Searching for Moore (8 page)

The days leading up to the group presentation were the happiest days Schooner could remember. Their presentation was coming along and was going to be kick-ass, they just knew it. Professor Stevens had invited the whole class back to a party at his home after the presentations were over and they were all really looking forward to that.

Schooner and Mia poured over the tennis schedule, two to three weekends per month he’d be playing in matches and about half of them would require travel, taking him away for a few days.

“I miss you already.” Mia told him, sitting in his lap at her desk. He pulled her face in for a kiss.

“I’m going to really miss this,” he tightened his arms around her waist, “when Caroline gets back and I’ve got to move back into my dorm”.

“Ugh, it’s going to suck,” she pouted, “I like waking up with you.”

He leaned down and bit her pouty lower lip. “Grrrrr. I love waking up with you.”

“I didn’t know I could feel so addicted to someone,” she admitted, a surprised look fleeting past her eyes. “I didn’t know I’d ever want to,” she paused, thinking. “It scares me. Yet, I don’t want to lose this.”

Schooner pulled her head against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. “We won’t lose this. I promise.”

She looked up at him, searching his eyes, silently begging him to keep his promise, he thought. And for him, in that moment, the floodgates broke. He took her face in his hands, kissed her eyes, her cheeks, the tip of her nose and then softly her lips. “Baby Girl,” he sighed, “I love you.”

Mia’s eyes widened, registering her surprise.

He was nodding his head, “I love you. I really do. And I’ve never said that to anyone. I don’t want to freak you out, Mia, and I’m sorry if I am, but I could see us together forever. Can’t you?”

Her face broke into a huge smile and fat tears coursed down her cheeks. And she just nodded her head. Schooner took her face in his hands and started out softly kissing her lips, intensifying as she weaved her fingers into his hair, gently pulling. He heard a growl sound rumbling from the base of his throat and picked Mia up as he stood. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as he walked to the bed, their kiss never breaking.

He laid her down on her back and got beside her, facing her on his side. He pushed her irreverent mass of dark curls from her face and kissed her softly.

He leaned down next to her ear and whispered, “I want to make you happy.”

Mia put her hand to his face, brushing her thumb across his cheek and smiling into his beautiful clear blue eyes. “You make me very happy.”

Schooner reached down and unbuttoned the top button on her Levi’s. He slid the zipper down and eased his hand into her underwear. His eyes never left hers and the smile on his face was real. He dipped a finger into her and she moaned.

“I love how wet you are.” He pulled his wet finger out and rubbed it on her clit. Her eyes grew large with surprise and he laughed, “Did I get the right spot.” All she could do was nod vigorously. “Feels good, huh?” She continued to nod, her smile matching his. He pulled her jeans and underwear down together and she kicked them off her feet. “Much better,” he acknowledged. He dipped two fingers into her and moved them to a spot on the front wall that made her gasp. His smile took on a devilish lilt — he knew he had her now.

He pulled his fingers out of her and slipped his forefinger into his mouth, sucking it slowly. “You taste good,” he ran his middle finger, which had just been inside of her, along her lips. She reached for his hand and sucked his middle finger into her mouth, tasting herself. She licked his finger from base to tip and then sucked it back in her mouth. “You are killing me,” he growled.

She smiled, “Good.”

And he laughed. Bending down, he nipped her playfully on her hipbone and kept nipping in a line to the top of her thighs. “Now we’ll see who is going to kill who,” and with that he buried his face in her, taking the tip of his tongue and licking slowly from back to front. When he reached her clit, he stopped and pulled his tongue away.

“Noooooo,” she moaned.

He smiled and without lifting his head said, “No? As in no more? Ok, if that’s what you want.”

“Motherfucker,” she growled and he smiled at her “Inner New Yorker” surfacing and the shy girl getting lost somewhere in the heat of the moment. He felt her hands in his hair, pressing his face back toward her pussy.

“Are you trying to tell me you want more?” He was most amused, “I’m not quite understanding what you are telling me, Mia.”

“Son of a bitch!” She yelled, laughing at the same time.

“Umm, hate to break it to you, but those are not the magic words to get you what you want.”

She sprang up in one move and knocked him on his back, surprising him. “Then, I’ll just take what I want.”

“What is it you want, Baby Girl?” He was breathless.

“You,” she stared intently into his eyes. Suddenly very serious.

“Why is that?”

“Because,” she searched his face, “because I love you.”

And there they were, the words he had shared with her earlier. And she was now saying them back to him. He hadn’t scared her away. He smiled at his sweet little freckle-faced Baby Girl, flipped her back over onto her back and made his way down between her thighs again. “Excuse me,” he said, “but I was rudely interrupted.”

The four were all jumping with nervous energy as they got ready to give the oral part of their group presentation. They had a thirty page supporting document that would also be a part of determining their grade, but the presentation was what would kick it off and if they could nail it, they would be halfway home.

The “baby” of the group was taking the lead, because she was clearly the most fearless. She was also a great communicator, especially on subjects about which she was passionate. Schooner ran his hands up and down her arms as she took deep breaths.

“You ok?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine once I’m up there. This is the hardest part, it’s like being a horse at the gate. Just let me run and I’m fine.”

And that she was. They got up in front of the lecture hall and Mia kicked it off. Slides, music, analysis — they had it all. It flowed, it was logical, it was passionate, it was interesting and at points, even pushed the envelope.

Schooner watched Professor Stevens’ composed face as they presented, thinking “I bet he’s a great poker player.” But even great poker players have their tell and his was at the corners of his eyes. His pride in watching Mia was evident. She was clearly what made teaching at the collegiate level satisfying for him. Schooner was so proud of her, and a tinge jealous at the same time of another man being entranced by her, even if it was just intellectually. They each took turns presenting and ended with a breathtaking and emotional slideshow to music portraying the dichotomy of the promise and the betrayal.

The class cheered when they finished and Professor Stevens joined the four at the front of the lecture hall, casually slinging an arm around Mia’s shoulder.

“Wow!” He exclaimed, “I am actually speechless. What we all just witnessed was a Master class in American Popular Culture. I am really proud of all of you. You took on some of the voices that others would have overlooked.” He looked directly at Schooner, “Phil Ochs — what a joy to see him getting his due. Well done.” Schooner beamed. “Ok everyone, let’s take a fifteen minute break while the next group sets up.”

The four gathered their materials and headed out into the hall for a group hug and high fives. It was an amazing culmination of a month long high. Friendship, love, learning, success, growth — the four were flying high.

Together they walked to the Stevens’ house that evening. Rick’s wife Wendy, a former student fifteen years prior, was welcoming and clearly up to date on all that had happened throughout Interim. She was as excited for the groups as they were, knowing the focus of each of their presentations.

Schooner stood behind Mia, his arms over her shoulders, as she leaned against him. They were “out” in public as a couple and he loved how it felt. He just wanted to say to everyone there, “You saw her today. That is
my
Baby Girl!”

Finding himself alone talking to Wendy, Schooner was surprised and impressed to find out she knew that he had made first string on the tennis team — the only freshman to do so. She clearly followed all of the university’s sports teams and regaled him with stories of team’s past and some of his coach’s minor indiscretions. Rosie joined them and Wendy had them laughing with stories of what the school had been like when she was a student.

Mia was engaged in a serious conversation with Rick and Schooner consciously had to tell himself to chill out, that there was no reason to be jealous. He was not used feeling jealous of other men and it was sitting oddly in his gut.

Wendy noticed Schooner’s gaze. “Rick was so glad when she signed up for his Interim seminar,” she began. “He came home after class one day last semester and said, “I’ve got one that is really thinking” and so I asked him where she was from, figuring it couldn’t be California,” she laughed. “And Rick said, by the sound of her accent, I think she’s a New Yorker. He wants her to TA for him next year. It’s going to be a stretch getting approval on a sophomore — but he thinks if she’s interested, he can get it done.”

Schooner looked over at them and smiled. He was so damn proud of her. “So, you think she’ll be interested?” Wendy asked, hoping to get advance scoop.

“Well, I can’t answer for her, but…” he paused, for effect, “I’d be really shocked if she wasn’t interested.” Wendy looked satisfied.

“So, Phil Ochs?” She said to him, “That’s really freaking impressive. Rick’s been teaching this seminar for five Interims and you are the first person to cover Phil Ochs. We’ve been waiting for someone to do it. He called me right after class today to tell me.” Schooner was beaming.

She looked at him slyly out of the corner of her eye, “So at the beginning of the month, Rick and I made bets on how many Springsteen songs Mia would incorporate over the month into her papers and the final project.” Schooner nearly spit his beer on the floor, he started to laugh so hard. Wendy had a hand on his arm, steadying herself while she laughed, heartily. Mia looked over toward them with an inquisitive look on her face. He winked at her, turned back to Wendy and continued their laughing.

“That is freaking hysterical. You’ll have to let me know who wins.” He looked at his sweet Baby Girl talking to her Prof, who clearly saw how special she was, and thought how much richer his college experience had become now that she was a part of it.

They were still riding their high when they got back to Mia’s dorm room. Entering the room was the first dampening of their moods. Schooner’s stuff was all over and he knew he was going to have to pack it all up and move back to his dorm. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave Mia’s room. He didn’t want to leave Mia’s bed. He didn’t want to leave Mia. He didn’t want to leave Rosalie down the hall and Henry downstairs. He didn’t want to leave the other people in the dorm who had been so accepting of him over the past few weeks. People who were so different than the people he typically knew. People who didn’t fit in with the campus norm — and didn’t try to fit in. They pursued what made them happy. They didn’t fit in, so they expanded out. He had come to love and respect that about them and the thought of going back to an all-male jock dorm made him feel lonely and alone. He was going to miss the quirky camaraderie of the “freak” dorm. He had never felt more at home.

Schooner started to shove things into his duffle bag, while Mia sat cross-legged on her bed, watching him with a perplexed look on her face.

“Are you staying tonight?” She asked, tentatively.

“Do you want me to?”

Mia looked at Schooner as if he had two heads. “Are you kidding? Of course, I want you to stay. It’s my last night without a roommate. I can’t believe you are thinking about leaving.” The air in the room was starting to become tense.

Schooner stood in the middle of the room, belongings in hand, but didn’t speak. He could see the sadness in Mia’s eyes and he thought fear, also. Tomorrow they would all be back. Tomorrow, this idyllic little bubble they’d just spent the month in, would cease to exist. Cease to exit. The thought made his stomach start to ache and he felt a burning at the back of his throat.

Mia smiled at him and jumped off the bed. “Hey, I have something for you.”

“You do?” He was glad she had saved the moment.

“Mmm-hmm,” She nodded her head and her devil smile was back. “Sit,” she ordered pointing to her bed. He sat down.

She went over to her desk and pulled out a large manila envelope and came and sat down next to him on the bed. “This is for you,” she beamed, her little freckled nose wrinkling.

“Should I open it?” He was intrigued. She nodded, smile still bright on her face as he opened the envelope. He slid out a couple of thin pieces of cardboard that were taped together. Setting the envelope aside on the bed, he began to open the tape. She watched him intently, both smiling and biting her lower lip. He smiled back at her, a real smile. What had she done for him?

Inside the cardboard was a stack of B&W prints. He looked up at her and smiled, “When did you do this? We’re together all the time.”

She beamed at him, “I’ve been logging in some darkroom time when you are on the courts.”

He looked back at the stack. The first photo was of the falls. The landscape was perfect for a B&W rendition with white clouds in stark contrast with what appeared to be an almost black sky. “How did you do that?” He asked.

“Circular polarizing filter,” she seemed proud.

He went to the next photo in the stack. It was a picture of him and Henry pretending to throw Rosie off the edge of the mountain. They both laughed looking at it and he bent over to give Mia a soft kiss. She certainly knew how to make him feel better when he was starting to tank.

The third photo in the stack was of their lewd snowman with the giant erection. In this shot, he and Henry each had a hand on the snowman’s penis and Rosie was kneeling before the snowman. They broke into hysterics seeing the picture. “Oh my God, that is too good.” Schooner hooted. “Holy crap.” They both wiped the tears from their eyes, laughing at the funny memory, so perfectly (and lewdly) captured for all posterity.