{"id":92,"date":"2022-02-08T13:19:45","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T18:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foxglovesystems.com\/herbheineman\/Stowaway\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2022-04-07T17:43:56","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T21:43:56","slug":"eight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/eight\/","title":{"rendered":"EIGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Josh had told Eden\u2019s story more often than he\u2019d cared to, but people wanted to know and he felt duty bound to satisfy their curiosity. Hearing someone else tell it would have given him no comfort. The present circumstance, though, was special. Con knew how attached the two girls had been to each other and surmised that Debbie must have been deeply affected by her friend\u2019s death. So Josh resolved to hold nothing back.<\/p>

\u201cI learned a lot of medicine in the last two years of Eden\u2019s life,\u201d he said. \u201cAt least so far as her life was almost defined by that terrible disease. Among other things, that it\u2019s caused by strep throat. If she\u2019d got strep throat again after her first attack of rheumatic fever subsided, she\u2019d have been even more likely to get rheumatic fever again. She came close to dying the first time; I still remember the floor in the hospital room littered with EKG strips. A second attack might well have finished what the first one started. But there\u2019s a way to prevent strep throat: just one shot of long-acting penicillin a month is all it takes. But then Eden became allergic to penicillin and had a very bad time after one particular shot \u2014 bad enough to land her in the emergency room. Then one day at summer camp, where she worked as a counselor for the kids, she skinned her knee pretty badly. They sent her home rather than treat it there, which turned out to be a sensible decision, because she developed sepsis and once more she was rushed to the hospital. All those hospitalizations, by the way, were right here at Cresheim Valley. So her history was on the record.<\/p>

\u201cBut Calvin, the man we met in the parking lot, didn\u2019t consult the record \u2014 nor ask Eden herself \u2014 about allergies. He prescribed a penicillin-type antibiotic \u2014 intravenously, where its effect would be immediate. She had an anaphylactic reaction. They couldn\u2019t bring her out of it. That was it.\u201d<\/p>

Josh could have said much more but he decided that Con now knew as much as he needed about Eden\u2019s death. There was, of course, a huge gap, the events leading to the establishment of The Garden. He waited for Con\u2019s questions, but Con\u2019s thoughts went in a different direction.<\/p>

\u201cIs it OK if I ask you a personal question?\u201d Con asked.<\/p>

\u201cSure, go ahead.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDid Eden\u2019s medical troubles have anything to do with your wanting to become a doctor?\u201d<\/p>

Josh looked down thoughtfully for several seconds. Then, facing Con, he replied: \u201cI don\u2019t know. In my application to med school I mentioned my undergraduate summers with Professor Ellsworth, which were really exciting. I also told them about Eden. I was afraid that might sound corny and perhaps disrespectful to her memory. But yes, I think she influenced me.\u201d<\/p>

Con didn\u2019t think that mentioning such a powerful influence would have sounded corny at all. Neither did Debbie.<\/p>

\u201cMay I ask you another question?\u201d Con continued, hesitatingly. \u201cYou said Calvin prescribed an antibiotic without checking for allergy. Pardon me for saying so, but to me that sounds like medical malpractice. Then you addressed him by his first name in the parking lot, and you talked with each other as friends. How\u2019s that possible? He was responsible for your girlfriend\u2019s death, and then . . . I\u2019m confused, and you say it was the same man?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt was, one and the same,\u201d Josh answered.<\/p>

There was something almost comical about the look on Con\u2019s face, causing both Josh and Debbie to laugh aloud despite the seriousness of the context. Finally Josh came to his aid.<\/p>

\u201cIt does call for an explanation, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m just too dumb to see the obvious, but, like I just said, you actually seem to be on friendly terms with the man who you just told me caused your girlfriend\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cLet\u2019s say reconciled. Not exactly friendly. And how that came about is an even longer story. Let me just say that Calvin was barely into his internship \u2014 this was mid-July, remember \u2014 and his M.D. degree was less than a month old. He felt terrible about his mistake and had the courage to appeal personally to Eden\u2019s parents for forgiveness. Even that required my intervention, just to get them to hear him out, but in the end we all \u2014 Doctor and Mrs. Avery, Calvin, and I \u2014 agreed that, instead of litigating, Eden\u2019s memory should be honored by building Eden\u2019s Garden, which you saw this afternoon. That didn\u2019t just happen, of course. There were doctors\u2019 and lawyers\u2019 attitudes to contend with, malpractice insurance, and so on and so on.\u201d<\/p>

Con shook his head in disbelief. \u201cEven I can recognize blatant malpractice, and I\u2019ve never had any dealings with lawyers or lawsuits. Didn\u2019t Eden\u2019s parents want to sue the doctor, the hospital, the nurses, whoever? Wasn\u2019t that the normal thing to do?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh, it practically came to that all right,\u201d Josh assured Con. \u201cThe lawyers \u2014 including Eden\u2019s mother, who happens to be a malpractice lawyer herself, just imagine! \u2014 they were all on full alert. But with much reflection, many conversations, and months of agonizing, we stepped back from the cliff.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat is just remarkable! And what an incredibly generous gesture.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe all agreed that that was what Eden would have wanted. And by the way, it all started one rainy afternoon in the Statue Garden down on Kelly Drive. On your way back to the bus depot you should stop there and look around. Tell you what: I\u2019ll ride down with you, even show you the bench we sat on the first time we talked.\u201d<\/p>

Con had no need for the paperback he\u2019d brought along for the bus ride to New York City. His mind was awhirl with memories of the weekend. Less than two days, and impressions powerful enough to challenge his entire way of thinking. What kind of reaction should he expect from his own family if he told them? His father would probably be totally dismissive. How he wished he\u2019d known Eden, if only to understand the depth of her influence on Josh, who struck him as a perfectly rational person. But Eden was dead \u2014 and Debbie was alive. Did he, Con, feel about Debbie the way Josh must have felt about Eden? What was it about Eden? What was her magic? Was she extraordinarily beautiful? He couldn\u2019t tell from the bas-relief in the Garden, a generic girl\u2019s profile that surely looked nothing like her. He wished he\u2019d seen a picture of her, but he\u2019d been so overcome with her story that he\u2019d forgotten to ask.<\/p>

He sent the Rabins a sincere thank-you card but said nothing about his emotional upheaval. He and Debbie didn\u2019t meet again until they registered for fall classes. Affectionate greetings aside, Con\u2019s preoccupation showed so clearly that Debbie couldn\u2019t help wondering whether she\u2019d been replaced by the memory of a dead competitor. This absurd image brought a smile to her face, but also alarmed her slightly. Such was the power of an irrational imagination.<\/p>

The weekend had allowed Con only a brief glimpse into Rabin family life, but it was enough to make him compare it to his own. What was it like to have a father like Max, who had so obviously supported his son\u2019s love affair with a girl of another faith? Where was the prejudice in that family, and where was the tolerance in his? His mother seemed open to Con\u2019s friendship with Debbie, although he could hardly be confident that she would accept marriage, should it come to that; his father had slammed the door shut without even waiting to learn Con\u2019s intention.<\/p>

On the porch that Sunday evening, beer can in hand, Mike asked Con about the trip. \u201cDid they wear beanies?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo,\u201d Con answered, wondering how far this line of questioning would go.<\/p>

\u201cDid they have mazookas on the doorjambs?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThey\u2019re called mezuzahs, and I didn\u2019t notice whether they had them or not.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat was the neighborhood like? Men with black hats and long sideburns?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cA really nice neighborhood. And no subway train rumbling by. Just a block from a huge park.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnd I\u2019d say the neighborhood is the people you see on the street.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cCould be.\u201d<\/p>

And so on. Mike obviously had little interest in the visit, which suited Con fine, because he could not imagine sharing his impressions and reactions with his father. He was quite relieved when Mike got up and went into the house. Gladys, totally silent up to that point, stayed behind. In the silence following Mike\u2019s departure, she asked softly: \u201cDid you have a good time?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWonderful, Mom. Absolutely amazing.\u201d Suspecting that Mike could overhear, he told her. She was just as thunderstruck as he had been on hearing Eden\u2019s story from Josh. \u201cMy word!\u201d she said. \u201cThat is some story. Did you like the people? I mean, other than Debbie, whom you obviously like a lot.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes, I liked them all. And I think I\u2019d have liked Eden too.\u201d He laughed at the way he was running on.<\/p>

His enthusiasm brought a smile to her face. \u201cEden was Josh\u2019s girlfriend, wasn\u2019t she? Besides, she was probably Jewish. So you\u2019d have had to back off.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo, as a matter of fact she wasn\u2019t Jewish, but she wasn\u2019t Catholic either,\u201d Con replied. \u201cSo she probably wouldn\u2019t have been any more acceptable to Dad than Debbie is. I don\u2019t think he\u2019d accept any girl who doesn\u2019t pass that filter. You heard the questions he asked.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes, but don\u2019t be too hard on him. That was just the first thing that came to his mind.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cBut not yours, Mom. I think you have a better appreciation of what\u2019s important and what isn\u2019t. I just don\u2019t feel like talking to him about Debbie or her family.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnd that\u2019s the first thing that comes to your<\/em> mind, my son. Leave it to me. Curiosity will get the better of him, and I\u2019ll tell him what you told me. OK?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK. Let me know how he reacts,\u201d he said as she followed Mike inside.<\/p>

Gladys was right. As they got ready for bed that evening, Mike asked her what had happened in Philadelphia. The story left him wide-eyed too, and he felt contrite for the way he had welcomed Con back from his trip. \u201cApologize to him, Mike,\u201d Gladys said firmly. \u201cYou\u2019ll feel better about it after a good night\u2019s sleep.\u201d<\/p>

Next morning came and Mike felt no better. \u201cSorry about the way I quizzed you last night,\u201d he said to Con. \u201cI think I had a beer too many.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cMay I be really frank with you?\u201d Con asked. Mike\u2019s eyes narrowed a shade, and for a moment Con wasn\u2019t sure Mike\u2019s apology was sincere. But Mike said, \u201cOK, what is it?\u201d<\/p>

Con took a deep breath. \u201cI happen to believe that someone who\u2019s had a beer too many says what\u2019s really on his mind. You can\u2019t abide the fact that I\u2019m interested in a girl who happens to be Jewish, so you set out right away to disparage her family, her home, her neighborhood, every aspect of her, and you don\u2019t even bother to ask how my trip was.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNow just hold it a minute!\u201d Mike\u2019s tone had changed from contrition to rage. \u201cYou don\u2019t tell your father what he\u2019s thinking.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t; I\u2019d be ashamed to. You told me yourself, Dad. Do you want me to repeat what you said last night?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI had a beer too many, so I said some things I didn\u2019t really mean.\u201d Mike\u2019s mood and tone, like a wave in the ocean, had subsided as fast as they had risen.<\/p>

\u201cOn the contrary, that so-called a-beer-too-many allowed what you really do<\/em> mean to spill out.\u201d Now Con was angry. He had learned from his own experience that alcohol released inhibitions; it did not put foreign thoughts into his mind. And he bitterly resented his father\u2019s antisemitism.<\/p>

As if the Irish hadn\u2019t been subjected to the same intolerance when they first came to America.<\/p>

Mike was unprepared for his son\u2019s defiance. He jumped from his chair and would have assaulted him physically had not Con deftly stepped out of range.<\/p>

His mother certainly seemed more reasonable, and definitely kinder. The question was how catholic, with a small c,<\/em> she would prove to be if he were to challenge her.<\/p>

Hearing the angry exchange between father and son, she came to the door and stood mute, shaking her head. Her appearance had the effect of interrupting the confrontation, but the feelings on both sides remained unresolved.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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<< SEVEN<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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NINE >><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Josh had told Eden\u2019s story more often than he\u2019d cared to, but people wanted to know and he felt duty bound to satisfy their curiosity. Hearing someone else tell it would have given him no comfort. The present circumstance, though, was special. Con knew how attached the two girls had been to each other and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nEIGHT - The Stowaway Gene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/eight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EIGHT - The Stowaway Gene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Josh had told Eden\u2019s story more often than he\u2019d cared to, but people wanted to know and he felt duty bound to satisfy their curiosity. Hearing someone else tell it would have given him no comfort. 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