Chapter Twelve:
No Rip Van Winkle
Glancing over to the couch, I was pleased to see Jamie sound asleep, The Great Gatsby still opened on her lap. "She really needs the rest and I could use a little time to think," I thought as I headed towards the kitchen. Slowly opening the drawer, I sifted through the papers until I finally found what I was looking for. I turned the letter over in my hands a couple of times, examining the jagged opening where I had hurriedly ripped it open. Pulling the paper out of the envelope one more time, I reread it.
Dear Mr. Landon Carter,
After much review of your application materials, we would like to welcome you to the University of North Carolina. We have a proud tradition of academic excellence – one which we are eager to share with you. We are confident that the unique opportunities that you will find here will guide you down new and exciting roads.
Enclosed you will find a letter of intent, which needs to be returned by July 15tht. Orientation is currently scheduled for August 18th. We look forward to meeting you there and answering any further questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Betty Youngblood
University of North Carolina
Dean of Students
I had received my acceptance letter right after Jamie was hospitalized, and had never shared it with her. While I was relieved to have that out of the way, there were just too many other things to worry about, so I had pushed it aside.
"'New and exciting roads,' hugh? What if I'm finally content with the roads I'm on? It's strange; you can go through life, the whole time thinking that you know exactly what you want. Then when that finally comes along, you find that your perceptions weren't as accurate as you thought they were." I knew I couldn't push it aside any longer. Folding the paper, I glanced over my shoulder. "Good, she's still asleep." I walked across the kitchen and bent down to drop the letter into the garbage.
At that moment, the phone rang. Startled, I jerked up, hitting my head on the counter in the process. "OWW!!" I yelped in pain. "You're really doing a great job of being quiet." The phone rang again. "And you're doing better by the minute." I must have lunged for the phone, determined not to let it ring again. "Hello," I answered in hushed tones, my head still throbbing.
"Happy Fourth of July, Honey." The energy on the other end was overwhelming.
"Hey, Mom."
"What's with all the whispering?" she answered in the lowest voice possible – she was mocking me, and I knew it. The laugh that followed only confirmed my suspicions.
I stretched the phone cord as far as it could reach, turning my back to the living room. "Jamie's resting, so I'm trying – rather unsuccessfully, might I add – to be quiet for her. So what's up?"
"Well, I went through a bunch of stuff in the attic the other day, and found some stuff that Jamie might get a kick out of. I was wondering if you two would want to stop by later." Only my mother would decide to go through the attic in the summer.
"Actually, I was hoping to stop by later tonight before dark anyway… but I'll have to talk to Jamie about it when she wakes up…"
"What time does she want us to stop by?" I turned around to see Jamie now sitting up on the couch, smiling over at me.
When we arrived at my mom's she already had a cardboard box setting in the living room. It had a definite lean to it, and was still covered with a great deal of dust
"What is that?" I asked her, trying to hide my apprehension.
My mom approached the box, lifting one of the flaps and pulled a dress made of the brightest tie-dye material I had ever seen. "Landon, you mean to tell me you don't remember this? I'm crushed." She laughed as she held it up to model.
"Well, by the looks of that get-up, I probably repressed the memory," I chuckled.
"Very funny. I was pregnant with you in the late '70's, so be nice. Jamie, I found my maternity clothes up in the attic a few days back and thought I would pass them along to you. Obviously they aren't the most fashionable," my mom shot me a look, "but you might find a few things that will work for you."
Jamie smiled, "I'm sure I will. Thank you so much for thinking of me."
Looking outside, I saw that the sun was setting. "Umm, Mom, would you mind if we borrowed the hammock for the evening?"
An inquiring look covered Jamie's face.
"Well, after the dress comments…" my mom began.
"Hey, didn't I see that dress in an old issue of vogue or something?" I walked over and gave her a hug.
"Now the memory comes back," she teased. "Go have fun."
After telling Jamie that I would meet her out there and waiting for the door to close behind her, I handed my mom a bag. "Would you mind helping me with a little something? …"
As I stepped outside, I saw Jamie had already stretched out on the hammock, her hands resting behind her head. "I brought us a blanket to keep warm," I said as I unfolded it and proceeded to lay it out. As it settled, it completely covered her.
Folding down the blanket down just enough to expose her face, she was quick to counter. "What, no thermos of hot coffee?" hiding her face as rapidly as it was revealed.
"No, no coffee this time." I made my way onto the hammock and under the blanket, causing us to rock from side to side. Straining to see in the dark under the covers, I could just make out the outline of her face.
She rolled on her side and inched closer to me. "So, what is this all about?"
I smiled, letting her question rest in the open for a few minutes until I finally heard the magic sound in the distance. "Well, take a look for yourself." I pulled the blanket down, the slight breeze brushing across our cheeks. There in the distance you could barely distinguish the fireworks that the county set off each year.
After gazing at the horizon for several minutes, Jamie propped herself up and faced me, whispering, "Thank you." Her fingers ran through my hair as she spoke. "Wow, the counter was not friendly to you this afternoon. You have a knot on the top of your head."
"Oh… you heard that?" I winced from the pain. "I had hoped that it wouldn't wake you."
She giggled, "I'm no Rip Van Winkle, Landon. I'm sure half of Beaufort heard your pain."
"Rip Van Winkle, no, but I was kind of holding out for Sleeping Beauty." I leaned up, kissing her and drawing her downward. My hands roamed up her back, the fireworks expressing every emotion I was experiencing at the moment – quick rushes of love, admiration, adoration … each being quickly surpassed by the next… flooding together to create a whole that defined and consumed me.
"I figured you two would be checking out the show, but heck, there's more action going on down here then up there." Eric was standing not twenty feet away, his hands in his pockets.
Even in the evening dusk, the blush rushing to Jamie's face was clearly visible, as she pulled away thoroughly embarrassed.
"Hey, Eric… Great timing, as usual… What's up?" I did little to hide the sarcasm.
"Sorry about that," he chuckled, walking up to the hammock. "I just had to share the good news with you. I heard back from UNC, and you'd never believe it, but they actually are going to give me a scholarship. I just hope the letter wasn't misaddressed."
"Congratulations, man!" I gave him a big high-five.
"I was hoping you could help me celebrate sometime. I haven't gotten to see you in weeks."
Jamie glanced up at me with unease. "I wonder why you haven't heard anything from them yet. Maybe we should check with the post office, they might not be forwarding your mail correctly."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly blame the post office…" I didn't exactly want to explain it like this. "So, Eric, how did you want to celebrate?"
"Grab a pizza …" He began to detail his plan.
"Jamie, please don't press the issue… not now…"