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Tuesday dragged all day long for young Arthur Hollis. He had told everyone in the school about his great-grandfather. Was he excited? That’s really not an appropriate word. As a matter of fact, I don’t think there IS a word to describe this often hyper-excited fifth grader. For lack of a better word excited will have to do. I know his teacher was glad when the day’s classes were over.
Arthur talked more than he normally did. He fidgeted more than he ever did. He looked at the clock more than he ever did. He giggled more than he ever did. And, it was always right in the middle of whatever the teacher was trying to explain.
She didn’t mind, though. Her mother was on the planning committee at Elmhurst Christian Church, and she had given her a call earlier that morning to warn her of what was probably going to happen. Every time she was interrupted by Mr. Giggles she just put herself in his place and made some excuse to giggle with him.
At the end of the school day, Arthur could hardly wait to get to the park to practice football with the guys. By the time he got there, a larger crowd than usual had already showed up. He spotted his grandpa who was already there talking to the coach and made a bee-line for him.
“Hey, Grandpa,” Arthur yelled as he ran up and hugged Tom. His normal Arthur-ization was in rare form as he gushed, “Hi, Coach Wimberly. Did you meet my grand………oh, yeah, I guess you did. Y'all were talking. Oh, boy. I’m a goof.”
“Naw, Arthur,” replied Coach Wimberly. “You’re just all wound up, that’s all. I would be, too, if I were you. And, if what your grandpa tells me is true, we just might be able to win the championship in a couple of weeks.”
Arthur’s eyes grew wide and his mouth flew open as he spouted, “No, kiddin’, Grandpa?”
“Could be,” answered Tom. “We’ll just have to see how these boys do.”
As the guys began to make their way to the park, Arthur was one of the first ones to greet them. He babbled pieces and parts of the story about his grandfather until his grandfather came to their rescue. “Slow down there, Tiger,” Tom warned. “The way you tell it. I defeated the Japanese and the Germans all by myself.”
Arthur looked kind of dumbfounded for a moment before he asked, “You didn’t? Well, why didn’t you?” As his grandpa looked at him in bewilderment, Arthur pointed his finger up at him, smiled and said, “Gotcha, you old war horse.” Everybody laughed.
Ramon stepped up behind Arthur, grabbed him with a bear hug and said, “Here ya go, sir. I got him. Go ahead and whip him.”
Arthur wriggled the best he could but couldn’t break his hold. “No, no. Let me go. Grandpa, you’re not going to whip me, are you?”
“Naw. You’re too small. C’mere, Squirt,” Tom jested as he pulled Arthur to his side.
Ramon playfully ruffled Arthur’s hair as he smiled and said, “Yeah, I guess he is a cuddly little rascal, isn’t he?”
Arthur looked up at Ramon and smiled real big as he asked, “Why does everybody like to mess up my hair?”
Ramon looked up at Tom and answered with a chuckle, “Because it’s there. Right, Mr. Tom?”
“That’s just as good an answer as any,” Tom replied as he, too, ran his fingers through Arthur’s locks.
A too embarrassed Arthur grabbed the comedic duo by their arms and commanded, “C’mon guys. Let’s see if you can practice football as good as you can mess up my hair.”
The three of them walked arm in arm over to the rest of the guys. Coach Wimberly explained that Tom was going to show them some stretching exercises that just might help them run a bit faster. After they warmed up, the coach took the receivers and the running backs to an empty part of the park and timed them as they ran for approximately twenty yards. Then, as they rested for a moment, he turned them over to Tom to walk them through some stretching exercises that he learned in the Philippines.
Tom explained, “My whole body was mangled by an explosion in an ammo shed during World War Two. My legs were hurt pretty bad. I spent a couple of months almost flat on my back. My legs were weak and didn’t want to function right. After I got back to the states and started going through some operations, I had a physical therapist show me some exercises that were designed to keep my legs and knees in top form. I guess he knew what he was talking about. Just look at me. Besides, he went on to win a martial arts championship three years in a row. He must have known what he was talking about. Alright, everyone watch me.”
Tom spread his legs about shoulder length apart and went through some slow motion kicks that almost looked like he was fighting. Then, he squatted down, put one leg straight out and slowly sat down as far as he could with the other leg underneath him. When it came time to swap his leg positions, he said, "These exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen the leg, knee and ankle muscles and tendons that help you balance. They are not designed to strengthen the muscles that help you run. You will find that as you strengthen these supporting pieces, your brain will not be hesitant about telling you that you can put on more speed. This will also help you to make your cuts faster, deeper and with more confidence."
When he had finished, he stood up and said, "Okay guys, it's your turn. Either get on your backs or squat. These are not exercises so you won't be forced to follow a count. These are strictly voluntary. So......we will see who really wants to be a champion, won't we?"
As they began to assume their stretching positions, they all shouted, "Yes, sir." There were plenty of groans as they started. The ones who started in the squat position had some trouble with the one legged thing but it got some good laughter going. That only served to increase their desire to stretch.
Tom cautioned them, “Don’t try to go as far as I can guys. Just stretch beyond your limit just a bit. Then as your body gets used to it, always stretch just a little bit farther and then just a little farther. Remember, not enough to hurt, just enough to stretch and strengthen.”
When they got through, the coach ran every one of them through a couple of time trials again. Each one of the guys was just a tad bit faster than they were before. To say the least, they were excited about what they had accomplished.
As they ended the day’s practice, the coach gave them some final instructions. “I want you ends and running backs to continue your stretches at home. Do what Tom said and just stretch a tiny bit beyond your limit. You already know that what little bit you have done is working. You guys on the line, defense as well as offense, remember the fakes and pushes you’ve been taught. Practice in your head. You hear me? Practice in your head. Defense, get a mental picture of getting around your man and getting to the quarterback. You can practice these moves anywhere you are. Practice in your head. That’s all. Be back here Thursday at 6:00 p.m. to get ready for the game. OK! Let’s all grab a piece of equipment and take it to the van.”
Just then, a reporter walked up to the group and approached Tom with an outstretched hand. “Mr. Dandridge, I’m Jeff Thompson from the Elmhurst Daily Gazette. How are you?”
Tom shook his hand and answered with a smile, “Well, I was doing fairly well until you showed up.”
Jeff was taken aback just a bit, “Aw, shucks. Reporters aren’t all that bad are we?”
“I’ll let you answer that,” replied Tom as he smiled even bigger. “If you had been away for fifty years and came back into town and found some loved ones that you had never seen, would you want to spend time with them or with some pesky reporter?”
Jeff had a bit of a sheepish grin on his face as he answered, “You’ve got a very good point there Mr. Dandridge. But, then again, I have a job that I have been commanded to do. Would you mind answering just a few questions?”
“My boy,” Tom teased, “what do you mean by few? Do you mean a few as in one, two or three or few as in one hundred, two hundred or three hundred?”
“Mr. Dandridge,” Jeff replied, “you should have been a reporter yourself or maybe a politician.”
This brought
a chorus of laughter from the group of boys that had gathered back around Tom and the reporter to see what was going on. There were shouts of, “I’ll vote for you” and “Yeah, run for mayor” “No, run for school superintendent.”
When the hoots died down, Tom told him, “I really want some alone time with my new-found family. I’ll make a deal with you. I am going to speak at Elmhurst Christian Church Sunday morning and at the American Legion Hall Sunday night. If you will come to those two services AND don’t spread the word so too many nosey people come snooping around, I will give you an interview next Monday. Just you, nobody else.”
“That sounds fair,” Jeff replied as he stuck out his hand again. “It’s a deal, then.”
“Deal,” said Tom. And they shook on it.
Jeff looked around and said, “How about Arthur? Could I have a few words with him whichever one he is?”
Arthur stood real still. He really didn’t want to talk to a reporter anyway. Murphy tapped Elrod and Sam on the arms and winked at them as he stepped by them and stood between Tom and the reporter. He crossed his arms and gave the reporter a mean look and said, “I'm Arthur Hollis. Grandpa, is this man bothering you?”
Sam caught on, stepped between Murphy and the reporter forcing him to step back a bit and stated also, “I'm Arthur Hollis. Grandpa, is this man bothering you?”
Elrod pushed his way between Sam and the reporter forcing him to retreat farther and repeated the same words, “I'm Arthur Hollis. Grandpa, is this man bothering you?”
Ramon stepped up and stood between Elrod and the reporter. He was almost tall enough to look him straight in the eye. With a big grin on his face he started pounding his fist into his hands as he said, “I'm Arthur Hollis. Grandpa, is this man bothering you?”
As a few more began to step his way, the reporter raised his hands in surrender and responded, “OK. OK. I give up. I sure wouldn’t want tomorrow’s headlines to read ‘REPORTER GETS MAULED BY THIRTY ARTHUR HOLLISES-----FILM AT ELEVEN.”
The gang roared with laughter and high fives all around. As the reporter laughingly walked away, Tom turned to them, “If I had a bunch of guys in my platoon like you guys, that war would have been a lot shorter and a whole lot more fun. Now, get that van loaded up like the coach told you and let’s be quick about it, boys. I bet there’s chow waiting for all of you miscreants.”
With cries of “OK, Grandpa” they all tore into their assignment with vigor. Tom could hear them talking among themselves. “Hey, I’m going to go to the church this Sunday. You comin’?” “You bet I’m comin’. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” “I want to go to both of the services.” “Me, too.” “Hey, I know. Let’s sit together and be Grandpa’s cheering section.” “You reckon he would mind if we cheered?” “Reckon we’ll just have to find out.”
Tom smiled as he listened to their banter. It brought back memories of the teen-age classes he had taught. While he pondered the day’s events and waited for Arthur to get through, he strolled out a little farther in the park.
When the vans were all packed and all the good-byes said, Arthur ran over to where his grandfather was. The stately old man was looking across the street at the last piece of a cave that was left of his childhood playground. There was no doubt in Arthur’s mind that he was thinking of all the fun he had running in and out of those caves. But, Arthur slowed his pace almost to a stop as he saw his grandfather drop his head in his hand and heard him sniff back a tear. He solemnly walked up to his hero, threw his arms around his waist and asked, “Grandpa, what’s wrong?”
As he brushed a lonely tear away he looked down and smiled at Arthur and asked, “Did you know that your grandfather had written me some letters?”
“Yes, sir,” Arthur answered. “Mom told me about them this morning on the way to school.”
As Tom shifted his gaze across the street again, he continued, “Did she tell you about the football helmet?”
“You mean the one that my grandpa…uh…Grandpa Will wore when he caught that winning touchdown and cracked when he fell?” he responded.
Tom looked back at him with a grin, “She told you about that, did she?”
Arthur giggled his reply, “Only about a gazillion times. She got a couple of copies of the newspaper article and had them uh, plasticated or something.”
“You mean laminated?” Tom chuckled.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Arthur beamed. “I don’t know what Mom was more proud of, him winning the championship for us or the fact that he wore your helmet.”
Tom’s faced softened again. He looked across the street and for a few long moments tried to sort out his feelings. Finally, he asked, “Did she tell you that he buried it for me to find?”
“N-o-o-o-o,” Arthur answered in amazement. “She didn’t tell me what was in the letters, just that y'all would read them today. She has always talked about the football helmet.”
Tom looked down at the ground before he continued, “He didn’t want anything else to happen to it once it got cracked so he built a cedar box big enough for it and sealed it up in a stainless steel box. Then he buried it out there in the mouth of one of those caves.”
“I guess it’s one of the ones they tore down, huh?” Arthur went on.
“I don't really know,” replied Tom. “Your mother told me that Billy….uh,..Will, always knew that I would come back. And, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be around when I did. So he hid it in one of those caves and then wrote the directions down on how to find it.”
Then he smiled down at Arthur as he went on, “Kinda like making me go look for buried treasure.”
Arthur perked up, “Directions? You mean he told us how to find it? What did he say? Can’t we go dig it up, then?”
Tom frowned as he went on, “We-e-l-l-l. He said to find the five biggest oak trees that stood in a row. Then, take one hundred and seventy-nine steps until you come to the mouth of a cave and dig down four feet.”
Arthur was a bit puzzled as he asked, “How do we know where the oak trees were, Grandpa?”
“That’s just it,” Tom answered solemnly. “We don’t. PROGRESS cut the trees down and PROGRESS dug out the caves to cover the tree stumps and level the park. I don’t know that it will ever be found, again, Arthur.”
Just then, they heard a car horn. Olivia had just pulled up to get them from practice. Tom put his arm around his grandson and said, “Come on, son. Let’s head for home. There’s nothing more we can learn by standing around here.”
Arm in arm the two of them started making their way to the car. “Grandpa, would Jesus show me where the buried treasure was if I asked Him?” Arthur asked with his voice tinged with excitement.
Tom answered, “Arthur, I have learned through the years not to put anything past Him. He can answer a prayer any way he wants to. AND, I also know that God has a good plan for everything that comes along in our lives. When we don’t understand, we just need to keep walking with Him. In His own good time, He shows up with an unexpected blessing.”
With a big smile on his face Arthur replied, “Yeah, like when you showed up in my life.”
“Oh, no,” Tom responded with a chuckle, “like YOU did when YOU showed up in MY life.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Arthur countered, “like YOU did when YOU showed up in MY life.”
On and on it went. They pushed at each other and played the no-like-you-did game all the way to the car. Arthur giggled and Tom chuckled until they were close to laughing.
Olivia was re-strapping Wendy in the back seat so Tom could sit in the front. “Hey, you two,” she chided. “cut that out before you get into the car. Honestly, I don’t know which one of you is the biggest kid.”
As he strapped himself into the front seat, Tom looked towards the back seat and continued, “I am.”
Arthur leaned forward and poked his thumb into his chest, “No. I am.”
Olivia raised her voice, “Boys! Did you two hear me?” She could hardly keep from laughing herself
at the antics of the two of them. "If you two don't quit, I'm going to put the both of you in time out when we get home."
That’s a phrase that Wendy understood. She pointed her finger at her brother and spoke up, “Time out budder.” When she saw that it brought laughter from the crowd, she pointed to Tom and repeated, “Time out, pop-pop.”
“That’s right, Wendy,“ Olivia laughed.
Not really understanding everything but still sensing that she was the hit of the moment, Wendy laughed and clapped her hands.
Arthur tried to calmly tell his mother about the day’s events but he wound up babbling and getting facts confused. You know, the normal.
When they turned the corner to the house, Olivia noticed two strange vehicles parked on the front street. A man and a woman were standing beside them. When they saw Olivia‘s car coming in the driveway, they waved real big. The lady looked like she was waving a set of keys their way. As they started walking toward them, Olivia couldn‘t help but ask, “Now, I wonder who could that be?”