by Philip Elrod
His father was furious and predicted a life of decadence and crime if he didn’t change his wicked ways. Next, he was marched back to the farm where he had to apologize profusely to the owner and pay for the stolen watermelons out of his allowance. That was his one, and only, venture into the dark side. Jim Slater learned fast.
During his senior year of high school, he visited several colleges and universities that had approached him about athletic and academic scholarships. Any one of them would have been an acceptable choice, but he had always envisioned himself with a career in the Navy.
Both his father and grandfather had served in the Navy, and he grew up listening to stories of their travels and exciting life at sea. Jim opted to pursue an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. In due time, he completed all the rigorous admission requirements including a letter of recommendation from his congressman. He and about twelve hundred others were then duly sworn in with the rank of midshipman.
Jim tried out for the football team and was selected. During his sophomore year, he quickly became recognized as a talented receiver. He and the quarterback made an impressive pair with their passing and receiving skills. In fact, the two just seemed to read each other’s minds with the quarterback making daring deep passes that Jim often snagged on the dead run. In addition to his receiving abilities, Jim, for his considerable size, was very fast.
At their final game, the pair won the game against Army with a last second touchdown. To say that they received an almost god-like status on campus would not be an understatement.
The football seasons were brief and glorious for him but, off the field, he threw himself into his studies with great intensity. He had a passion for mathematics, and his favorite subjects were in the fields of probability and statistics. The academy was tough, but he seemed to have found his niche. In fact, at the end of the fifth year, he graduated near the top of his class and received his commission as an ensign.
The next five years of service took him to places that most people in his hometown had never even heard existed. He was strongly considering a lifelong career in the Navy when one weekend changed his life.
One of his assignments allowed him to spend time in England. On a weekend in London, he had met Sylvia, a student at Oxford. They had casually met at a pub and quickly entered into an animated conversation that lasted for the whole evening. All too soon, it was closing time, and neither wanted things to end. Jim was trying to come up with an idea of how to pursue a relationship when Sylvia kissed him on the cheek and invited him on a tour of the city the next day. Jim, being a very polite young man, never mentioned that he’d already spent quite a bit of time in London and was quite familiar with its sights.
The next day, she took him on a whirlwind tour of the city in her little car. It was a bright yellow Mini Cooper Hatchback that had been a gift from her father as a reward for her being accepted at Oxford. She drove like a fiend through the impossible traffic. Jim realized that his military training had ill prepared him for such a frightening experience.
They ended the morning at Buckingham Palace just in time to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Afterward, they dashed back to her little car and retrieved a thick plaid blanket and a bulging picnic hamper. Jim looked doubtfully at the hamper and was more than suspicious that she had probably picked the thing up from Fortnum and Mason’s that very morning.
Hand in hand, they strolled to St. James Park. They crossed to the other side of the lake, and Sylvia spent an inordinate amount of time looking for the perfect place for their picnic. At last, she was satisfied, and Jim spread the blanket on the ground for them. She opened the basket and revealed a culinary masterpiece. There was a bottle of sparkling wine, along with two wine glasses. There was also Scottish salmon, pork pasties, an assortment of cheeses, and tiny cucumber sandwiches. Finally, for dessert, a container of perfect, red strawberries along with carefully wrapped butter cookies.
The food looked delicious, but it could wait. Jim sat down on the blanket and pulled Sylvia down beside him. Just as he pulled her towards him for that first, eagerly anticipated kiss, he heard a strange sound. Several ducks from the lake had spied them and clever beasts, knew that food would surely be in that basket. They flapped their wings and made demanding noises until Sylvia gave up and tossed them a few pieces of bread from one of the sandwiches.
“Shoo, you little poachers! Scram!” They only got noisier and flapped their wings more frantically.
Seeing that the ducks were certainly winning the little confrontation, Jim hopped up and chased them all the way back to the lake. They clattered into the water and made furious sounds letting him know that they had been insulted.
He flopped back on the blanket and took Sylvia into his arms. She giggled and made some rather serious comments about his romantic skills and then kissed him back. Needless to say, the picnicking waited for quite some time.
Eventually, Sylvia suggested that he open the wine before it came to an absolute boil from being so near their torrid activities.
He deftly, well not so deftly, opened the wine and filled two glasses from the hamper. He thanked the gods that Sylvia hadn’t noticed that, in his haste, he managed to punch a small hole in the side of the picnic basket with the end of the corkscrew. He sighed, So much for my reputation as a suave operator.
They touched their glasses together and made a silent toast. The food was utterly perfect as only a proper English picnic can be. At last, she popped the last luscious strawberry into her mouth and demanded another kiss. He almost knocked the wine bottle over with his clumsy leap across the blanket.
“Unhand me you lout!” She laughed, “Let me show you how it’s done.”
With that she slithered gracefully, hoping that she would appear most seductive, and snuggled down beside him. Then, she wrapped them both in the blanket. Thirty minutes later, Jim could have sworn that the blanket was scorched and that the local Bobbies would surely be on the scene to put out the fire.
As the shadows began to lengthen, they repacked the hamper and walked slowly back to her faithful little car. The ride back to his quarters was bittersweet. A beautiful day was ending and what would be next? She would go back to her studies, and he would go back to his duties.
“Why don’t I catch a train down to Oxford next weekend and visit you? I’d love to see the place, but I’d love to see you even more. We could spend the whole time together. I don’t want this to end here. In fact, even though we’ve just met, I feel like I’ve known you forever.”
He touched her cheek gently before continuing, “I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do feel that something very special has happened to us in the last couple of days. I’m a mathematician, and we don’t usually make decisions unless they are well thought out and unemotional. Right now, I don’t feel like a mathematician. I feel like a foolish high school kid on his first date.”
“I must say that you’re a cheeky monkey. Such a bold pronouncement. You’re just so serious about everything. It was a wonderful day, and I feel the same way that you do. We’re from different worlds, but it’s like we’ve known each other forever. Lighten up, mister. I’ll be waiting for you next weekend, and we’ll paint the town red. On second thought, I think that would probably cause the collapse of the university, so we’ll have to be a bit more cautious.”
She wagged her finger at him, “Bring a good bottle of wine but leave your jammies at home.”
They kissed one last time and then she was gone, speeding down the roadway in that bright yellow little car of hers. She honked the horn and waved madly as she turned the corner before disappearing.
He could hardly wait for the weekend and called her at every opportunity. This crazy girl had already stolen his heart. Hey man! he thought, Nothing wrong with that!
Jim had always considered himself to be a very serious person, one who spent very little time on frivolity, and even less at any activity that didn’t have a real purpose. Now, he began to wond
er about himself. Would she think him pompous? Why couldn’t he just have that free and easy attitude projected by so many of his friends? He came to a surprising, at least for him, conclusion. Life is too short and precious to spend it moaning about the state of the world. Until now, he had usually just seen the darkest side of every issue.
“To hell with all that seriousness! I am going to embrace the pure pleasure of existing. Forget about impending doom at every corner. It can wait. Love was in the air!”
The next weekend, he took the train to Oxford and Sylvia met him at the station in her Mini Cooper. She wore slim jeans and a vastly oversized sweater that made her look even more petite than she was. She ran toward him, and he caught her in his arms and whirled her around in a tight hug. They kissed—a kiss that was so long that several people smiled, some even stopped to watch. They never noticed.
They dashed to her little car, and he threw his bag into the backseat. He offered to drive, but she declined, saying, “Americans could never be safe driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road.”
He gritted his teeth as she roared down the road at breakneck speeds, but his utter terror was when she would hurtle into a round-about without so much as a look at the oncoming cars. Jim shut his eyes tightly, but he could still hear the angry honks from other drivers. He prayed that he would live to see the end of the day.
After a while, he began to relax and was soon enjoying the sights of this city of many charms. It was historic yet modern, diverse and cosmopolitan. After the frightening drive through the city, they had lunch at a historic old pub and then drove along the canal that meandered gently through the countryside.
The last stop of the afternoon was the university. Jim was awed as Sylvia explained that Oxford’s known history went all the way back to the year 1096.
Jim, always the serious one, rattled on about the fact that he’d never been anywhere so steeped in scholarly history.
Sylvia rolled her eyes and yawned. “You Yanks are just so easy to impress. Check out that building,” she pointed her finger. That’s the New College. It was built in the 14th century, and that was long before your upstart nation was populated by anything other than the indigenous peoples. Totally uncivilized place, even today.”
Jim stepped off the walkway and onto the lush green grass for a closer look. Sylvia grabbed his arm and yanked him backward. “Hey mate, I’m gobsmacked! You just committed an unpardonable sin! No one, absolutely no one, walks on the grass! You clowns lie about on your campus greens like they have no purpose other than for your relaxation. Shame!”
She laughed at his embarrassment, and he realized that her tongue could be as sharp as her wit.
Jim threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay! Okay! I yield to the mightier force. You might have all the moldy old buildings, but we beat your asses all the way back to England a long time ago. Don’t forget that!”
The banter continued until Sylvia announced that she was quite knackered. Jim raised his eyebrows and asked if it was contagious.
“You ignorant peasant! That just means that I’m tired! If you’re going to spend time over here, you need to learn to speak the language.” She poked him in the ribs playfully and suggested they head for the Kings Arms, her favorite watering hole.
The place was, indeed, traditional. It was usually filled with students who laughed raucously and toasted each other every few minutes. The ale and beer were flowing freely; it was quite apparent that everyone was more than happy to be celebrating the weekend.
A rather tall young man waved them over to his table. He wore an odd mix of clothes but so did most of the others. Jim decided that “eclectic” would probably be the word of the day. Soon introductions were made, and the drinking began in earnest.
Sylvia and her friends seemed to be totally oblivious to the amount of alcohol they were consuming. He wondered what term they might have for being totally drunk. Just then, Sylvia’s friend, Alistair, announced that he was going to be “legless” soon if he didn’t have something to eat. Jim smiled to himself that he had just learned another important new word.
The evening came to an end, and the friends went their separate ways. Well, the evening didn’t end then. Jim and Sylvia went to her little flat and had a most entertaining night together. Jim, ever the prude, whispered to Sylvia that they should be a bit quieter with their bedroom antics because the neighbors might call the police.
She laughed and pounded on the wall, “Take that, you cretins! It’s payback time for all those nights that your shagging kept me awake!” Jim covered his head with his pillow and feigned sleep.
The next day, they rented a little boat and rowed on the canal. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine and the fragrance of flowers that bloomed along the bank. Sylvia opened her ever-present giant purse and pulled out a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, and two plastic cups.
She poured a generous amount into each cup and handed one to Jim. “Jim, you seem to love this place. Have you ever thought of taking your master’s at one of the colleges here? You said that you’d planned to go to MIT, but we’re ever so much more fun over here.”
Jim leaned forward and kissed her. “You’re right. After this weekend, MIT just doesn’t seem to be calling my name. Besides, they’re so deadly serious about everything. Maybe I’ll apply for a Rhodes scholarship and just see what happens.”
The weekend was over far too soon and Jim, now knackered himself, headed back to London. He returned to his ship and did make an application for the scholarship. He felt rather foolish in even trying, but, what the heck. They couldn’t shoot him, could they? He spent time gathering information on the mathematical institute at Oxford. He could hardly see himself fitting in there, but he knew that he could make it academically.
Months later, to his great surprise, he was awarded a scholarship.
Jim and Sylvia continued to see each other whenever they could during the remaining time that he was in the Navy. Every visit was pure ecstasy and far too short. They phoned and wrote and fretted until his service requirements were complete.
Immediately after he left the Navy, Jim packed up his belongings and moved to Oxford where they shared her tiny flat until they could find something at least a little larger. They were totally in love and devoted to each other, but over time they began to drift apart. Jim became deeply involved in his studies, and so did Sylvia. They had less and less time for each other and eventually, things just began to fall slowly apart.
There just wasn’t time for nourishing and cultivating the relationship; a sad situation but not unique by any means. When she graduated, she accepted a job in London and left him alone in the flat. The life had just gone out of the place with her gone. The flat used to ring with laughter and music, but now, it seemed to be old and dark with books and papers scattered everywhere. To Jim, it seemed that the sunshine had gone from his life.
Jim knew that, deep down, he still loved Sylvia as much as ever, and he hoped fervently that someday, somehow, they could be together again. In the meantime, he simply threw himself into his studies with an even greater intensity.
But Sylvia was often in his thoughts.
Someday. Somehow. Perhaps.
****
A shadow crossed Jim suddenly.
“Quite warm today isn't it?”
The voice abruptly jarred Jim from his reverie. The old man sat down on the bench with a smile. Not wanting to inflict an olfactory insult from the garlic in his lunch, Jim turned his head slightly before speaking.
“It’s more than warm. It’s downright hot. I much prefer cooler weather. By the way, you’re late today. I’m going to need to head back to work in just a few minutes.”
The old man gave Jim a quizzical look. Perhaps he was wondering why he wasn't facing him directly. Then, he got a whiff of the lunch bag and understood perfectly. He chuckled to himself and said, “For some reason, I felt that I shouldn’t miss you today. Our little visits have become important to me.” The old man sm
iled and gently touched the small flower in his lapel. The way he did it made it an elegant gesture.
“I see that you’ve become rather bored with your job. Certainly understandable. I always hated paperwork, too. Total waste of time. Don’t worry about a thing. I have a feeling that you’re going to have a lot more to interest you soon. Keep your chin up. Change is coming.”
What a curious statement. Jim wondered, How could this old man know how I feel about my job? What in the world did he mean by saying my life would soon be getting more interesting? Very strange indeed.
Jim would not normally be interested in pursuing a friendship with someone who had the audacity to sit down next to him on the park bench and interrupt his precious lunchtime. However, this old man was always intriguing and piqued Jim's curiosity. After each of their meetings, he had more questions than answers about this multifaceted and complex old man.
It was time to go. Jim looked at his watch and stood up. The old man looked him directly in the eye and said, “I see that it’s time for you to leave. I understand completely. Work before play. I'll see you again soon."
With that, he waved goodbye. Jim walked to a nearby waste container and tossed in the lunch bag and empty cup. As he turned to leave, he suddenly noticed that the old man had already disappeared.
Within a minute, Rudy screeched to a halt at the curb with perfect timing. Jim jumped in and away they went into the throng of others rushing back from lunch to their offices at the last minute. During the brief ride, Jim thought back on his meetings with the old man. Funny, Jim thought of him as old but he had no idea of his age. He didn’t even know his name; he only knew him as “Tom.”
A sudden thought occurred to Jim, “T...O...M, could that be an acronym for The Old Man?” What kind of joke would that be? He did remember that Tom had a merry twinkle in his eye at the time he mentioned his name was Tom.
Back at the office, Jim checked his email and voicemail as usual. There were several less-than-interesting communications. Oh well, at least there was no crisis du jour in D.C. He smiled and thought, Oh yeah, a normal day with only political intrigue, backstabbing, scandalous behavior...ho hum.