Mitchell College - Thames Log Yearbook (New London, CT)

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,T aTTernoon was jusT a liTTle beTTer Than The one which preceded iT. Kip would do bizarre Things. SomeTimes he would run up and down and over The hills, screaming his head oTT. He spiT and swore a loT, buT iT was naTural Tor him. And Cara, Cara was loving. She would sneak up Trom be- hind and Throw her arms around my waisT. We would Tumble and roll and hug each oTher under The' brighT noon-day sun. She-never goT mad or ran away. SomeTimes she cried, Though, Tor no apparenT reason. BuT she always loved. ln The evening, aTTer dinner, Papa and I would siT ouT on The crooked wooden sTeps oT our home and waTch anoTher day .melT inTo The disTanT hills.iPapa wassold and wise. He would siT sTaunchly, his brown TelT haT squashed on his grayehead, and speak oT liTe, oT him, oT me, buT more so Tor himselT, l Think. Then he would ask me oT my day, wiTh eyes ThaT somehow Told me he already knew. lvlosT oTTen l would Tell him oT my experiences wiTh Kip and Cara. He lisTened To me wiTh a coy, apprehensive look ThaT someTimes made me Teel he didn'T believe. NeverTheless, I could be assured ThaT he would always ask and lisTen. And so each summer day ended wiTh The sunseT. ' A i . A l remember mosT vividly ThaT aTTernoon in laTe AugusT ThaT came so abrupTly. Papa decided To have aa man-To-man Talk wiTh me beTore l leTT Tor whaT was supposedly my home.. IT was diTTer- enT Trom allour oTher Talks. He looked sTern and somewhaT like my TaTher when he Told me ThaT Kip and Cara were dead. I ' , l 'lhey are dead and neverlived, Sonny. Ya have To Tace ThaT beTore you can grow up and be a man. They are noT real, They never were, They never can be. Ya don'T wanna go Through liTe making up Tibs do ya, Sonny? Huh Sonny? . . ' K There was a lumpin my ThroaT and a disease in my hearT as l buried my head in Papa's sTom- ach beTore geTTing on The Train. I haTed perTumed ladies and busy people. IT haTed deaTh. BUT one summer oT yesTerday pasT,There did live a boy named Kip anda girl named Cara. One summer, in The complusive TanTasy oT a shell-like child, lived me. I . g And so you see I have come To doubT I All ThaT I once held as True h l sTand alone wiThouT belieTs The only TruTh II know is you. i. conner nr

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room. I was snug in fhe ornafe comforf of a lumpy double bed and old pafch-work quilf. There was nofhing fo disfurb me. No horns blew madly. No noisy moufhs pierced my ears and ordered my day. All I knew was peace, and all I saw was freedom and space. And so I expanded. I afe an unusual breakfasf of cornmeal and venison prepared by Papa, and fhen wifh a genfle paf on fhe rear, was senf off fo survey fhe farm for myself. When I sfepped onfo fhefronf porch, fhe same fwo children I had seen af my arrival were siffing on fhe sfeps as if waifing for my company. I I , ' I'Iello. My name is Chrisfopherf' I said wifh confidence. I-Ii, guy. l'm Kip and fhaf's my sisfer, Cara. Cara is sweef on you, buf she's nof mushy like mosf girls, so don'f fref. A - Y I You musf live around here, I said wifh amazemenfaf his unique ease of expression. Yep, he said, we live iusf over fhaf hill. We came over fo see if you wanfed fo play or somefhingf' y , Sure, I replied. Can you show me around? , I Come on, come on, slow poke. Kip shoufed as he and Cara darfed across fhe cornfield.. Before I knew ifl was flying loverfhe fields and, hills af fhe same pace as my new friends. We covered miles of woods fhaf day. Kip and Cara showed me all fhe pafhs. We climbed- close fo fhe fop of an old maple free and saf in confemplafion fhere. Before long,iI felf as nafural wifh fhem as wifh myself. Kip was oufspoken, and funny. Cara was quief, happy and pleasanf. I was somewhere in befween. Everyfhing fif. We ended 'our affernoon wifh a quick skinny dip in a nearby pond. Wifh a splash fhey were gone and I was on my way back fo Papa and supper. When I refurned, Papa said, Well, Sonny, looks like you've accusfomed yourself wifh fhis here counfry. Whaf do ya fhink, my boy? I Before I could fhink or organize my fhoughfs I heard myself pleading, I never wanf fo leave Papa. Never. Please don'f make me Ieave.'PIease, Papa.'g' Papa iiusf smiled and scrafched my head. Supper was fanfasfic. I y I , The days fhaf followed were enficing and revealing. They seemed fo follow a sfeady paffern which I learned fo love and fhrive upon. I was awakened af dawn each morning. Affer breakfasf I would help Papa wifh fhe chores: The affernoons were all mine, mine fo laugh and play and learn fhrough fhe hills and Kip and Cara. The affernoons became my reason for living, and every

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