Henry “One-Eyed” Hyde

From the ceiling of Henry Hyde’s room, model airplanes hung in all sorts of ways — landing, taking off, diving, upside down. The little boy had built all of them. To fly was his life’s dream, but sadly, it would never be: Only one of his eyes provided vision. Even his parents did not have the heart to tell the youngster that he could never become an airplane pilot.

One day, Mr. Hyde took Henry to see his friend, Horatio “High-Flying” Hunter, who owned an airplane that was originally designed to train pilots. Henry exclaimed, “Dad says you’ve got a Piper Cub.” Then he reached into his father’s car and brought out a model. It was a bright yellow Cub — perfect in every detail. A tiny pilot at the controls wore a cap that read HENRY. Holding it, Mr. Hunter gasped, “Wow — She’s a beauty! When I was a child, I built many models, but none were as perfect as this one. Let’s go take a look at my Cub.”

Upon seeing it, Henry was so excited. His dad helped him into the front seat and buckled the safety belt. “All set?” Horatio asked. Henry gave him a thumbs-up, and off they flew. As they made a low pass over the airstrip, Henry leaned out into the propeller blast, gleefully waving and yelling at his father. After that trip, Henry often flew with Horatio, and except for landings and takeoffs, the youngster could soon fly the aircraft without any help.

Then, one day, Mr. Hyde called Horatio and said his son was sobbing when he came home from school. A boy who knew how much Henry loved airplanes called him “Henry ‘One-Eyed’ Hyde” and told him that pilots must have excellent vision out of two eyes. One of the hardest things Henry’s father ever had to do was verify that the boy’s cruel remark was true.

Years later, Horatio saw a sign in front of a medical clinic that read: Henry Hyde, M.D. Curious to know if he was the same little boy who flew with him so often, he stopped and walked inside. When the secretary gave his name to the doctor, an office door flew open, and Henry, all dressed in a doctor’s uniform with a stethoscope around his neck, hugged the old pilot and led him back to his office. There on his desk was the model Piper Cub.

“Just looking at that beautiful little airplane brings back happy memories,” Henry said. “I still love airplanes, but I realized that feeling sorry for myself would get me nowhere and that I must move forward despite my handicap.” Henry put his arms around Mr. Hunt and said: “Thank you, sir, for all those wonderful memories, and thanks for helping me realize that, like everyone else, I had only one choice in life: I had to play the hand that fate dealt me. And guess what? Now I just laugh if somebody calls me that cruel name: Henry ‘One-Eyed’ Hyde.

NOTE: Jimmy Reed is a retired college professor and author of several books. This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME. Each story in the book maximizes the use of an alphabetical letter, enhanced by alliteration and assonance. The book is available on Amazon, or can be purchased directly from the author. His email address is jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com.

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