Page 67 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
“I liked the history books the best.”
“Really? What parts?”
His stance eased. “I liked the story about Darwin and how he traveled and looked at plants and animals. That was my favorite. It was a science adventure!”
I grinned. “It’s a good story, isn’t it? Can I tell you something?”
He nodded.
“Remember the part about the different birds, and how he was able to explain how the birds adapted to their environments?”
“Yeah?”
“The work I do today can be traced back to those ideas. I look at how people like you and me change over time and adapt. It’s changed, but we’re still doing science looking for the same things.”
“Wooooow!”
I laughed, then knelt to look him in the eye. “Can I tell you a secret?”
He nodded as his eyes grew wide.
“If you like history, you like history. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you like science, you like science. If you like science history, you like science history. Find something you like, and learn all you can about it. And if you like something different next year, that’s ok too. The world—the universe—is huge, and there are so many things to learn about that even if you dedicated every day of your life to learning, you still wouldn’t learn it all. So don’t let anybody tell you that you shouldn’t learn about something because they might like something else better. Everybody is allowed to like different things. Ok?”
He nodded again. “Ok.” He paused, then, “You’ll help me learn about everything, though, right Gene?”
I let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, Sam, but I won’t be able to keep telling you all the cool science things and giving you books to read.”
His lip quivered. “Why not?”
I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m moving. The Army needs me for longer. Long enough that I need to move where they need me.”
“Who’s going to help me find books?”
I smiled. “Remember the nice lady at the library you mentioned?”
“Yeah?”
“I bet she’d help. Library ladies love helping people find books. And I bet she knows all the best ones. And if she doesn’t, she probably has other friends in the library who do. There might even be special presentations or groups that will help you discover new things.”
I racked my brain. “And your teachers will know good books. All you have to do is tell them what you want to learn about, and they’ll help you find a book. Teachers get so excited when they know you want to learn about things. They won’t be able to teach just what you want in class; they have to still teach things like spelling and math to everybody. But if you ask them for books to read at home, that'll make the best teachers happy.”
“Ok,” he sniffled.
I pulled him into a hug. “I’m proud of how much you’ve already learned. I know you’ll keep it up, even if I’m not here.”
He hugged me back. “Do you have to go?”
I released him and looked him in the eye. “I do. But I believe in you. I can already tell you’re going to grow up to be a great man.” I paused and took a deep breath. “Saying goodbye is part of life. Sometimes it makes you sad, and that’s ok. Be as sad as you need. But try to turn this goodbye into a hello. Find a friendwho wants to learn with you, or another trusted adult who wants to see you succeed. Just promise you’ll still be awesome. Ok?”
He sniffled, but nodded. “Promise.”
I stood and ruffled his hair again. “Is your mom home yet, or is the sitter still there?”
“Mom’s home.”
“Why don’t you get her for me, and the two of you can come over for a bit. Ok?”
“Ok,” he replied, sadness still tinging his voice.
