Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner Read online

  “Hi, Tommy, how are you?” I asked. As I came farther into the room I noticed a man resting on the hospital bed.

  “I’m okay,” he said, but his face looked pale. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I’m happy to be here,” I said, softly.

  “Mr. Revere, I would like to introduce you to Tommy’s grandfather. He is resting now but he can hear what we are saying,” Hank said.

  I walked closer to the bedside and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  Behind Tommy’s grandfather in a ray of sunlight was a small gathering of framed photos. I recognized Tommy and his grandfather in one photograph, throwing a football outside. Beside it was an old photo of a man in military uniform. In front of both photos, a small American flag pin rested on a small wooden box.

  The room was generally quiet, apart from the occasional beep of the heart monitor and nurses chatting in the hallway.

  Hank filled the void, saying, “If Tommy’s grandfather had enough energy to speak with you, he would probably grab you around the shoulders and shake you to say hello. Also, he would probably quiz you about your hat selection and your adventures in history. Maybe a little later, after he has rested.”

  I smiled and nodded.

  Tommy added, “Grandpa loves watching football in his den. He has this big chair that no one else can sit in. Sometimes Dad tries to sneak in and sit there before he does, but not for long. Grandpa says, ‘Move it, Hank!’ He knows every player better than the announcers. He says things like, That’s John Sanders from Ohio State, his mother is a teacher. He totally knows everything about sports.”

  “Yes, he does for sure,” Hank said smiling.

  Tommy continued: “Remember during halftime when Grandpa would grab hot chocolate in mugs and we would go out in the snow? You played center, Dad, and I played quarterback. Grandpa would either play defense or would go out for a pass. Remember, he always wore the same brown sweater with a hole in the sleeve and pretended he had a bad back until he snuck up and tackled me to the ground?”

  Hank laughed, and looked down at his father on the bed. Tommy’s grandfather seemed to be smiling in his rest.

  “The best is he taught me how to throw a spiral,” Tommy remembered, picking up the football lying near his grandfather’s leg. “One year he spent the whole summer teaching me how to throw the perfect spiral. For some reason, I just couldn’t get it, and threw a duck again and again. Grandpa would laugh but would say, ‘Don’t worry, it will come in its time, just keep practicing.’ Eventually, after trying again and again and again, the ball went from flopping through the air, to an awesome spinning spiral. It was really cool.”

  “I remember that, too, Tommy,” Hank said.

  “I wish we could throw the ball right now,” Tommy said, looking somberly out the window toward the near-empty parking lot.

  Hank followed his gaze and said, “Tommy, why don’t you and Mr. Revere take a walk down the hall for a bit? You’ve been in this room a long time.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. “I would love to catch up and hear what’s been happening with you.”

  Tommy asked, “Is Liberty here?”

  “Yes, he’s out in the front of the hospital. He wanted to come in and see you but I thought he had better stay outside. I told him it was a hospital, not a horse-pital,” I joked softly, hoping to lift the mood just a little. Tommy was usually such a jokester.

  Tommy gave my effort a half smile and made his way toward the door, gripping the football to his side. I nodded to Tommy’s father, indicating that I would speak with him more later.

  Tommy seemed to really know his way around the hospital halls, even though they all looked exactly the same to me. He led us right to the family waiting room and grabbed two open seats. At first he didn’t say anything, just slumped in his seat, head down, with his hands in his pockets.

  “I’m impressed you know exactly where the soda machine is. Great job,” I said, not sure how to begin.

  “My grandpa is really sick. I can tell the doctor is worried,” Tommy said, staring straight at the floor. “They are still doing some tests.”

  I looked at him closely and eventually his eyes caught mine. Every time I saw Tommy in class or on our time-travel adventures I became more and more impressed with his ability to shift from class clown to sincere student. He was an athlete—quarterback of the Manchester Lions football team—but he also had a softness and profound intelligence.

  “I’m sorry to hear your grandfather is not well. He’s fighting a difficult battle right now,” I said. I did not know all the details, but I wanted to comfort him.

  Tommy nodded. “My grandpa’s a fighter. He played tight end for his football team, and he had his nose broken like three times. But he said he always laughed it off. He knew that getting tackled was just part of the job.” Tommy took a sip of his soda and without looking up, continued his thoughts. “Oh, and he’s a real hero, too. He went on these helicopters in Vietnam, and there was a lot of shooting. But he didn’t really like to talk about the scary stuff much. Sometimes he would start and then say, ‘Tommy, let’s talk about fun stuff like the game this weekend.’ ”

  I knew the best thing to do was listen as Tommy shared bits and pieces of stories about his grandfather. One memory led to another. After about a half an hour, the waiting room seats became uncomfortable so we stood up to look out the window.

  “Is that Liberty?” Tommy asked, with a full smile. Sure enough, Liberty was far below between some trees and it looked like he was practicing his dance moves. Tommy and I both started laughing.

  “Yep, that’s Liberty,” I said, smiling.

  Dark, puffy clouds crept across the sky like a curtain closing on a stage. The sun’s rays reached out as if holding one final pose and then bowed to the darkness and the generous applause of rain.

  In the midst of a sad occasion, Liberty had made Tommy smile, and I was happy about that. We finally figured out that Liberty, for some reason, was trying to dodge the raindrops falling around him.

  “You know, Tommy, there are difficult times in life, just like this storm. One minute everything seems fine, and the next we are running for cover just like Liberty down there.”

  The brown speck below darted left and then right and then left again. Finally, Liberty bolted for shelter near the front of the hospital.

  I breathed deeply and said, “In these times, it’s normal to not really know what to do. And that’s okay,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

  At that moment, a blur of red and blue caught my eye. The flag we saw on the way in was waving and fighting against the storm and the wind. But it was flying strong. Goose bumps went up my arms.

  “I just want Grandpa to be okay. He’s got to wake up and get out of here. He just has to,” Tommy said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “I know, Tommy. You are being so brave.”

  “Really? I don’t think I’m brave, but Grandpa is. He probably learned that in the military, I don’t know, but he is really tough,” Tommy said.

  As mature and smart as Tommy was for his age, I knew he could use a little break from everything. I asked him if he was ready to head back and see his father and grandfather and he said yes. We grabbed a few snacks from the vending machine before making the long walk back down the hallway.

  As we opened the door to the hospital room, Tommy was delighted to see his grandfather awake. He was smiling in Tommy’s direction.

  “Hey, boyo, what are you looking so gloomy about?” his grandfather said with a strong but low scratchy voice. “You look sadder than a cheeseburger without any cheese.” He coughed and laughed at the same time. “Hey, speaking of cheeseburgers, you should get us both one. I won’t tell your dad. It will be our secret.”

  Tommy smiled wide. He clearly adored his grandfather.

  “Now, Mr. Revere, let me get this straight. My grandson says that you let him time-travel, and that you have a talking horse named Liberty w
ho was struck by lightning and transported to modern day, and that you go back in time to visit exceptional Americans like Ben Franklin. Is that right?” Tommy’s grandfather asked, with a grin.

  “Now that is supposed to be a secret,” I said, smiling.

  “Oh yes, Tommy has quite the imagination,” his grandfather said. “But I am impressed with Tommy’s new excitement about American history. He told me he actually met Paul Revere and George Washington. Pretty impressive. So I said, let’s go back and see some old baseball players like Jackie Robinson and Mel Ott. I have a few questions for those guys.”

  “That seems like a fantastic idea,” I said with a grin. “We will work that into the time-travel schedule.”

  Tommy’s grandfather was alert despite his condition and gave me a wink.

  “Listen here, young man,” he said to his grandson. “Keep going back in time to find out about our history. American history is wonderful if you pay close attention.”

  Tommy looked at his grandfather wide-eyed.

  “Actually, I tell you what. Look in that drawer over there,” his grandfather said.

  Tommy walked over to a side table and pulled open the top drawer. He raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

  “Is there a notebook in there?” his grandfather asked. “It’s not too big, perfect for a shirt pocket.”

  Tommy pulled out the small flip-top notebook and asked, “This one, Grandpa?”

  “Yes, that’s it. Why don’t you take that notebook on your travels? Write down some great stories to tell me later. I always say if you write it down you have a chance of remembering it,” his grandfather said.

  “Okay, Grandpa. I’m not the best writer in the world but I will try,” Tommy replied. He was standing with straight shoulders.

  “I’m sure it will be just fine. Remember to pay attention to the history stuff. I don’t really want to read your grocery list,” his grandfather joked.

  Tommy opened the first page of the notebook and there was a grocery list. He looked at his grandfather and laughed.

  Tommy’s grandfather was smiling softly now, and while they spoke quietly together, I stepped out into the hallway and met Tommy’s dad. He had just returned from the nurses’ station.

  “I thought I’d give Tommy and his grandpa some alone time,” I said.

  “Mr. Revere, I cannot tell you how glad I am that you came to visit,” Hank said. “As you can see, Tommy’s grandfather is very sick. The doctors are trying everything, but he has been undergoing treatment for quite some time.”

  “Your father seems like a wonderful man and I feel truly honored to be here. Tommy is an amazing student and a super young man. In fact, I was thinking of organizing a field trip for the class. Do you think that would help Tommy take his mind off of things for a little while?”

  “I think that sounds like a perfect idea, Mr. Revere,” Hank replied. “This has been a difficult time for him. Tommy should be around his friends, or the Crew as he calls them, and just have fun.”

  We returned to the room and I spent a few minutes telling Tommy about the field trip idea. His grandfather had fallen asleep again and was resting peacefully.

  “See you soon, Tommy,” I said. “I will text you after speaking with Freedom’s and Cam’s parents and receiving permission from Principal Sherman.”

  Tommy smiled and nodded, and I shook Hank’s hand as I left.

  As I exited the hospital, the rain cleared and I found Liberty waiting where I left him. Surprisingly, he seemed to have avoided trouble this time.

  I patted the side of his neck and said, “Liberty, I’m glad you’re here. How are the ants in your pants?”

  Liberty said, “Wait, what do you mean? I don’t have any ants in my pants.”

  “Oh, really? Because Tommy and I saw you practicing your dance moves from the window and it looked like you had ants in your pants.”

  Liberty rolled his eyes. “Ants in my pants? That’s the best rhyme you’ve got? Ha! While you guys were all snug as a bug in a rug, I was pretty smug, cutting the rug, and doing the jitterbug. It was a game, escaping the rain.”

  “And since when did this turn into a rhyming competition?” I replied.

  “Just now, that’s how. And we need to meet on where to get something to eat!”

  I stared at Liberty in wonder. Where does he come up with this stuff? I smiled and said, “Well, right now, we have to start on our plan.”

  “Um, plan? Like planning for a picnic with lots of food? Or for a day at the spa? Or maybe for an all-you-can-eat . . .”

  I could hear Liberty’s stomach growling.

  “Don’t worry, I brought you a snack from the cafeteria,” I said, giving him an apple.

  “One apple, that’s it? You were in there forever,” Liberty said sulking, then added, “Oh, sorry I was just thinking of myself. How is Tommy? Oh, I hope he is okay. Did he get anything to eat because it would be really nice if he had a good snack like pudding, or cake, or ice cream, or donuts or—”

  I interrupted Liberty’s seemingly endless commentary and said, “Actually, I was talking about planning a field trip. I really think Tommy needs some time with his friends. Since I’m not teaching a class this semester, I thought we could take the Crew on a special field trip during fall break.”

  Liberty’s eyes lit up and he said, “Oh, a field trip, I’m totally in! The field part reminds me of a pasture, which reminds me of hay, which reminds me of lunch, which reminds me we haven’t had lunch. And I’m pretty sure an apple is not going to do it.”

  “You are right,” I chuckled. “Let’s go put some fuel in that tank of yours.”

  It didn’t take long for Principal Sherman to agree to the idea. He said he was impressed with how much history the students were learning, and thought it would be a good experience for them. We just needed to get signed permission slips from the Crew’s parents, and we would be off. I had a train trip in mind, and then an adventure through the time portal to American history.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning I spoke with Tommy’s, Freedom’s, and Cam’s parents and they all thought the trip was a great idea. In fact, Freedom’s grandfather offered to come along as a chaperone. By the end of the week we were on our way to the Main Street train station.

  Once there, we all carried our packs onto the platform. After a few minutes, a whistle blew and a large train rumbled into the station. Car after car rolled past with the sound of whining brakes and the smell of diesel fuel. When the train came to a complete stop, a voice from the overhead speakers said, “Now boarding all passengers departing to Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital. Please board on Track One.”

  I took a deep breath and looked around to make sure I had not lost anyone. Silently, I checked off their names in my head: Tommy, Cam, Freedom, and Freedom’s grandfather. Collectively, they were known as the Time-Traveling Crew, because they all had time-traveled before. Well, with the exception of Freedom’s grandfather.

  “I sure hope Liberty gets on the train,” Tommy said, as he swung his backpack over his shoulder.

  Freedom whispered, “Liberty turned invisible and is heading for the baggage car. But he’s not happy about it. He thinks he should be traveling in coach with us.” I admired Freedom’s special relationship with Liberty. She amazingly could speak with him using only her mind, and they were very close friends. When we met George Washington, she even braided Liberty’s mane.

  “I’m pretty sure they don’t allow horses in the passenger cars,” Cam said, as he flicked a yo-yo up and down like a pro. “Maybe they could strap Liberty to the top? Could you imagine?” Cam laughed.

  “Yeah, but he’d probably get bugs up his nose,” Tommy said, smiling.

  “Don’t worry about Liberty,” I said. “I included an extra pouch with twenty pounds of oats for him to eat. I doubt he’ll even miss us.”

  We lifted our backpacks and boarded the train.

  The conductor closed the door behind us and we were off on
our new adventure.

  “Washington, D.C., here we come!” I exclaimed, as we walked up the stairs. Before we were seated, the train started moving and rocking back and forth. Cam and Tommy bumped each other as we walked down the narrow aisle to our seats. They were pretending the bumps were unintentional.

  “Here we are,” I said. “Try to put your bags under your seats or in the cabin above.”

  “I’m pretty sure I need a ladder to get up there, Mr. Revere,” Cam said with a smirk.

  “Good point,” I said, laughing. “Let me help you.”

  The train was moving out of the station.

  Out of the blue, Tommy said, “Remember when we time-traveled to 1775 and chased after Paul Revere trying to avoid being caught by British spies? That was crazy.”

  “Sure do. What made you think of that?” I asked, as I placed another bag in the overhead compartment.

  “Look over there. That conductor guy is lurking in the aisle like a spy,” Tommy said, grinning.

  It was really good to see Tommy joking again. As I put Tommy’s bag overhead, his football fell out and rolled on the floor.

  Freedom’s grandfather picked up the ball and threw a short toss to Tommy, who grabbed it with both hands and made a running motion. The narrow aisle forced him to knock into a seat or two.

  “My grandpa throws it just like that,” Tommy said, looking up at Freedom’s grandfather.

  “Well, your grandpa must have a good arm like me,” Freedom’s grandfather said. “I was a quarterback in high school. Really loved it. And boy, did the girls think I was cute, especially Freedom’s grandma.” He chuckled loudly as Tommy tossed the ball back.

  Freedom blushed. “Grandpa!” she exclaimed.

  “Well, it’s true, Freedom, I was quite a catch back then,” Freedom’s grandfather said. He was teasing her, so she just shook her head happily and took out her drawing pad.

  Freedom’s grandfather wore a tweed coat and hat. His hair and eyes were dark like Freedom’s, with a kind face and very few wrinkles for a man his age. He smiled and held my shoulder as we took our seats, and said, “Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to spend time with my granddaughter.”