looked at Rudy, surprised that he had the same worries she had, that he had given up this gang of boys.

  “So, the three of us have a proposition for you. How would you feel about switching schools?”

  Rudy was stunned. “What do you mean? Where would I go? It’s the only school in the district.” Julia looked bewildered too.

  “It’s the only public school. What about a private school?”

  “We can’t afford that Jacob,” Julia stated, not understanding his meaning.

  “No, but the three of us can afford it.”

  Rudy and Julia looked at them and then at each other.

  “That’s very kind, but we couldn’t allow you to do that,” Julia protested, with Rudy nodding his agreement, yet giving his mother a questioning look.

  “Yeah, you guys can’t do that.”

  “Oh no, Mister Naysayer? Why not? Look, we want to do this. We have come to care a great deal for you, Rudy. I used to think you were Mister Chip-on-Your-Shoulder, but Frederick saw something in you first, and now we all see it. A fire, a great potential to be anything you want to be. We don’t want you to lose that. We want you to have a great education. Now, that means you will have to buckle down and do real studying every night after school. No more messing around.”

  Rudy nodded as if already agreeing. Julia looked at them, wondering if she could agree to accept this generosity.

  Jacob leaned over and put his hand across Rudy’s arm and spoke to him as if no one else were around—like a father would to a son, or in this case a grandfather to a beloved grandson.

  “Look, Rudy, I don’t want you to hang around with those boys, those boys who are headed down the wrong road. Where they are going is not a place we want you to be. I know you said that you don’t want those boys as friends anymore…”

  “Jacob, I don’t—,” Rudy started, but Jacob cut him off.

  “It is sometimes too hard to get away, even when you want to run. It takes tremendous courage and strength. Not that we don’t think you have it. Listen, you know that old Beatles song, ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’? We are your friends, and we want you to have an easier life than what you would have without our help.”

  Rudy was almost in tears and looked to his mama, who was also touched by Jacob’s frank display of love toward her son. In this intimate moment, it was as if Jacob truly was his grandpa.

  “Julia, Jacob is right. Come on; grant three old men their wishes,” Frederick added.

  Julia, not knowing how to say no, said, “Alright, yes. But I want to pay you back.” Of course, she had no idea how she ever could.

  “That is not necessary,” Yoshito interjected. “Maya Angelou once said, ‘Giving liberates the soul of the giver.’ We are the fortunate ones who earn blessings in the giving, as well as you in the accepting. One must let go of their ego to accept a gift, and I applaud your great humility and courage. It is we who thank you.”

  Julia looked dazed and was beginning to understand why these men had changed her boy so profoundly.

  Jacob looked at Rudy again. “It is not easy to start a new school. You will not know anyone; will not have any friends at first. But you will start with a fresh slate. Are you ready to take this step? Are you ready to do the hard work?”

  For a split second, Rudy thought about the comfort of the familiar, but then thought about the possibilities that were being laid before him. He considered the changes and risks each of these men had taken in their young lives, the roads they had taken.

  “Yes, Jacob. I promised you before that I would try very hard, and I won’t disappoint you, or Frederick or Yoshito,” and he looked at each of them.

  “But school starts in two weeks,” Julia interjected.

  “I happen to know the principal of the school,” Frederick said. “I promised him that Rudy here was a fine young man who would do justice to the school.”

  “There is much to do though in those two weeks. There are uniforms and books to buy. We will go down Monday and get everything squared away, okay?” Jacob asked.

  Julia had tears in her eyes as she hugged and thanked each of them—although “thank you” didn’t seem enough. “You are truly God’s angels on earth!” she told them.

  “Julia, we’re just three old men who think your boy is something pretty special,” Jacob replied.

  As they prepared to go home, Yoshito stepped forward. “Rudy, I have something for you: a thank-you gift for tearing down the fence, an omiyagi; something that I want to give you on behalf of all of us.”

  Rudy came forward, surprise written across his face. Yoshito pulled a leather bag from his pocket that was secured with drawstrings. He reached out for Rudy’s hand and put it in his palm.

  “What is it?” Rudy inqu
ired.

  “Open it and you will see,” Jacob teased.

  Rudy pinched the bag and pulled it open. He reached in and pulled out an object that was about four inches in diameter and immediately familiar. Flat on one side and rounded glass on the other, Rudy recognized it as a replica of the compass in the garden.”

  Rudy looked at Yoshito, not quite sure what it meant.

  “It was my father’s,” Yoshito began.

  “Yoshito, I can’t take this from you.”

  “My father gave it to me before he died and told me to use it as I navigate through this life. I have kept it with me all these years, and now I no longer need to find my way. I am home and where I want to be. You are just beginning your journey. We have no children or grandchildren to leave it to. I want you to have it on behalf of all of us. I know you will honor it and take good care of it.”

  Rudy nodded.

  Yoshito continued. “This compass is a symbol of many things. It will serve as a reminder to always find your way back home to those who love you, and it will also help you chart your course as you face many moral and ethical dilemmas. Look at it when you need help remembering or knowing what is right and what is wrong.”

  “It’s just like the one on the pedestal,” Rudy remarked.

  “I told you Yoshito gave me the idea. Remember some ancients thought it akin to the eye of God? I loved its symbolism and had Yoshito’s replicated. In its own way, this garden helped us all find our way home,” Frederick interjected.

  “And maybe, just maybe, it will remind you of your summer with three old men, eh?” Jacob smiled affectionately.

  Rudy nodded, not knowing what to say. Everything had happened so fast. His life had changed in a few moments. Following behind his mother, Rudy hugged and thanked Yoshito, reassuring him that he would treasure his omiyagi. Then he stepped back and gave Yoshito a slight bow, and said, “Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Yoshito-san.”

  Yoshito, clearly touched, smiled broadly. “I see my friend was paying attention during his lessons.” Rudy could only smile back.