Dream of a boy
Is a sunny day of June when a lovely red car parked on the street, then a tall man from the back of this car called Neil: “Hey boy, come here and hug to your uncle John”.
Neil was surprised, he had never seen such a marvelous car, his eyes shown his enormous happiness. John said: “I don’t know why you are so surprised, I told you that I would travel to see you, I have told you the truth”. Neil ran and they hugged each other.
Uncle John was a man 45 years old, he was an important journalist in New York Times. He had a strong personality because he worked very hard in his life, as well as being intelligent, he was also very hard working. He had a solitary life because he was single, but he enjoyed the advantages of being single. He was happy making his nephew Neil laugh maybe he remembered his sad years of childhood when he worked very hard in a factory to help his mother Caroline and his baby sister Carrie, in this time his father was alcoholic, fortunately these bad days in the Hamilton family had finished. It was year 1900 when Caroline had a bad fall and John Armstrong was obliged to be the head of the family for first time in his life. Since then, John's father was a selfless father and husband, he worked very hard along time until that he died of natural causes, but for this moment he achieved what he had set out to do, he had give to his two children a good education Carrie and John Jr, Carrie was a nurse in Mercy Hospital and she was married with Michael Armstrong, and profesional soldier, lieutenant general, and John Jr was finishing his studies in Alabama University.
Now, Carrie was a happy wife, she loved her life like wide-house and nurse, but her biggest happiness was her little son Neil. Neil was ginger, he had very expressive eyes, he had a lot of freckles, he was normally dressed with shorts and shirts of different kind of colors even always he was with same jockey of Yankees his favorite American football player. Even though Neil was a child cheerful, playful, naughty and very absent-minded boy....the appearances can be deceptive because he was very intelligent. He was the kind of boys that never payed attention in class but that always had good qualifications, he didn't need to listen twice the same thing.
In this sunny day of July Neil was happy, he had waited for this visit a long time, uncle John was his favorite uncle, he always had a gift for him. Fortunately, this is not an expection.
John Jr had prepared an big surprise for tiny Neil: He had a big box in the car’ trunk. “Come boy!, you help me to carry your gift into the house”-said John. Neil who until then had been marvellous looking the blue wrapping paper of this box, he reacted and he ran to help his uncle John. Neil was walking in the house, he only could think on what the box contained. As soon as they arrived to the house, tiny Neil rushed towards the gift and he ripped the paper of his gift. There, between some papers and one book it was a strange metal machine. What is it? - said Neil, very worried, this gift it wasn’t like other gifts, he used to give him glove or balls of baseball, but...What is it? - returned to said Neil.
With her soft voice Carrie said: “Brother, you are spoiling this boy!”. So she said to her son: “Dear, uncle John gave you a telescope”
The face’ Neil shown a doubt expression. Then, Neil said John: “Uncle John, I thanked you for the present, but What is a telescope?” Uncle John smiled also he was sitting in the old brown armchair.
A telescope, dear Neil it’s a splendid instrument, you can see all the sky, you can learn so much about the universe- said uncle John.
Now the face’Neil shown an astonishment expression.
Since this moment until the end of his life Neil would feel a big necessity to know more and more about the universe, and this gift of uncle John would mark his existence.
When it began to nightfall, tiny Neil was in his bed playing with the telescope, he had to read all the catalog and he was ready to see the sky when his mother came into the room.
Are you ready for the first lesson?- said Carrie to her little son.
Yes mommy!- he said anxious.
So Caroline continued: “Well, you put the telescope in the window in direction of the sky and you can see the stars, You look this is a shooting star!”
Besides Neil was looking through the telescope, his eyes were more and more astonished; this was a new world for him. This night he couldn’t sleep, he was anxious because he would want to show his new toy to his friend Arnold.
Next day and all the next days for the rest of his life, Neil would have a very special connection with this toy, because with this instrument he would find many of the answers to his questions about the universe.
In his elementary school Neil was a prominent pupil, he was recognized for his scientific projects, his projects were always about space. Once, he won first prize in a Scientific Fair in his town. His mother Carrie was very proud and she decided to enrol her son in a Technical College school of Washington
Who some time was a child: cheerful and playful, now he was a man, a man with an analytical mind, with a large number of experiences and knowledges, but the most important: a big love for the Universe.
Uncle John never thought that this gift would mark the future of his nephew, of the scientific world and technological, but also this gift would change the future of all human beings.
In 1968, Neil was working in Cape Canaveral , Florida
This morning his son John received a telephone call.
Daddyyyy! – he called to his father Neil meanwhile he was running to the phone.
Some minutes later, Neil was reunited with his family in the big living room. He was explaining their that the President of the United States
This mission was the dream of his life, he would be to sent to the space in a rocket, he could see very near all the stars: Perseo, Pegaso, Orion ... He was very enthusiastic and he was plenty of happiness, he never thought in fail. He always had hope about this project.
What happened this day on 21 of July 1969, it was the most important event in the life of this tiny boy of Kentucky
By Gladys Pérez
