Princeton Day School - Link Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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turned and headed for the kitchen. A few weeks had gone by. Her brother had gone back to school, and she was just messing aound for the rest of the summer. She got a letter from him that day. She went up to her room, where everything was quieter, flopped into a big old armchair, checked the return address again, and proceeded to read the following: Dear Wendy, You must be very busy, what with all the good stuff that you are doing this summer, gno sense me asking the questions. I will tell you what I have been doing and when you write me--let me know what' s new with you. I got back here and took Ann to Denver--the next weekend, I went to Yellowstone Park and saw a ranger buddy of mine, rode a little, saw Old Faith- ful, caught two trout, saw four bear jams and rode around in the ranger car, then came back and started school--which is really hard this semester. I have two Political Science courses with Dr. Moore. En- glish History and biology again. fl didn't get through it last semester. j I have all kinds of books to read-- so I go out in the sun and read--get two things done at once. Ihave a job now bartending, a good easy job, where I can read and do homework part of the time on slow days. I started ground school for skydiving, am making a nice amount on the logbook and all their school- ing. I have ten students and I think Iwill just pocket the money--pay off school, do some flying and jumping. Do you remember that Budweiser represen- tative who saw me jumping about 3 months ago, anyway he bought me that paracomander para- Chute with Budweiser written in great big letters on it. It's really great--all Ihave to do is use it every time I jump. Tell Dad! Do you remember Tina the girl I went to see in D.C. Well she has written me off as a bad cause. You can't win them all. There are plenty more-- women are like street cars--there will be another along in a half hour. Don't YOU ever put up with somebody like me. Don't tell anybody--at least not yet. I bought a second hand plane--an Aronce Champion. It's in incredible condition. Great! I borrowed the money or enough for half. It cost a lot but it's worth it in the long run. She stopped reading and just sat staring at the words. After a little while, she crammed the letter into her pocket, then reached into the drawer for something, crumpled it in her hand and walked forcefully out of the room, down the steps. The sun shining in through the front door felt so warm and securing. She pushed open the screen door and slid through the opening before the door closed. As she looked across the lawn and farther to the fields, her hands drew a cigarette out of the squished pack that she had been holding. She lit the cigarette and drew a long slow breath. Her eyes blurred. She blinked, only to make the tears slide down her face. The cigarette fell to the ground, her hand reached for the door handle. She stepped inside. Her footsteps up the stairs were slow and sluggish yet accurately placed. She walked past her brother's room--but stopped long enough to toss the pack into the wastebasket, janet Masterton XII Honorable Mention Upper School Prose

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Do you remember Mary Sidler? I used to know her when I was back in high school. Her father is a lawyer here in town. Filthy rich! Anyway she was never really that great looking, but not bad. Now-- God what a fox! What does she look like? Fairly tall, sort of long blonde hair, big blue eyes and just a sharp- looking girl. I got her address in California. She's leaving in a couple of days to go see this guy out there. Is she really that great or is she just another one? Yah I guess she's all right--like all the rest. One of these days you are going to get hung up on someone and she's not going to give you a second look. He looked at her strangely--kind of realistically tif there is such a lookj--smiled that sincere smile, and said, So I'll find another one. Anyway, we reminisced about all the good old times and when I think back on it, I was really a crazy kid. She hesitated to answer, smiled, then with a slow pause in her voice said, Yah I remember. I don't think Mom and Dad thought you would ever finish high school. I guess for awhile there neither did I. It got sort of tense after the second school. I remember when you would get in trouble, I'd always feel sorry for you. fShe thought back on a few of the times and thought maybe it was a little for herself too. J I would cry when they'd take it all out on you. I never saw Mom and Dad so happy as when you received your High School diploma. I know that they felt it all had been worth it. I guess I appreciate a lot of the stuff that they did for me, but back then it was all wrong. They were so damn good to me about that stolen car and so many other things. I hope you never do them the wrong that I did them or big brother did either. It's going to be rough for you, since you're the youngest and the only girl. Wade and I have either helped or made it worse for you. I mean we learned a lot, but they learned how to handle things a lot better. She looked at him believingly--and why shouldn't she have--then said, I know what ya mean since they sort of lost you two in one way or another. They have put all their hope in me. They don't ever push me or anything, but deep inside they would like to see one of us do something with our lives. It's bad enough one kid letting them down, but two--and now there's me. They realize their mistakes with you two and so they won't make the same ones again. I mean they love us all equally but in completely different ways. Parents will always try to do the things the right way--they don't give up. I guess it's their nature. Even though they have been hurt so many times. I' ll never deliberately hurt them. But I've got to be myself. I don't know, may- be that hurts them. Don't worry about it, he said in such a confi- dent way. They don't expect the world from you. They understand. 4 Yah, I know they're understanding. I really feel guilty when I do something wrong, really guilty. It bothers me. The subject wasn't doing either of them any good. Enough had been said. She fidgeted in her chair and looked down at her messy braids. She re- tied the bow of the left one, then examined her split ends. She did not particularly want to look up. She really was kind of afraid to. The silence really bothered her. She had to break it somehow. Um--let me have a cigarette. She heard the pack open. There was another long silence. It was not what she expected. She looked up sort of startled. Her brother had an astute look about him. She smiled slightly, then waited for him to say it. No little sister of mine is going to smoke. It's a dirty habit, especially for a girl. It's just no good. He sat back in his chair and picked up his coffee cup. How can you just sit there, light up, and then tell me don't smoke? After she said that she felt like a little eleven-year-old kid. That's different. Yah I guess so. She smiled meekly. That's my little sister. And there were no more questions asked. From the time she was little, she had believed in her two brothers. When their friends were over, her brothers referred to her as a pest. And often she would pay for her little-sisterness by being pushed around or made to mow the lawn, when it was their job. She did a lot of dirty work for them and errands were a speciality. She was taken advantage of nu- merous times. Although she never figured that out or ever really wanted to. She really did know it, but never gave them too much grief about it. He broke the silence with a cheerful voice. Listen do ya want to go flying? From what I've seen it's really a nice day. We'll go up for about an hour or so. I'll let you fly it like last time. How much does it cost again? Oh around twenty an hour, but Pm sure I can arrange it, so that it's not quite that much. But still, where are ya going to get that kind of money--you said yourself--you only have forty to get back to school on. And don't ask Mom and Dad for it cause you know they'll give it to you. You just gotta cut down a lot from all this big spending, like on flying, jumping and other whims and adventures. Don't worry about it. I'll pay for it some way. Yah--but then you're broke. OK, so ya don't want to go. l didn't say that. She knew exactly what he wanted her to say. So she waited for an appropriate length of time to pass. OK. I'll pay. Come on, let's go. He smiled that usual 'I knew you'd pull through! fShe knew it too. j She stood up and walked overto the sink, stacked the cups, and both left the room. When they reached the front door and looked outside, he asked her, Wen--get my smokes. They're on the table. Without hesitation, like a well-trained sister, she

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My Brother, on his Nineteenth Birthday My brother pumps the old parlor organ. I see him gravely study and press each key as he works the wheezing bellows. When my brother ends his organ chorus, he smiles, and runs his forehead on the keyboardg the organ heaves a groan. He closes his eyes. My brother on his skateboard rolls down towards me, down the hill. He is balanced, arms spread, bobbing to the syncopation of the wheels. He holds a lemon in an outstretched hand. Rebecca Bushnell XII First Prize Upper School Poetry Dusk walls papered with faded roses, closely Ordered. An orange crayon, and a child link roses, draw out rows of women uneven, with mouths blown open Rose women. Rebecca Bushnell XII Honorable Mention Upper School Poetry Thanksgiving for What? Faces of exuberant young men around the table! The succulent turkey in the center. Eager hands buttering warm rolls. The post chaplain resplendent in his army blues. Uttering a long and cheerful prayer of thanksgiving F or the laden table! Thanksgiving for what? Faces of exhaustion and sweat, Young men sitting in the dirt 5 Small cans of C-ration heated in their helmets Suffering hands of pain under rough army blankets In the hospital tent. The field chaplain in his muddy fatigues Offering a prayer for the dead: Thanksgiving at DaNang. Thanksgiving for what? Hilary Winter VII First Prize Middle School Poetry 136