First Day in School: "Supper" Becomes "Dinner"

Posted By Les Conklin on Oct 9, 2015

By Manual Daniel Germano

Prologue

Guided by his mother, Germano has explored his room, me orizing the location of furniture, doors, windows, etc. He’s learned about pajamas – he’s always slept in his underwear- and the location of all his clothes in the bureau. His father and sister are impatient to leave his new room and begin their return trip to Rhode Island. Soon the seven year old boy will be left, by himself, at Perkins. He will be there for a long time. Les Conklin, Editor

Part Six. “Supper” Becomes “Dinner”

Ma said, I know we have to get going, but letâ€™s first find the bathroom. Pa said, I just saw it when I came upstairs with the suitcases. We left the bedroom with Pa in front of us, then came Ma and me and my sister, May. Pa turned to the left and Ma told me to turn left. We walked kind of slowly, and I slid my fingers lightly along the wall and started counting steps. After a short time, about ten steps, we came to an open doorway. Ma told me to turn at the door way and take a couple of steps forward. Then Ma said, now let me describe this room to you before we walk around. To your right about ten feet there is a doorway to another room. In that room there are two tubs on high legs, so the tubs are about a foot above the floor. Why the tubs are on these legs, I donâ€™t know. She then continued her description of the room. Continuing with the wall on your right, after five or six feet the wall turns to the left, or the wall that is in front of you. Do you get the picture? I answered yes.

Incredible Discovery

Now going back to the wall in front of you, on that wall, from right to left, there are eight sinks. Eight sinks? I asked rather incredulously. Yes, Ma said. These sinks are not as tall as ours at home; take about seven steps and you will find one to see. I carefully took seven steps and reached out in front of me, at about waist level, and found the sink. Yes, it was just at the right height for me, but eight sinks? I thought. Ma must have been reading my mind and said, yes, eight sinks so lots of kids can wash and brush their teeth at one time. I was investigating the sink to see where the faucets were and how they worked. They were shaped differently from at home, but every stupid thing in this school was different from home! Mother sort of interrupted my thoughts and said now walk to the left and you will find four more sinks and the back wall turns, and now you will find the left-hand wall in front of you. Now turn to the left and trace that wall with your fingers, and so I did. Soon, after about seven steps, I felt a doorway. My Ma was again describing this other room to me.

Swinging Doors

Now that door leads you into another small room with two toilets, but with a wall between each toilet, and in front of each toilet there was a swinging door. It reminded me of the bathrooms at the bus station in Providence. While we all thought that this was only a little boysâ€™ room, we all decided that we just had to go to the bathroom. So Pa went first, with Ma blocking the doorway that lead into this side room. When Pa was done, he showed me how to get through the swinging doors, then to close the door so I could do my thing. Then Ma and my sister went while my Pa blocked off the doorway. We then all went back to the line of sinks and washed our hands and above each sink we found a pile of paper towels, which you see in restaurants. May, my sister, found a bubbler on her sink, and then we all decided we needed a drink of water. The water was not cold, but it was okay.

Dinner?

Pa suggested that now we should go downstairs. Just as we all got through the bathroom door into the hallway and turned right down the hallway, we heard the singing friendly voice of Mrs. Hancock. Well isnâ€™t that fine, I was just going down to Manuelâ€™s room to see how you all were doing. Did you find everything okay? My Ma answered that she thought that the room was wonderful and that she showed me everything in the room and that we had unpacked. Now Manuel, asked Mrs. Hancock, didnâ€™t you think the room was very nice? I answered yes, kind of. Mrs. Hancock burst in to her little tingly laugh and said, now Manuel, I just know you will learn to love your bedroom, just like all of the other children. You just see after a few days. Now Mr. and Mrs. Germano, donâ€™t you worry! We will take good care of our new friend. Me, a nice new little friend, baloney! Now, Mrs. Hancock continued, in about twenty minutes we are going to have dinner, so why donâ€™t you people say your goodbyes, either here or back in Manuelâ€™s bedroom. I or some other staff person will find Manuel. Now donâ€™t you worry, followed by her trilly laughter. Now I thought, what the heck is a staff person, and dinner at five or six oâ€™clock at night, or whatever time it was.

Saying Goodbye

Ma and Pa quickly decided and announced that my sister, May, would say goodbye right here and sit on the bench over there and that Manuel and Ma and Pa would say goodbye in the bedroom. Pa took my hand and we walked back down the hallway to my bedroom. We got into the room and Pa quickly put his big arms around me and gave me a big hug and kisses. His voice almost was squeaky like, and it sounded like he was going to cry. He said, Sonny, you be a big boy and I love you. He then quickly let me go and turned to go, saying, I will wait for you, Ma, down the hallway with May so she wonâ€™t be alone.

Continued: Part Seven: Why