Chapter 5

By the weekend of the prom, nearly every person in our town had either heard about or actually seen the photo of Caitlin in the newspaper. Most people were content to be happy and pleased with the photo. To others, a bigger question arose as to just who was this girl, just transferred from another country, and how did she manage to get her picture in an advertisement that was in newspapers across half the country. But all could agree that who ever she was, she had managed to bring some very favorable publicity to their community.

Because I had no idea what the after prom plans were, I opted to get a motel room for the weekend rather than disturbing my family by coming and going in the middle of the night. I pulled into town about noon and, after checking into the motel, went to my parents house for lunch. I barely had stepped clear of my car when Hanna seemed to fly across the lawn and into my arms. She kissed me as passionately as she ever had, pressed her breasts into my chest as best she could and told me that I was still the number one person in her heart.

"Is this going to be a problem for us, Hanna, my escorting Caitlin to the prom?"

"No, Erik. Not at all. I can't go anyway, because I'm a junior and so is my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend? Nobody told me."

"And that's the second reason why it won't be a problem. But we can talk about that later."

We moved towards the house and my parents met me at the door. Sitting around the kitchen table eating our lunch, Mom slid the newspaper ad across the table towards me. "You're girlfriend has caused quite a stir in this town. She certainly is beautiful in that picture. How did all this happen?"

Mom was obviously primed to hear the whole scoop from me, but I had to be honest. "Mother, I honestly have no idea. One of the guys in the room across the hall came in our room one Sunday and tossed that paper to me. That's the first I knew of it."

"Well, it's the first nice thing anyone has written about this town in years, I think, and everyone I have spoken to about it is delighted. Of course, when I tell them that you are going to be her escort, well then they are just sure I know everything there is to know. And if your usually know-it-all sister over there knows anything, she's not saying a word either."

Hanna just smiled, but said nothing.

Later, when we were alone again she asked, "Can I offer you some advice for a change?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"When you go to pick her up, and see her in the dress for the first time, pretend that you have never seen it before. I think it's really important that you are surprised and amazed at how she looks. I have seen her in it once, when I was over at her house, and I am just so proud that it is you that will be with her. I'm not jealous of her anymore, and she really is very beautiful."

I couldn't think of anything to say in response, so I took her in my arms and kissed her. And when I asked, she told me all about her boyfriend.

"He's not as good a lover as you, but I'm teaching him, and he is learning."

I just laughed and shook my head.

I had arranged for a chauffeured limousine for the evening figuring that it would just add a little more pizazz to an already hyper evening. I had no idea how correct that notion was. Caitlin's parents lived in what is called a "gated community", that is a number of houses surrounded, usually by some type of decorative fence or wall, with a guard at the gate on the only road into it. It's fancy, I guess, and does allow them to feel a sense of privacy and security. As I headed to her house in the limo, I saw that a police car was in the street in front of the gate, and that there were a number of people standing on the road side. The limo passed through the gate without stopping, which I thought was a bit strange until we arrived at Caitlin's house. Parked directly across from her front door was one of the mobile television trucks from the local station. I suddenly had a totally different realization about this evening's events.

As the limo pulled into the drive, a man with a camera stepped out from the front door and prepared to photograph me "arriving for my date." Once he was satisfied with the sequence of snaps, I moved to the front door.

As I passed him, he said to me quietly, "She will meet you on the front steps. You will not need to go inside."

Three steps later, the front door opened and an angel appeared, or at least I thought it was an angel. I have seen many very cute girls, a goodly number of beautiful girls, and hundreds of photographs of models in magazines, but on this night, at that very moment, there was no girl in this world more beautiful than was Caitlin McDermott. I stood there, dumbfounded. I had no idea what to do or say.

Finally, I heard the photographer asking me to please move a few steps to my right so that the tv guys across the street can get a clear shot.

"Do you like it?" I heard her ask, quietly.

Trying to stay composed and in control of my emotions, I managed to answer, "Yes, Caitlin, I like it a lot. Saying you are beautiful tonight does not begin to do you justice."

About then her mom and dad appeared behind her. We chatted briefly, I shook her father's hand, and then I escorted her to the limo, knowing full well that the television camera was tracking our every move. How could one dress cause such a commotion, I wondered.

As if fore warned, as we arrived at the country club where the prom was being held, lights from a television truck turned on and I could see the entrance lined with people standing, watching their children arriving. As I assisted Caitlin from the limo, people began to applaud. It surprised me. I didn't expect it, nor do I think did Caitlin, but she reacted more quickly than I and just encouraged me to hurry into the building. When we entered the ball room, it was much the same thing. The others in her class all stopped and began applauding. It continued for several minutes until a few of her friends approached. The girls hugged each other and said whatever girls say to each other at such times and then the prom returned to more or less normal again.

During one of the intermissions, the school principal called Caitlin to the microphone, with the introduction that she was the girl that had single handedly put the high school on the map, at least for this year. Caitlin looked at me, asking what she should do, and I told her just go up and acknowledge all the commotion you caused.