We were now into April and Easter was fast approaching. Danny, Brandon and Kevin were putting a great deal of thought, time and effort into exactly what they wanted to do with the school and bank buildings, as well as how much they felt they’d be able to offer. When Danny finally met with the superintendent and school board, he learned the district was indeed considering a consolidation proposal, but no formal decision had been made on it yet. However, they also confirmed that if the plan were adopted, the school he had mentioned would most likely be placed on the market.
Next, Danny asked if they’d be willing to provide him with a copy of the blueprints of the building. He told them that by having them he’d be able to determine if this building would be feasible for doing what he intended. If so, it would also allow him to have plans developed, so he could get a head start on the project. This way, if the building did go on the market, he’d know whether or not he could make an offer.
After discussing Danny’s proposal briefly, the board members concurred that they saw no problem with doing this and agreed to give him what he wanted. Once they agreed to that, Danny asked what price they might be thinking of asking for the property, if it did come up for sale. After some whispered discussion, they told him they couldn’t give him a specific price, but they did give him a ballpark figure. Danny thanked them and then agreed to return and pick up the copies of the blueprints three days later.
Once he got the blueprints of the building, Danny overnighted them to Jay, who was eager to determine if the property could effectively be converted to meet Danny’s goals. Jay was familiar with what would need to be considered when laying out medical and dental offices, but he also talked extensively with Danny and Brandon to see what they specifically had in mind. In the end, Jay concluded the building could be adapted to serve the purpose they wanted, so now the boys only had to wait for the school district to make their final decision.
Kevin had also gone to look at the bank and asked Jay if he’d also be willing to help him adapt that building for his purposes, in case he decided to buy it. Jay said he would and told Kevin to forward him those blueprints too. After procuring a copy of those items, he forwarded them to Jay, who began his preliminary sketches for that location.
During the second full week of April, I also received a call asking me to inform Danny and Brandon that their family portraits were ready for them. Once they had picked them up from the photographer’s studio, they took them over to the frame shop to have them all put into nice frames, including my set. When they picked them up, a couple of days later, they all looked fantastic.
Since the wall size photo had been done in an antique looking wooden frame, we found a spot for it in the foyer, where everyone could see it. Danny, Brandon and I then took our personal sets of the three proofs they’d chosen and hung them on a wall in our bedrooms. We were both pleased with how they looked.
Around this same time, Jesse had also come up with an idea he was pursuing. Since I’d prodded him to start thinking about his future, he came up with something he thought he’d like to do.
“I’m thinking about becoming a radiologist,” Jesse told me one evening. “I’ve talked to Danny about this and looked up a whole bunch of information about it online. I’ve even talked to my guidance counselor about this. It not only sounds interesting, but it also helps people and I can make a decent living doing it. Danny even said by the time I graduate, he might be able to give me a job at the health center, once he’s able to arrange for the equipment necessary to have a diagnostic and imaging department.”
“Wow! That would be awesome and you’d be able to work with your brother,” I said.
“Yes, he said he might not be able to put the equipment in right away, but he should be able to have something set up by the time I graduate,” Jesse added. “If that happens, I’ll be able to do x-rays, sonograms, mammograms, MRIs, CT and PET scans and Danny said the majority of the practices at the center would be able to utilize my services.”
I was impressed by the amount of research he’d done on this and that he had conferred with Danny about it too. I’m glad now that I had urged him to start thinking about his future.
Since we were now into April, Elliot’s tennis practices had moved outdoors. Hayden and he had both made the JV squad and were going to play singles, but they were also going to team up as doubles partners. One day, Elliot came up to me, so he could ask me a question concerning this.
“Papa, I know my dads are going to be working most of the times that I have tennis matches,” Elliot began, “but I was wondering if you might be willing to come watch me play sometimes.”
“I certainly will,” I agreed, “and I know both Danny and Brandon are planning to be there as often as they can. We’re all looking forward to watching you play. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll play at Wimbledon.”
“I’m nowhere near that good,” Elliot confessed, “but I would like it if you came to watch me.”
“I’m looking forward to it and I know your fathers are too,” I confirmed.
This seemed to make Elliot happy and I really was looking forward to watching him play. In fact, I’m planning on taking Joshie along with me, since he has proven he’s interested in sports and loves playing tennis against the others on the Wii. This might end up giving him another outlet to burn off some of his excess energy, if he discovers it’s something he’s interested in.
That weekend, Elliot spent Friday night and Saturday at Hayden’s house again. The boys were becoming thicker than thieves, but I knew they weren’t up to anything sinister. They would go out running, practice their tennis and do other things while they were together. They had quickly become friends and totally reveled in the time they got to spend with each other.
When he got home, Elliot reminded me that he had a home match on Tuesday and wanted to know if I’d be there. I told him I would and I’d bring Joshie with me, but his fathers wouldn’t be able to make it this time. I did assure him that they would make some of his other matches, but they couldn’t finagle this particular match into their schedules. Now that they knew when his future matches were, they were going to arrange for time off so they could attend, which seemed to make Elliot happy.
When Tuesday came around, I bundled Joshie up, after he returned home from school with his fathers. It was still a little chilly out, so I made sure that Joshie was dressed warmly enough that he wouldn’t get sick, and then we went down to the high school.
“Where are we going, Papa,” my little man wanted to know.
“We’re going down to watch Elliot play tennis,” I advised him.
“Can I play too?” Joshie asked, almost as soon as I’d finished my sentence.
“I’m sorry, little man, but you won’t be able to do that this time. Today, it’s only something the older boys will be allowed to do,” I answered. “It’s not like playing the Wii game at home. You’ll see and maybe you’ll like it too. Then when you get older, maybe you’ll want to play on the tennis team too.”
We situated ourselves outside of the fence where Elliot would be playing, but we could also watch Hayden’s match from there as well. Although I was enjoying the action, I knew Joshie was only intent on watching Elliot. Joshie seemed to be quite interested in what was going on, but I think some things were confusing him. That became obvious when he asked me a question.
“Why do they keep saying ‘love,’ Papa?” Joshie wondered. “Do the boys love each other?”
I couldn’t help but to chuckle slightly.
“No, little man,” I answered. “Saying love is just the way they say zero in tennis. It means the one player hasn’t scored any points.”
“Then why don’t they just say zero?” Joshie demanded.
“I know it’s confusing, but it’s because tennis is a very old game and that’s how they did things way back when it started,” I explained.
Joshie may have accepted my explanation, but I could tell by the way he looked at me that he still thought it was stupid. I’m not sure I disagreed with him either, because the scoring system does make it confusing for beginners and non-players to understand. I mean, why do they score fifteen points the first two times they score, but then only ten point the third time? I mean the love, 15, 30, 40 game progression can baffle more than just a few casual observers.
I was pleased when both boys won their singles matches, but they didn’t do nearly as well in doubles. In fact, their attempt was almost comical. It very quickly became obvious that both Elliot and Hayden were extremely aggressive, so much so that they might even be considered ball-hogs. If the idea of dividing the court in half had even occurred to them, they weren’t very good at putting it into practice.
Whenever a ball was hit anywhere between them, they would both go for it. On more than one occasion this led to them bumping into one another, hitting the other’s racket or just interfering with the other’s swing. The worst time was when they actually ran into each other and then tumbled onto the hard court. They suffered a few bruises and scrapes in that incident and I even saw a trickle of blood on Elliot’s knee and Hayden’s shin.
“What the heck did you think you were doing?” Hayden screamed, as he was getting up.
“The ball was on my side, not yours,” Elliot screamed back. “This was your fault, not mine!”
“No! That ball was on my side of the court,” Hayden challenged.
“Was not!” Elliot screamed back, and then he bent over and looked at his knee.
“Was too and you should have stayed on your own side,” Hayden disagreed, and then two boys began to glare at each other.
After hearing the snickers from the spectators, the boys must have realized how silly their outburst was and they both burst out laughing. They then apologized to one another for their comments, before continuing the match. I’m definitely glad they were able to work out this little misunderstanding, but I hope it doesn’t take them very long before they get a better feel for the court, so nothing like it happens again.
I was a little surprised that on the way home Elliot hadn’t asked me what I thought of the match or for my take on how well he had played. He may have been afraid of the answer I’d give him, but I decided to tell him anyway.
“You looked good in your singles match,” I told him. I could see him grimace after I’d said it.
“Yeah, but we really sucked at doubles,” he confirmed. “That was a complete disaster, especially when Hayden and I knocked each other over.”
“That was a problem, but you really didn’t play that badly,” I told him. “It’s just that doubles takes a whole different mindset, since you have a partner to help you out. You boys just need to come up with a way to determine how you want to split up the court and who will be responsible for which types of shots.”
“Yeah, but I guess we don’t know how to do that,” he sighed, despondent.
“Maybe it would help if you watch other doubles players and take notes on how they do it,” I suggested. “I don’t mean to do this with just the other guys on your team either. Watch matches on TV or look up some videos of doubles matches and see how they do things. I think it will help you two out a lot.”
“You might be right and we can do that,” Elliot replied. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll invite Hayden over again this weekend, and see if there are any matches on TV or we can look up videos online. I’m sure they must have some there.”
“It sounds like a good idea to me,” I told him. “Just make sure you also clear it with your fathers, before you ask Hayden over.”
“I will and thanks again, Papa,” Elliot told me, before he raced into the house and went up to his room.
Hayden’s parents happily allowed their son to spend Friday night and Saturday with us, as long as he returned home Saturday night. Sunday was Palm Sunday and they wanted him to attend services with them, which we could all understand. Danny and Brandon quickly agreed to their request, so Hayden came home with Elliot Friday, after school.
The boys spent much of their time, both Friday night and Saturday morning, looking up this information. They found videos on ehow.com, tennisexpress.com and youtube.com that went over the rules and tactics of doubles play. While watching these, they agreed about how they would split up the court, but they also agreed to have one of them play the net and the other would stay back a bit, so they wouldn’t bump into one another or hinder the other’s shot. Now, they just had to work this into the way they played and, hopefully, their efforts would turn out better.
Saturday afternoon, the boys went to the tennis court to practice, but unfortunately they weren’t able to find anyone with whom they could practice playing doubles against. Therefore, they merely ended up playing each other, while hoping they could work the kinks out of their doubles game at practice the following week.
That night, they took Hayden home and he thanked Danny and Brandon for letting him stay over. Hayden then told Elliot he’d see him on Monday and told him that he looked forward to ironing out their doubles problems at practice. They both seemed optimistic about this, so I hope things work out as easily.
On Palm Sunday, we all went to church together and I found myself having to explain to Joshie about the palm leaves that adorned the altar. He had asked Trey, since Dion was seated with the choir, but when his Poppy didn’t give him what he thought was a satisfactory response, he turned to me.
“Papa what is that green stuff up there?” he wanted to know.
“Joshie, those are leaves from a palm tree,” I explained. “One time, when Jesus traveled to Jerusalem riding a donkey, the people greeted him by placing palm leaves on the ground in front of the donkey. The leaves are there to help us remember.”
“So he didn’t have a car?” Joshie wondered.
“No, little man, it happened before there were cars and people had to ride horses and donkeys to get places,” I told him.
“So they didn’t have roads either?” he asked next. “Is that why they had to put the leaves in front of his donkey?”
“There weren’t as many roads then, but there were some,” I answered, “but they put the palm leaves down to show him respect. They were trying to let him know that they thought he was a very important person and that’s one way they did it.”
This must have sufficed, because Joshie didn’t ask any more questions about it. I just hope he understood what I was saying and that it was beginning to make sense to him.
During the following week, Elliot would return home every evening and tell us how Hayden and he were working hard to solve their doubles problem. He also reminded us that he had another match on Thursday, which his fathers, Joshie and I would all be attending. Brandon had arranged his day so he had no patients after 3:00 and Danny took a half-day off from work so he could be there. Elliot seemed pleased that they had worked it so they could watch him play and I could sense he was determined to do well, because they were going to be there.
Once again, I was able to find us a good spot from where we could watch Elliot play. Shortly after the match began, Joshie was busy informing Danny and Brandon that love meant zero, not that the boys loved each other. Danny and Brandon smiled and thanked him for clearing that up and then we watched the boys play and cheered them on.
Today, Elliot won his singles match again, but Hayden lost a very close and hard fought contest. When it came to their doubles play, they did much better, but it still wasn’t perfect. The problem this time was that they were both trying so hard not to cross into the other’s side of the court that they would occasionally let a ball go without either of them swinging at it. I’m sure they’ll work this out too, but unfortunately they still lost the match.
I think Elliot was more chagrinned about this, because they had lost the match when his fathers were watching. We all told them they had played well, even if they hadn’t won all of the matches. I also pointed out that they showed considerable improvement over their previous doubles effort and my comment appeared to embarrass Elliot. When I asked him about it later, I explained that I had meant what I said as a compliment.
“I know that’s what you meant, but I’m sure my dads got the implication,” Elliot reasoned. “If we got beat like that today, and it wasn’t even very close, then they must have figured out that the way we played in our first match must have been absolutely terrible.”
I could see where he was coming from, although I told him I thought his fathers wouldn’t judge his play so harshly. Elliot said he hoped that was so, but he expected his fathers’ ability to judge talent and athletic prowess would be more astute than that.
The next day was Good Friday and the boys had the day off from school. Therefore, I took everyone who was available at the time to attend services with me at church. It wasn’t a long or drawn out service, but the pastor did cover the basics. His sermon gave sufficient details to remind us about why this day was so important to those of us who adhere to the Christian faith. Of course, it was a somber and sobering experience.
After the service, we went home and waited for the arrival of the other family members who were going to be joining us for Easter. I knew Jay was coming home with Ricky this time, because Jay wanted to go over what he had done on the architectural plans with Danny, Brandon and Kevin. Ricky was also picking up Graham and Sammy on his way, because he was carpooling with them again. Frankie and his girlfriend were also going to be driving in to join us, since Frankie had this weekend off. Pat was also coming in from Pittsburgh, and he was going to be bringing Duck and his girlfriend with him. Regrettably, Mark wouldn’t be with us for this holiday, because he was going to spend it with his girlfriend’s family this year. That, of course, didn’t sit well with Susan.
The various vehicles began pulling in shortly after we arrived home and continued showing up for the next couple of hours. It was good to see them again, but having the family with us was what made the holiday even more special.
“Dad, come look at the plans Jay brought with him,” Brandon yelled to me, a little while after Jay arrived. “He brought the plans for both the health center and the pharmacy.”
I went in to see what Brandon was talking about and they eagerly showed me the new blueprints Jay had just given them. It was immediately apparent that Jay had spent quite a bit of time on these plans and had taken into account every detail that Danny, Brandon and Kevin had mentioned. I was impressed by what I saw.
Starting with the health center, Jay had worked it so there would be ten suites of medical offices and he’d turned the school’s old main office into a very nice dental suite for Brandon and his soon-to-be business partner. Jay also managed to work in smaller offices, which were meant for a child psychologist, speech therapist and physical therapist’s practice. Jay had turned the two coaches offices into a workable office for the physical therapists and the old gym storage room into a storage area where they could keep their equipment. He planned for the therapists to wheel their apparatus out and then use the gymnasium to work with their patients. Once they’d finished work for the day, they would then move their equipment back into the storage area, so the gym could be used for other activities.
Danny then showed me that Jay had turned the two-story addition into facilities that each of the offices would be able to utilize. First, there would be two elevators added to the exterior of the structure, one for patients and the other for freight and to move gurneys. Jay also worked in two operating rooms, which could be used for emergency and outpatient procedures, along with a recovery area and a small employee lounge, all on the upper level. The second floor would also contain a laboratory, which would be independently run and would bill the offices separately for the services they were asked to perform.
Jay had designated a large part of the lower floor to be turned into an area that would be used as a diagnostic and imaging department. However, it would remain vacant until Danny had secured the necessary funding to purchase the required equipment. This area was divided into several smaller rooms, each with adjustable doorways, so the appropriate equipment could be installed and then used there.
Jay also told Danny that he could turn the library into either another medical suite or they could possibly use it as a daycare. The daycare could be used by the employees or by parents who had no other option but to bring their other children in with them, when they brought another child in for treatment. By turning this area into a daycare center, it would become another of those intangible extra and beneficial services that would help to attract both patients and prospective employees.
Jay also planned to turn the kitchen area into a snack bar, which could also be utilized by both the employees and patients. Danny would be able to rent this space out to an independent businessman, to help his bottom line. There would be an additional door through which others could come in to utilize this service. The old cafeteria would then be set up with either booths or tables and chairs, so their patrons would be able to sit down and enjoy their purchases.
“Damn, this looks fantastic and it appears as if Jay has covered all the bases,” I told them, once I’d seen the plans. “It looks absolutely incredible and I think I might want to invest in this with you, not just have the Castaway Foundation make a donation. Do you know what types of practices you want to include in this health center?”
“I do, Dad,” Danny answered. “I’m just trying to line up someone for each of the different specialties I’d like to see included.”
“Do you mind sharing what you have in mind?” I asked next, since I was really interested in what he was doing.
“Only if you promise not to get bored with all the details,” Danny joked.
“Not at all,” I agreed. “I’m not only impressed, but I’m eager to see how all of this is going to fit together.”
“Well, besides a pediatric office for me and the dental office for Brandon, there are several other offices I want to include,” Danny began. “The ones I absolutely want to be in there is an OBGYN office and I want them to have a fertility expert on their staff as well. I know this will appear to be a little strange in a children’s center, but I feel that pre-natal care is important to have in there as well.”
I definitely concurred with his statement.
“I’d also like to see a hematology-oncology practice, to deal with blood diseases and childhood cancer,” Danny continued. “I also see the need for an endocrinology and diabetic practice to deal with growth and hormonal problems, as well as juvenile diabetes.”
“That all sounds good so far,” I agreed. “Is that it?”
“Not by a long-shot,” Danny acknowledged. “I also want someone specializing in allergies, immunology and rheumatology and I’d like another practice that deals with asthma, pulmonology issues and cystic fibrosis. I think lung diseases are far too frequent in the young, so I’d like a specialist who has in-depth knowledge of the underlying issues.”
“Again, it sounds very good and I hope you can find someone for each of those specialties,” I told him. “Anything else?”
“Yes, there are a few more I want included on the staff,” Danny confessed. “I also would like to include an otolaryngologist, which you used to call an ear, nose and throat doctor, plus an orthopedic specialist. That practice might come in handy with Elliot in the house. I also would like a pediatric surgeon, who can handle the intricate operations that the rest of us feel would be better off handled by a specialist. I think that covers it, but I’d also be open to having a cardiologist who deals with childhood heart disorders and a gastroenterologist who can not only deal with internal problems, but can also address childhood eating disorders.”
“That sounds like quite a shopping list and I hope you find people to fill all of those slots,” I told him.
“It’s actually been easier than I thought it would be so far,” Danny answered. “I already have people who’ve told me they’re interested in filling at least half of those spots, so there aren’t that many more slots that I still need to recruit.”
“That certainly sounds great and I pray the school goes on sale and you’re able to buy it,” I agreed. “I’d hate to see all of this planning and hard work go to waste, not to mention what a great loss it would be to the community at large.”
“Thanks, Dad. That really makes me feel good,” Danny confessed.
“Now look at what Jay has set up for me,” Kevin stated, with great excitement. “Everything works out perfectly. Jay was able to arrange the pharmacy counter so I can utilize both the vault and the drive-thru window.”
“That’s fantastic, because I remember you mentioned both of those things were important to you,” I concurred. “How about the rest of the area and the sales floor?”
“Jay’s got that all worked out too,” Kevin told me. “He has three cash registers up front and one at the pharmacy counter, plus numerous shelves for the merchandise. He’s even left a corner open in the back where I can put the larger display items. I couldn’t be any more pleased by what he’s done.”
“Then I think you both owe Jay a big thank you for doing this,” I told them, so they both immediately thanked their benefactor.
“I’ll take your thanks, but I owed you at least that much,” Jay replied. “I don’t know what I would have done or how I would have turned out if you guys hadn’t been there for me when I was younger. Hell, I even ended up choosing my career because of things I saw and became interested in when you took me on vacation with you. Besides, since this will help other families with children, I feel honored that you let me help out.”
I think we were all touched by Jay’s reply and the sincerity with which it was offered. Even though we may have helped him when he was younger, he also helped us. I think Ricky needed Jay, just as much as Jay needed our family.