Daniel stepped out of the car and waited for George to lead him to the reception area where the new group of students would gather. His stomach churned and he was emotionally thrown back to his first day of school, when he met Amy.
I wish she were here now. She'd be able to make me laugh and get through this much easier.
Ruby corralled the girls while George led Daniel up the path to the main building.
"Wow, Daniel, you should see this place!" Rachel all but shouted. "It's gorgeous! There are long sloping lawns, sprinkled with trees. And it's really clean! Not at all like the city."
Daniel was more nervous about this than he thought he would be. He was going to have total responsibility for a living being and that unnerved him. But getting around the city and going to school would be so much easier with a guide dog. He just had to get through the next twenty-six days of training and then he could become more independent.
George noticed that most of the people here for the dogs were hanging back against the edges of the room, while their family and friends were mingling and chatting away. He spotted an attractive older woman who sported an official school badge and walked over to her.
"Excuse me, ma'am. My son, Daniel Jackson, is one of your students in this group. I just wondered if you could find out who his roommate is going to be. I thought Daniel might relax a bit if he knew someone."
"Of course, Mr. Jackson."
George winced at the mistake, but didn't correct her. He'd been called worse in his life.
She pulled out a clipboard and quickly scanned the sheet on it. "He's bunked with Allen Williams. Mr. Williams is that young man with the dark hair talking to one of our teachers." She pointed George in the right direction and gave him a reassuring smile. She knew that parents of blind children were often overprotective and tried to smooth things for their children.
He stopped to gather his family before heading over to meet Mr. Williams. "Let's go meeting Daniel's roommate."
George dragged a reluctant Daniel through the crowed room to the young man who had been pointed out to him. Daniel moaned to himself. George was always pushing him into uncomfortable situations, like with the Carter kids. He liked Sam and had enjoyed their casual friendship, but then there was Mark. He really hoped this guy wasn't a Mark.
"Mr. Williams? My name is George Hammond and this is our son Daniel. He'll be your roommate for the next three and a half weeks."
"Mr. Hammond, Mrs. Hammond." Allen held his hand out and waited while the adults introduced themselves.
"Daniel?" Allen waited for George to guide Daniel's hand into his and they shook briefly. "How old are you?"
"I just turned sixteen two weeks ago."
"Ah, well, I'm ten years older, but we might find something in common." Allen thought for a moment and decided to go ahead. "So, how'd it happen for you?"
"Excuse me?" Daniel was confused by the ambiguous question.
"Well, I think you'll find in a group of blind people that the first question you'll hear is 'why are you blind?' Me? I was in a motorcycle accident four years ago that damaged my optic nerve. Total blindness, no shapes, lights, color, nothing. You?"
Daniel was still a bit taken aback by Allen's forthright attitude. "Same as you, an accident when I was eight. But I can see light, vague shapes, bright colors, and I can read print with the help of glasses and magnifying lenses."
"Ah, so young. Too bad. Where've you been going to school? Regular public or a special school?"
"New York Institute for Special Education, until I graduated last month. I've also completed my first two years of undergrad work at Columbia. I'll be going back full-time this fall. That's why I needed a dog. It'll be a lot easier to get from home to school and around." Daniel shrugged, and then blushed. Allen couldn't see that.
"Quite an accomplishment for any sixteen-year-old, but a blind kid? Wow! Me, I'm more into sports and working with my hands. I was a plumber until the accident. I still do some work on new construction with my dad and brother. I'm learning how to build canoes from a friend and I'd love to do something like that for a living." Allen turned his head, listening. "I hear my brother coming. I'll catch up with you later, Dan."
Ruby walked up to her son. "We have to leave in a few minutes." She took his face between her hands and turned his head to face her. "Are you going to be okay? You can wait until you're a little older, you know."
"I'll be fine," Daniel reassured her. They'd been over this many times during the past few months. Daniel and George felt that Ruby tended to be a little over protective with all the kids. "Really, I'll be just fine."
Ruby's face reflected her doubt, but she just pulled Daniel in for a hug. "I should have realized that you're growing up when you grew taller than me." Kissing him on the cheek, she stepped back while George and the girls said their good-byes.
"Well, son, this will be the first time you've ever been on your own. Take care." George patted him on the shoulder and the family left.
First time on my own? Do they think someone walks me around campus at Columbia? Do they think no one here is going to be watching me? Don't they know that I feel like I've been on my own since I was eight?
That evening, Daniel threw himself on his bed, exhausted. He could hear Allen moving cautiously around the room as he got ready for bed. They'd spent the afternoon learning the oral commands the dogs knew and responded to. They had a chance to feel a map of the compound and memorize the various paths, even though they wouldn't be allowed out on their own for a couple of weeks. He had a general idea of the schedule for the next three weeks.
He was still sorting out his apprehensions and expectations when he drifted off to sleep.
XXXXXXXXXX
The next few weeks proved to be more fun and much more difficult than Daniel had expected. The first morning he was introduced to his dog, Cole, a golden retriever-lab mix. He'd been bred on the grounds of the school for both strength and personality and then fostered out to a family for about eighteen months to learn "doggy manners." He'd then come back to the school for evaluation and another six months of intensive training as a guide dog for the blind.
For the next ten years, Daniel and Cole would be constant companions.
Cole's foster family was there for Daniel to meet and to "officially" hand the dog over. Megan Van Dell, who was Daniel's age, had raised Cole as a 4H project. She'd been the one taken care of him for over a year. She had taken him everywhere with her and worked with him every day. It had been like giving up a child when she had to bring him back to the school.
"Daniel. I'm really glad Cole's going to you. I hope you'll come to love him as much as I do and I want you to know that when the time comes that he has to be retired, I'll be glad to take him back." Megan dropped down next to the dog and threw her arms around him, giving him one last hug, smudging his coat with her tears.
"Thanks, Megan. I'm grateful that you were willing to give your time and love to him. I think we'll get along just fine." Daniel wasn't sure just what else he could say to the girl. He understood loss.
The rest of the morning had been spent learning how to handle the harness and how to do daily care of the dog. A few of the other students had had pet dogs before, but it was completely new to Daniel. The trainers emphasized how important it was for the handler (the blind person) to have total care for the dog. The bond between the two must be as strong as possible. The handler's life could, and would, depend upon the devotion of the dog.
They spent a few days walking the pathways at the school and then they began going into the town for training on real streets, in markets, using buses, and other normal daily life experiences they would face.
By the end of two weeks, Daniel couldn't imagine life without Cole. It was hard for him to remember how he'd been able to negotiate the college campus alone.
Evenings were spent in the common room playing cards, Monopoly or Scrabble (Braille versions of each were in plentiful supply). More often, Daniel and Cole wandered around the campus on their own, practicing the skills they'd learned that day.
Daniel learned that Cole like to sit to his left and rest his head on Daniel's knee, as if to maintain constant contact. When he'd awaken each morning, Cole could be found sitting upright on the floor, resting his head on Daniel's pillow, silently awaiting his early morning walk with his master. Daniel also learned that he couldn't linger in the comfy warmth of his bed. Cole needed to be taken out first thing every morning.
The final weekend of the course was the "graduation" ceremony. Family and friends came up on Sunday and watched as the class put their dogs through their paces, demonstrating how the dogs and their handlers had become one working unit.
After the ceremony, the Hammonds pulled Daniel off to one side to spend some time before they left (Daniel would be staying three more days).
"Daniel, I don't think Ruby and I tell you enough just how proud we are of you. You've managed to accomplish things that very few sixteen-year-olds do, even with full sight." George stepped closer to hug Daniel, but found his was blocked when Cole moved between them, obviously protecting his master.
George grinned, "I can see that Cole and I will have to have a man-to-dog discussion about touching you Daniel. It looks like he's already bonded to you somewhat."
"Yeah. I never knew just how fast I could become attached to a dog. I'd always wanted one, but he's great." Daniel leaned down to rub Cole behind the ears. He then moved closer to George to let Cole know that George was safe.
Ruby interrupted, "We brought a surprise for you." She reached between Julie and Rachel and pulled Amy out. "Daniel, you need to let Cole know that it's okay and this person is a friend."
Daniel gave Cole the sit command and released the harness, letting the dog know that he wasn't on "official" duty for the moment.
"Hey, Jackson."
Daniel's heart jumped and he wondered how he could have missed her distinctive scent, even mixed in with all the other people around.
"Amy? What are you doing here?" Daniel reached out for the nearest red blur. Her parents almost always got her red clothes so they could find her quickly.
She stepped into his hug while George kept an eye on Cole. Cole just looked up at Daniel and thumped his tail against his master's leg a couple of times as if to remind him that he was there.
Amy reached up and kissed Daniel on the cheek. Both young people were too new to the change in their relationship to be comfortable in it yet. George and Ruby noticed the blush on Daniel's face and smiled knowingly at each other.
George cleared his throat noticeably. "Ah, excuse me kids, but we have to get back home now. Daniel, we'll see you on Wednesday when you're finished here, okay?"
"Sure. Thanks for coming. Cole." Daniel reached down for the dog's harness and Cole stood up, reach to work again. "Bye, guys. Amy, I'll see you Thursday when you come to our place for dinner."
Daniel stood and waited while his family left. Reaching down to scratch Cole behind the ears again, Daniel turned and headed toward his room, knowing that his life would be more independent and richer for the companion who trotted loyally by his side.