Читать книгу Against the Wind - Jim Tilley - Страница 12

It was to be a special evening and she had to leave school early to get ready. Lynn told Jules to catch a ride home from school with a friend. When Jules gets home, he finds her primping herself, getting her lashes and eyebrows perfect. In the morning she seldom does more than pull on a clean skirt and blouse and run a brush through her hair before driving to school. She’s out of practice, she says—hasn’t been out on a real date since they left Montreal. Maybe one, he says. The dinner with Ralph. Jules is happy that tonight won’t be a date of any kind, not with him hanging around and Dieter driving in from Montreal.

“Mum, I hardly ever see you in a dress. Trying to impress Ralph again?”

“He and Dieter are coming straight from work. They’ll be in suits.”

“Just so you know, I’m not dressing up. They’re not my guests.” He leaves her to her finishing touches and heads to his studio.

“Hey wait. How about changing into a nice pair of slacks? I’m not asking you to put on a sports jacket.”

Jules turns and crosses his arms over his chest to make it clear he has no intention of complying. “You won’t ever catch me in anything like that.”

“You’ll wear a tux to your prom, won’t you?”

“If I go.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

“Will you go with a boy or a girl?”

“What kind of question is that? I’ll probably go alone. If I go— I don’t want to talk about it.”

He enters the studio, but his mother won’t let the matter drop. “In my day, if you went by yourself it meant you couldn’t get a date.”

“Today’s different. And there’s a girl I’m interested in. Maybe her. Didn’t you hear me— I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to get all prickly.”

He knows what she’s thinking. They talk about it all the time. Too much. Is it his job to help her through this or the other way around? He knows that she feels he’s sometimes more than she can handle, the transgender dimension of his life magnifying the usual teenage issues, she says. It’s at times like this he knows she’s most angry with his Dad for forcing her to raise him by herself. Jules has heard her grumble about it, Jean-Pierre leaving all the difficult situations to her then waltzing in from Montreal for his every-other-weekend time with his adolescent child. Jules puts down his backpack and returns to the kitchen. “You didn’t answer my question about Ralph.”

“We were childhood friends.”

“It must have been more than that.”

“We went to the senior prom together and then to McGill. It got complicated when I met your dad.”

“Is that when you dumped Ralph?”

“It didn’t happen that way. We sort of grew apart as I started seeing your father more.”

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

His mother hesitates. “I wouldn’t have called him unless I needed his help. I think he can advise us on filing a lawsuit against the wind farms.”

“That’s not all. You had a big smile on your face when you came back from dinner.” She smiles. This time he can’t tell what she’s thinking.

“What did you tell him about me?”

“That you’re my grandson and you’re building wind turbines for your science fair project and you want to be an engineer.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all— As you said, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, but one more thing. Were you and Dieter ever together?”

“God, you’re full of questions tonight— ” She hesitates again. “ —No. We were merely friends\. He was interested in me, but I wasn’t interested in him.”

He can see there’s way more to it than that. Another of those situations when the truth is too complicated. She tells him that all the time. Especially when he wants to talk about his father and why they can’t get back together as a family. “That must have made him jealous of Ralph.”

“They didn’t get along in high school.”

“What about now?”

“I guess we’ll find out. Go change your clothes while I finish preparing dinner.”

There isn’t much left to prepare. She’s spent the last two evenings concocting a fine French offering—pistou, a vegetable stew, perfect, she says, in case Dieter is vegetarian, and tourtière, Montreal-style, a meat pie. Jules helped her with the tourtière by grinding the pork and adding cinnamon and cloves. There is Boursin and pepper crackers to start and her famous mille feuilles for dessert. The meal that is his father’s favorite. It’s not lost on him that she’s making a play for Ralph.

In dress slacks and dress shirt, his hair combed and parted as if he’s going for a college interview—he decided that his mother was right (though he certainly won’t tell her that) and he wants to make a favorable first impression—Jules greets Dieter at the door, takes his bottle of wine and calls out to his mother before realizing he hasn’t introduced himself properly. He shakes Dieter’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Dr. Graber. I’m Jules, Lynn’s grandson.”

“My pleasure, Jules. I’ve heard we have a common interest.”

“You’re working on a science fair project about wind energy, too?” Jules waits for the polite laugh from Dieter that doesn’t come.

“Oh yes—offshore turbines, floating platforms.”

Lynn appears and takes the bottle of wine from Jules. “Marvelous. Nuits-Saint-Georges, my favorite white.”

“As you requested.”

“Jules, why don’t you show Dieter your project while we wait for Ralph?”

In the studio, Dieter runs his hand along the edge of the thick plywood tabletop screwed into sawhorses placed every meter along the back wall of the room, a work area Jules reinforced solidly to support the weight of the large fish tank filled with water.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“I did.”

“Where did you get that tank?”

“From our school. They renovated the biology lab and replaced the aquarium.”

“How did you get it here?”

“In my friend’s father’s pickup truck. It took all three of us to carry it. Empty.”

“Is that clay on the bottom?”

“Yes— I couldn’t anchor anything in sand and gravel.”

“Why didn’t you use Plasticine?”

“That would’ve cost money. Besides, clay is more realistic. A local farmer allowed me to dig on his property.” From a pile at the side of the tank, Jules takes a handful of soil. Closing his other hand over it, he massages it into a ball. “See— It clumps easily.”

“Clever— It looks as if you’ve set up the tank for wave tests.”

“That’s the plan. But the aquarium’s narrow. If I’m not careful, I cause reflections from the sides.”

“It looks entirely effective for a homemade wave tank. But better for simulating ocean waves than what you’d find on Lake Ontario.”

Dieter continues asking questions as if he’s a judge at the science fair.

“How many pylons will you need to anchor each turbine?”

“I’ve been thinking of three. With a level lake bottom, windless surface conditions, and no current, the turbine would essentially float at the center of an equilateral triangle with the pylons at the vertices.” Jules, listening to himself, realizing that this is turning into a trial run for the science fair, is pleased with how academic-sounding his answers are.

“Have you considered configurations of more than three?”

“I’m testing a cluster of six turbines arranged in a hexagon within a cluster of six pylons arranged in a larger hexagon rotated sixty degrees, allowing me to replicate the triangular structure after I add a central pylon.”

“Economical,” said Dieter.

“That’s the point,” said Jules. “Each of the outer pylons will tether two turbines and the central pylon will tether all six turbines. Seven pylons in all for six turbines. The turbines will be linked to each other to maintain an approximate hexagonal configuration depending on the force of the waves. Let me show you.” Jules takes a piece of paper and sketches a diagram that looks like a six-pointed Sheriff’s badge.

“I don’t think anyone has considered that configuration,” said Dieter. “I wonder if the requirement that the turbines be spaced sufficiently far apart to operate efficiently will frustrate the design.”

“I hope not. Trouble is, my tank is way too narrow to test it properly.”

Lynn joins them in the studio. “Dinner’s ready. I wonder what’s holding up Ralph.”

“Probably traveling around the county scouting out the wind farm sites. That would be like him. Maybe we should go ahead without him.”

“What do you think of Jules’ project?”

“Amazing. He’s studying many of the same types of effect we test in our commercial facility. Do you mind if we spend a little more time together?”

“Not at all. I’ll finish up in the kitchen.”

Turning back to Jules, Dieter asks, “What kind of topside turbine are you going to exhibit?”

“Eggbeater.”

“Vertical or horizontal axis?”

“Both, but I’m leaning toward horizontal— Lower center of gravity, more stable.”

“True, but wind speed tends to be higher the higher above the surface of the water you go. And steadier too.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Vertical-axis turbines can be located closer together. That might render your six-cluster structure feasible.”

“I guess I’ll have to consider them more seriously.”

“Do you have a prototype of the eggbeater?”

“At school. My physics teacher asked to see it.”

Both of them standing side by side looking at the tank, Dieter puts his hand on Jules’ shoulder. “This is great work. I wonder if you’d like to visit our research center in Germany. Best in the world.”

“Are you kidding! Germany? That’d be awesome— But I don’t think my mother would go for it.”

“Why not?”

“We watch our expenses carefully— And I have school.”

“I don’t mean right away. How about your summer break? We have an internship program and a few scholarships.”

“How would I apply?”

“I can have the forms sent to you. The scholarship would cover your travel and living expenses.”

“Do all the interns plan to study engineering?”

“Most will be college students already enrolled in engineering programs. I hear you’re thinking of University of Toronto.”

“McGill too. I’m going there this weekend.”

“I was an undergrad at Toronto and a grad student at McGill. They’re both great schools.”

“I’ve read that McGill is better for mechanical engineering.”

“It’s a toss-up. Have you visited Toronto yet?”

“After the science fair.”

“I can help arrange your visit— I still know many of the professors.”

“That’d be fantastic.”

“Let’s ask your mother about a summer stay in Germany before you start college. The monthlong program starts sometime after mid-July. You’d probably want to arrive a week early. Would that fit with your plans?”

“We have no plans yet for the summer.”

Lynn is setting out the cheese and crackers in the living room. Through the picture window she sees Ralph pull into the driveway and opens the door to welcome him. Dieter and Jules follow.

“That’s special—a welcoming party!” says Ralph as he gets out of the car. “You make a nice family.” He hands Lynn a bottle of wine.

Ignoring Ralph’s comment, she says, “I was beginning to wonder whether you got lost in the wilds of Prince Edward County.”

“Out there enjoying the countryside.”

“Dieter thought we should go ahead without you.”

“Typical,” says Ralph. “I guess nothing’s changed.”

Lynn gives Ralph a pained look. Jules recognizes it as the one she uses on him when she wants him to shut up. “Jules, this is Mr. Mackenzie, an old school friend.”

“You’ve already told me all about him, Mum.”

“Only good things I hope,” says Ralph.

“Mostly,” Lynn says, laughing. “Jules has been showing Dieter his science fair project. Maybe he can give you a quick tour.”

Jules waits until his mother returns from the kitchen, three empty wine glasses in one hand and an opened bottle of wine in the other, before springing the question. “Dr. Graber has invited me to Germany for a one-month summer internship at his company’s research center. Can I go?”

Ralph winces. Lynn juggles the wine glasses. “Dieter, do you usually take on high school students?”

“Generally college students. Engineering majors. But every year we admit a few incoming freshmen.”

“It’s a generous offer, but I don’t think we can afford it on my teacher’s salary.”

“Dr. Graber’s company can provide a scholarship.”

“Without his having to apply?”

“He’d have to apply, but I can see from what he’s accomplished on his project that he’s already doing work as advanced as many of our recent interns.”

“That’s kind, but Jules doesn’t speak a word of German.”

“Everybody at our company speaks English. It’s a requirement for employment. He’ll quickly pick up the essential German.”

“Jules, we’ll talk about it later. Why don’t you show Ralph your project and tell him about school while Dieter and I set the table?”

He doesn’t want to demonstrate his project again. He’s not some talking head with a rewind button. He’d prefer to ask Ralph whether there’s something between him and his mother and why he doesn’t get along with Dieter. But he’s also interested in surviving the night intact. Fortunately, there’s little opportunity to pursue his questions, even obliquely. Ralph has hardly begun to survey Jules’ project when Dieter calls everyone to the table. Jules excuses himself after the pistou, leaving the adults to discuss the boring politics of wind farms. He’s more interested in anchoring his pylons.