First Day in School: Why?

Posted By Les Conklin on Oct 9, 2015

By Manual Daniel Germano

Prologue

Germano’s sister and father have said good bye and left his room. Now it is time for his mother to leave. Les Conklin, Editor

Part Seven. Why?

In 1960, Germano became the first blind person to graduate from the University of Rhode. This photo is from the 1960 URI yearbook.

Ma then rushed up to me and wrapped her arms around me and gave kisses all over my face and head, saying, my son! Her voice was kind of squeaky and I wanted to cry. So I did, but I did so in what I thought was a quiet way. And then it came out.

WHY are you and Pa and even May leaving me here all alone if you really love me? There was a little period of time with no noise, and then I heard Ma take a big breath and say, Pa, May, and Ma love you very much, but you just have to stay here for a little while and we will pray to God and everything will be all right. I continued to cry quietly and thought that’s what wonderful Ma always says, we must pray to God very hard and everything will turn out okay! But somehow, I just knew God wasn’t listening. He didn’t come through too many times, and then it always seemed that Ma or Pa or someone else had to help him.

Left ALONE

Ma now said, why don’t you lay on your bed and rest until Mrs. Hancock comes, okay? I guess I tried to stall for time and said, it’s too hot, so could I change out of these steaming woolen pants? Ma paused and said okay and went to the closet to get some cloth pants. I took off my belt and put on the pants Ma had put on the bed, and she hung them up. Now Sonny, I have to go. She gave me a kiss on the forehead and picked up my feet so that I could lie down.

Germano was a member of the Debate Council while a student at the University of Rhode Island, middle row, 4th from left.

Oh my God, you must take off your shoes first! I took off one shoe and I heard Ma start to walk toward the door. I love you, Sonny, and we will pray. I heard Pa clear his throat far away down the hallway, near the stairs, and then I could hear Ma slowly walking down the hallway toward Pa and May. I thought I heard Ma blow her nose very quietly, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to jump off the bed and run down the hallway and catch them all! But I didn’t, I just held my forehead very tight, for I had a terrible headache.

Independent Little Boy

I closed my eyes and then suddenly I heard that awfully friendly voice. It was Mrs. Hancock and she was saying, now aren’t you a good boy, for you took off your shoes before getting on the bed. Now we are all going to dinner, but would you first like to wash your face and hands in the bathroom? I said yes. I quickly put on my shoes and tied them and started walking toward the door. I bumped into Mrs. Hancock and she made a funny noise. I said I was sorry, while I felt her silky dress. Then I said, I think I can find my way to the bathroom! Oh good, she said, why don’t you show me, and under her breath I thought I heard her say, hmm, an independent little boy. I found my way to the sink and then washed my hands and face with a paper towel. Now, Mrs. Hancock said, you are a smart little boy.

Special Table

Germano was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity at URI. He is seated in the first row, first person on the left (in the light colored pants).

I then said, why do you call supper, dinner? Oh dear, Mrs. Hancock said, well, many people do call it supper, but at Perkins, we like to call it dinner, maybe because we think it is so special. Well, I asked, what are we going to eat for supp, I mean dinner? Well, it was going to be a surprise, but since you have been so cooperative, I will tell you the secret. We are having shepherd’s pie, creamed corn, and asparagus. I said that sounds good, but to myself I thought what can shepherd’s pie be, and I never heard of asparagus! I hate this place; everything has to be different from home, even the damn food. I almost wanted to cry, but I let Mrs. Hancock take my hand with a friendly squeeze and lead me out of the bathroom, down the hallway, across a space and down the stairs, and through another open space to a big room, which Mrs. Hancock told me was the dining room. I heard kids talking kind of soft and teachers, I guess, were also talking at what seemed a special table.

First Day Ends

Time has run out and, for now, I must stop writing about my first day at school. However, I will close by describing three telling incidents that took place that first day at Perkins. The first is about laughing, a second is about crying, and a third is about no kisses or hugs.

In the first incident, we were talking in the playroom when one of the kids let out a big belly laugh and a staff person came over and said, you sound like a “roughen.” We just don’t laugh like that at Perkins. I thought with a tear in my eye, my mother always used to say that laughter was like heart medicine.

The second incident took place a little later. We were on a walk, a kid started crying and again, another staff person said, “Bobbie, we just don’t cry at Perkins.

The third incident occurred as a staff person, Miss Grace, was checking the windows and then putting out the lights and saying good night. We had just finished saying a brand new prayer, and my roommate asked if she could give him a kiss and hug. Miss Grace said quietly, we don’t give kisses and hugs, too many germs. I turned to the wall in disbelief, Ma, Pa, and sister May always kissed good night. Even if someone had a cold, they kissed on the forehead. It took me a long, long time to go to sleep.

This is the end of Manuel Daniel Germano’s “First Day at School.” I hope you enjoyed reading about it more than he enjoyed experiencing it. Les Conklin, Editor

Germano with brothers at 2014 Christmas lunch

Germano and his Sigma Chi college friends celebrate Christmas luncheon in 2014 in Bristol, RI. That’s Germano seated in the front row with the waitress on his lap. He’d be the first to tell you that having a handicap does have some advantages.