Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 14:10:37 -0600
From: dnrock@rock.com
Subject: Of Man and Boy 12

Of Man and Boy
by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)


12: Going on nine, going on twenty

For the balance of the "school year", which for Grant was an open ended
kind of thing, he progressed at an alarming rate.  Once Grace had helped
him with his spelling and language skills he took right off.  The first
thing he memorized was the computer key board and with a few pointers on
how to train his fingers he was gone.  Having memorized things like Gray's,
all the illustrations and tables anyway, he gained so much self confidence
that he thought himself invincible.

Fortunately for Paul and the others, Grant was not a savant or
uni-dementional genius of any kind.  He had to work at understanding
everything he learned so easily.  Remembering the trig formulas, identities
and so on, even the trig tables was one thing.  Knowing how to apply them
and use them took some effort.  For Grant it was enjoyable enough but you
still had to do it.  Remembering the definitions of words, spelling and
grammar rules was a no brainier.  He still had to expend lots of effort to
speak and write with the grace and style he aspired to.

Spending more time with educated adults than with children, allowed him to
gain a real fluency in adult style English speech and written
communications.  Grace stopped trying to measure his reading level and
concentrated on his understanding and comprehension level.  That was about
grade nine by the time he took the summer off.

Following all the home schooling rules Paul had brought back, she filed her
reports every month with the Superintendent of Schools for Wheatland
County.  He was not to pleased that the reported number of class hours was
so low but overwhelmed by the achievement test scores and the number and
level of books the boy was reading.  He wondered about her emphasis on
languages, which were additions to the normal curriculum, nothing else
seemed normal about his boy so why should his academic achievements be any
different.

Grace sent him copies of his written language exams and assured him his
pronunciation was good to excellent.  She expressed her personal concern
that her Portuguese accent would cary over into his French, but he did not
speak Spanish or Portuguese with an English accent.  By mid-May Grant was
asking to challenge the grade six exams in Harlowton, when he returned.
She wrote (e-mailed) to see if this was possible; suggesting that they not
provide any kind of study guide for him.  Not doing well was perhaps the
best thing for his ego. "If he sees any of the material in advance he will
simply memorize it."

In math and science Grant just forged ahead, spending a week at a time on
Earth Science, Life Science, Chemistry and Physics and the math related to
it.  Paul just let him press forward until he mastered the subject or ran
out of interest.  For his lab work he either used the island, beaches and
ocean or the hospital pharmacy, sometimes the kitchen.  The internet became
an invaluable teaching tool for Paul.  Paul did not segregate the subjects
along discipline boundaries but mostly looked at some aspect of science
from that subjects point of view, which necessitated Grant to learn or
bring information, ideas, concepts and so on from the others, including
math.  He also did a lot of field trips with Grant to see extinct volcanos,
beach sedimentation, coral reefs, his own dolphin pod and so on.  Looking
at the planets with the telescope, lead to space travel, which lead to the
physics of rockets, which lead to the chemistry of rocket fuels, back to
gravity and tides, on to the structure of atoms, with side trips into math
as needed...

Grant, like all boys, would push the boundaries whenever he encountered
them.  Paul found it a major challenge to enforce his restrictions on
computer based games, TV and popular music.  He had to discipline himself
and his time allotments.  He had to enforce that discipline on Grant.  He
did what any boy lover would do in the same situation, he used sex as his
reward.  Not as an if than but as a now or none.

G3 had taught him to play chess, a game Grant took to in an instant.  He
was no Bobby Fischer or child prodigy, he was just a good chess player.  He
quickly read several books on the subject, learned the classic opens and so
on.  He didn't seem to care one way of the other if he won, it was the play
that seemed to matter.  That was a good thing since he only won about forty
five percent of the time.

Once settled into the condo in Charlotte Amalie, PA nosed around the
community until he found several sports clubs for boys Grant's age.  He got
Grant into swimming, soccer and track and field.  Grant didn't want to play
baseball and he is to young for football.  He located a place not far from
the condo where Grant could almost always find other children to play games
with, even if it was just swinging on the swings or pick up volley ball.

The local YMCA offered many water sports programs including board and tower
diving which Grant could participate in and through them a lot of other
after school sports activities for boys.

Now that Julia was no longer in the hospital Grant's time there was much
diminished.  He would visit Julia's home and talk to her on the phone
frequently.

Needless to say the grandfathers were enjoying the warm tropical respite
from the cold and snow of Montana.  PA had to get back to his ranch and
would only stay for the three weeks he had committed to.  He did like
Charlotte Amalie and he loved Poseidondoro, it was isolated and quiet, like
the ranch.  He missed not being in constant motion of doing, making
decisions of being in charge.

This was Junior's home, his turf, here he was a guest.  Sure the ranch was
partly Junior's, it would some day belong to him and eventually to Grant.
He had offers over they years but Paul would not even consider selling.
His ancestors, their ancestors had come to Montana in the 1860's as placer
gold miners and in the 1870's moved to ranching, well in advance of the
1906 homesteaders arrivals.  They came on river barges and covered wagons.
They were of Dutch and German stock mostly from Pennsylvania.  In the
1906-15 time many others arrived, mostly Scandinavian people from Minnesota
and the Dakotas.  These peoples came by train, in the Harlowton area on the
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, known more informally as
the Milwaukee Road. (see www.mrha.com) Others, in other parts of the state,
came via the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific.  This is not to
forget the miners, loggers, fur traders, and First Nations peoples that
were in Montana before them.  Nor to forget the great achievements of Lewis
and Clark, et al.

All of this and much, much more would be passed on to Grant.  Grant is only
eight and PA is only 47, it is a long time away yet.  Paul believed he held
a sacred trust in his land.  In the land Junior inherited from his mother's
family and the Hoffman land.  These families had worked unbelievably hard
and made monumental sacrifices to that land.  He, Paul Allen Stum had, not
by design but by circumstance, become the steward of that land.  It had
sustained them, it had made them rich.  He had a duty in preserving the
land, enriching it and honoring those who went before.  It was his duty and
duty was something he had never backed away from, ever.

He realized long ago that Junior would leave the land.  Medicine was more
important to him than ranching.  The population of the area had started to
decline in the late 50's and by the time Junior went to Deville School, it
was to small to support any additional medical doctors.  In fact, the state
has been a net exporter of young people for a long time.  He understood
this, he had encouraged Junior to specialize, knowing he would never live
full time again on the ranch.  PA had hoped Junior would produce children.
That was not to be, he understood that, he accepted it.  For a brief time
he hoped Grant would choose ranching but he now realized that was not to be
either.  The critical thing now was making sure the ranch continued in the
family.  That he had confidence in.

Gerald was settling into VI life very well.  He missed the Montana
environment.  He would have missed his old friends if he had any still
alive but he has out lived most of them.  He misses the animals, especially
the horses but has not kept any himself for years now, it was just to hard.
Most of all he misses his family.  Junior was giving him a new chance at
happiness.  He figured Junior knew exactly what he was doing by inviting
him here.

Little Grant was now the apple of his eye.  This child was everything his
beloved Eric and Junior had been, rolled into one bundle of boy energy.  He
was extremely proud of his family.  He was proud of his daughter and his
grand children and great grand children.  They all lived in the Denver
area.  His son-in-law's family was well to do and long established in
Colorado.  They were good people and always made him feel at home.  His new
family.  The family by choice, as his puts it, was something else.  Four
generations of males of which he was the surviving patriarch.

Ruth had been so proud of Junior, as he had been.  She was proud of Paul
too.  She had loved her son but never understood him.  Gerald never fully
understood him either but he just accepted him as found.  After Eric left
and went to California she had taken Paul on a surrogate son.  Gerald never
knew if Paul realized it to not.  She had known him almost as well as Eric,
since they were nearest neighbors and the boys best buddies.  She doted on
Junior encouraging him to take the boy as an apprentice.  Ruth realized
that Gerald needed to be in the company of a younger person, be in that
father-teacher role.  She would be oh so proud and happy that her Junior
took on this "gift from the sea", just like he was, probably more so.

Grant took Gerald to the hospital on their first day back.  He marched into
the administration office with his great grandfather in tow.  "This is
Dr. Gerald Hoffman, un-retired," he told Dr, Gleghorn.  "He is my great
grandfather and has volunteered to help me in the pediatric ward.  It's
part of Dr. Sid and Dr. Paul's plan, you know."

Gleghorn greeted him warmly and began showing Gerald around while Grant
headed for the kids.  Being away for three weeks all the old cases had been
replaced by new ones.  The Charlotte Amalie hospital is not large by city
standards but bigger than anything Gerald had experience with.  "And just
how did Grant convince you to come out of retirement, Gerald," Gleghorn
inquired?  Gerald told him.

"We call it the Grant Effect, you should have seen the way he handled the
old battle ax that runs this place."  He told Gerald about the kangaroo
court she had organized and how Grant set her up so the Sid-Paul team could
turn it completely around.

Gerald told him about Grant memorizing Gray's, "He would be thrilled if you
would ask him some questions on it, you know."  Gerald showed him the
picture of Grant sleeping with Dolphin.

"I knew the first time I met him the boy was special.  I had no idea just
how special.  The more I learn about him the more I am in awh.  This is the
pediatric ward."  He stopped outside the door. "I think we have a case that
even Grant will find challenging.  It is a little girl we figure about
three.  She had been badly neglected, perhaps abused but no physical signs
of that.  Social Services brought her in yesterday.  She will not respond
to us, none of us.  She won't even make a sound, never smiles or laughs.
Just lays there.  Won't let us feed her, doesn't seem to know what to do
with solid food; but she will take a bottle on her own.  She was emaciated
and dehydrated when brought in.  We are having difficulty reversing that."

"Well let's see what we can do, Grant and I.  The resident won't mind will
he?"

"No, he can't get through either, we put her in a ward with three other
kids but she ignors them.  One of the nurses thinks she can't hear."

"It sounds like you have a challenge here.  I like challenges, always have,
you learn to improvise a lot being a country medic."  They went in and
stood by the ward door observing.  Grant was just getting to her bed.  She
did not respond to his English or Spanish.  He went around the other side
of the bed and set up his lap top.  The doctors could not see what he was
displaying.  She was obviously looking at the screen then suddenly she half
smiled as Grant peaked around it.  What they could not see were pictures of
Grant on the ranch with his colt.  Grant was talking non stop but the girl
did not seem to notice that, she focused on the screen.  Grant was
advancing the images and she responded again to his face.  "Dr. let me go
in unannounced," Gerald said as he moved into the room taking a chair
behind Grant.  Grant finished showing his pictures and closed the laptop.
The girl did not respond any more.  Grant saw G3 and climbed into his lap.
"Hold me and kiss me G3.  Hold me like I am just a two or three year old."

Gerald did as requested.  Grant was kissed and he kissed G3's cheek and so
on.  After a bit he got down, kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed
sitting toward the foot.  Someone dropped a tray with loud crash everyone
looked except the girl.  "She didn't hear it, Grant, she can't hear."

"How do you communicate with someone who can't hear?"

"Sign language, its called ASL, American Sign Language."

"Do you know any?"

"No but they have a web site I think?"

Grant climbed down again, put on his shoes and ran out with his lap top.
Gerald wondered where he was going but figured he would be back.  Gerald
wondered how a parent could have a child and not know they were hearing
impaired.  Perhaps they didn't care, he couldn't understand that either.
He had seen neglect before, treated a few cases of neglect in small
children and infants in the past.  That didn't mean he understood it.  To
Gerald it made no sense, none at all.  His past cases never made any sense
to him and this one didn't either.  He could only hope the VI Social
Services department would apply any and all leverage the law allowed
against her so called parents.

The nurse came in and Gerald introduced himself.  She had the girls bottle.
He asked her to give him the bottle and to help by placing the child in his
arms.  She did as requested.  The girl showed little emotion and made no
effort to do anything.  Gerald held her and kissed he forehead.  He picked
up the bottle and began feeding her as if she were an infant.  After about
a quarter of the milk was gone her little hands reached up and took
control.  Gerald held her face to his chest and began talking in the
deepest voice he could muster.  She could feel the vibrations through her
cheek.  That got her momentary attention and she returned to drinking.  All
the time Gerald kept talking and petting her kissing her face and so on.

The nurse came back and Gerald asked her to help him change her diper and
about Grant's location.  "He is doing something on the computer,
Dr. Hoffman."

"I don't think this little one can hear."

"That's what I told the resident, but I don't think he believed me."

"He will come around and so will little Celia here, I'll just sit and hold
her until Grant comes back.  I think the neglect was more than lack of
food."

Grant marched in, at his normal double time pace, lap top in one hand and a
stuffed pony in the other.  Paul and Sid were hot on his trail, having been
alerted by the gift shop that he had used his credit card to by a stuffed
animal.  They hung back watching through the window.  Gerald told Grant to
get her attention by touching her hand.  Grant did that and she looked at
him.  Her eyes open wide and Grant thrust the stuffed animal toward the
girl.  She hesitated, took it and held on by its neck, pressing it to her
little chest.  Just like Gerald was holding on to her.

Grant smiled and he gave the ASL sign for horse: The open hands are held
with fingertips touching so that they form a pyramid a bit above eye level.
From the position, the hands separate and move diagonally downward for a
short distance; then they continue straight down a few inches. This
movement traces the outline of a roof and walls.

He repeated this, each time pointing first to the stuffed animal.  After
about the fifth or sixth time Celia, still holding the stuffed animal made
an attempt to do the same sign.  Grant repeated it and she made another
attempt.  This went on for a few more tries until she had it down pat.
Grant praised her, giving her the "good" sign, a thumbs up nodding and
smiling at the same time.  She repeated that too.  Grant placed her hands
on the horse again.  Gerald kissed her forehead again all the while telling
her how well she was doing and giving the thumb's up sign.

Everyone was wondering where Grant learned the ASL signs.  Thumbs up is
almost universal but the sign for horse is not.  No one was willing to
interrupt his little show.  The resident joined Sid and Paul looking
through the window.  He was astounded to say the least.  Grant opened up
his laptop and signed on to the a web site titled: "A Basic Dictionary of
ASL Terms" using the hospitals wireless broadband connection.  It has what
it said, the signs defined or described in words (as quoted above) and a
Quick Time movie clip that demonstrates it.  Well that answered that
question.  Sid and the resident were surprised but figured someone had told
Grant where to go.  Paul knew this was his own cleaver way of problem
solving.  He was suddenly not so sure having a child this bright was going
to be as easy as he assumed it was.

Grant took the animal and placed it on the bed and Gerald placed Celia on
the bed.  Grant taught her the signs for boy, pointing to himself.  Girl
pointing to her and G3 using the number 3 and letter G signs for Gerald.
He got the resident in the room and taught him to sign girl and her to sign
Doctor.  They got a nurse and taught her girl and everyone nurse.  He
taught everyone to sign hello or hi and happy: The open right hand, with
palm facing body, strikes the heart several times. The hand moves up and
off the heart after each strike.

It was time to go and time for Celia's nap.  The resident would get Social
Services to get some trained ASL instructors and look for ASL knowledgeable
foster parents.  St. Thomas does have a residential school for the deaf but
Celia was just a bit young for that.  They were not out of the woods on
this one yet but they at least had a clue what the immediate problem was.

Over the next few weeks Celia began to thrive.  She doted on Gerald who
doted on her.  Her learning curve was steep and rapid.  Grant had managed
to teach her about 50 signs by the time the ASL teacher was found and
contracted.  Grant was his usual whizz at learning the signs but he had
little understanding of the grammar.  ASL, for those of you that don't know
is a language, its words or signs have definitions.  When combined in
certain ways and with body language and facial expression, just like any
other language, carries feeling and subtle meanings.  It has its own
idioms, expressions, sentence structures and so on.  Grant was in no
position to teach that; he did manage to learn some of the simple grammar
and sentence structures from her teacher.

Gerald was having the time of his life.  He was able to mentor all the
younger family practice physicians, endear himself to the children and most
importantly feel needed and wanted again.  He had another good feeling too.
That of being in contact with his great grand son, of sharing his delights,
his joys and sometimes his sorrows.  He could see from time to time that
Grant missed his mother, a look he recognized from Junior, at eleven or
twelve.

Before Gerald returned to Montana for the summer he recruited a whole group
of retired people, mostly former health care types to fill in for him at
the hospital.  Grant of course charmed them all in minutes and by the time
he would be leaving for Montana would feel confident the children would all
get the "grandparent" care they needed while he was away.

Grant was meeting lots of other children, boys and girls but still had not
found that special friend or friends a boy needs to properly develop
socially.  This bothered Paul but he was just a bit unsure of what to do
about it.  Grant's problem was his intellectual age and his physical age
were just out of step.  Paul was hoping to find an adult to date that had
one or more children around Grant's age.  That was not happening either.
Perhaps he should send Grant to a regular school?  He hated the structure
of school and he was sure Grant would like it even less, since he had never
had it.

While G3 was in town to look after Grant, he took advantage and managed
several dates with the lady seat mate from the Christmas trip.  She was
very nice and very sexy, but no magic.