11. Professor John Edwardes Sits in His Office Contemplating
At age 50 - midway, as he likes to say - Professor Edwardes sits in his darkened, mildly air recirculated office. Even though it is 11 AM, he is taking a half-hour repose, sitting quiet in his inner windowless office with lights out and secretary instructed not to disturb. His chair gives max relax - a state where his nervous system & body-posture muscles are minimally activated -, which is achieved by a room kept at comfortable temperature, a chair perfectly padded for comfortable skin pressure while sitting, with armrests, and with a back head-rest that can be adjusted to replace the need for neck muscles. He is following advice from a life-experience notebook, titled Physician's Notebooks. Such repose daily is part of its program to live past 100 on one's feet with wit and wits.
Edwardes needs 100 good years. After struggling around to find a life aim he has found it in the Sunday Seminars. His idea is that the seminars will be his small something of value to pass on to the future people. All teachers, he believes, should try to collect useful knowledge and at end of a life, leave it to be read and perhaps practiced. He is not so arrogant to think all the seminars are gems, but, like the metaphor of monkey at typewriter, if enough of them get done, somewhere in them, gems may be found. So he has a speed writer copy each seminar dialog and his secretary types it up and eventually it will be a book.
But, a new problem. It is now 6 weeks and he has not found anyone to replace Eddie so this month's seminar is delayed or maybe will be cancelled. Just then, a knock. He exclaims,"Come in and switch on the light!" It is his secretary and, behind her, Eddie in army uniform - all in browns, from the overseas cap, the Eisenhower jacket with shirt & tie, the slacks, and the standard oxford shoes over brown socks. "Eddie!" Edwardes can't control his happy voice. "Come in boy and sit down. I am just thinking of you!" Secretary closes door and returns to her work. Eddie takes off his cap, sits across the desk from the Professor.
"So tell me, lad?"
Eddie too is happy because Edwardes is the only person he has ever felt comfortable talking with, both as friend and as father figure. He is bursting with news. "Sir, I completed the eight-week basic training and I landed an assignment at the Army recruiting office here on 42nd Street and I've got nights and weekends free!"
"How did you manage that? A war is going on in Korea and you go barmy and join the Army, exposing yourself to combat, and you end up on 42nd Street. Sounds like a Broadway musical."
Eddie explains. One of the soldiers he'd surprised in the homosexual act that night on guard duty is a guy, Roy Cohn, whose dad is a political bigwig. Roy Cohn is a smart guy who knew better than Eddie that Eddie had literally saved his - Cohn's - future by not reporting the homosexual incident. For the rest of basic training, Roy admired Eddie and - when time came for reassignment - knowing Eddie is a Bronx boy and also that he scored almost genius on the army IQ test and that the Army is looking for a smart young soldier to fill a slot at the 42nd Street recruiting office in charge of a new-type machine that is said to be able to crunch numbers in record time, Roy got Eddie the assignment. And Eddie is being taught the machine's workings by a genius from MIT.
"So you'll also be available to continue part time with me at Sunday Seminar?"
"Yes sir, that's what I came to say."
"Always say yes, Eddie; 't is the secret of success."
And Professor John Edwardes, for the 2nd time, did a very uncharacteristic thing. He got up and hugged Eddie. "OK, Eddie, this Sunday we do Seminar. See you 1 PM then."
Next section. Click 14.(12-13) Seminar Soiree
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