The Boy by The Lake - 7. Chapter 7

With all of the tribulations Toby had suffered, even to the point of considering suicide, he has become somewhat optimistic about his future and life. He hasn’t mentioned the lake and that cold morning. I think he has discussed that with Ron and maybe Ron has helped him through it. As I see him sitting in the chair in front of a cold fireplace reading, no one would ever believe that this was the boy at the lake.

As the weather warmed up, we took advantage of being outdoors. Barbecues, working in the gardens, and creating new gardens. Toby thought we should have flowers in front of the house, so off we went to buy plants. Toby and Ron, if he was here, proceeded to plant the flowers along the front of the house. When that was done, we needed a small vegetable garden. Again I let the boys pick the spot, had the ground tilled, bought the plants and seeds. I listened to the boys as they worked the ground, planted the plants and seeds. To listen to them they would grow enough vegetables to feed both families and then some left over.

“Ron, maybe we can sell some.”

“Let’s see what we have before we think about selling. Between my parents and Uncle Jeff, we may not have any to sell.”

Ron seemed to be more down to earth in his thinking. He’d be the one of the two who would put the damper on Toby’s wild dreams. Being 17 dreams are what the world needs, someone who refuses to acknowledge the limits society would like to place on their ideas. Many of today’s marvels started as a dream, the ‘what if question’ has opened minds resulting in reality and not imaginary dreams.

I had chosen the first two weeks of August to visit Italy. That was when Clair and I visited, we had a great time and I expected to have that time with the boys as well. I booked our flights, booked the same hotel Clair and I stayed in and arranged for transportation while we were there.

“Since school is out, what do you think about auditing a college course. It’d give you an idea of what college is all about and since you’d be auditing the course, your grade would be for your information only.”

“What courses and what college?”

“Well, I have checked some summer courses being offered at the local community college. The head of one of the departments was a client of mine.”

“What classes are being offered?”

“He said that there are only two classes being offered in the first session, Basic Accounting and Commercial Law.”

“Some students took a course called commercial law at school. It covered businesses involved in commerce. I read a little about it in one of the books in the library.”

“When you have finished the course, we’ll be ready to go to Italy.”

I knew he’d be on the phone. He had to discuss this with Ron and I expect there will be two young men attending summer courses. Over lunch, “I spoke to Ron about going and auditing the courses. He thinks it’s a good idea. Could he go as well? He said he’d be interested in the accounting course as long as it was basic.”

“I think all of the courses are basic in nature. They usually are used as an introduction to a major. Many students would like to pursue a career in a field but really don’t understand what is totally involved. Summer courses do two things, one, some are designed to give an overview in a specific field and two, some provide an opportunity for students to either makeup a course they failed or to fill in a course need in their curriculum. The two courses I mentioned are to give an overview.”

“When do the courses start?”

“This coming Monday, we could go and check them out, I have pull.”

“Good, I’ll call Ron.” I think these two boys are joined at the hip.

I called the college and set up a meeting for the boys. “Toby, tomorrow we’ll go to the college and talk with the instructors of the two courses I spoke to you about. We’ll meet with Dr. Susan Roth, she teaches commercial law and Mr. Andrew Short teaches the basic accounting course. You’ll have a chance to talk to them both.”

“Would it be okay for Ron to stay over tonight?”

“Yes,” we had to go and pick up Ron. As it turned out, we stayed for dinner.

“Jeff, we can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for Ron. We always wondered what would happen once he finished high school. Suggesting he attends the summer courses at our community college is a great idea.”

“You need to thank Toby for that. Where you see Toby, you’ll see Ron. The proverbial joined at the hip applies to them. My wife and I never had children, we didn’t miss it. Now, with Toby I have come to realize that we missed a great deal. Toby has been a blessing for me and adding Ron to the mixture has only been better. They’ll have a hard row to hoe, unless people’s attitudes change. As long as I’m able, I’ll make sure they have opportunities which otherwise they would be denied.”

“Ron, is very excited about going to Italy.”

“Well, it isn’t without some self interest. My wife’s ashes are in Italy. It was one of the places we enjoyed the most.”

Dinner was delicious and nice to have someone else cook. Ron got his clothing for their college meeting and we headed home. I was like a chauffeur as they rode in the back seat.

Monday morning, two boys were up early, “Are you ready for classes?”

“Yes, Uncle Jeff, would it be too much to take both classes?”

“Since they are meant to be giving students an introduction, I don’t see it as a problem. I’ll pick you both up for lunch and then drop you back off. Remember pay attention, but also have fun.”

The week was noisy as they told me each day what they covered. They were very enthusiastic and I knew they would do well in college. We agreed that Ron would stay with us doing the week and go home for the week-end. That meant Toby also went home with Ron for the week-end. I do believe they’ll be together for a long time.

We’d discuss the classes, I wanted to know if they had more interest in specifically one of the classes. I guess I was looking to see what preferences they would have for college. Both boys were doing well in high school and would do well in college, regardless of their career choices. I wasn’t sure Ron’s parents could afford Ron’s college costs, I knew Toby’s grandfather guaranteed his college expenses would be covered.

At the end of the six week period, I spoke to Dr. Roth and Mr. Short concerning the boy’s performance. Both instructors indicated they thought the boys would do well in college. At dinner that evening we celebrated their successful completion of their summer college courses. I took this opportunity to tell them about the Italian trip. They knew that a trip was planned but not the details.

“On Saturday, we’ll be leaving for Italy and our two week stay. I have new luggage for both of you and a short list of the clothes you’ll need. We’ll have to go shopping to complete the list. We’ll leave room for shopping when we’re in Italy.” The boys just looked at each other and smiled. I knew they were holding hands under the table.

Arriving home, Ron called his mother, Toby took the suitcases to the bedrooms. I was going to carry the package of clothes I bought to the bedrooms, Ron took them instead. “My mom would like for you to call her when you have a moment.”

While the boys were packing I called Ron’s mother. Her concern was monetary, “You don’t need to worry about the costs. It’s my treat and there’s no way Toby would go without his sidekick. I wonder if I could impose on you to drive us to the airport?”

We chatted a little longer, “Ron, do you want to speak to your mother?” While Ron spoke to his mother, I went to my office and printed out our itinerary. This wasn’t a problem since it was the same itinerary Clair and I had when we visited Italy. As It was printing, I thought about Clair and how happy we were in Italy.