Stan continued, "Tonight when I was there, the entire valley where this tree is at was lit up by the moonlight. It was like magick. And really felt like I was supposed to take you there."
"Stan, I don't know if..."
Suddenly, a noise could be heard from one of the other rooms in the house.
"You better go!" urged Donna. "She quickly closed the window and turned out the light.
Stan darted out of the backyard and down the street to his car. He started the engine and then idled some distance past Donna's house before using the accelerator to drive off. Cars were noisy in those days, and one had to do this if wishing to avoid detection.
***
On Saturday mornings, Donna's father would leave early for the golf course. After working hard all week, he felt he deserved the reward of a nice weekly game of golf with his brothers, friends, colleagues—whoever. Sunday, of course, was reserved for mass.
This Saturday ritual of Father playing golf provided Mother a chance to enter Donna's bedroom the morning following Stan’s visit, and wake her up for a little talk before making breakfast for the family. She sat down at the foot of her daughter's bed, and marveled at what a beautiful, young lady Donna had become. But it was still Mother's duty to protect Donna and see to it that she make the right choices. "Donna, wake up." she called out.
Donna stirred awake and was startled to see her mother sitting at the foot of the bed. She immediately knew the nature of Mother's visit, and remained silent.
"You know why I'm here, don't you?" began Mother. "Was there someone with you last night in your bedroom?"
"No." quickly responded Donna. "It's just that..." she hesitated. Donna knew that it was best to be honest with Mother. Aside from that, it was against Donna's nature to lie. But how could she explain.
"Go on..." demanded Mother.
"Well, there's a boy from high school who was visiting me at my window last night. I tried to be quiet, but it looks like we woke you. I’m sorry."
Mother was flabbergasted. "A boy from high school, here to see you? Why so sneaky? Couldn't he come to the front door and meet your father as is expected?"
Donna shrugged her shoulders, "It wasn't like that. It's nothing serious..."
Mother sharply interjected, "He's no good." She paused to weight the effect on Donna. "Isn't that right? The reason he has to be so sneaky and come to your bedroom window at night is because he's no good. He knows that father will not accept him."
Donna tried to explain, "Mom, he's just someone I knew in high school who is a friend, that's all."
But Mother wouldn't hear it. "And what would Fredrick say of this boy from high school coming to meet you at your window late at night? Would he be happy knowing this while he is away at war? People have ways of finding out. All it takes is for someone to write him a letter. He could have easily asked someone to keep an eye on you while he's gone."
Donna said nothing.
"He wouldn't be happy." insisted Mother. "And that's how you have to be thinking. You have to think about your future husband. You have to ask if it's really worth losing the man you love. Your father would be outraged if I were meeting some man at the window late at night just to be friends. Donna, you are a young woman. You're not a child anymore that would believe that a friendship with a boy is harmless and innocent. Now I don't know how you attracted him, but I no longer want him coming here. And if you know what's best, you definitely don't want your father finding out about him.
***
Of course Stan needed all the confidence and reassurance he could get regarding what was currently a sketchy relationship with Donna. And he knew where to get this. The nights that followed his second "Friday night date" with Donna at the window were graced by continuing waxing gibbous phases of the Moon. By Tuesday, the Moon was full. So on each of these nights with the Moon's heavenly glory shining its light on the Earth, below; Stan visited the Berry Bush Forest Preserve to pay nightly pilgrimages to the magickal valley of Donna's spirit mother. On each night, he found himself in the same magickal realm with the moonlight flooding the valley and illuminating the old tree. But the tree never came to life, no matter how much Stan touched or spoke to it. Perhaps the sprites were too busy during this sacred time of the full Moon to open a doorway and let Donna's spirit mother through. But just like before, she was there in spirit. And she seemed to urge Stan to continue visiting Donna; continue making her existence known to Donna which would eventually lead her to the valley.
By Friday night of that week, the Moon had reached the waning gibbous stage meaning that it was beginning to reduce back to a crescent before disappearing from the sky. And there is something else about the Moon in this stage; it rises late in the evening so that by morning it can be seen in western sky. This provides illumination to the ground in the midnight hours and throughout predawn.
By the time Stan drove into Donna's subdivision, the Moon was well into the sky which, again, caused him concern that maybe he would be detected by neighbors or Donna's parents. Stan parked four houses away and softly pushed the driver side door shut before walking across the grass in the parkways. When reaching Donna's house, he was about to walk around the side and into the backyard.
But what was this?
Donna stood at the side of the house in a coat. She smiled when initially seeing Stan and then raised her index finger to her lips.
Stan knew what she was doing. Without saying a word, he led her out onto the sidewalk where they quickly crossed the parkways of the four houses until reaching the car. When finally inside Stan asked, "What are you doing? Where are we going?" He started the car and then idled some distance past Donna's house before driving off.
"My Mother heard us last week." explained Donna. "She doesn't want you coming back."
"Really...? Wow!" exclaimed Stan. He never would have expected Donna to resort to this. "So where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Where do you think?" answered Donna. "I want to see the tree."
And so Stan drove through town that Friday night which was mostly void of motorists and pedestrians. You see, it was after midnight which meant that most of the world had gone to sleep. And by the time they reached the Berry Bush Forest Preserve, there were no cars parked in spots with kids necking. It was probably best that no one was around to take notice of Stan and Donna (who was supposed to be faithful to her Fredrick while he was away at war) enter the woods late at night. Such a thing would surely appear suspicious.
Donna shivered while walking the trail next to Stan. "It's so cold..."
"Well you have a long coat on." pointed Stan.
"I know... but still..."
Stan seized the much-wished-for opportunity to put his arm around Donna's shoulders and pull her close. "There, there... I'll keep you warm." Her long, raven-black hair smelled so good. And funny thing; Donna really didn't mind being close to Stan. She didn't mind the subtle move made on her. It felt good.
Stan rubbed the side of Donna's shoulder in an attempt to provide heat. "We just walk a ways down the path, and we'll be able to see the actual tree." he explained.
"I can't wait." answered Donna.
About seven minutes later, Stan and Donna finally reached the location where it was possible to deviate off the main path. It would only be necessary to do some bushwhacking and climb down the somewhat steep ravine until reaching the valley. For now, from a distance, the old tree could be seen bathing in the moonlight.
"There it is." announced Stan.
"Oh, it's beautiful." exclaimed Donna. "I've never been to the woods at night, and I have to admit that at first I thought you were a little crazy for doing this. But I can see everything down below. You are right. It looks so magickal." There was silence for the next ten seconds before Donna asked, “But how does the tree remind you of me?"
"We would have to get closer to the tree." answered Stan. "You probably don't want to go down there because..."
Donna cut him off. "Oh yes I do! Stan, I w
ant to go down there!" It was almost as-if Donna were suddenly possessed by some unseen force.
"Are you sure?" checked Stan. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely!" affirmed Donna.
And so the two deviated off the main trail and followed a bit of unpleasant bushwhacking, and then somewhat of a steep descent down the ravine. A couple of time Donna almost lost her balance. But that was okay. She was bound and determined to reach the valley which—unbeknown to her—was the magickal valley of her spirit mother. When finally there, she nearly pulled Stan over to the tree.
"Oh, it's so beautiful." declared Donna. They were some twenty feet away and marveled as the branches and the colored leaves of autumn softly glowed in the moonlight. "This tree must be many years old."
"Hundreds." added Stan.
Donna approached the tree until she was close enough to touch it.
"Can you finally see why the tree reminds me of you?" asked Stan.
Donna turned to face Stan. In doing so, she rested her back against the large trunk. She smiled, somewhat mischievously and answered, "You'll have to explain that to me."
"Well..." began Stan while carefully approaching. "It really reminded me of you because it’s so beautiful… like you."
Donna could feel herself blushing and hoped that the partial darkness would cover it.
Stan continued, "But now that you are here with it, the tree looks all the more beautiful." Stan was now a foot away from Donna's face. He took a chance, and leaned in for a kiss.
Donna softly moaned a cry. This was not supposed to happen. She never intended to allow Stan to take their friendship to this sort of level. Perhaps this is what Mother meant by insisting that a friendship with a boy could lead to anything. Too bad Donna didn't heed the warning, for Stan continued to kiss her with her back up against the tree. It was un-ladylike in those days for a woman to fight, squirm and resist. Aside from that, Donna was all alone in the forest with him. All she could do was allow Stan to have his way and kiss her more and more. He really liked her; Donna could feel this. It was as-if Stan were in love with Donna.
And then the magick happened. Donna felt deeply rooted in that place with the tree where Stan nearly worshipped and adored her. Donna suddenly felt like a goddess who graced an Earthly mortal with the ability to kiss her lips. On this magickal autumn night of her valley engulfed by the moonlight, she opened herself up and allowed Stan the simple and long-awaited pleasure of kissing her.
The two stayed for nearly three hours just making out against the old tree. As Donna's spirit mother promised, Donna would completely surrender to Stan and belong to him. On that fateful night it finally happened.
"I really need to get home." Donna finally said. "Remember I sneaked out of the window to be with you? I don't want to get in trouble."
"Oh, that's right." acknowledged Stan. "Yes, we better get you home."
Now so much in love with one another, Stan and Donna hiked arm-in-arm back to the car. Not much was said on the ride home. But unlike the last time Stan drove Donna home, the two kissed before Donna exited the vehicle.
"Next week?—Friday?" suggested Stan.
Donna turned and smiled, "I'll be waiting in the same place for you."
"Just after midnight." instructed Stan.
You see, plans needed to be made right then and there. Stan would have never been able to call Donna's house and ask for her. Surely it would have been Mother or Father who answered. And in those days if a boy called for a girl, he had to identify himself and state his intentions. Stan didn't want to alarm Donna's parents of their new relationship.
***
After that fateful night in the valley of Donna's spirit mother, the weather had turned so that it was too cold to go walking in the woods at night. The weekend that followed would have been Halloween—a Saturday. The night before Halloween—which was a Friday—there was a strong wind that brought with it a wintery chill. Would Donna really be waiting for Stan on the side of her house as promised?
"I don't know..." cried out Stan with a sigh. "She's not going to be there. It's too cold." The windows of Stan's car were rolled up and the heat was on. He wore a winter coat and drove through Donna's subdivision. Like the previous times, Stan parked four houses down and observed the usual procedure of softly closing the door and walking on the grass of the parkways to avoid the sound of shoes against the sidewalk. But with the howling wind, who would have heard?
Stan could hardly believe it as he made his way around the side of Donna's house. There, bundled up in a heavy coat, scarf and woman's hat; Donna huddled near the brick to avoid as much wind as possible.
Stan waved Donna over. "Come-on, let's get back to the car. I have heat." he urged. The two ran down the street until reaching the car. And even though Stan was anxious to get in himself, he was sure to be a gentleman and open the door for Donna. Moments later, the two drove through town with the heat on while listening to late night music.
"I don't think you want to go back to the tree." cited Stan.
"It's too cold." confirmed Donna.
"There's not much to do in this town." said Stan. "Everything closes after eleven o'clock. I guess we could park at the Berry Bush Forest Preserve and just hang out. All the kids should be home because it's past curfew."
Just to make sure that his Donna wouldn't start to think that he only went out with her on Friday nights to neck, he instructed Donna, "Hey, go in the glove compartment. I've got something for you."
Donna did as instructed. Inside was a bag from Dog-n-Suds. "Is this for me?" she asked.
"Yes it is." affirmed Stan. "I got us a couple of hot dogs and some fries. I figured it would be nice to have some sort of dinner together. I would have gotten a root beer in a frosty mug, but that would have been hard to drive around with. Instead, I have a couple of bottles of soda in the backseat."
"Oh Stan, that's so nice of you." exclaimed Donna. As the car pulled into the parking lot of Berry Bush Forest Preserve, Donna opened the bag and reached for a couple of French fries. "No wonder the car smelled like food." she commented.
Stan put the transmission in park and turned off the lights. "I suppose we should leave the engine running for heat. I filled the tank before the gas station closed, so we should have plenty of gas. I'll keep an eye on the needle."
Donna and Stan unwrapped their hot dogs. Stan reached in the backseat for the two glass bottles of root beer. "I've got a church key." he announced. Back in those days, a church key was a bottle opener that one conveniently kept on the key ring if ever needing to open a beer or soda. He used this to remove the tops from both bottles.
While the two enjoyed their late night dinner, Stan used the opportunity to bring out into the open a couple of issues with his new relationship with Donna. "So I was thinking." began Stan. "I know we have to keep everything a secret from everyone. I know your parents wouldn't be happy knowing that I'm taking you out late at night. I know that we can't let too many people out here see me with you because anyone might tell Fredrick. I guess we just have to think of clever ways to do things together... you know... like go out on dates and enjoy our time together without anyone seeing? You like being with me, don't you?"
"Of course I do." reassured Donna. "You're a very nice guy, and very interesting. I don't know anyone who would have ever taken me to the middle of the woods late at night and make it seem so beautiful. And it shouldn't be too difficult to go out. We could always plan dates where you meet Barbara and me at the movie theater and stuff. Just make it look like an accident. I trust Barbara. And besides, I think she's onto us. But don’t worry. She won't tell Fredrick or anyone."
***
So throughout the late autumn and winter months, Stan and Donna improvised ways of being together to enjoy one another's company. Many Friday and Saturday nights they simply parked at the Berry Bush Forest Preserve (when it wasn't snowing) and sat in the car with the heat running; enjoying a meal of hamburgers, pizza, or hotdogs that had been packed u
p in the glove compartment. Afterwards, the two would just talk—sometimes for a few hours—followed by some necking that often ended up in the backseat. Of course some nights the two didn't feel like overdoing it with the making out. They simply laid in the backseat, Donna resting against Stan, while listening to late night radio and sometimes dozing off. A couple of times a patrolling officer who spotted the car in the parking lot tapped on the back window and ordered Stan to roll down the window. The officer was only concerned that maybe Stan and Donna were a couple of kids who were out past curfew. When realizing that they were young adults and over the age of eighteen, he was confused as to why they would prefer to sit in a car late at night in the forest preserve.
"Listen, I really wish you wouldn't sit here late at night." urged the officer. "You're not breaking any laws, and I can't make you leave. But it might not be too safe out here late at night."
"We were just getting ready to leave, officer." reassured Stan. And that was the end of the date for that particular night. But then Stan and Donna would return some nights later for some more time together.
As suggested by Donna, there were a few occasions in which Stan "accidentally" encountered her and Barbara at the movie theater on a Friday night. Since Stan knew Donna and Barbara, it wasn't too unreasonable for him to sit with the young women in the movie theater. Stan was a nice guy and he would treat them both to popcorn and soda. And what was so wrong with enjoying a late night meal at the local Dog-n-Suds before everyone went home for the night?
There were a couple of other occasions when Stan "accidentally" encountered Donna and Barbara at a late night coffee house where local jazz musicians performed and beatniks were known to recite poetry in front of the audience. By then, Barbara had received her driver's license and would pick Donna up at her house on Friday and Saturday nights. How long would this arrangement last before Barbara would find a young man who courted her and no longer had time to hang out with Donna and her secret boyfriend?
And speaking of secrets; despite how Stan and Donna tried to keep their relationship a secret, people who knew them eventually figured out that the "accidental" encounters in public weren't so accidental. There was definitely something funny going on between Stan and Donna. And of course, the rumors began to fly throughout town.
The Dead Forest Page 5