JC: William Redman Carter Part 2: Hermit Chapter 4 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006 Talking quietly with each other, Lucy and William waited in the theater for Eddie to arrive. The theater room had four rows of ten seats each facing a large screen. Each chair was large and comfortable with a holder for a soda built into the armrest. Beth had ordered the chairs from a real theater supply company. Like a real movie theater, the floor slanted down towards the front of the room. At the entrance to the room, there was a snack bar complete with a typical theater-style popcorn machine. The smell of popcorn filled the air. Small tubs for popcorn were stacked beside the popcorn machine. A soda fountain with six different flavors of soft drinks was on the snack bar along with paper cups, lids, and straws. Taking up a small area of the table was a rack with several different kinds of theater candies. There was an ice machine built under the snack bar. William stared off into the distance for a second, frowned at not knowing what was happening with his brother, and then said, “I wonder what is taking Eddie so long.” “This is a big house. It is probably taking him a while to find Ed,” Lucy answered realizing that this wasn’t the first time that William had asked such a question over the past few days. He still wasn’t used to having to guess what was happening around him. She put a hand on his in an attempt to comfort him. It was the first time since the interviews that he had ventured out of their bedroom or his office. The fact that he had allowed someone so dangerous into the house had significantly undermined his confidence. “Let’s see, we’ve got popcorn, candy, and soft drinks. All we need is for Eddie to select a film,” William said thinking it was a rather clever idea of his sister to include a snack bar in the room. “First we need Eddie to show up,” Lucy said. She looked around the room amazed at how accurately Beth had reproduced a movie theater in the house. In their earlier visits to the house, she hadn’t even mentioned that she was going to set up a room like this. She commented, “She really did a nice job on this.” “Yes, but I wonder why she put it on the family level rather than the business level of the house,” William said looking around the room. Excited by the news he was going to deliver, Eddie ran into the theater. William noticed his excitement and asked, “What’s up, Eddie?” “We’re going to be big brothers,” Eddie announced breathing heavily as a result of the short run from the guest room where he and his father were staying. The news took William by surprise. Raising an eyebrow, William knew what Eddie meant, but decided to play with him a little. He said, “I’m already a big brother. Betsy is my little sister and you’re my little brother.” “Yeah, I know, but you’re going to be a big brother even more,” Eddie said and then thought about what he had said. His last sentence didn’t make sense. Shaking his head, he said, “I guess I’m trying to say that we’re going to have a new baby brother or sister.” “That’s good news. Which of our mothers is expecting?” “Momma Claire. She and Daddy Dan are having a baby,” Eddie said. He was so pleased by the news that he could hardly contain himself. “It’s about time,” William said. He had wondered how long it would be before Claire would have a baby. He thought about the news and realized that receiving it was a little different than in the past. In the past, he would have been the first to know that Claire was expecting and he would even have known the gender of the child. The knowledge would have come upon him slowly and he’d never have the joy of being surprised by good news. Grinning broadly, Eddie said, “I’m really looking forward to watching over the baby.” Lucy noticed an unusual tone in his voice and said, “This is really important to you.” “Yes it is,” Eddie answered, “I’ve been the baby of the family for years. It isn’t all that easy being me.” “What do you mean?” William asked. He had been the youngest until Betsy was born and didn’t recall it as being particularly bad. “Well, I’m not special like my brothers and sisters,” Eddie answered without looking over at William. John, Beth, and William were the smartest people he had ever met. His sister, Betsy, was a very gifted athlete. He was just plain old Eddie. “I wouldn’t say that,” William said looking at his brother with concern. He wondered why his brother would think that of himself. “Everyone else is smarter, stronger, faster, and tougher than I am,” Eddie said. His father hadn’t even allowed him to start learning the martial arts yet. Lucy turned to examine Eddie. The young man was looking down at the floor with a frown plastered on his face. His eyes were shiny as if he were on the verge of tears. It had to be tough to grow up in the shadow of four such exceptional siblings. The oldest two were very successful and had established international reputations in their chosen fields. William and Betsy were each unique in different ways. She wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind that would reassure him. “Don’t pretend otherwise, William,” Eddie said upon seeing William’s reaction. He sighed and added, “I’m hoping that my little brother or sister will be normal like me. Then I won’t feel so left out.” “You’re right that we are smarter, stronger, faster, and tougher than you,” William said after thinking about it for a second. “See, you agree with me. I’m the runt of the litter,” Eddie said, his feelings hurt by hearing his brother confirm what he believed. Although he believed he was less special than his siblings, it was devastating to hear his older brother say it. “I wouldn’t put it that way. You’re the most caring and supportive of all of the Carter kids. In my book, those are the most important traits that a person can have,” William said. He gave a weak smile to Eddie and said, “I mean, think about it. Intelligence without concern for consequence is irresponsible. Strength without compassion is brutality. Fast without forethought is carelessness. Tough without empathy is sadism.” “So?” William sighed and said, “In some ways, I think you are the most blessed amongst us. You are a good person. You’re that way because it is your essential character and not because you have some special gift from the Gods or Goddesses. You’re fully human and that’s important.” “You really think so?” Eddie asked feeling a little better. “Yes, I really think so,” William answered. He added, “There are many who believe that I’m arrogant. Some people have even said that I’m callous. In a way they are right.” “I don’t know about that,” Lucy said. William sat back in the theater chair and looked over at his little brother. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “Which of my brothers and sisters came here to share my experience?” Eddie stood in front of William thinking about the question. The obvious answer was him, but that wasn’t what William meant. He went with the obvious and answered, “Me.” Lucy had listened to the exchange and knew that Eddie wasn’t getting the point of what William was saying. In the past, William would have said exactly the right thing to defuse the situation. Today he was struggling with coming up with answers. She said, “Eddie, I’ve noticed something rather interesting over the years with William.” “What?” “William is always happier after talking to you. Why do you think that is the case?” Lucy asked. Eddie looked over at Lucy with a puzzled expression on his face. Shaking his head, he answered, “I don’t know. Why?” “You make him feel good. I think you and I are the only ones who always make William feel better,” Lucy answered. “Eddie, if you haven’t noticed -- that puts you in very good company,” William said with a smile. He hugged Lucy close to him. He smiled over at his little brother and said, “You’re a great little brother and I think you’ll make an outstanding big brother.” “Thanks,” Eddie said feeling much better. Lucy looked over at the young man and asked, “So is Ed coming?” “Yes.” “Get some popcorn, candy, and a soft drink. You’ve got to pick out the movie,” William said holding up a wireless keyboard. The keyboard connected to a computer that would download the movie from the central server in the library and then show it on the screen at the front of the room. “Ah, give me a second,” Eddie said going over to the entrance to the theater where the food was located. It took him a minute to fix a big tub of popcorn and a medium soft drink. He ignored the candies. Taking a seat beside William, he looked over the chair before putting his soft drink into the cup holder built into the arm. He took a moment to examine the chair before putting the tub of popcorn on his lap. Frowning, he shook his head. Taking the keyboard from William, he asked, “So how do I select a movie?” “Just traverse the menus using the keyboard. You can search for a film by name, actor, and category,” William answered. He pointed to the screen where a menu was being presented. He had already spent a few minutes becoming familiar with the system. Looking up at the screen, Eddie said, “I’d like something funny and about family.” William was silent while he tried to think of a movie that fit that description. He wanted to hit his head in order to wake up his sluggish brain. He was saved from answering when Lucy asked, “Do you have Harvey?” “Harvey?” William asked looking over at Lucy. He wasn’t familiar with the movie. Even if he had been familiar with the movie, he wasn’t sure what movies they had managed to get digitized and added to the library. “Yes, Harvey with Jimmy Stewart. It’s a funny little film and the relationship between the brother and sister is very funny,” Lucy answered. She thought that the two brothers would particularly enjoy the interaction between Jimmy Stewart’s character and Harvey, the giant invisible rabbit. Eddie leaned over the keyboard and typed in his query. It took less than a second for the server to show that the film was present. He went through the process of selecting it. The screen showed the name of the film and waited for confirmation before starting it. Eddie sat back and said, “We just have to wait for Dad.” “Where is he?” William asked. He actually wanted to know how much longer he would be, but he wasn’t used to asking those kinds of questions. “He was talking to Momma Claire on the cell phone when I found him. He’ll be here when they are done talking,” Eddie answered. He looked over at William and said, “You know, we don’t have a place to show movies in our little town.” “You’re right. I hadn’t really thought about it,” William said. “Maybe I should start a Friday Night Movie. I could show the movies indoors when the weather is too hot or cold. I could show them outdoors when the weather is nice,” Eddie said. Lucy frowned and asked, “Where would you show them?” “I figure the school gym would be good when we show them indoors. We could hang a screen off the backstop of the baseball field when we show them outdoors,” Eddie said. He could imagine the town’s people seated on blankets scattered around the baseball field. Young couples could make out while families could spend quality time with each other. “What kinds of films would you show?” William asked. “The old classics would be best. I think people would enjoy watching great classic films like Casablanca. We could show Charlie Chan movies, Sherlock Holmes, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charley Chaplin, and the Marx Brothers. There are always the Westerns, Musicals, and old Science Fiction movies that you love so much,” Eddie answered getting excited about the idea. The town still had dances along Main Street every Saturday night, but Friday nights could be rather dull. “Sounds like fun. We’re kind of far from any form of entertainment other than riding around the desert. Maybe we should start having a movie night around here,” William said looking over at Lucy to see how she reacted to the idea. She nodded her head in agreement and said, “We have almost fifty people working here. I’m sure that some of the single folks would bring dates. The married folks could bring their families.” “That does sound like fun,” William said thinking that he would mention the idea to Barbara to see what would be involved in doing it. He thought about the size of the room and realized that it was already too small for the number of people that would attend. Only moments before he had been thinking that it was too large for the number of people who would use it. “What about current films?” Lucy asked. “I really haven’t liked the recent films that I’ve seen. They are too coarse,” Eddie said although coarse was not the word he was seeking. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You’d run out of G rated movies in two months before having to show Cartoons.” William sat up and looked over at Eddie. In a quiet voice, he asked, “What makes you say that?” “Most films are PG or R. They aren’t suitable for families with young children. More often than not, the films are overly violent and the main characters uncaring. The language is vulgar, the action brutal, and the feelings are shallow. There is a kind of jaded attitude conveyed in modern films that bothers me,” Eddie answered. He thought of two versions of a film separated by thirty years. The early version was rated G and the later one was rated PG. The difference was the introduction of bad language and crude humor in the remake. He had liked the first one more. “You’ve noticed that too,” William said looking down at the floor and thinking about his brother’s comment. He wondered if it was another symptom of the social problem he was trying to solve. After several minutes of silence, Eddie said, “You were talking about writing a book on Home Economics.” “Yes,” William said. “I was thinking about it. If you intend to have high school kids use it as a textbook, shouldn’t you teach the material to high school kids to make sure that it is at an appropriate level?” “I hadn’t really thought about it. I suppose you’re right,” William answered. “I am right,” Eddie said smiling at his brother. “What do you suggest?” Fidgeting in his chair, Eddie said, “Well, I was thinking that I’d be willing to read the chapters and comment on them. Then you could teach the material to a high school class and see how they like it.” “What high school should I teach it at?” William asked. “Well, you live next to the reservation and there’s a high school there. I’m sure that our people would appreciate learning some tricks about money management,” Eddie said. He thought about how Dale had suggested that he take a little more interest in how things were going on the reservation. William sighed and settled into his chair thinking about the suggestion. The idea of going into a crowded high school was unsettling. Shaking his head, he said, “I’ll take you up on your offer to read the manuscript, but I’m going to have to find someone else to teach the material in the school.” Puzzled, Eddie asked, “Why?” “I’m not very comfortable with the idea of being around a lot of people,” William answered. “Why?” Eddie asked with a frown. “I just don’t feel comfortable being around strangers yet,” William answered. Lucy turned in her seat and stared at William. It dawned on her that the loss of his foresight was affecting him far more than he would admit. She wanted to know just how much his fear would hold him back. In a very soft voice, she asked, “Are you going to avoid the Homeless Hotels?” “I don’t know,” William answered shifting uneasily in his seat. His stomach churned at the admission. He couldn’t look Lucy in the eye. “You will even if I have to drag you there myself,” Lucy said. Eddie was worried about his brother. Trying to make light of the matter, he said, “You just need a little time to get used to things as they are now. One day you’ll wake up and be yourself.” “I don’t see how,” William replied. Wishing that Happy Harry was still alive, Eddie said, “One day you’ll want to visit your friends and you’ll go there. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” The discussion was cut short when Ed walked into the room. He said, “Sorry to take so long. Claire was a little excited about finding out that she is a mother to be.” “That’s really good news, Dad,” Eddie said grinning broadly. “Yes, it is,” William said wondering if the child would be a boy or a girl. The thought reminded him that there was a time when he would have known the gender just by wondering about it. “I’m going to call her after the movie and get all of the details,” Lucy said. She tried to picture the relationship that would exist between her and the child. It was kind of strange to think about being a sister in law to an infant. “She’d love to hear from you,” Ed said with a grin. “Great,” Lucy said glancing over at William. She wondered how long it would be until she would become a mother. “Get some popcorn, candy, and a soft drink from the snack bar. Eddie is about to start the movie,” William said. “Hey, that’s a really good idea to have a snack bar in here. Sure beats walking all of the way to the kitchen,” Ed said walking over to the popcorn machine. “I thought so too,” William said. He had been surprised to discover a snack counter in the room. It took Ed a minute to fill a tub with popcorn and a cup with soda. He grabbed a package of chocolate covered raisons before he went over to the chair beside Eddie and took a seat. After examining the cup holder, he put the cup of soda in it and then spent a moment checking out the rest of the chair. After a few seconds he sat back and put the popcorn and candy in his lap. He frowned and examined the arm of his chair a second time. Lucy had watched Ed examine the chair with a puzzled expression. William and Eddie had done exactly the same thing upon sitting down. Confused, she asked, “Why were you examining the chair?” Ed looked over at her and said, “To tell the truth, I’m kind of surprised that Beth missed such an obvious problem with the chairs. She’s really good with details.” Nodding his head, William said, “You noticed it too. Did you notice what else is missing?” Ed looked around the room for a second and then said, “The lectern.” Confused Lucy looked at the three men and asked, “What obvious problem? What lectern?” Ed answered, “The chair is missing a part and the lectern for speakers is missing at the front of the room.” Eddie, believing that his sister wouldn’t make such a mistake, said, “I bet the people who installed the chairs just left off that part. I’m sure that the lectern is in storage somewhere.” “I don’t see a closet,” William said looking around the room. “What are you three talking about?” Lucy asked confused by the exchange. “There should be a part of the chair that swings up to make a writing surface and there should be a lectern at the front of the room. A lecture hall isn’t complete without them,” William answered. He added, “She should have included this room upstairs where the business offices are.” “This isn’t a lecture hall,” Lucy said looking from one man to the next in turn. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “It’s not?” Ed asked looking around. It looked like one of the rooms at the University. He said, “It looks just like a lecture hall to me.” “This is a movie theater. All movie theaters look like this,” Lucy said. Eddie looked at Lucy and asked, “Really?” Dropping her head down and rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand, Lucy realized what the problem was. Having difficulty believing it, she asked, “Have any of you ever been to a movie theater?” “No,” William answered. His answer was echoed by Ed and Eddie. “If it was anyone other than the three of you, I wouldn’t believe it,” Lucy said shaking her head sadly. Even after being married to William for two years, he still managed to surprise her. “Why?” “This is how movie theaters are designed. There aren’t any parts missing from the chairs and there isn’t supposed to be a lectern at the front of the room,” Lucy answered. Knowing she spoke the truth, Ed said, “Interesting. I wouldn’t have guessed that.” Eddie glanced back at the snack bar and then over at Lucy. She could see the obvious question on his face. Lucy explained, “Before you say anything about the snack bar, every movie theater sells popcorn, candy, and soft drinks. That’s the reason Beth installed the snack bar.” William looked over his shoulder at the snack bar and said, “Clever. I guess Beth really does know how to take care of the details.” “She had a good idea of including the cup holders in the chairs,” Ed said gesturing to the arm of the chair. Nodding his head in agreement, Eddie said, “I hope she patented the idea.” Shaking her head at what was obviously a lost cause, Lucy said, “Start the movie, Eddie.” Eddie pushed a button on the keyboard. When the movie started, the lights in the room dimmed. As one, the three men leaned forward and looked up at the ceiling. Together, they said, “There must be something wrong with the lights.” “Just watch the movie!”