Now the special English program American Stories. Our story today isHard Rock Maple. It is about two people living in New England. Theyseemed like the hard rock maple trees, often found in that area.
Nothing can make them move. Today's story was written by Fredric C.
Heali. Here is Shep O'Neal with our story.
Old man Cowben worked in a wheat mill, not far from his house.
Cowben's wife had died many years before. Now he lived with his sonAverite. Father and son were happy living together in the old familyhouse. They liked eating together and talking about what had happenedduring the day. After eating, they would sit in the living room andread. Their life together was warm and pleasant.
But one night, after supper, Cowben and Averite said short things toeach other. Averite quickly walked out of the room, he said no more tohis father that night. The next morning, the old man awoke early andcooked his own breakfast; usually he would cook for his son, too. Butthis morning, the father went to work without even talking to his son.
Averite got out of the bed when he heard the door closed. He made hisown breakfast for the first time in many years. He was still angrywith his father. The old man came home after a long day of work at themill. Averite returned from the store two hours later, neither mantalked to the other. They were still angry, and this night they didnot even eat together.
Many days and nights passed in the same way. Father and son did nottalk, or even look at each other. They still lived under the sameroof, but they acted like two strangers. After eating, Cowben sat inhis chair and read a newspaper, Averite sat across the room in anotherchair reading a book. Sometimes while reading, Averite would slowlylook up toward his father, he wondered what kind of a person hisfather really was. He knew that he was a good worker and that he washonest, but his father did not seem friendly with anyone. He seemed tohave no emotions. Averite could not remember ever seeing his fatherkiss his mother, the son wondered "What kind of a man is he really?"Many more days and nights passed with father and son saying nothing toeach other. Days became months, but the heavy silence between the twomen continued. They still lived in the same old house, but they didnot talk.
One Sunday morning, Averite looked out of the window and saw that theground was covered with snow. Someone would have to clean the snow offthe sidewalk, either him or his father. If Averite offered to cleanthe sidewalk, his father might think he was trying to be friendly. Hedid not want his father to think so, he was still angry with him. Butif Averite did not do the work, his father might think that he wasbeing too cruel. Averite did not want him to think that, either. Whilehe was deciding what to do, Averite heard a noise outside. He lookedout of the window again, he saw his father cleaning the snow off thesidewalk. The old man had been one step ahead of his son. Father hadmade the decision. More weeks passed, and father and son still did nottalk to each other.
Then one day, Averite saw that his chair in the living room wasgetting old. The seat was broken. It needed to be fixed. Averiteremembered that this old maple wood chair had been in the house formany years, it had been there even before Averite was born. "It isstill a good chair", he thought to himself, "I will not throw it away,I will have it fixed". Averite called his friend Alfred on thetelephone. Alfred worked in a store where he fixed old tables andchairs. Averite asked him please to come to the house to look at hisold broken chair. The old man was home when Alfred came to the house.
"Hello, Alfred, I have not seen you for years. Not since you were alittle boy". Averite was in the kitchen while the two men weretalking. He was surprised to hear his father's voice; he had not heardCowben talk for almost five years. Averite thought to himself, "so myfather will talk to other people", this made him angrier. "I willnever talk to him now", Averite said.
Eight more years passed, Cowben, the father, and Averite, the son,still had nothing to say to each other. The days and nights were stillthe same. The two men ate alone then they sat in the living room andread. Cowben was getting very old.
One day, he stopped working, then he was home all the time. One night,Averite looked at his father for the first time in weeks. Fatherlooked tired and lonely. The old man's hair had become completelywhite just like snow. The son felt sorry for his father. He said tohimself, "We are together, even though we do not talk. I am lucky tohave someone here with me. It would be terribly lonely without him."And then another winter came, the cold wind blew and the ground againwas covered with snow. Inside the old house, father lay sick. He wasvery old now and it did not seem he would live much longer. Averitedrove his father to the hospital in town. A young doctor took him to aprivate room. Averited waited outside in the hall. A few minuteslater, the doctor came out and said "You can see your father now". Thedoctor and Averite walked into Cowben's room. The son went in and sawthe old man asleep. Cowben looked very tired. Averite sat down in achair next to the bed and waited. After a time, Cowben moved a little,but he did not open his eyes. Averite wondered if he would ever seehis father's eyes again. Then the doctor came back, he told Averitethat he knew that he and his father had said nothing to each other fortwenty years. "That is our personal business." Averite said. Then thedoctor told him how sick his father was. "He might die soon," said thedoctor, "you should talk to him now, it will be your last chance."Suddenly the old man opened his eyes, he looked around the room, helooked at the young doctor, and he looked at his son. He smiled weaklyat Averite, and Averite smiled back at the sick old man. Then Cowbenopened his mouth and tried to talk. Averite quickly put his hand overhis father's mouth. He did not want to hear Cowben's voice even thoughthis was the last chance. The old man did not try to talk anymore. Hiseyes closed again and he was asleep for a long time. The doctor said,"He will not awake again, he is dead".
Averite moved from his chair and got his hat and coat. He walked tothe door and then turned to the bed. He wanted to look at his fatherfor the last time. The doctor said with anger, "He wanted to saysomething to you before he died. Why did you stop him?" Averiteanswered, "It was my father who first made the decision that we shouldnot talk. He was the one who felt we had nothing further to say toeach other. I did not want to hear him say he was sorry. I did notwant him to ever think he was wrong". Then Averite walked out of thehospital. He drove home very slowly. When he entered the old quiethouse, everything seemed strange. He said to himself "This will be alonely house now".
You have just heard the American story Hard Rock Maple. It was writtenby Fredric C. Heali. It was published in Yankee Magazine in June 1966.
Your narrator was Shep O'Neal. The Voice of America invites you tolisten next week at the same time for another American story inSpecial English. This is Susan Clark. |