Petey

Trevor does not immediately begin to search for Calvin. Trevor is cognizant of the fact that the history that Petey and Calvin share is a tragic and tumultuous one, and he wants to be absolutely certain he would be doing the right thing for Petey if he were to arrange for them to be reunited. Reporter Ann Turner visits the nursing home to meet Petey as background for her article and instantly becomes fond of him. Trevor thinks to himself “that’s how it always was when people met Petey” (209). Trevor stresses how much they need the funding, and Ann says Petey has a compelling and moving story. Petey shares in common with so many others the experience of having been institutionalized at a time when such a course of action was necessary but which, from a contemporary standpoint, was ultimately detrimental to the people it intended to help. Ann believes Petey’s experience will resonate with the public, and she hopes their wheelchair fund is able to benefit as a result.

Petey asks about Trevor’s search for Ike, and Trevor asks Petey if finding Calvin is truly what Petey wants. When Petey insists it is, Trevor calls Warm Springs State Hospital. The administrator refuses to divulge any information about Calvin’s current whereabouts, and Trevor hangs up in frustration. Next, Trevor calls the Special Olympics headquarters in Montana. He explains who he is and why he is trying to help reunite Petey and Calvin, stressing the intensity of their bond and their shared experience at Warm Springs. The administrator regrets that she cannot give Trevor any information directly, but she does help him find the answers he is looking for. She suggests Trevor begin calling group homes, particularly those in the Hamilton area. She provides the phone numbers for each of them, and Trevor manages to speak with a resident who confirms that Calvin Anders indeed lives there with her at a group home in Hamilton. When Trevor tells Sissy he found Calvin, she suggests Trevor call the social services director at Hamilton to be sure Calvin wants to reconnect with Petey before Trevor proceeds any further. When Calvin’s interest is confirmed, Trevor tells Petey the news. Trevor tells Petey it is important to him that Petey understand that there may be unforeseen consequences to their meeting again after all their time apart, but Trevor will do whatever Petey wants to do. Petey confirms he absolutely wants to see Calvin. 

Making contact with Boyd Hanson, a volunteer who works closely with Calvin, Trevor arranges for Petey and Calvin to see each other in three weeks’ time when Boyd will be making the trip to see friends in Bozeman. For those several weeks, Trevor and Petey are both preoccupied with the various scenarios that could play out as a result of the meeting. Trevor decides not to tell Owen they are reconnecting with Calvin; he wants it to be a surprise when they bring Calvin to visit him.

In keeping with his commitment to taking Petey on as many adventures as possible, Trevor asks Petey if he would like to see a movie. Still a big fan of Westerns, Petey wants to see Return from Snowy River. At the ticket booth, Trevor recognizes the girl behind the glass partition as a peer from school. When she stares openly at Petey, it frustrates Trevor. Trevor snaps at her, asking if she needs confirmation he is old enough to be eligible for a senior movie ticket. Obviously shaken, she passes the tickets to them, and Trevor gets Petey settled in an aisle seat inside the theater. Leaving Petey for a moment, Trevor goes to apologize, realizing she was probably just as frightened of Petey as he had been when he first met him. Trevor apologizes for being short and with her and explains he is protective of Petey. She says she deserved that response to her reaction. She asks about Petey’s condition and asks if she can meet him after the show. She says her name is Shawna. During the movie, Petey cries out at particularly intense moments, catching the attention and stares of the other moviegoers. Trevor is unphased and unconcerned about what others think of either of them “That night, Trevor realized he quit being embarrassed around Petey” (226). After the movie is finished, Trevor introduces Petey and Shawna. Shawna mentions she sees them out walking and asks if she can join them some time, providing Trevor with her name and number and insisting that he call her. 

During their weekend visit with Calvin and Boyd, Trevor plans to take the group on a Saturday hike to Palisade Falls, which has a paved trail accessible for wheelchairs. On Sunday, they will visit with Owen. When Trevor arrives at the nursing home on Saturday morning, Sissy regrettably informs him she cannot come on their hike. Two aides have called in sick, so she must remain at the nursing home to work. Trevor protests that he is going to need help, and Petey suggests they call Shawna. She agrees to come along with them. When Shawna arrives, she, Petey, and Trevor sit together outside the nursing home to await Calvin’s arrival. When Boyd pulls up in a station wagon with Calvin inside, they all wait for Calvin, who is committed to his self-sufficiency, to get himself out of the car. When Calvin emerges, he wheels toward Petey as quickly as he can. They call out to each other, Calvin rushing to embrace Petey by draping himself over his friend, putting his arms around him. Calvin admits he thought Petey was dead. Calvin asks if Petey remembers this, and then makes the “ke, ke, ke” sounds and gestures they used to make to imitate the gunfire in their gun battles back on Ward 18 (233). Petey returns fire with his voice. After the flurry of excitement, the two men simply sit beside each other for a few minutes, Calvin’s arm over Petey as they look intently at one another, rekindling their remarkable bond after more than a decade.