PADROW G. and the MOONLIGHT SONATA

“What we wish to accomplish is not a secret,” said Frank Waters to Padrow, “although we never talk it. It is the reason that we had this miraculous pace built. And I believe you already know, from talking with some of us, what our plan is, the reason we started this whole enterprise. You heard Oscar Dellamancharia compare it to creating another, new, Camelot, where underprivileged young men and women with valuable talents can come to a school where they learn how to live sensibly and decently. I believe Oscar used the terms Chivalry and Elegance, and I heard him say that every city in the world has an underground of impoverished youths who are turning into ‘Prince Malagants’—the man who wanted to destroy Camelot and what it stood for. And our job, if you will join us, will be to turn all those would-be Malagants into Sir Lancelots, the man who’s every gesture and every wish showed a level of chivalry and elegance that cannot be ignored, and must not be trivialized or downplayed. It will be the Moonlight Mountain University, perhaps, or some such name, legally founded for American education, and taught by teachers who believe, as we do, that education is an honorable livelihood, not just a bunch of rules to pass meaningless tests and get good jobs.” “Sounds wonderful,” said Padrow. “I’m not sure how I would fit in. I would like to go to such a place as a student, but to help run the place—Whoa! I’m not ready for that. And I have lots of small, but important to me, activities, like body training for heavyweight fights, and learning acrobatics, so that my spare time would not be as open as would be needed if I’m to help get this whole big thing going. Let me think about all of this for a few days, and one of you can help me by making out a rough schedule of how many days, hours, etc. you would expect me to be here in some official capacity. Like I said earlier, I’m not ready for this—the magnitude of it alone scares me. Basically I’m still just a little guy—yeah, I know, I’m the heavyweight champion of the world, but I’m still just a little guy. So, as I said, let me think about it for a few days, OK? Three days? Maybe less, if I can?” “OK, let’s do some dangerous things,” said Ann, the acrobatics teacher, to Padrow after a while. She led Pad to a high wire suspended between two very tall poles, sticking up from the ground. There was a chain-link fence surrounding the place. “OK,” said Ann. “You climb up this pole, walk on the wire to the other pole, and either come down or walk back to the first pole.” She went up one pole, walked on the wire and came down on the other pole. “What I just did is the last step,” she said. “Beginners like you start one foot up, then two feet up. . . ” “You mean like this?” said Padrow, suddenly climbing the pole hand over hand till he reached the connecting wire and walked out on it. “Exactly like that, you idiotic showoff. I thought you said you never did this.” “I never did. This is the first time.” “Then how do you explain being able to do it? I suppose you’re going to tell me you just figured it out?” “That’s right.” “I don’t believe you.” “How can I convince you?” His foot suddenly slipped and he was holding the wire by both hands, obviously something he had planned. “Do you realize what might have happened if you hadn’t caught the wire?” “You mean like this?” he asked, and let go of the wire, and fell straight down while Ann screamed, but he caught his body into an Aikido roll-up and bounced halfway up the pole again, and easily held on. Ann was crying, and Pad came over to her and gave her a lovey-dovey hug that made her feel better. “Pad,” she said, “Why do you do these things?” “I don’t know,” said Pad. “I really don’t know. There’s something about you that makes me want to show off. When I figure it out, maybe I’ll tell you what it is, if you’d like.” “You figure out everything, don’t you.” “Just about.” “Is that your secret? What makes you so big and strong?” “Ann, I’m not big and strong. That’s what everyone thinks. I’m just a little guy who’s good at figuring things out. That’s how I really feel about myself. Just a little guy who can figure things out.” “Yeah, sure, just a little guy. Do you have any idea of how I see you?” “What do you see?” “I see a huge, huge man, maybe ten or eleven feet tall, with huge muscles coating his entire body like bands of steel, who has never known fear. That’s you.” “Wow! You actually see that? Huge? Muscles of steel?” “Yes, that’s what I see. Of course, I know that your huge body is somehow crammed into a much smaller body, maybe only six feet tall, but he’s there.” “And I see a nice little guy who’s good at figuring things out.” “So who’s right?” “I think we’re both right. We both see the real Padrow G.” “Yeah, I guess.”