growing up, Rose often thought about how poorly Jake dressed. Jake would put on clothes only because he had to wear them. The hat was on his head, his shirt was buttoned up, and his pants were on. Colours matching or clothes fitting were not his concerns. The best way to think of Jake was - yes, the hat is on. Rose and other young girls saw Jake’s potential and thought if only they could get their hands on him to make improvements. Jake was too busy talking, listening, and teasing to worry about what he looked like. If he was warm in the winter and cool in the summer, he had spent enough time on that chore. Jake’s best day was when he had to dress only once. To change clothes more than once was an absolute punishment. Skinny-dipping in the local creek was the ultimate freedom.
Hank, Jake’s best friend, who lived on the farm next over, sat either behind him or in front of him in every grade of elementary school. Each grade had its row in the one-room school. Where you sat depended on who was growing the fastest and who was the tallest. The shortest student sat at the front and the tallest one sat at the back. It seemed each year, Jake and Hank would trade places with each other. The year they graduated to Norwood District High School, all students were streamed. Students with the highest marks were in 9A and those with the lowest marks were in 9E. Again, Hank and Jake ended up in the same class. They rode the same bus together and ate lunch side-by-side in the cafeteria. Hank was busily trying to fit in and envied Jake, who was a roller, having fun with the new experience of high school, meeting kids from Hastings, Havelock, Norwood, Cordova, and Centre Dummer.
Once a month, there was a sock hop in the school gymnasium on the last Friday of the month. Friday buses would be held back and would not take students home until 9:00 o’clock. Jake loved to dance and he always seemed to be on the floor. Girls would sit on steel chairs against the south wall, and guys would sit on steel chairs on the north wall. Once a record started, each guy would figure out if he could move to the music, and if he could, and had the courage, he would walk across the gym and ask the girl he had been admiring for a dance. Jake was on the floor all the time. The girls wanted to dance, not to sit, and they would dance with anyone once or twice just to get up. Jake discovered this secret early and worked his way down the line. Jake was there to dance and all the girls could hardly wait to be asked.
At the gravesite, Brenda broke out in uncontrolled laughter. To Brenda it seemed to last forever, but for the quiet crowd, it was short. Some people in tragic situations are so overwrought, that instead of crying, the socially-acceptable behaviour, they break out laughing.
Brenda was the hockey coach’s daughter, who attended every game her dad coached. During practices she would put on her skates, boys’ skates, not figure skates with points on the front. Brenda would always correct her hockey guys and she would say, “They are picks not points. Do you want to pick a fight or get poked?” Jake would always find a way to set her up, so she could score a goal. The coach’s daughter was off limits for a rough stick-check, or a push into the boards or goal post. Brenda made practices fun as players could see she was trying as hard as they were and having as much fun.
The coach had two older sons who were grown up and long gone when along came a surprise, Brenda. He forgot most of the times that his daughter was a girl and took her places, just like he had done with his two sons. If he needed a spare goalie, she would put the pads; if he needed a forward, or a defenseman, she would fill that role. Brenda was also secretly in love with Jake and would make sure she was in the dance line at sock hops.
Jean was just one of the many high school students who crowded the cemetery that day. Jean had been in the same grade as Jake all through elementary school and was in Jake’s home form in grade nine. English class, first thing in the morning, all year long. One September, Jean did not feel well, and by the middle of October was in Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto losing her hair to a cancer treatment.
Jean always watched Jake from afar. Shy, with only sisters, how do you act around boys especially the ones you like?
Jean returned to school in late November with no hair. The only wig her parents could afford looked like a wig. She dreaded going back but she knew she must. Getting on a cold school bus on Monday morning, she carefully pulled down a toque to hide that wig.
Sitting in her designated bus seat just behind Jake, she rode that lonely trip to school. After getting off the bus, walking down the hall, opening up her locker, and taking off her winter coat, Jean slipped into the girls’ washroom to remove her toque and comb her artificial hair.
The bell rang and everyone was seated. Jean felt all eyes were on her. Then the laughing started and she could not bear it, until she looked up and there was Jake with his head completely shaved. The teacher, who was naturally bald, did not miss a beat and said, “Welcome back, Jean. Jake looks like my younger brother.” The laughter continued. After a week, most of the students in the class had shaved their heads. It took Jean a bit longer to take off her wig. She felt accepted.
The only person, who was not at the gravesite, was the town’s Doctor. Shirley a young, first-time-to-be mother was in the last stages of labour at Civic Hospital in Peterborough. Dr. Atkinson had to be there. Manley and Dr. Atkinson were the best of friends and they would reconnect later. Dr. Atkinson had been the town’s only town doctor when Jake came into the world. Jake did not need a tap on the bum. He came out crying. One thing that the town did not know was that Jake was the son of a young teenage girl. He was born out of wedlock.
He was born in the same early morning hours as Rose. Jake would be the first son, of this young teenager from a well-established farm family in Westwood. This young mother had no means to raise a child. Her parents were typical parents, embarrassed that their daughter was pregnant, but not able to afford to send her to private school or just away. Instead she had been sent to live with her aunt on a farm near Millbrook to hide the pregnancy.
Most small-town family doctors looked after everyone in their communities. The teenage girl was told quietly by Doctor Atkinson that the baby was going to be looked after and a family had been found. Rose’s parents had been given the option of taking home two babies, instead of one, and they agreed with the doctor’s plan. Paternal twins do not always look alike especially when they are female and male. Only the doctor, Shirley, her parents, and the operating nurse knew the true story. The records were sealed away.
The official part of the funeral was over. The people in earshot were invited back to the basement of the United Church to visit with family and friends and enjoy a light lunch. Close friends, family and people from out-of-town congregated in the church basement and enjoyed egg, tuna, salmon, and ground meat sandwiches. Platters of cheese and vegetables were placed on the serving table and coffee and tea were served by the ladies hosting the luncheon. A reasonable fee was charged to the family for this luncheon.
Annie, an elderly town lady, attended every luncheon. All funerals, weddings, anniversaries, and birthday receptions had a place for Annie. In some cases Annie knew only the serving staff but they would make her feel comfortable. She was part of the town and this was her outing for the week, a lunch or a dinner that she did not have to prepare and eat alone in her small home. Annie did not know Jake, but she knew his parents and many of his relatives were familiar faces and they would pass the time of day with her. Annie was an integral part of the fabric of Norwood.
Everyone who knew Jake now had a hole to fill. Cleaning out the school locker, cleaning out his bedroom, collecting all the small possessions that were a part of Jake was hard to do. You can’t say goodbye; you only hope to understand. Jake is not here and we are left. Are we the lucky ones and will this happen to us again? The answer is yes. If you live long enough, you get to see it all. If you live long enough, you lose all your older relatives, your neighbours, your friends, and, maybe if luck is with you, your memory.
The dirt was shovelled back into the hole. The sod was placed and tramped on top and the job was done. One of Jake’s school buddies stayed behind. He could
