Chapter 30: New Horizons

Suzanne seemed uninterested in what time I got home the night before. I wondered if Mr. Oldham had a talk with her or if she was resigned to my carrying on with Alice at all hours of the night. We had an early lunch and they retired to Mr. Oldham's study, presumably to get some work done.

I went for a walk, thinking I would try once more to see if Cindy was outside. But as I passed the park I saw Ned working on a flower bed. He was on his hands and knees in the center of a large circular bed, planting some kind of flowers. He looked uncomfortable, like his 'old football injury, ' was acting up.

"I've not been able to find another hard working landscaper since you chased Pinky off," he said when I approached.

While I knew he was kidding, I felt responsible for Pinky leaving. "Need some help?"

"Bring that bag of fertilizer up here," he said. He was working on the highest tier of the bed. I picked up the bag and delivered it to him. And that's how I got my job as assistant gardener. He gave the orders and I did everything he told me to do. Soon we had the highest tier planted and began working on the second tier. Tulips and daffodils were already in bloom around the lowest tier. We stood back and admired our work, an array of colors, a mixture of freshly planted annuals surrounded by perennials.

Ned was a tough taskmaster. He put me to work edging the brick walks around the flowerbed and carting the debris away. After that was done he showed me where the equipment was stored in a shed behind the cottages. It was so well camouflaged with shrubbery that I had never noticed it before. Ned produced a small tractor, filled it with gas and told me to hop on. I loved driving the riding mower, from one end of the park to the other, around the tennis courts and back to the cottages. It took over two hours to mow the grass in the park. Ned told me to take a quick shower and we would stop for something to eat on the way to school.

I said goodbye to Mr. Oldham and Suzanne, still evading the subject of Alice leaving. I didn't want to give Suzanne the satisfaction of knowing she had won. While I knew she had my best interest at heart I thought she was being over protective. She didn't know how much Alice meant to me. She didn't know the heartache I felt over losing her. They both told me to have a good week at school.

Ned must have known that something was bothering me. We were only on the road a few minutes when he had me telling him that Alice was going back to school.

"I told you the old man would get to her," he said.

"He must have been persuasive. She's excited about going."

"He's a trial lawyer. He convinces criminals they are innocent," Ned said in justification for Alice giving in to her father's suggestion that she return to school.

I couldn't picture Alice in a courtroom, defending a bank robber or a murderer. "I hope she's not making a mistake."

"She will be fine. Her father will make sure of it. He struck out when Tom and Josie had no interest in law. Alice is his last chance to leave his practice to one of his offspring. He'll see to it that she does well."

We changed the subject, talked about how nice the park looked and then about the upcoming game with Dearborn. I allowed that there would be a battle at midfield if we heard their band play Waltzing Matilda.

Dale began chewing me out for dancing with Suzanne as soon as he saw me. But the other guys stopped him, saying there was no rule about whom a cadet could dance with. He had to admit they were right. But at formation a memo was read, limiting dancing to cadets and female students. Henceforth, parents and invited guests would be banned from entering the auditorium while the dance was in progress. As formation broke I was being congratulated for my part in making the rule necessary. Some of them voiced their opinion, "Parents have no business seeing whom we dance with."

Smitty didn't come back to the room until 9:30 on Monday night. He quickly looked over my homework with me, but would not tell any of us where he had been. It was Wednesday evening before we found out that some of the upper classmen were involved in the production of a play. Smitty was still not talking, but when we saw two carloads of Speedwell girls drive in and stop at the auditorium our curiosity got the best of us. We asked around until one of the instructors told us about the play.

Wednesday was also the day I got to practice with the defense. I was not promised a starting role, but the coaches assured me that I would get to play at linebacker. They tried me at all the linebacker positions and on Thursday it was settled that I would play behind Russell because that is where I did the best work. I called Ned that night to make sure he was coming to the Dearborn game. Yes, Alice would be riding with him and Penelope, and Mr. Oldham and Suzanne were coming in their own car. I jumped for joy. When I popped the second tennis ball that night it wasn't just Dale that jumped on me. He told me I would have to give up squeezing the balls while reading and all the guys agreed with him. I told them I was just hopped up about getting to play and that I would take it easy with the balls. They said, "No way, you've got to give it up."

I got to ride on the school bus for the first time on Friday. We wore the varsity travel jerseys and the pants we used for practice. I didn't get into the game until the second quarter. Russell and I stopped everything that came our way. We also put some serious hurt on the quarterback. The poor guy got up whining that I had twisted his ankle. I didn't think I had squeezed it that hard.

We were evenly matched. Like our school, Dearborn fielded two teams, excluding seniors from eligibility to play spring football. Like us, the team we played that day would have to compete against the other Dearborn team for a spot on the varsity team next year. They were just as much a football school as C.M.A. proclaimed itself to be. At the end of the first half the score was tied, six to six and we had only heard Waltzing Matilda once, when they made their touchdown.

I replaced the other guy at linebacker five minutes into the third quarter when he let a running back slip through for an eight yard gain. By the end of the game I was confident that I would be starting the rest of our games that season. Russell and I stopped them cold to the point they ran their plays to the other side. Our offense got lucky and scored a second touchdown near the end of the game. We even admitted that the touchdown was luck when the Dearborn offensive players congratulated us for our win.

There were signs on the entrance doors to the auditorium. "No parents or invited guests are allowed beyond these doors."

Later, in the back seat of the Volvo Alice asked me if I had danced with Debra Simmons. "Yes," I admitted, "but she didn't remember me."

Alice seemed satisfied with my answer. I told her that I had spent most of my time talking with our opponents. They were much like us, guys who spent their weekdays following orders, doing the best they could, looking forward to playing football and looking forward to spending weekends with their girlfriends. I was glad that she didn't ask if I had danced with Cindy Baldwin. Cindy was inquisitive about my tennis instructor and the remark I had made. I told her that my tennis instructor was leaving soon. "I saw you running past my house the other day. Why didn't you stop and say hello?" She asked.

It was embarrassing to me that she had seen me. "Maybe I will stop next time I'm in your neighborhood," I managed to say.

We stopped for dinner. The conversation was mostly about how well I had played until it turned to Alice going back to school. Suzanne was the most inquisitive, wanting to know why Alice had decided to return to school, how she was planning to care for her daughter while dedicating so much time to study and also wanting to know if Alice would miss us.

Alice explained that her plans to attend law school were interrupted by her marriage and the birth of her daughter. She said she was merely resuming those plans and that, while finding time to spend with Brenda would be difficult, her living arrangements would offer a safe and loving home for her daughter. As far as missing us, Alice turned to me and said she hated to leave, but it was a sacrifice she had to make.

When we arrived at the Oldham house Suzanne invited Alice inside to wait while I changed clothes. As I ran upstairs to get out of my uniform I heard Alice ask if she could use the telephone.

When I came back downstairs a few minutes later Alice was finished with her telephone call and ready to go. I made no excuse when I walked into the pantry to retrieve the key to one of the cottages. Neither Suzanne nor Mr. Oldham commented about our intentions when we left the house. Mr. Oldham reminded me to be ready for work the next day, saying that we were going to open the pool. I assured him that I was looking forward to it.

The first thing we did when we entered the cottage was to undress each other, both wanting to have sex together before we talked. Alice was as horny as me. By this time we were familiar with the other's preferences. We went at it without pretence, knowing what we wanted; there were no surprises.

"You're going to make some lucky girl very happy," Alice complimented me as we waited for our heart rates to return to normal.

"There will never be anyone like you," I said, unable to fathom ever having a more caring lover. I meant what I said; Alice always put every ounce of energy into our coupling.

"I'll come home for Thanksgiving and find you right here in this same bed with someone your own age." She said it to be amusing, but there was a hint of anxiety in her voice, like she believed what she was saying.

"I may not be here then," I said. "It was something I was going to tell you. I was waiting until Mr. Oldham gave me permission to attend school at home next year."

"You've been planning to leave and you didn't say anything?" There was alarm in her voice now.

"I was going to tell you as soon as I knew for sure."

"But you were thinking about it and didn't tell me?"

I tried to hold her close to me, but she pulled away. "I was going to tell you. I wasn't going to be Bruce," I said, pleadingly.

"I should go," she said, getting out of bed and starting to get dressed.

"Alice, I was going to tell you."

"You keep saying that, but you didn't, did you? I'll come home for Thanksgiving and you won't be here. I was so looking forward to seeing you, even if you were with someone else."

I tried to talk her into staying, without success. "I have a daughter who had someone else put her to bed. It's not fair to her for me to stay out late, screwing my boyfriend."

I walked her to her front door and tried once more to reason with her. "He hasn't given me permission. I may not go. There was nothing to tell you until I know for certain."

"I know Sammy. The thought of my coming home for Thanksgiving and finding you with someone else gave me the jitters. I was being impulsive. I'm sorry."

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked as I kissed her goodnight.

"Do you want to see me?"

"I want to see all of you," I answered.

"How could a girl refuse an offer like that?" She said before turning and running to her front door.

It took us all morning to open the pool, Mr. Oldham directing Ned and me, removing the cover, replacing the lost water and adding the chemicals. Suzanne made herself useful, bringing us soft drinks and calling our attention to every speck of dirt that had found its way to the bottom of the pool over the winter.