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specialTopic: "Watch Mr. Wizard" (3)
Christmas morning for Frodo and Sam concluded with the opening of the presents. Outside, they noticed the grandparents, the parents, and the twin newly-turned-three-year olds, Korey and Kody, in their brand new electric motorcars. The tiny Hobbits were doing their absolute best to evade their elders and proceed at their own break-neck speed into the Shire. From that moment, they won Frodo's heart.
In the years that followed, Frodo noted that the halflings would magically appear whenever he had tasks to perform in his garage. Seeking to "help," especially when it involved hammering and nails, Frodo learned to keep a list of small projects which would involve such participation. It brought to his mind the early years of television when Don Herbert starred in "Watch Mr. Wizard," as the kindly gentleman next door who always seemed to have time to explain the wonders of electricity or magnets to curious midget onlookers. Frodo knew that, in their minds, he was typecast.
One day, stressing their independence, the vagabonds evaded Frodo, Fiona, and Mick, the Wonder Dog, and announced their intention to construct a tree house in the woods behind their home. Frodo listened for many minutes while the struggles were met with but limited success. When finally the junior engineers sought his assistance, Frodo made time to help direct, and construct, a stable platform from which little Hobbits could observe the Shire, from new heights.
Marriages sometimes suffer when fathers work long and episodic hours, and young mothers grow stressed and bored. Eventually the boys' father was displaced by another, who soon found more suitable surrounding for the halflings. Frodo was pained much more than he could ever admit. Not unlike a dragon, he knew that his friends would come no more, and he could only slip into his cave, in this case a garage, and wipe up green scales.
Many times Frodo and Sam have wondered about the boys, reccognizing the "at risk" nature of the circumstances into which they had fallen. Many times Frodo has listened for the sounds of hammering and doodling in the woods behind the Shire, without success.
On Saturday evening, while Frodo was watching the gallant Braves come back against the interlopers from Chicago, there came a tapping, tapping on the front door. Fiona, and Mick, the Wonder Dog, awoke from their slumbers and nearly killed themselves racing Frodo to answer. On the front porch, amidst wagging tails and licks of rememberance, stood Korey and Kody. Now 17 years old, they both weigh 120 pounds, and are rising high-school seniors. They wrestle, and both have GPA's of 3.4 or better. Korey is aiming for college, and Kody has decided to become a police officer.
Frodo walked with his young friends back to the garage, where they talked about projects undone, and memories precious to all. They looked at the proud, old pine tree and the scrap pieces of lumber still hammered into its' branches. They each hugged Mr. Frodo, and promised to come back soon. Frodo made a promise to come and see them compete in wrestling, just as he had done when they first played what is called "T-ball."
When they had driven away, Frodo gathered his canine contingent together for their final nightly assignation in the gardens of the Shire, and stood silently at the base of that old, pine tree. The silence of a late spring evening was broken only by the unmistakable smile of the Hobbit.
Thank you.
