Daniel, (Danny for short) was born one week after Jimmy; lived in the same
tenement building, and on the same floor, and went to the same school as Jimmy and his
boys did. But there’s where the similarity ends. Danny was two grades ahead of Jimmy
and his boys in school. He was not a joiner; kept away from all the gangs, kept out of
trouble and minded his own business. He also didn’t care about boxing.
Danny had a brain, not that the boys were stupid or anything like that. Its just that Danny
was, oh, sort of an intellect. His grades were usually higher than anyone in his class. But
he didn’t flaunt it. His classmates respected him for this. They just recognized him as a
smart kid who minded his own business, who had rather be on his own than hang around
with them.
Jimmy and his boys felt the same way. Jimmy had, at many times asked Danny to hang
around with them, but Danny politely refused, just saying, “Thanks Jimmy, I appreciate
your invitation, but I would rather be by myself right now if that’s okay with you?”
Jimmy accepted this, for he felt that Danny was sincere, and in no way looked down to
Jimmy. It was as if Jimmy and Danny had the same thoughts in mind, that although they
had nothing in common, both boys felt that if one was in trouble or had a problem, the
other could be counted upon to be there. They saw each other mostly every day, and
exchanged brief greetings like: “How ya doin Danny, whats up?’ “Nothing much,”
replied Danny. And so it went.
Danny was an ambitous boy. He wanted to be somebody. As much as he loved his father
and mother, he didn’t want to take after them. He wanted something better for himself,
not go to menial jobs, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and start all over again in the
morning. He wanted to move out of this hell hole. He was tired of walking up the four
flight of stairs to their apartment. Tired of sharing one bathroom with four people. Tired
of just about everything there, the worn carpets, and furniture. He wanted out.
Danny was a loner. He had no one, including his parents to talk to, to tell someone of his
secret desires and ambitions, and he did have many desires and ambitions. No one knew
of his interests in aviation. Of his rondevous every week end to the old airport in.........
.....to watch the barnstormers do their thing. To envy those who could pay $10.00 for a 10
minute ride around the airport in a twin seater. He would awake early on Saturday
mornings, drink a glass of milk if it was available, eat a donut, race down the four flights
of stairs, run 3 blocks to the subway station. Put a nickel in the slot, turn the turnstyle,
and then wait until the train came along to take him to his destination. He would remain
at the airport all day long just watching the airplanes take-off and land until it got dark
and the planes were unable to fly anymore. Oh, how he wished that he had the money to
take his first ride in an airplane. Wouldn’t that be scary, he thought. No he wouldn’t be
frightened. He wasn’t when he first went on the Cyclone and Tornado in Coney Island,
up and down steep inclines at such fantastic speeds that he thought his heart would pop
out of his chest. No, he wouldn’t be scared. He loved the thrill of the cars going downhill
so fast that it pushed him back in his seat.
Danny felt in his pocket to see how much money he had. Gosh o mighty, 30 cents. Well,
it would be enough for the train ride back home, 10 cents for a charlotte russe, (a sort of
confection, a slice of sponge cake, placed in a round paper cup, topped with a large
mound of whipped cream.) or an egg creme (a drink, consisting of chocolate syrup,
soda water and milk) 15 cents left over to do as he wanted. He could always use the
money for the fare to and from the airport tomorrow.
On the train ride back home, Danny plopped himself into an empty seat, and reflected at
the days happenings. Am I going to be a pilot when I grow up? I don’t know. How could I
know? I’ve never been up in an airplane, let alone being close to one. But there were
other things Danny was thinking about. When he was in his room at night, doing his
homework or reading one of his many books. on practically every subject you could
think about, he wondered what he wanted to be. Would it be a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist?
He knew that he didn’t want to be as his father and mother, going to menial jobs each
day, and not really accomplishing anything. His mother was already losing her vision
because of the close needle work she had to do. Danny wanted to be somebody. Maybe
the Mayor of New York, the Governor of New York, or maybe the President of the
United States. Who knows, but he wanted to be somebody. He was ambitious, and he
was smart enough to know that once he made his mind up on what he wanted to, he
would do it.
It was late when he got off the subway, and started his 3 block walk back to the flat
where he lived. Thank goodness, tomorrow is Sunday, and he had a free day to do
whatever he wanted to do. Would he go again to the airport, and dream of going up in an
airplane. A dream yes, for now, anyway.
~ To Be Continued ~
