Jun 2022
LOVE AND LOVERS
by
TOD HOWARD HAWKS
Chapter 12
Jon was thinking of Mietek as he and Bian were flying back to Boston from Lima, Peru. Bian, beside him, was asleep.
It was on a Saturday morning in early spring that Jon, then an Upper-Middler at Andover, decided to walk to the Andover Bookstore at 74 Main Street. He wanted to purchase THE AGE OF REASON BEGINS, Volume VII of the eleven volumes that constituted THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION written by Will and Ariel Durant from 1935 to 1975. It was a beautiful day, Jon remembered, a perfect day to go on a walk.
When he entered the bookstore, Jon asked the manger where he might find the book he wanted to buy. The manager told him he could find it down aisle Three halfway down on the right side. Jon thanked the manager, then found aisle Three, turned left, and walked down the aisle until he found the book he wanted. He pulled the book from the shelf and began perusing it.
Several minutes after Jon began reading, a man came down the same aisle and stopped about three feet to his right and began, as Jon had done, perusing a book he had pulled from the same shelf. Several minutes went by before the man said, “Excuse me, may I introduce myself? My name is Mietek.”
Jon was a bit startled, but nonetheless he responded. “My name is Jon. Nice to meet you, Mietek.”
Then ensued what turned out to be a long conversation between the two. Mietek was from Krakow, Poland and had been in the United States for about three months he told Jon and was in his mid-thirties. Mietek seemed like a cordial fellow, Jon thought, and continued to converse with him. Mietek had begun his tour of America. He had heard of Andover, as well as Exeter, and wanted to see the former, the oldest prep school (1776) in the United States. The two talked of many things. Finally, after a pause, Mietek asked Jon, “Jon, I’d like to stare into your eyes.”
“What?” Jon said.
“I’d like to stare into your eyes to read the tapes that will tell your future,” said Mietek.
“Tapes?” asked Jon quiizzically.
“Yes” replied Mietek. "Everyone has tapes in his eyes that tell that person’s future, but very few can see and read them. Obviously, I’m one of them.”
Jon paused more than a moment, then said to Mietek, “OK, let’s do it.”
Mietek had Jon stand directly in front him and asked him to open his eyes widely. When Jon complied, Mietek began staring into his eyes. Mietek stared into Jon’s eyes for several minutes, then stopped.
“You can relax now. I’d like to share with you what I saw,” said Mietek.
“Sure, Mietek, I’d like to know what you saw,” said Jon eagerly.
“I saw joy, Jon” said Mietek. "The rest of your life will be full of joy.”
Jon was dumbfounded. He could not say a word. Finally, he said, “Joy? My life will be full of joy?
“Yes, Jon, that’s right,” said Mietek.
The two stood facing each other in silence for several minutes. Then Mietek told Jon had to go and slowly walked out of the Andover Bookstore.
Jon came out out of his reverie and looked at Bian. She was still asleep.
“Jesus, I think Mietek was right. Ever since I first saw Bian, my life has been full of joy,” Jon thought to himself. “Joy, pure joy!”
The rest of November and early December were full of much research, comparing each other’s thoughts and ideas, and the building excitement as the two anticipated the beginning of their two-year trip around the world.
Cape Cod was now cold, but the hearts of Bian and Jon were increasingly warm.
by
TOD HOWARD HAWKS
Chapter 12
Jon was thinking of Mietek as he and Bian were flying back to Boston from Lima, Peru. Bian, beside him, was asleep.
It was on a Saturday morning in early spring that Jon, then an Upper-Middler at Andover, decided to walk to the Andover Bookstore at 74 Main Street. He wanted to purchase THE AGE OF REASON BEGINS, Volume VII of the eleven volumes that constituted THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION written by Will and Ariel Durant from 1935 to 1975. It was a beautiful day, Jon remembered, a perfect day to go on a walk.
When he entered the bookstore, Jon asked the manger where he might find the book he wanted to buy. The manager told him he could find it down aisle Three halfway down on the right side. Jon thanked the manager, then found aisle Three, turned left, and walked down the aisle until he found the book he wanted. He pulled the book from the shelf and began perusing it.
Several minutes after Jon began reading, a man came down the same aisle and stopped about three feet to his right and began, as Jon had done, perusing a book he had pulled from the same shelf. Several minutes went by before the man said, “Excuse me, may I introduce myself? My name is Mietek.”
Jon was a bit startled, but nonetheless he responded. “My name is Jon. Nice to meet you, Mietek.”
Then ensued what turned out to be a long conversation between the two. Mietek was from Krakow, Poland and had been in the United States for about three months he told Jon and was in his mid-thirties. Mietek seemed like a cordial fellow, Jon thought, and continued to converse with him. Mietek had begun his tour of America. He had heard of Andover, as well as Exeter, and wanted to see the former, the oldest prep school (1776) in the United States. The two talked of many things. Finally, after a pause, Mietek asked Jon, “Jon, I’d like to stare into your eyes.”
“What?” Jon said.
“I’d like to stare into your eyes to read the tapes that will tell your future,” said Mietek.
“Tapes?” asked Jon quiizzically.
“Yes” replied Mietek. "Everyone has tapes in his eyes that tell that person’s future, but very few can see and read them. Obviously, I’m one of them.”
Jon paused more than a moment, then said to Mietek, “OK, let’s do it.”
Mietek had Jon stand directly in front him and asked him to open his eyes widely. When Jon complied, Mietek began staring into his eyes. Mietek stared into Jon’s eyes for several minutes, then stopped.
“You can relax now. I’d like to share with you what I saw,” said Mietek.
“Sure, Mietek, I’d like to know what you saw,” said Jon eagerly.
“I saw joy, Jon” said Mietek. "The rest of your life will be full of joy.”
Jon was dumbfounded. He could not say a word. Finally, he said, “Joy? My life will be full of joy?
“Yes, Jon, that’s right,” said Mietek.
The two stood facing each other in silence for several minutes. Then Mietek told Jon had to go and slowly walked out of the Andover Bookstore.
Jon came out out of his reverie and looked at Bian. She was still asleep.
“Jesus, I think Mietek was right. Ever since I first saw Bian, my life has been full of joy,” Jon thought to himself. “Joy, pure joy!”
The rest of November and early December were full of much research, comparing each other’s thoughts and ideas, and the building excitement as the two anticipated the beginning of their two-year trip around the world.
Cape Cod was now cold, but the hearts of Bian and Jon were increasingly warm.
