Chapter 6: The Night Before

Once we got back to our respective parents’ houses after graduation Madison and I quickly began plotting when we could visit each other. My schedule was largely dictated by whether the Paw Sox (My internship was with the Pawtucket Red Sox, not their more famous major league affiliate. Madison did not totally understand this difference and I was not above allowing her to think my internship was slightly more high profile than reality.) were at home or on the road. Interns basically weren’t allowed to miss game days, but when the team was on the road we worked half days and got the weekend off. I was able to get the ‘ok’ to miss one Friday when the team was away, giving me three and half days free to spend if Madison could visit. I texted her the dates and she sent back a flight reservation within the hour. She was as excited as I was.

I was living at my parents’ house in a well-to-do Boston suburb for the summer. Not ideal for the privacy I hoped I would need with Madison. My parents were not weird about barging in but I suspected Madison would be nervous about it. I knew some safe spots to do things in the back of my Jeep without the cops noticing that I had used in high school. I did not really want my first time with Madison to be in the back of a car though.

There were plenty of inexpensive hotels in the suburbs, including the one I had taken my date to after senior prom. That had some ironic potential to me, but just getting a hotel in a boring suburb seemed a bit classless. I was pretty sure Madison was interested in continuing down the road to being much more than friends, but there was some chance that what we had felt in the last week of college was just a mirage brought on by all the swirling emotions. My plan was to approach her visit as being friends first and seeing what naturally grew from that - so I did not want to plan a weekend without some legitimate entertainment, of which there was none in the suburbs.

A hotel in the city could have made more sense, there’s plenty to do in downtown Boston, but the prices were rough. I had some cash saved up from the part time job I had in college, but not a lot, and I was not making much as an intern. To my surprise, getting a room at a Bed and Breakfast on Nantucket was actually a viable option. I had spent a decent amount of time camping and vacationing on Nantucket during my youth and generally liked the place. This was before it became the high dollar tourist trap it is today - that was still Martha’s Vineyard - and last I had visited it maintained a quaint charm. It was early enough in the season it would most likely be too cold for the beaches, at least for swimming, hence the lower prices. Still, I knew the island well enough I was confident I could entertain Madison for the three days we would spend there.

I texted her about the idea and she readily agreed. She had never been to New England and was more than happy to go with my recommendations. I made the reservation for Friday through Sunday.

In some ways the next three weeks crawled by as I anticipated seeing Madison again, but they went faster than I expected. The Paw Sox were home for 15 of 21 days leading up to the Thursday Madison arrived. For us interns, that meant 11- or 12-hour days. Some of the interns had rented an apartment in Providence they shared but I wanted to save money so did the 45 minute commute home daily. I was beyond mentally exhausted. Our GM was a good guy so to my relief he gave the whole staff the Thursday when Madison was scheduled to arrive off. I slept in to catch up on my rest and eagerly awaited it being time for me to go pick her up from the airport.

Madison had gotten a flight into Manchester, New Hampshire rather than Boston’s Logan Airport. That actually made my life easier since hopping over the border into New Hampshire was simpler than driving into downtown Boston, particularly since we would be leaving at rush hour. Really though, I probably would have driven all the way to New York if that’s what it took to see Madison.

Her flight arrived mid-afternoon and I was sure to be waiting just outside the arrivals door with plenty of time to spare. I had not thought too hard about what Madison would wear, but when I saw her I felt like my eyes went wide. A short denim skirt, sun-warmed legs, a faded red Coke tee that hugged her in just the right way. It was casual, but also eye-catching, the epitome of Madison. Her hair was loose but glowed in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Her makeup was minimal, if she wore any at all. Madison was naturally pale, but the Dallas sun had brought out a soft glow in her skin, and there was a nervous excitement in the way she walked toward me, flip-flops slapping the tile. She gave me the most wonderful smile when we made eye contact. From that day forward, whenever I heard someone use the expression ‘college coed,’ that image of Madison came to mind.

I returned her smile and took a few steps toward her, arms spread. Madison accepted my implied offer and stepped into the hug, wrapping her arms around me. We stood like that, arms around each other, for longer than was probably appropriate. I bet we got some looks from other travelers, but I did not care at all. I leaned down and kissed Madison on the forehead. She looked up at me and smiled, then cocked her eyebrow. She didn’t want just a chaste kiss on the forehead. I brought one of my hands to the back of her neck and our lips locked in a sensuous kiss that left me tingling. I felt Madison tremble slightly herself. It seemed like the passion we had was undiminished despite the weeks apart.