Chapter 28: Mary

On Monday, there was a notice in our mailbox. We were to report to the Dean's Office ASAP. Right after lunch, Anne and I went to the office to see what was up. She wore a white man's shirt and her khaki skirt. I wore a long wool skirt and a western shirt with a scarf.

We sat in the waiting area. A girl came out of the office. She was wearing sneakers, jeans and a kind of ragged tee-shirt. Hair cut crazy; hadn't been washed, at least not today. She didn't look happy, but that may have been her natural expression.

We waited a while, then a woman came out.

"Anne Stilwell, Mary Travis?"

We went in and took the seats she indicated. She sat behind her desk.

"I'm Magdeline Hubert, Dean of Women. I'll come right to the point.

"University rules prohibit noisy gatherings and disorderly behavior in the dormitories. I have had a complaint of noisy, late-night parties in your dorm. One complaint has mentioned your room as a place where parties are held each weekend. What can you tell me about this?"

Anne looked at me. "You start," I said.

She said, "We have heard fairly loud parties on Friday and Saturday nights for the past several weeks, Ms. Hubert. We haven't paid any real attention; they haven't really bothered us."

Ms. Hubert looked at me. "Is that correct? Have either of you attended these parties?"

"Anne is my friend as well as my roommate, ma'am. She doesn't lie. There have been noisy parties for some time. I've assumed they are natural and common. And, no ma'am, neither of us has gone to them, although we have been invited."

"Sorry, both of you. I don't mean to sound abrasive or critical." She sat back in her chair. "Can you tell me who invited you?"

"The first time, we were invited by someone on our floor, the third floor. I think her name is Louise, but I don't know her last name or what room she's in."

Anne said, "Usually, we get asked to join the party when we come back from supper. There is usually someone at the stairway door who suggests we join them. I don't know their names. The party is always on the second floor. Seems to be in several rooms, but I don't know anything more than that."

"Have you had any parties?"

I said, "Exactly what do you call a party, Ms. Hubert?"

"For the purposes of this discussion, a party is a gathering of maybe four people or more who are playing loud music, talking loudly and consuming alcoholic beverages."

Anne grinned, "I'm not trying to be sarcastic, Ms. Hubert, but would an ice cream social be considered a party for this discussion?"

The Dean smiled. "This does seem a little intrusive, I know. And I suppose an ice cream social would qualify, at least on numbers. The problem is that these particular parties have been bothering people considerably and there have been some complaints of a fairly serious nature."