Last Leaf on the Oak Tree

by Cohen, Adrianna

  Paulette tried not to look like she was listening as she took the mental inventory of how many students were bringing alcoholic beverages to the party. Toby mentioned he was bringing a case of beer, and Skylar said she was bringing peppermint schnapps. A fourth student said he was bringing Pure Grain Alcohol and Kool-Aid, to make PGA punch. Paulette turned, then backed out and decided Friday night would be a good night to study in her room. She did not need the extra alcohol temptation. She decided to pick up a new AA meeting schedule and maybe attend a Friday night meeting. The next thing Paulette saw was PJ coming up to the group to pick her up for Biology Lab. Paulette looked around and realized the rest of the group had left. She was so immersed in her studies she didn't even notice she was alone.

  PJ whispered to her, "Are you ready to leave?"

  Paulette nodded.

  They took the elevator to the ground floor of the library and climbed onto the moped to head across campus to the Biology Lab. The Lab was a full two blocks away from the library, and Paulie was happy that PJ had given her a ride. Her legs were a little sore from swimming two days in a row at the campus pool. Today she had gone before classes because she knew she had a study group this afternoon.

  They had about thirty minutes before the Lab class, so they stopped at the Tiger Joint for a burger and coke. Paulette wanted to talk to PJ about the party Friday night at the second floor.

  They sat in the cozy armchairs in the student lounge after they finished their meal. The Tiger Joint had music blaring, so there was really no way to have an intimate conversation with speakers mounted overhead every five feet. The center of the student lounge didn't have loud music, and there were several quiet conversations because students also used the lounge as a study area.

  "PJ?" started Paulette. "Have you heard about the big party Friday night in the dorm?"

  "Not much," PJ answered. "Where is it?"

  "It is planned for your floor in the student commons room. I heard everybody talking during the study session, and there is going to be a large amount of alcohol there. I thought this was an alcohol-free campus?"

  PJ sighed. "It is, but people sneak it in. I wonder what they plan to do with the room mother? She would immediately remove the alcohol and the students with the University Police. They must have a plan to get her out of the way."

  Paulette continued, "I really don't want to be at that party or even in my dorm room. Do you think we could find an AA meeting, and maybe even go to a movie?"

  "Sure," answered PJ. "I want to see the new Star Wars movie, so we could go to supper, an 8 o'clock meeting, and then the movie. What do you think?"

  Paulette replied with relief, "This will be my treat if you provide the transportation, and you buy the popcorn and cokes. I can spring for supper and the tickets for the movies. I don't want you to think I was asking you for a date."

  PJ countered, "Would that be so bad? I'm ready to move up to dating if you are."

  Paulette smiled. "Yes, I'm ready to date, but I still want to share the costs. After all, we are both starving students. We both have jobs and scholarships, but money is tight. We can splurge on this date, but the next one has to be cheaper."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  On Friday night, PJ and Paulette walked hand in hand to the moped parked in the bicycle rack. It was a sultry tropical night, typical of Memphis, where the humidity was so thick that makeup melted, hair drooped, and cotton was the only fabric that let the skin breathe. Consequently, Paulette was wearing white cotton shorts and a turquoise jeweled tank top, the minimum that was socially acceptable. Her feet were adorned with tiny jeweled sandals, and she had a small silver and turquoise bracelet around her left ankle. PJ was dressed in khaki shorts and a Choctaw Tribal Tattoo t-shirt in royal blue. Traditional black Converse high tops completed his attire.

  PJ turned to Paulette, "Where would you like to go for supper?" he asked.

  Paulette replied, "I think we should go to McAlister's Deli on Mendenhall and Poplar. I know it is next to the Paradisio and we can buy our tickets well in advance of the movie."

  PJ answered, "I already took care of the ticket purchase online. I have our seats for the 9:30 showing here. So you get the popcorn and cokes. I was trying to save us from another long line, and wondered if it would sell out on the opening night."

  "That was a great time saver!" Paulette said. "Let's still go to McAlister's because I love their salads. And Ben and Jerry's is next door for dessert. We have time for both before the AA meeting."

  PJ agreed.

  As they walked into McAlister's Deli, Paulette was struck by the quietness of the congenial atmosphere. After a week of student lounges, dorm rooms, and college cafeterias, she was overloaded on sound. It seemed that students only gathered in noisy rooms with speakers blaring. The hushed room of nibbling noshers was peaceful; the only sounds were muted conversations and the occasional crunch of a tortilla chip. Paulette ordered a Savannah Chopped Salad, and PJ ordered the fully loaded baked potato. Both had glasses of the famous McAlister's tea, sweetened with lemon.

  Carrying their trays to a table overlooking the traffic on Mendenhall, Paulette began to question PJ about his home.

  "Where are you from, PJ?"

  PJ smiled and said, "The Choctaw Reservation in Mississippi. I noticed you had tights from there. Have you been to visit?" He tightly held his breath, awaiting her reply.

  Paulette answered enthusiastically, "Yes! My church group went there this summer on a Volunteers in Mission Project. The people were wonderful that we worked with. We held a Bible School while we also repaired and painted housing."

  PJ brightened considerably. "That was sa pokni, my grandmother's house! She was selected to have services by your group. Yakoki, thank you."

  "You are very welcome, it was an honor," replied Paulette. "I enjoyed every minute I was there. It was very peaceful."

  PJ agreed. "The Choctaws are traditionally a peaceful tribe. We solve all of our conflicts by voting, not fighting. The casino has brought both a blessing and a curse. We now have jobs on the reservation, but we also have sickness with the influx of extra money. We see greed, addiction, and squabbling where before we would work as one people. I am very concerned for my tribe."

  "Tell me about your town. Where are you from? How long have you been sober?" asked PJ.

  Paulette said, "My sobriety story is the typical from a small town tale. My town is in Arkansas, a little place off the White River, St. Ives. We have a population of about 199, including the school. We have 99 students in the school, just enough to keep the school open. My graduating class had 7. The only thing to do in St. Ives was to go down by the river and drink on weekends. So that is what I did."

  "What did your parents think about this?" PJ wondered how her parents dealt with her addiction.

  "They didn't really know. We had a lot of "slumber parties". There were a few parents who would host the gatherings and then kind of left us to do what we wanted. It all came to a screeching halt when we were diving drunk in the river to reach the sunken boat at the bottom. We had a contest to see who could reach the boat and pull up some kind of proof, an artifact or a bolt or something. Anyway, my best friend, Lauren, went under after drinking a six-pack of beer. She never came up. The deputies came from the county and dredged the river for her body. They found her the next day. All of us kids were hauled in for public intoxication. My parents checked me into rehab in Little Rock the next day. They probably saved my life."

  PJ replied, "I'm so sorry you lost your best friend. That is really sad."

  Paulette agreed. "Yes, Lauren and I were friends from the cradle. We were born the same week in the same hospital and were raised together. Her mom and my mom were best friends, too. I feel really sad for Mrs. Livingston. Lauren was an only child like me."

  Paulette changed the subject. "What is your sobriety story?"

  "Alcoholism is rampant on my reservation. I started drinking when I was 9. I got lucky because a tribal member wanted to purs
ue his doctoral thesis by working with youth and addiction. I went to his group because he paid us $10 a week to attend the meetings. I found I needed the help and have been sober six years now. I'll have seven years at the turn of the New Year. I picked up my white chip on New Year's Day."

  Paulette looked at PJ in awe. "That is totally cool, six years of sobriety. I don't have six months yet. I'm looking forward to picking up my chip."

  "Just keep on doing the right thing. You had a great idea for us to come to the movies tonight and a meeting. We should go to a meeting tomorrow night also; it will help us stay sober. Sunday has a great meeting at Came to Believe," PJ made the suggestion to Paulette.

  Paulette replied, "Sunday's I go to church. What time is the meeting?"

  "They have meetings every hour on the hour. We can go anytime," PJ answered.

  "That sounds great!" announced Paulette. "Are we ready for Ben and Jerry's now?"

  "Sure," said PJ. "Where to?"

  "We can walk there; it is right here across the parking lot."

  PJ and Paulette held hands again as they ambled across to Ben and Jerry's. Paulette chose the Brownie Bite single dip cup, and PJ picked a cone of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. When they finished the ice cream, they wandered back to the moped and drove to the 8:00 AA meeting.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The semester was in full swing as PJ and Paulette started dating in earnest. The tensions began to rise as papers were due, tests were being scored, and Lab results were not as promising as hoped for. Paulette started having trouble in Biology. The study group's practice of section presentations did not cover enough for her to pass the practice exams. Instead of decreasing her study involvement, she found it was just another project due that took up her free time.

  Listening to the other student presentations did not help her retain information as she needed. Paulette was a rote learner; this meant she visually had to read the material more than once for it to make an impression in her short-term memory. For Paulette to learn new material, she had to make a detailed outline of the chapter on paper and then write a synopsis of what she had learned. This was time intensive, but other methods like typing notes in class or transcribing recordings did not help her retain important facts.

  As she toiled with her studies, Paulette began to get more and more frustrated. Taylor and the rest of her study group seemed to sail on through the massive load of reading and papers while she had to labor with every essay, research report, and Lab evaluation. Paulette began to fall behind, way behind. Her only respite was the art class, which she referred to often as her therapy class.

  Dr. Johnson began the lecture with, "Today we will be studying the Impressionist Masters Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. Both were pivotal in the development of the Impressionistic style. Manet made the leap from the Realistic Style to the Impressionist Movement. Monet was the most prolific Impressionist, with more than 2500 notable works. He has thousands of paintings in museums throughout the world. His works lean toward the use of blue. He painted in a fantasy world, where everyone was healthy and rich.

  Manet, by contrast, painted only hundreds of canvases, which was still quite prolific. Manet painted realistic scenes of life, with all the pain and suffering reflected caused by war and sickness. His works are mostly in earth tones.

  Today we will paint with oils for our practicum. Let us dismiss to the old oak tree for class."

  Paulette had never worked with oils but kept an old t-shirt in her backpack for just this opportunity. She was primed to be immersed in paint, ready to leave the stress of this semester behind.

  PJ was not as happy with this assignment. He liked to dabble with pen and ink, graphic design on his computer, colored pencils, and charcoal. Oils were too messy for him, and he was unprepared for the assignment, in that he did not pack a spare shirt. He decided to compromise by extending his brush at arm's length from his body. His painting result was a good copy of Monet's style as he had much less control of the brush or paints.

  PJ and Paulette set their easels side by side, but neither looked to the other canvas while they were working on their projects. Occasionally one would mutter about the paint or the method, or sometimes even the results of their endeavors. The class ended with the students placing the art canvases in the classroom to dry. Paulette and PJ walked out of the classroom together.

  PJ noted that Paulette was losing weight and had dark circles under her eyes. "Are you sleeping well?" he asked Paulette in concern.

  Paulette replied, “What’s sleep? I study, work, and then study some more. Somebody forgot to add sleep to my schedule."

  PJ frowned in consternation. "You have to sleep; you can't remember or function properly without sleep. When do you eat? You look like you've lost weight."

  Paulette answered, "I eat when I remember, and sleep is about four hours a night. I just don't have enough time to get everything done."

  "When will you go home for a break? You need a rest from school," reminded PJ.

  "I will go home on Fall Break for the week after exams. I will get caught up then on sleep and food; cause Mom will be feeding me all my favorites day and night. I'm really looking forward to chicken and dumplings, too."

  "Well, just two more weeks then. We have exams next week and then we are free for a week. I'm going home to the reservation, too. Mike has told me I have the week off, and I get all the fry bread and Indian tacos my mama can cook."

  PJ and Paulette both grinned at the thought of a week off and unlimited sleep and food.

  The party started on Friday night, even before the sun descended on the muddy and dank Mississippi River. Students gathered in the second-floor student commons area, now dubbed the DrinkNDive. The resident hall mother was detained in her room by the Designated Drama Queen. Each week the students elected a student to distract the resident hall mother by concocting a sad story of a doomed love complete with tears and the need for crisis intervention. It was never quite so desperate as to require paramedics or the Suicide Prevention Team, but it always took a few hours until the Mother was so sleepy she drifted off without double-checking on the students. Of course, when the Dorm Mother was served hot tea laced with lots of honey and a dose of Advil PM for relaxation, well that did not hurt, either.

  Taylor came by the dorm room with a bottle of Seagram's and 7 Up. "Ready for some 7/7?" she asked Paulie.

  Paulie nodded. "I have glasses in the cubby and ice in my fridge. I need something to help me study."

  Taylor poured her a tall glass and said, "All this studying has made you ragged. You need to relax tonight and study tomorrow at the library while you work. Why don't you come on down to the mixer and party with the rest of us?"

  Paulette shook her head no, and said, "This drink will be enough. Thanks."

  Paulette finished her drink in one good gulp and put the glass down. She looked at her biology book, but the page was a little blurry. She closed her eyes just for a minute, and then was fast asleep. She awoke on Saturday morning with a fuzzy mouth and a screaming alarm clock.

  "Yikes!" she cried. "I'm going to be late to work!" She started grabbing books and study guides, rummaging through her backpack to make sure she had everything she needed for the day. She swiped two protein bars for her breakfast and lunch and then ran out the door in her U of M sweats since the bracingly cool Fall temperatures had finally arrived.

  Paulette spent the day studying and finally felt somewhat prepared for the exams beginning Monday morning.

  PJ stopped by the library to pick her up when her shift was over. They stopped by Garibaldi's for a Vesuvian Steak sandwich then left to go to the Tower for the Saturday AA meeting. Paulette was very quiet in the AA meeting and didn't discuss her relapse at all.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Monday started the grind of exam week, and distracted students covered the campus like ants at a picnic of toddlers. Attendance was mandatory for exams, although several professors had a much laxer policy during the rest of the semester.
Some professors even claimed no attendance was necessary as long as the tests were passed and the papers turned in on time.

  Paulette started the day with her Biology exam; one of the two she thought might have a precarious outcome. All of the pieces of the cell, the parts of the body, and the periodic table of elements went swirling through her consciousness, engaged in a combat of sorts, leaving pieces of misplaced information on the highway of recall.

  Paulette groaned when she saw the 50-question test. She knew this was the norm for semester tests, but she was hoping it would be easier. Instead, there were multiple-choice answers with just a smidgen of misinformation, enough to trick you into the wrong answer. After the exam was finished, Paulette exited the classroom with the countenance of someone awaiting the executioner.

  PJ was waiting outside the door for Paulette to exit. He finished his exam much earlier and was feeling good about his grade. He stopped grinning when he saw the tears welling in the eyes of Paulette.

  "Oh, Baby, what is wrong?" he asked her.

  "I just know I flunked that exam. Everything ran together, and it all became a big mess." Pauline reached for PJ and leaned on his shoulder and cried.

  "Oh, I know it's not that bad," consoled PJ. "I'm sure you did better than that."

  PJ patted her on the back like you would a small child, awkwardly attempting to get her to stop sobbing. The tears were unleashed now, and Paulie was having a meltdown, hiccupping and crying at the same time.

  "It's going to be all right," PJ murmured. "This is not the end. You will do better than you think."