I walked down and smiled at my family. Hannah was sitting in her Exersaucer, playing with toys while Brad and Randy were setting the table. Mark was helping Jill cook and it was about time for Mr. Leonard to come. It was silly, but I looked up to this man plus the last impression I made was a gash on his forehead. I was the only one dressed up but that's okay.
"So, how do I look?" I asked as Hannah was starting to whine from being in the toy thing and was now bored.
"Oh, you're so cute! You're trying to impress your teacher," Mom smiled.
I picked up Hannah and laughed softly.
"Dad, if you misbehave, do you think Mr. Leonard's gonna give you detention?"
I fake-laughed but Randy and Brad found it to be really amusing. I had been their ages once and I knew what it was like. It was fun to poke and prod until you got in trouble then it wasn't as fun anymore. Those two were like the reincarnations of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
"Yeah, Brad, that's exactly what he's gonna do," I fake cry. "It wouldn't hurt you guys to show me a little respect. Would it, my warrior princess?"
Hannah babbled and hugged my neck. I walked up to the door and opened it. Mr. Leonard looked the same as when I graduated high school. Well, it wasn't exactly the same since he was twenty years older. His hair was all white and he had wrinkles on his face. Since she was in a stranger anxiety phase, she only liked certain people—the ones she saw daily—Al, Jill, the boys, Wilson, Ilene and me.
"Mr. Leonard!" I smiled and adjusted Hannah so that she was on my hip.
"Tim Taylor!" He smiled and grinned at Hannah who cooed at him to see if he was a friend or a foe.
"How are you? How are you doing? Boys, come line up," I told and Randy took Hannah willingly.
She babbled happily at being with her bubby and Randy was equally overjoyed. It was as if the two were meant for each other. They weren't soulmates, but they were definitely best friends.
"These are my kids. My youngest son, Mark, my middle son, Randy, my oldest son, Brad and my baby girl, Hannah."
Jill walked in with a smile and Hannah babbled happily at seeing her mother come in and walk towards her. With a smile, Jill took Hannah and rubbed her back, rocking her to soothe her. A mother's touch seemed to always work on the kids, especially when they were babies.
"My lovely wife Jill. Works a good lathe but not much of a welder," I smiled and chuckled softly at seeing Hannah's sore gum be massaged by Jill.
"I'm great with a fire extinguisher," Jill laughed and Hannah drooled.
"Not too bad with a putdown," Mr. Leonard smiled.
"Tim has been talking about you for so long. He even mentioned you on our honeymoon," I laughed.
"What I said was if Mr. Leonard had built the bed, it wouldn't have collapsed."
"Mr. Leonard," Brad looked at him. "Dad says you're the greatest shop teacher of all time!"
Jill put Hannah over her shoulder and started rubbing her back with a smile. Randy helped by singing softly and sitting by Jill. While I was embarrassed, I also felt that it was true and I wished that my boys could've had him for a teacher. They're good with tools just like their old man.
"You can stop kissing up. I passed you," Mr. Leonard looked at me.
We walked to the couch and Randy sat on the edge of it, with Jill sitting in it and rocking Hannah to sleep. The room was quiet enough for her to sleep in, but she didn't like naps as much as she used to. In about a couple years, she wouldn't like naps at all anymore so we'd discard them.
"How'd you like Tool Time?" I asked.
"I loved it, Timmy, I loved it. You'll never know how shocked I was to turn on the telly and there was your ugly kisser."
"Surprised I had a show?"
"No, surprised you're still alive."
"I'm telling you, he gave us a lot of scares."
"You too?"
"So, you're retired. How do you like it?"
"It stinks and I hate it. The only good thing was the golf clubs they gave me."
"I never pictured you as much of a golfer."
"I'm not. I melted them down and made a lamp."
"I melt down gifts all the time!"
"And not always on purpose."
….
We sat at the table and started eating. Hannah's highchair was over by Randy's chair and mine. Jill and I were at our usual spots and so were the boys. We had put out another chair so that Mr. Leonard could sit down, It was like we were a big family except Mr. Leonard wasn't part of it.
"Your father's a genuine original. Even I can't explain this one. Your father's gluing a table together and somehow, a piece of the table gets stuck to his head."
"There's a mistake I didn't let happen again," I laughed.
"Dad, didn't you—?" Mark looked at me.
I shoved a cookie in Mark's mouth and he got the cue that he was supposed to be quiet.
"Boys, it's time for you to go finish your homework. I'll bring Hannah up to put her to bed in a few minutes. Would you clear your plates?" Jill told.
"We wanna hear more stories about Timmy!" Randy put Hannah in her Exersaucer and let her play.
"I've got a million. Once you've done your homework, I'll tell you more." Mr. Leonard smiled and Randy bent down to play with Hannah.
"Brad, don't forget to practice your saxophone," Jill reminded.
"Mom, why do I have to practice so much?" Brad whined.
"Because practice makes perfect. You ever heard of Charlie Parker? Charlie Parker was one of the greatest saxophonists of all time."
"My teacher played a record of his. He's really great."
"Before he started practicing 16 hours a day, he used to sound like a foghorn. Ships used to dock at his front door at night."
Brad ran upstairs and Hannah was laughing in delight. She found baby toys on her Exersaucer and seemed overjoyed. I always felt jealous of babies. They had no worries besides having their needs met. They were blissfully unaware of the world and its problems.
"Do you remember your first semester? The thing with the acetylene torch?"
"I burned a little hole in the principal's office. He was fuming, literally.
"He wanted you out of shop class permanently, as did the schoolboard and PTA. I told them all, "Thank you, now go shove it in your ear."
"Why did you stick up for Tim like that?"
"Because I knew you were going to be great and I was right. When I could get you to calm down and stop setting things on fire, you showed some real talent."
"Why'd you get out of teaching?"
"I had no choice, Timmy. I taught for 30 years and they put me out to pasture."
"They can't replace a legend! Oh wait, I have a great idea! On Monday's show I can do a salute to shop class and you can show everyone how to do a toolbox. Quick as a wink!"
Jill had taken Hannah upstairs for bed and I grunted.
"What was that?"
"You never heard the grunt. I learned that in college."
"You got into college?"
….
"Does everybody know what time it is?" Heidi asked as I held Hannah on my lap.
Today was a special Tool Time. Dad was having Mr. Leonard on to show how to make a tool box, I wasn't good with my hands (Brad was), so I planned to take something other than shop when I had to choose. It would probably be cooking or art since I loved to cook.
"Tool Time!" We yelled.
"That's right! Here's the star of the show! Tim the Tool Man Taylor!"
Dad walked out with Al and Hannah cooed at him, reaching towards him with a big grin on her face. It seemed crazy that she was now six months old. Six months ago, we were blessed with the best thing that could happen for this family.
"Welcome to Tool Time! We have a very special guest today! Tim's old shop teacher!" Al grinned.
"He's the one who taught me everything I know," Dad grinned.
"Despite that, we're still happy to have him here."
"A big Tool Time welcome for the original "Tool Man" himself—my old shop teacher, Mr. Leonard!" Dad clapped as Mr. Leonard walked out.
"Nice to meet someone who knows the trials and tribulations of working with Tim. We could start our own 12-step program. Adult survivors of Tim Taylor!"
"I've got another program for you—how about Al Be Gone? Adults who fire Al."
"Boys, do we really have to review shop rules?"
Dad and Al stopped arguing and I laughed softly, pointing to where Dad was. He waved toward us and then looked at Al. Sometimes, Al and Dad acted like Brad and I did towards each other. We liked each other, but sometimes we got into silly little fights that ended up with no one winning.
"Our first project is a toolbox. It's a project that's great for young men and great nostalgia for the older tool men."
"Do you guys ever stop yapping and get to the project?"
"We have a little surprise for you. We invited some of your old shop students out here to help you and build their own projects."
There were two men I didn't recognize and there was Benny.
"We've marked our designated areas on our metal where we want to cut. I'm gonna hand my tin over to a higher authority."
"Remember to cut the notches to their proper depth."
"I'll make the cut and you tell everyone how we'll bend our notches."
"I'll tell you what—since I'm running the class I'll do the cutting?"
"You have other students who could do it."
Dad took the metal cutting scissors and that made Mr. Leonard really mad. "Don't you ever take a pair of scissors away from me."
…
I knocked on the door and Mr. Leonard gave a huff for me to come in. Walking in, I saw his garage and I was jealous. I wished my garage/tool shed was that big. If it was, I'd have as many tools as I wanted plus I had a sanctuary to go to. I knew that Jill would never go for it. So, I would settle for the one I had or I'd lose more tools, which was a good deal.
"What are you doing here?" Mr. Leonard huffed as I walked in.
"What did I do wrong? Was it the measurements or the spot-welds?"
"You drove an hour and a half to ask me why a toolbox you built 20 years ago was a piece of crap?"
"Three hours. It would've been one and a half had you a porch light that worked. I wanna talk about what happened at Tool Time."
"Boy, I must've looked like a real jerk up there."
"You were right, Timmy. I can't do it anymore. I've been trying all day. My brains tells me I can do it, but my hands just won't work."
"I have the opposite problem. My hands work, but my brain doesn't."
"When I was in high school, I caught anything that came near me. Now I can't even cut a piece of stupid metal."
I looked at him and felt like I was encouraging one of the boys. Sometimes, even adults needed a pick me up and that's what Mr. Leonard needed. He needed someone to tell him what he needed to hear. He was worth more than just a pair of hands and so was I. Someday, I wouldn't be Tim the Tool Man, I would just be Tim the Man or Tim the Dad.
"You're more than just a pair hands."
"You're more than just a pair of hands."
"Oh, don't start that garbage."
"You were a good teacher because you stood up for guys like me. You made us believe that we could do something. When I called those guys to be on Tool Time, they just lined up. A lot of guys wanted to do this because you made an impression on them. Look at Brad. The Charlie Parker story? The kid won't leave the saxophone alone now!"
"I've got a piece of sheet metal that's already etched. Let's see if you can do this."
