59
Ponce, seeing the coast was clear, entered the Guidance/ Counseling Office. And there was Tiger.
“Ponce!" He called out, obviously glad to see the lad. “Hello, Tiger,’’ the lad said, in a minor tone.
“I don’t know what this place is coming to,” he then said, having made himself at home.
Tiger nodded, understanding^, though he himself at the moment wasn’t feeling too low. He had just finished making a few phone calls.
“I know how you feel, Ponce, believe me,” he said, “But listen, I have a little bit of cheerful news, anyhow—” He then said.
“You do?” The boy said, glumly.
“It is?”
“That’s right.”
“No practice tonight though—?”
“That’s so.”
Ponce couldn’t help it, he grinned, “Think we can do it?” He said.
“Sure we can.”
Ponce actually found himself feeling better.
“So the school won’t close?” He asked, with hope.
“Not if I can help it.”
“Is that the word?”
“So far so good.”
“That’s real good—Tiger.”
“Let me tell you.”
“Will the kids come to school though? Think their folks will let them?” Ponce asked, upon reflection.
“Well—we hope so. We’re working on it,” said Tiger. Ponce nodded. There too he was hopeful.
“Tiger—” He said, “What about Mummer?”
Tiger surveyed the lad. “Well—as you probably know —Surcher let him go.” He paused, watching Ponce nodding at him. “I guess he just had nothing at all to hold him on, Ponce. That’s all.” He paused again, keeping his eyes on the boy. “He won’t be around any longer though.” He stopped, watching Ponce’s face light up.
“He won’t?”
“No sir.”
A pause.
“Hot dog!”
The lad said, grinning away.
Then, inexplicably enough, he again was blue. Tiger noted this.
“I just don’t feel like going to any classes,” said the lad.
Tiger nodded. Then said, “Force yourself.” He paused. “I know that’s a hard thing to do, but it’s the best thing, Ponce, believe me.” He paused, his eyes on the lad. “I’m forcing myself all day around here, Ponce, let me tell you.”
Ponce understood.
“I sure feel sorry for her parents,” he said.
“So do I,” Tiger said.
Ponce shook his head slowly, and looked down.
“No kidding, Tiger, sometimes I think it’s a bad dream —” He said.
“I know how you feel.”
“Here we are, clipping along just great—”
“That’s it, how it is. That’s how it is,” Tiger said, gently —“That’s life, Ponce.” He paused. “It’s a hell of a thing.” He was speaking very low. Ponce barely heard him now —“How it’s always been—” He stopped, trailing off.
The lad nodded his head.
“Anyhow, we got back Jim Green—”
“Right, Ponce. That is something. There’s always something. I hope to see him tomorrow—I hope he shows up.”
“I bet he will—”
“If I know that boy, he will,” Tiger said.
Ponce sat down there now and just gazed at Tiger. What a guy and a half he was. If he could grow up and turn out just one-half as good as that—he’d be doing all right Alright. Could he though? What about next time? It was up to him, Ponce reminded himself. He knew it well. Tiger was right. Force yourself. He wondered if there was any way he could force himself to talk over his problem with him. Ponce, at the mere thought of it, blushed furiously inside at it. He just couldn’t do it. Not now—anyhow. He would work on it. Was it fair, anyhow, to burden Tiger with it? Didn’t he dump enough stuff on him?
He said, “Miss Nectar sure is nice, isn’t she, Tiger?” Out of the blue, quietly.
Tiger gazed at the lad.
“She is, you’re right,” came the reply.
“I was talking with her in the Library before—” Ponce blurted out, “I was feeling mighty low. She sure helped me out—” He stopped.
Tiger nodded, his gaze on the lad.
Pretty Maids All in a Row 321 “One of the best I’ve seen,” he told the boy. “Librarians are funny, sometimes.” He stopped.
Ponce grinned, “Remember the last one we had?”
“Do I!”
It was a fact, she had been a pill and a half, if ever he saw one. She had retired. Miss Nectar, fresh from the Library School at Rutgers, had come along.
“I saw your mom and your little brother this morning,” Tiger now said, grinning.
“You did?”
“On my way here. She was taking him to school, I guess.”
Ponce nodded, and grinned, “She was.”
“Sure is a cute little kid,” Tiger said, “Where’d he get that red hair?”
“That’s what we’d like to know.”
They both grinned. Now Tiger chuckled.
“Well, we’ll see him up here one day,” He said.
“We sure will,” Ponce told him.
“That’s the beauty of this job, Ponce, believe me,” Tiger now said, “New ones always coming up, fresh ones, young ones, full of life of course—they keep you going, even when you want to lie down and die. And no kidding, Ponce, sometimes, when you get up around my age—” He grinned, “What a thing to say to you—” He paused, still grinning, “I guess I’m getting old.”
Ponce had to grin. He just couldn’t imagine Tiger old. Though in his heart, he knew that’s just how it was, everyone grew old—it seemed he’d always known, too. Yvonne and Jill wouldn't though. Suddenly, Ponce had that thought He stared at the floor. . . .
60
Tiger took care of that Health Ed class after Ponce left. It was a Freshman class. In it, he made good use of a lot of the material (and technique of presentation) from the book he had of late been perusing and thoroughly enjoys ing. Of course, he had attuned it to their level, here and there. At this point in the term they were on the subject of Sex, of course. He had been a little apprehensive at first about utilizing the book, because there was just the chance that some of the kids might break out with some so-called typical adolescent giggles, and such. But, they hadn’t materialized—so far, at any rate. It had gone well, as a matter of fact, they had given him their rapt attention. He would certainly press on with it. In fact, he thought, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if they all had a copy of it. Maybe not right away, but in about a month—He would check with Hetty Nectar about it. He was just musing over that and checking his watch, about halfway down the hall from his office, when he was. suddenly aware of Jeannie Bonni, beside him. She had materialized out of nowhere. He grinned at her, and said Hi. She certainly looked cute today.