The Great Escape : Spring : I - Its like learning to fly, or falling in love

Now Anna and James had every intention of going back to the dance, but fate as it seemed had other plans. Instead they had decided to go along the many walkways and paths under the great expanse of the full moon and clear night sky. There they could see the faint outlines of flowers and shrubbery at their feet. As they went along, James and Anna found themselves in the kind of conversation where one can talk about absolutely everything and absolutely nothing at the same time. In a matter of moments James began to feel that he had known Anna his whole life. They talked from time to time and they laughed from time to time and sometimes they didn’t make any noise at all. Even in the solemn silence James felt nothing but pure, unadulterated joy. In fact, James could not remember ever being so happy, not once in his whole life. It astonished James just how much one person could affect his life so much is so short a time. 221

They walked all the way down to a lake that was neatly hidden away in a circle of trees behind the Our Lady Maria’s chapel. On the other side was the boy’s chapel, the lake separating the two schools from each other. Anna sighed and sat down along the muddy banks on the crisp fresh green grass. James was hesitant, not knowing whether or not he should sit down beside her. But tonight, James felt a new kind of boldness like he had never felt before. So, with face as red as a ripe tomato, James sat down next to the girl of his dreams. The funny part was; James didn’t know why she even wanted to sit with him at night beside a moonlit lake. It sure wasn’t for his looks, James determined, or his sense of humor, even he himself found his personality dry and boring. But, whatever it was she saw in him, whatever it was that made her choose him, whatever it is she found in him that belonged to no one else, James treasured, because he now gave it to Anna. Whatever it was that was the best of him…now belonged to her. She was the type of girl who had no shortage of rowdy suitors, as far as James surmised, but she wanted to pass the night with him. He who had by now determined every second he shared with her was the new best moment of his life. 232

As James was pondering this, Anna slid suddenly under James’s arm, leaning her head against his chest. As she did this, James could feel a new wave of blood rushing to his face and sweat pool in his hands as he rested them on her shoulder. The crickets chirped and the owl hooted and James Rowland was in his glory.243

It was extremely late when James finally took Anna back to her dorm, it being too late to go back to the spring dance. “Thanks for the great time.” Anna said as she was to close the door behind her and as James was about to turn to go back to his own dorm, Anna ran back out, kissed James on the cheek and ran back inside closing the door behind her. James stood stunned, unable to move from his spot, for about five minutes before walking on air back to the St. Bonaventure’s Preparatory School and his own dorm where not even Felson could bring him down. 254

“Where were you?!” Felson asked as James walked into their shared dorm room. It was late enough for Mr. Hashburger to have already gone to sleep, so James was virtually in the clear, that is, except for Felson… 265

“You were with that girl right?” 276

“Goodnight Felson.” 287

James said this as he was flinging himself onto his bed, not bothering to change. “C’mon Jim, tell me about it. You’d tell your buddy if you got any? Right?” Felson said, switching from mother hen to the best friend approach in hopes of better results. “Since when are we ‘buddies’?” asked James, talking through his pillow just aching to go to sleep but not having enough will power not to humor his roommate even a little. “Aw I’m hurt Jimbo. I always thought we were great pals.” Felson let a drop of disappointed dejection slip through his voice and James sighed. This was always how Felson got him, playing to James’ sympathies. James was trying to slowly train himself to not fall for this act so much, to put up a cold front and ignore this nonsense, but tonight was not the night. James turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. “God, she’s just so beautiful…” James mumbled more to himself then anyone else. “So you do have the hots for her!” Felson said, happy at the bone James finally decided to throw the poor boy. “But I could have told you that.” Felson said with a wink. James turned onto his side to face Felson. “So, she like you?” asked Felson. It amased James just how interested Felson was in James’s love life, in any part of his life rely. Experience showed that big shots like Felson weren’t suppose to care about little nobodies like James. May be that’s why Felson was so popular with just about everyone. 298

“I don’t know, I think…I hope…” 309

“Awww. Jamsie’s in love.” 3110

“Shut up you bastard.”3211

Felson chuckled, “I’m only speaking the truth my man…only the truth.” Was it that obvious? James pondered this, could it be that plain that even an idiot like Felson could see? “I know what your thinking” Felson rang out just as sleep was about to claim him, “but I’m not as stupid or as blind as you think I am.” And with that Felson turned to his respective wall where the soft sound of snoring drifted from his now still frame. ‘Crap’ James thought as he went to go turn off the light, ‘that bastard’s reading my mind now…’3312

When finally the restful sounds of sleep could be heard from both sides of the dorm room, little did the latent forms of the boys know that at the same time, a battlefield miles and miles away was whispering their names. 34