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I Sung With Joel

One day a young child of about 8 years was sitting alone in a library at a large university. As one of the more seasoned professors was passing through, he spotting the youngster and noted that the child looked to be absolutely miserable.

“Are you ok?” he asked, “where are your parents?”

“My Dad is in class,” he replied, “and my Mom is working, and I’m bored!” The boy said as he put his hands over his eyes and began to cry.

At that moment the professor recognized the boy as the child of one of his students, A police officer who was working on his Masters degree in hope for providing a better life for his son. He knew that the officer cared deeply for his son and wouldn’t just leave him anywhere, he must not be able to afford a sitter, so he brought the boy to the safest place he could while he was in class.

“Your Watson’s son correct?” he asked.

“Uh huh” replay the child in between his tears.

“I understand how it is to be sad and bored,” stated the professor as he sat down. “I have been sad myself many times.”

The child looked at him and he could tell that he was starting to catch his interest.

“Your name is Eric isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, Eric, let me tell you a story about what happened to me when I was your age.”

The boy began to roll his eyes, “Now wait just a minute,” the professor said “ I haven’t even started yet and you are not giving me a chance. Now I ask you, is that fair?”

“No.” the boy mumbled “I’ll Listen” Eric then straightened up in his chair.

A smile came across the old professors face, “Good, now Eric when I was about 9 years old, one morning I was having breakfast with my Mother, Father and my little Sis, when several men kicked open the door and grabbed us and forced us to get on a train. It was a long ride and we had nowhere to sit, my legs hurt and I was very scared. My Mother kept me close to her and she kept telling me not to be afraid, that everything would be ok. My sister, who was with my Dad, was very scared too. She was a few years younger than me, and had problems with her back; it hurt her badly to stand for a long time. “

“The train made several stops, and got very crowded. It was also a cold day and the men didn’t let us take our coats, we were very cold and we huddled close to one and another to stay warm. It was a long, long ride on that train” The professor’s expression darkened and Eric could see that he was remembering it like he was still there.

The professor shook his head and rubbed his eye, he looked at the table as he said “When the train stopped they took me and my sister from my mother and father. That was the last time I saw them, and I remember my Mother crying and my father yelling “Be a man son, and take care of your sis.”

“I cried and cried, and so did my sister”

“What did they do?” Eric asked

The professor looked up and saw that he had the young boy’s full attention. He smiled and said “They made me work.”

A look of horror came across the boys face “Work!?” he asked.

“Yes,” The professor said. “Work, me and my sister, we cleaned, we dug ditches, we worked.”

“That sounds a whole lot worse than sitting in a library board!” Eric exclaimed.

The professor laughed,”Yes I would say it was, but there was a man there with us working that didn’t seem to be bothered by it.”

“Really?” Eric said. “Who was he?”

“Just another prisoner there, He was always smiling, and singing while they made us work, acted like none of it even bothered him. His name was Joel.”

“Was he crazy?” Eric asked.

“I guess a little” the professor replied, “but he knew a secret, he knew something that all of us should know. See they took away my sister after about 6 weeks because she couldn’t work as hard.”

“Because of her back?” Eric Asked.

“Yes” the professor said after a long pause, “because of her back.”

Eric sat there with the professor in silence, for some time. The old man Shook his head again and said. “I was very upset, I tried to fight the guards, but they were too big, and I being so young couldn’t do much. He pointed out a scare across the side of his head. “They hit me hear and when I woke up my sister was gone, and Joel was above me cleaning my wound.”

“I asked him where my sister was and he said that she was gone, and I began to cry. He sat there with me and I thought about my Father how my father told me to take care of my sister, about how I had failed. My grief turned to hate, and Joel saw that change in my eye. He said to me “Don’t let that hate into your heart boy; it will make you just like those men.” “But they took my sister!” I cried. “Yes , and you did what you could to help her but you have no control over them; but you do have control over yourself. Don’t let that devil in your heart. He’ll make you hate and make you miserable.” He said this to me with a smile. “The only thing you can control is your heart. Don’t let them have that too.”

The professor stopped there and let that sink in; Eric stared at the table, looked up at the professor and began to nod. The professor smile at the young boy and said, “You didn’t choose to be here, and I didn’t choose to be there. But here you are and there I was and what could I do?”

Eric smiled and asked “Did you sing with Joel?”

“I sung with Joel” the professor answered with a smile. He then said, “The only thing you have control over in this world is your attitude, look at this,” the professor held his hands out at his sides ”you’re sitting in a library at a large collage with thousands of books all around you and your mooping around because your board. You have no excuse to be board and you’re the only one who can change your attitude and make the best of this situation. “

Eric nodded and said, “I like to read, I never thought of doing that.”

“Well good, now go make better of your situation, your Dad will be back out of class before you know it and you’ll be on your way home. “The professor said as he stood up.”

“Thanks,” Eric said. “For stopping and talking to me.”

“Sure thing,” said the professor, as he started to walk away.

“Was it Germany?” Eric asked. “Are you from Germany?”

The professor stopped, took a deep breath and turned around. He was surprised that such a young child would know about this. Then it crossed his mind, “No this is Watson’s son,” he then thought “I’m sure he has been told all about it.”

“Poland,” he said to the child “I’m from Poland.”

It was a year later when Watson graduated and the professor saw the boy again at the ceremony. The boy was very happy for his father and was smiling. He came to Eric and Shook his hand, smiled, and said “You don’t look board.”

Eric smiled back and said “I don’t get board anymore.”

This story is dedicated to my son Austin, for all the times he had to clean his room. It is also for Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann, who taught me how not to be board.

 

Note: This story was inspired by a conversation I had with Dr. Hauptmann as a young boy. It is not true, but the point that the Dr. gave me is the same. To learn more about Dr Hauptmann go here.