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Everyone was reeling from the playground incident. Mary Evans crouched in the corner of the clubhouse with her head propped against her knees. Tad Black and Martin White huddled by the window–launching juvenile puns that fell even flatter than normal. Alma paced back and forth muttering. "He's no longer himself. He's gone..." Mary thought to the day before. She didn't see the beginning of the fight. She was playing with her friends at the seesaw. She remember the sudden explosion of loud voices coming from jungle gyms.
The fight made no sense. Johnny May was the class jock. He was good with the football, but not with the brain. Alma was the class nerd. In this scuffle, Alma tossed question after question at Johnny. Johnny got them right, yet Alma called foul with each exchange. It made no sense. Johnny May had won the state wrestling title, but, in this fight, Alma flipped him back and forth as if he were a plastic doll. It was backwards. It made no sense. Mary listened to the voices. Alma screamed in rage. Johnny paced his calm words...just like her father...just like her brother...just like her teachers...just like Reverend Thomas. And, speak of the devil, there he was: Reverend Hardin Thomas materialized on the playground. He stood between the two boys. A group of teachers appeared as well. They hauled Alma off to detention. They took Johnny to the infirmary. The playground turned deathly still. Nothing made sense. Alma and Johnny were the closest of friends. Today they fought like cat and dogs. Maybe Johnny wasn't himself any longer, but what about Alma?
Mary remembered when Alma first showed up at Jefferson Middle School. He was supposed to be some type of boy genius. They had already bumped him up two full grades. The teacher said he was doing math at a college level. All she saw was a snotty nosed jerk. On his first day of class, Alma went to the 97 students in the seventh grade class and interviewed them for acceptance in his club—as if being part of his precious club was some sort of exclusive honor. Her interview was awkward. At the time she thought Alma was an arrogant snob. She wanted nothing to do with him. She even told him her mind point blank in the "interview." Alma was persistent, and Mary Evans became the fifth and final member of the Free Body Social Club. The friends he chose made an odd collection. They were neither the most popular nor the brightest. Yet somehow, Alma chose the correct five. Mary's mind turned back to the clubhouse. She looked at her small collection of friends. It was so terribly hard to explain. In the last several months, the club had embedded itself into the core of her soul. The club was more important to her than school, and dare she think, as important as family. They weren't the "in" set, but they had something greater–something slightly more real–something just beyond her ability to explain. This little group of friends was tied together in ways that were just beyond her ability Somehow, this group of friends would be there, when she needed friends the most. It was her security, but now a piece of it was missing. Did the fight cause this, or was the fight caused by a deeper rift? She heard footsteps approach the clubhouse. Mary looked up. Framed in the doorway was the stout figure of Reverend Thomas. Next to him stood the timid silhouette of Johnny May. "Alma," the Reverend cleared his throat, "I believe, an apology is in order." "Well, if ever I see Johnny again, I definitely will." Mary could feel the Reverend's confidence faltering as it dashed against Alma's rock solid will. "In any case," the Reverend continued, "Johnny has an important announcement." Johnny shuffled his feet nervously. "my, uh, dad got a promotion, and, um..." A smile came to Alma's face. "Your dad's a cotton farmer. How do you get promoted when you own your own farm?" Johnny awkwardly stammered. "My dad was promoted to a, err, orange farm..." "So that's how farmers do it." Alma's smile broadened. "You start out as a cotton farmer, then move up to oranges. I guess good orange growers get to become cowboys." Johnny grinned. "The Mays" the Reverend continued, "will be moving this afternoon. They are going to Florida. You have one hour to say your good byes." "One hour!" Mary gasped. Alma didn't waste a millisecond. If they had only one last hour, Alma would make it the best hour in the history of the club. Alma openly embraced his friend. All animosity vanished. The room sprang to life. The playground incident became history, and for one brief hour the world turned into a state of perfection. Even Matt and Tad's jokes magically hit their mark. People laughed on the edge of tears. Mary stared at her collection of friends. Alma and Johnny had never seemed closer. She tried to memorize every moveent and nuance of meeting. If this hour could last forever it would be paradise. The Free Body Club was the most valuable thing she had in her life, but things were about to change. Johnny would move away, and Alma...well, even the strongest cliff can hold out against the crashing waves of the ocean for so long. If only she could memorize hard enough, it just might stay this way forever. |