Prisoner Reilly tries to regain his composure, tries to rub-out the tracks of his tears. Our introductions are brief.
“Mr. Reilly’s been having difficulties in the class down the hall. I thought we could switch him to your room.” Then to him, “Mr. T. will help you with your educational needs.”
What do you do with a Quasimodo, down-on-his-luck, I’m-never-gonna-amount-to-nothing, under-medicated, toothless student prone to crying jags?
You try to give him stability.
When he spouts racial venom to no one in particular, you smooth over the rough edges, you reassure him that his world isn’t as bad as it seems. You offer advice. “Mr. Reilly, regardless of your past, you need to be careful about what you say.”
Today, after sitting in my classroom for a good half-hour, Reilly seeks the assistance of the school officer. I observe both of them going to his previous classroom.
Soon they reappear. “Mr. Reilly says he’s not scheduled to be in your class.”
“Sure he is,” I tell the school officer. Then I check his itinerary. “See, right here: Room Number 70, 0910 – 1050 hours.”
Reilly sits down again. I’ve taken the bounce out of his ball of confusion. But only for a moment. “Mr. T.,” he says, “my family’s good people.” His eyes are welling up. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“About what?” I ask.
“There’s a guy next door with the same name as me and he looks just like me and I don’t know what to do.”
I tell him not to panic. “He’s harmless,” I say. “Besides, he’s in the same boat.”
He starts knuckling his eyes.
15 comments:
JR-your compassion is probably the only time the guy has ever had it. I love your hat!
Ah, the life around you. And someone there who has a double, a "secret sharer".
Joseph Conrad would have found a novel here.
...Can't ignore the life around you if you're a writer.
--Ivan
That is so sad but also beautiful at the same time because of your compassion for him. I love how you make me feel sympathy for prisoners. I agree with Ivan. This is an entire novel. Powerful stuff.
P.S. - I just tried to buy your book, but it's giving me an error code (or it could be my stupidity or the fact that I'm rushing to get to work). I will return and try again. I look forward to reading it.
I saw an interview on TV recently involving a guy who'd found someone with the same name who was incarcerated. They even grew up in the same neighborhood. He interviewed the guy at length & wrote a book about their differences, almost as though they were one person who'd been able to choose different paths. It was interesting.
Lana, do you know the name of the book? I'd like to read it.
Julie, thanks for pointing out the PayPal glitch; it has been corrected (again).
Jodi, I'm not sure if it's compassion as much as my way of coping with a crazy person.
Ivan, I can see a heart of darkness ...
I loved this. I think it's compassion that I see too. People need more of that in this world.
I believe the book Lana is referring to is THE OTHER WES MOORE.
Yeah we all have a harmless twin living next door whom we fear.
Excellent.
Lana's book ref: The Other Wes Moore -- saw him interviewed somewhere. And WM's mug on your boat is precious . . .
Doh -- DC already had it!
How strange that the twin in question is having problems in the classroom down the hall. I guess it would be more strange if he wasn't having problems in the class down the hall. I hope his twin fares better with the straw boss. I have no doubts you will give this young man the FAPE that he is entitled to under law. You have no doubt heard that poop rolls down hill. In you case it rolls down the hall. Your counterparts who can't handle the more difficult students get to skate, while you look out for cracks in the ice. Too bad you don't have the ability to paruse files and pick and choose the ones who are close to passing. That would make your job so much easier.
I loved this, JR. And there is a book lurking in this exchange!
Yours sound like a herculean task! It must be difficult!
JR:
What do I find in the mail this morning but a neat little chapbook nestled there among the bills.
ADOPTED BEHAVIORS by James. R. Tomlinson, our own JR.
On opening this neatly laid out little book, I didn't know what to expect. I had been reading Jim Tomlinson's material for some time--is it years now?--on his blog, JR's Thumbprints.
For a while there, it seems like he was writing so much like everybody else in blogland--sort of "boiler plate", little stories that make you go ah -ha!
But there has been obvious progress.
I have been busy of late, and have only just finished JR's first story in ADOPTED BEHAVIORS, whose title is The Trigger Man and His Accomplice.
Wow. What a good job of short story crafting!
Atavism. Would you shoot a cute little critter like Alvin the Chipmunk? The things we seem to do to helpless animals, the odd cruelty of children. Sort of pulling the wings off butterlies.
We have all done it.
Jim explores this childhood tendency to atavism. The bad memory lingers.
And an almost timeless short story is produced.
Congratulations, Jim Tomlinson.
...And it's obvious the your publisher, Motor City Press isn't just spinning its wheels. Seems to me a quality publisher, and way to go, all.
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