Alma Mater by Brown Rita Mae

Author:Brown, Rita Mae [Brown, Rita Mae]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Gay, Literary
ISBN: 9780345455321
Google: m9UWHVDAUeUC
Amazon: 0345455320
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2002-10-29T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Juggling two lovers tested Vic’s creativity. Charly, blessed with male myopia when it came to women as lovers, never had a clue. Chris, far more insightful, suspected Vic was sleeping with Charly, but she was terrified to ask. She knew Vic would tell her the truth.

Since Charly had a curfew, Vic would invite him over when Chris had classes and Charly didn’t. This turned out to be only on Wednesday afternoons but he didn’t complain, he was so thrilled they were sleeping together. Every night Vic slept at Chris’s or vice versa. They couldn’t stay away from one another. Since they were in different departments at school, they were rarely seen together on campus. Off campus they were inseparable.

Vic dutifully attended the next few home football games, taking Jinx and Chris with her. On weekends of away games, she drove home. She worried about money, and used that worry to keep her mind off her confusion over Chris and Charly. Mignon, in a growth spurt, shot up one full inch. She said her bones hurt from growing pains. As October unfolded with crystal-clear skies and the beginnings of color, Mignon moved into more maturity. The family breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Wallaces bickered, but no shingles were dropped from the roof, no ratshot was fired. IA* transformed her red hair to brittle blonde. Bunny researched the nursery business with her usual thoroughness. R. J. told Frank he had to sign everything over to her. He did so and promptly sank into a genteel depression. The sisters began staking out where they were going to plant trees and shrubs for their nursery.

The days stayed toasty, the nights were crisp, and with each passing day the light softened. High color usually occurred in Surry County the last week of October and the first week of November, and this early November proved especially brilliant.

Williamsburg, across the James, was jammed with tourists. The campus of William and Mary glowed in the buttery light, the bricks warming to a paprika shade, the white window frames and doorjambs appearing even more white in contrast. Young people tagging along with parents often fell in love with William and Mary on such visits. They would return as students in a few years. The current students trotted across the quad and lawns. Blow-out exams were safely in the future. Like ships anchored offshore, they wouldn’t come to port for some time. Late October and early November just made people happy, even giddy with happiness, and many declared it the most beautiful time of the year. They said the same thing during high spring, too. But fall’s tapestry had a few melancholy threads woven alongside the brilliant reds, blazing oranges, and rich cadmium yellows. This knowledge of the coming winter sweetened the season.

Thoughtful people, or those old enough to remember, have reflected on how people party with a frenzy, couple with abandon, swim in champagne on the eve of disaster. Diaries and letters attest to the fact that the best parties ever in Virginia were held from 1859 to 1863.

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