Chapter Six
The next day, one of the lecture halls at New York University was nearly deserted except 15 students being scattered over the first five long rows of chairs. In front, the professor, Dr. William Hanes, was writing some mathematical problems on the vast blackboard. Dr. Hagan is in his early sixties with short grey hair resembling Albert Einstein. After writing several problems on this board, he turned around smiling and pointed to the blackboard.
"Volunteers," he said nonchalantly, "come to the board and do these problems. It is of your best interest to pay attention; these are the most common mistakes on your exams and you'll need to know this for the final."
A mass of students raced to the board, picking out the easier problems from the selection. As Dr. Hagan smiled at the pandemonium, he noticed Peter Parker still sitting in his chair rubbing the left side of his neck with his left hand quite profusely. Suddenly, Dr. Hagan 's gaze switched to the blackboard where all problems had solutions except the last one.
"Wow, great job folks. But, you have forgotten the last one. Is that a coincidence?" Mummers and chuckles from most of the students spread through the class. "Well, if no one will volunteer, I'll pick someone." He looked around and looked directly at Peter. "Pete, what about you? You got this question right on the exam."
Peter Parker stepped out quite timidly and stiffly out and moved to the blackboard to start working out the problem with remarkable speed, accuracy and neatness. In no time at all, he finished with the problem and started to limp back to his seat. The class watched the 20 year-old runt make his way back to his seat.
"Great! Now," he said as he pointed to the blackboard, "you have all of the correct answers to these questions." Suddenly the bell rang, leaving Hanes little time to yell out information before students left, "Now, you can pick up your test! See y'all tomorrow!"
Dr. Hanes walked back to his desks to pick up miscellaneous stuff and looked up. He saw Peter still in the hall, picking up his notebooks and textbooks rather laboriously and slowly. Dr. Hanes looked at him with concern.
"Peter? Can I see you for a moment?"
Peter looked up and started to walk toward Dr. Hanes's desk with his backpack on his shoulder along with a slight limp in his step.
"Are you alright Pete?" he asked as he leaned into his desk, "You seem a little distracted today," Hanes looked away and returned his gaze for a second and continued "-and stiff."
Peter frowned slightly, "Uh, yes, I guess. Has it hindered my performance in class today?"
Hanes smiled as he handed Peter's math test to him with an A-plus marked in red. "Oh no, Peter, not at all. I'm just concerned. How did you get that limp? You didn't have it yesterday."
Peter looked at Mr. Hanes nervously, and then studied his exam undemonstratively, "Uh, well, I must have sat on my foot."
Hanes searched and gazed at him before responding, "Umm… okay." Hanes started to get his stuff together and motioned Peter to accompany him, "Come. Walk with me for a bit. Are you going back home for the night?"
Peter looked at his professor and started to put his black coat on. "Yes." Hanes looked at him skeptically.
"6:30 on a Friday night?"
Peter frowned slightly then responded with caution, "Yes-"
Hanes started to walk out of the hall while Peter contained his frown walking beside him. "You're not going to a party or a hot date?" he said sarcastically, "I'm truly surprised!"
Peter watched Hanes lock the door. Both guys started to walk together out of the Mathematical building, "Actually," Peter stated with sarcasm, "I am going to a Marilyn Manson concert at midnight and having a copious amount of alcohol at the pub after, even though the bartenders are still mystified that a guy like me would go into a rock pub."
"What about your fake ID?" Hanes asked continuing the joke. Peter continued his blank look as he got his car keys out of his pocket, "Already have it."
Hanes smiled at Peter as they reached Peter's car, "Listen Pete. If you need me for anything, anything, you can always ask. Okay?" Peter gave Hanes an unreadable look, then reluctantly responded, "Thank you Dr. Hanes. I appreciate it."
Hanes looked at him with seriousness before retorting, "You really need rest. I think your stiffness could be stress related. I don't want you to be ill, okay?" Hanes then looked at Peter and sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be lecturing you. It's just that you're the closest thing to a son to me. I know I must sound creepy."
An uncomfortable silence followed. To break the silence, Dr. Hanes waved Peter a goodbye. "Well, goodnight Peter. Don't drink too much!"
Peter looked back as he continued to walk toward his car, "I won't." he replied inexplicably.
***
In his room, Peter Parker was lying on his bed fully dressed with labored and arduous breathing. His eyes were closed, as though he was concentrating on something. His eyes had dark circles under them among other signs of sleep deprivation. All of a sudden, his telephone rang. Pete didn't open either of his eyes and reached for the phone extending his arm.
"Hello?"
A man on the other line replied in a snobby Oxford English accent. "Is this Peter Parker?"
Peter frowned askance as he opened his eyes and sat up in apprehension. "Who's inquiring?"
The man sighed in the phone and spoke slowly, "Thomas Jean, teacher assistant to Dr. William Hanes. You are Peter Parker, right?"
"Right."
"Dr. Hanes wants to remind all of his students that the visit to Dr. Ham Simon's home will be tomorrow at 7:30p.m. He also wants to remind you all that you must not wear jeans or any other informal wear. You will all meet in the Café Martine near the home. Do you know where the Café Martine is?"
Peter frowned and he walked over to his window and looked out, "Yes."
Jean waited a couple of seconds and then spoke a farewell, "Thank you." Peter hung up and finally after a couple of minutes just thinking on his bed, he went back to sleep.
***
It had been a few hours later and Peter continued to lie on his bed fully dressed, even with his eyeglasses on. His breathing had relaxed and now. He appeared to have a nightmare, impulsively rubbing his left leg up and down his right shin in addition to jerking his head. All of a sudden, he woke up from his hard sleep to the sounds of Harry coming into their flat. He got out of his nightmare and turned on his side.
The next day, one of the lecture halls at New York University was nearly deserted except 15 students being scattered over the first five long rows of chairs. In front, the professor, Dr. William Hanes, was writing some mathematical problems on the vast blackboard. Dr. Hagan is in his early sixties with short grey hair resembling Albert Einstein. After writing several problems on this board, he turned around smiling and pointed to the blackboard.
"Volunteers," he said nonchalantly, "come to the board and do these problems. It is of your best interest to pay attention; these are the most common mistakes on your exams and you'll need to know this for the final."
A mass of students raced to the board, picking out the easier problems from the selection. As Dr. Hagan smiled at the pandemonium, he noticed Peter Parker still sitting in his chair rubbing the left side of his neck with his left hand quite profusely. Suddenly, Dr. Hagan 's gaze switched to the blackboard where all problems had solutions except the last one.
"Wow, great job folks. But, you have forgotten the last one. Is that a coincidence?" Mummers and chuckles from most of the students spread through the class. "Well, if no one will volunteer, I'll pick someone." He looked around and looked directly at Peter. "Pete, what about you? You got this question right on the exam."
Peter Parker stepped out quite timidly and stiffly out and moved to the blackboard to start working out the problem with remarkable speed, accuracy and neatness. In no time at all, he finished with the problem and started to limp back to his seat. The class watched the 20 year-old runt make his way back to his seat.
"Great! Now," he said as he pointed to the blackboard, "you have all of the correct answers to these questions." Suddenly the bell rang, leaving Hanes little time to yell out information before students left, "Now, you can pick up your test! See y'all tomorrow!"
Dr. Hanes walked back to his desks to pick up miscellaneous stuff and looked up. He saw Peter still in the hall, picking up his notebooks and textbooks rather laboriously and slowly. Dr. Hanes looked at him with concern.
"Peter? Can I see you for a moment?"
Peter looked up and started to walk toward Dr. Hanes's desk with his backpack on his shoulder along with a slight limp in his step.
"Are you alright Pete?" he asked as he leaned into his desk, "You seem a little distracted today," Hanes looked away and returned his gaze for a second and continued "-and stiff."
Peter frowned slightly, "Uh, yes, I guess. Has it hindered my performance in class today?"
Hanes smiled as he handed Peter's math test to him with an A-plus marked in red. "Oh no, Peter, not at all. I'm just concerned. How did you get that limp? You didn't have it yesterday."
Peter looked at Mr. Hanes nervously, and then studied his exam undemonstratively, "Uh, well, I must have sat on my foot."
Hanes searched and gazed at him before responding, "Umm… okay." Hanes started to get his stuff together and motioned Peter to accompany him, "Come. Walk with me for a bit. Are you going back home for the night?"
Peter looked at his professor and started to put his black coat on. "Yes." Hanes looked at him skeptically.
"6:30 on a Friday night?"
Peter frowned slightly then responded with caution, "Yes-"
Hanes started to walk out of the hall while Peter contained his frown walking beside him. "You're not going to a party or a hot date?" he said sarcastically, "I'm truly surprised!"
Peter watched Hanes lock the door. Both guys started to walk together out of the Mathematical building, "Actually," Peter stated with sarcasm, "I am going to a Marilyn Manson concert at midnight and having a copious amount of alcohol at the pub after, even though the bartenders are still mystified that a guy like me would go into a rock pub."
"What about your fake ID?" Hanes asked continuing the joke. Peter continued his blank look as he got his car keys out of his pocket, "Already have it."
Hanes smiled at Peter as they reached Peter's car, "Listen Pete. If you need me for anything, anything, you can always ask. Okay?" Peter gave Hanes an unreadable look, then reluctantly responded, "Thank you Dr. Hanes. I appreciate it."
Hanes looked at him with seriousness before retorting, "You really need rest. I think your stiffness could be stress related. I don't want you to be ill, okay?" Hanes then looked at Peter and sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be lecturing you. It's just that you're the closest thing to a son to me. I know I must sound creepy."
An uncomfortable silence followed. To break the silence, Dr. Hanes waved Peter a goodbye. "Well, goodnight Peter. Don't drink too much!"
Peter looked back as he continued to walk toward his car, "I won't." he replied inexplicably.
***
In his room, Peter Parker was lying on his bed fully dressed with labored and arduous breathing. His eyes were closed, as though he was concentrating on something. His eyes had dark circles under them among other signs of sleep deprivation. All of a sudden, his telephone rang. Pete didn't open either of his eyes and reached for the phone extending his arm.
"Hello?"
A man on the other line replied in a snobby Oxford English accent. "Is this Peter Parker?"
Peter frowned askance as he opened his eyes and sat up in apprehension. "Who's inquiring?"
The man sighed in the phone and spoke slowly, "Thomas Jean, teacher assistant to Dr. William Hanes. You are Peter Parker, right?"
"Right."
"Dr. Hanes wants to remind all of his students that the visit to Dr. Ham Simon's home will be tomorrow at 7:30p.m. He also wants to remind you all that you must not wear jeans or any other informal wear. You will all meet in the Café Martine near the home. Do you know where the Café Martine is?"
Peter frowned and he walked over to his window and looked out, "Yes."
Jean waited a couple of seconds and then spoke a farewell, "Thank you." Peter hung up and finally after a couple of minutes just thinking on his bed, he went back to sleep.
***
It had been a few hours later and Peter continued to lie on his bed fully dressed, even with his eyeglasses on. His breathing had relaxed and now. He appeared to have a nightmare, impulsively rubbing his left leg up and down his right shin in addition to jerking his head. All of a sudden, he woke up from his hard sleep to the sounds of Harry coming into their flat. He got out of his nightmare and turned on his side.