* * *
Three weeks left until prom. Sam stood at the front of his classroom trying desperately to get their attention, but they were too busy planning their costumes to discuss Shakespeare's sonnets.
Except Josie, of course. She was always ready to share her insights. So, inexplicably, Sam found himself discussing love poetry, one on one, with Josie. No one in the class noticed how often they retreated into their own world, until one or the other broke the spell. Sam struggled to remind himself where he was�it was little comfort to him that Josie seemed to struggle just as much.
He'd heard a bunch of strange rumors about her�things that made no sense�that she was some sort of heiress�that she dated rock stars. He dismissed them as nothing worth worrying about�but he did wonder where they'd originated. Maybe her friend Rob?
Sam no longer brought his journal to school with him. If anyone read what he'd written, he knew he'd be fired or worse. He didn't want anything so ugly to touch Josie.
* * *
May 13, 1999
I've never been so anxious for the school year to be over. The more time I spend with Josie, the more I love her. I believe that I have found my soulmate�but I have to let her finish growing up. Can I allow myself to dream that someday, maybe, we can be together?I spoke with Jake at Dartmouth. He asked me to fax him some samples of Josie's work�he was as impressed as I've always been. He's eager to talk with her about a late admission�but he can't come out here until after graduation. I can't wait to tell her�I hope she's convinced her family that she should go to college.
I wish I knew how she feels about me. I'm pretty sure that she cares about me, but what if it's just a crush on her favorite teacher? She still spends a lot of time with Rob�and Guy is never too far from her, either...
* * *
Josie stood back, admiring the sunset backdrop they were in the process of painting.
"It looks great, Josie," Sam said in her ear.
Josie whirled around, startled. Her paintbrush full of orange paint landed on Sam's cheek.
"Oops," she giggled.
"Hey�I'll bet you'd look great in yellow," Sam laughed back. He plopped a brush full of yellow paint on her nose.
"This is war," she laughed as she landed a streak of orange on Sam's forehead.
"You're not playing fair," he yelled, caught up in the moment. He dipped his brush into the pink paint and ran his brush playfully down her cheek.
She laughed up at him. They continued dabbing paint on each other until both wore as much paint at the mural.
Sam held his brush above Josie's head, planning another attack. Josie jumped up and grabbed his wrist. Sam captured her other hand, pulling her toward him.
Suddenly, they were standing as close as they could possibly be without touching. Sam couldn't seem to breathe. Their playful game was getting way too close for comfort. "Maybe we should get back to work," he said quietly.
Josie swallowed hard and nodded. They kept bumping into each other�brushing shoulders�trying desperately to keep their minds on the painting.
Jason walked by with a Polaroid camera. "Smile, guys." He lifted the camera to frame the photograph. "Can you get a little closer?"
Shyly, Josie leaned towards Sam. He draped his arm lightly around her shoulders.
"Man�you guys are a mess! Did you get any paint on the mural?"
Josie laughed up at Sam as Jason snapped one picture, then another. He set the developing pictures on the table and moved on. Sam and Josie returned to the painting.
"So�other than reading and writing�what do you like to do in your spare time?" Sam asked.
"Needlepoint�oh�and I love sports�especially baseball�and hockey."
Sam raised one eyebrow. "You like hockey?"
"I love it�I think I may have been the only one in class who knew who Gordie Howe was," she joked. "My dad used to take us to Blackhawks games all the time."
"I would never have guessed. And baseball�what's your favorite team, White Sox or Cubs?"
"Actually, it's the New York Mets�" she replied.
"You're kidding! I love the Mets�I used to drive down to Shea Stadium all the time when I was at Yale. How'd you get so interested in sports?"
"My brother�he's a great baseball player and a sports nut. Since it was just the two of us, we're pretty close. I used to make up stories for him when we were little."
"Now that doesn't surprise me at all�you are a born writer."
Josie blushed at the compliment. "Thanks�that means a lot coming from you." She glanced around, suddenly aware of how close they were standing, and realized that they were alone. "Hey�where'd everybody go?"
Sam smiled. They'd been so caught up with each other that they hadn't heard everyone else leave. "I guess they called it quits for today�maybe we should clean up and get out of here," he said sadly.
As they put their paints and brushes away, Sam picked up one of the photos of them and slipped it into his back pocket. He handed the other to Josie. "Do you want this?"
Josie smiled. "Of course�it'll be a nice memento�I had so much fun today!"
Sam grinned crookedly. "Me, too."
* * *
May 20, 1999
I can't remember when I've ever had as much fun as I had today with Josie. She really is the most amazing person I've ever known. I can't believe that she loves hockey�that her favorite baseball team is the Mets�she couldn't have known that they are my favorite team�that I used to sneak out to games when I visited Lara in New York.I almost lost control during that paint fight, though. It was all I could do to keep from pulling her into my arms. For a moment, I imagined what heaven it would be to paint her face with kisses instead of with a paintbrush. Someday it will happen. I'm more convinced of that than ever. Josie and I are 'Meant for Each Other.'
It's going to be brutal to watch Josie at the prom with someone else�when she should be with me. I suspect it will be Guy Perkins�he seems quite taken with her. (And I hate that.)
But there's no way she could go with me�and no girl should miss her senior prom. Besides�graduation is just three days after prom�then I can present my case to her.
* * *
Friday afternoon, Josie entered Sam's classroom expecting to find the rest of the prom committee. They were supposed to go through the DJ's compact discs and albums to choose music for the prom. She found crates of CD's and records on Sam's desk, but otherwise the room was empty. She looked up as Sam came in.
"Am I early?" she asked.
"Nope�right on time," he said glancing at his watch. "I wonder where everyone else is?"
Josie walked to the window, to see the rest of the prom committee piling into her Le Sabre with Rob. "I think we've been stood up," she said pointing. "Maybe we should reschedule."
"If you want�" Sam said. "Or we could just get the job done�we'll probably get farther without them anyway."
Josie laughed, "You're probably right�their interest in the work that goes into the prom seems to be waning."
"So�'Meant for Each Other'�what kinds of songs did you have in mind?"
"I thought we could come up with a variety of love songs throughout the years�and then toss in some faster stuff for dancing�we should probably do more nineties songs than anything else, I guess."
"That's a shame, actually�the eighties had some great love songs," he said reminiscently.
"I�" Josie caught herself, "like what?"
"Bryan Adams�Heaven�Almost Paradise from the movie Footloose�anything by Journey." Sam searched through the CDs and pulled out one by Bryan Adams. He placed it in the CD player and hit play.
Josie's eyes closed as she heard the soft opening chords of one of her favorite songs. She hated having to pretend that this was unfamiliar to her. Bryan Adams husky voice always stirred her heart�
Oh�thinkin' about all our younger years There was only you and me We were young and wild and free. Now nothin' can take you away from me We've been down that road before But that 's over now You keep me comin' back for more.
And baby you're all that I want When you're lyin' here in my arms I'm findin' it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven.
Oh�once in your life you find someone Who will turn your world around Bring you up when you're feelin' down Yeah�nothin' could change what you mean to me Oh there's lots that I could say But just hold me now 'Cause our love will light the way
And baby you're all that I want When you're lyin' here in my arms I'm findin' it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven
I've been waitin' for so long For somethin' to arrive For love to come along Now our dreams are comin' true Through the good times and the bad Yeah�I'll be standin' there by you�
She opened her eyes to meet the eyes of the person who had done all of that for her. They stared at each other for an eternity before Josie shyly looked away. "It's a beautiful song," she said honestly. "Definitely on the play list."
They spent the next two hours listening to music and making a list for the DJ. Somehow, they kept reaching for the same CD at the same time, their fingers brushing. They would both jump and blush, startled by the little jolts of electricity that seemed to course between them.
Finally, satisfied with their selections, Sam walked Josie to her car.
Bambi wouldn't start. Frustrated, Josie pounded on the steering wheel. "Come on Bambi, roll over."
Click.
She pulled out her cell phone, frantically dialing Rob's private number. No answer.
"No one's home."
"Look�your car�Bambi�should be okay here overnight. Why don't I drop you off and your father can come with you tomorrow to figure out the problem?"
His solution made sense. But Josie wasn't sure how to explain where she lived. "Umm�okay�but I'm not actually staying at home tonight�I'm house- sitting for the weekend for my aunt�she has turtles�so if you could drop me there�that'd be great."
"You're staying there alone? That doesn't sound like such a great idea�"
"It's fine�really�I've done it before�it's actually kind of nice to get some privacy for a change."
Josie gathered her things from the car and walked with Sam to his black Jeep. The top was down. "Maybe I should put the top up," he said, indicating some ominous looking black clouds.
"Oh, please, don't�it must be so much fun�I've never ridden in a convertible before."
Sam laughed, "Okay, you win."
They got about half way to Josie's apartment when the skies opened up. They were both quickly drenched and laughing. Sam pulled over beneath an overpass. "We can wait it out here," he said.
"I love thunderstorms," said Josie, "they're so wild and free."
Sam turned in his seat, facing her. "So do I� But not in my Jeep with the top down."
"We are a little," she plucked at her blouse, which was plastered to her breasts, "wet." She combed her fingers through her hair, pulling it back from her face.
Lightning struck, so close that the thunder was almost instantaneous. "Wow," Sam said, "that was really close."
"Suddenly I'm aware that we're pretty unprotected here," she said.
Sam met her eyes. They were definitely in danger, but he wasn't so sure it was from the storm. He tried to think of something neutral that they could talk about. He couldn't think of anything.
"So," Josie asked, "did you always want to be a teacher?"
Sam breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Yeah, I guess I did. I loved school and I seemed to have a knack for helping kids learn, too�I did a lot of tutoring in high school�plus, my father's a college history professor. I didn't know how much I'd love it, though, until I did my student teaching. I can't imagine doing anything else, now."
"Even with all of the senseless tragedies? The violence? It's a pretty scary time to be a teacher."
"If anything, it makes me try harder�you know? High school's tough�kids are under a lot of pressure and I think most adults tend to write them off. I've found, though, that if you just give them a chance, some encouragement in the right direction, they'll surprise you."
"You really are a terrific teacher, you know," she said softly. "All the kids�they respect you�they know that you really care about them."
"I do care," he said, looking into her eyes.
Josie tore her eyes from his. "It's stopped raining," she said sadly.
"So it has." Sam started the Jeep and pulled back onto the road.
Five minutes later, they pulled up in front of Josie's apartment. "This is my stop," she said. "Do you want�?"
Sam interrupted before she could ask. "I can't."
Josie nodded in understanding. "At least let me get you a towel." She disappeared inside. A moment later she returned with a thick pink towel and handed it to Sam.
Gratefully, Sam towel dried his hair and attempted to soak some of the water out of his clothes. He buried his face in the towel. It smelled of wildflowers like Josie. "Thanks. I'll see you on Tuesday."
"You're welcome. Thanks for driving me home."
As he drove off, Josie slowly walked up the path to her front door. She lifted the towel to her nose, inhaling the scent of his cologne.
* * *
May 28, 1999
Josie and I spent the afternoon making the music selections for the prom. I was in agony. We stood there�listening to a bunch of slow, romantic songs�and I wanted to take her in my arms and dance with her�but I couldn't. Our fingers kept brushing as we flipped through the cases of CD's�and every time we touched I felt an electric shock course through my whole system. I've never before had such a strong reaction to anyone. It seemed as if she felt it too�we'd lock eyes and forget to breathe again.Then�her car wouldn't start�and I drove her home. We got caught in the rain�I don't know how I managed to keep my sanity. She was soaking wet�and completely adorable. I think that the storm raging within me was even fiercer than the one outside. She started to ask me in�but I knew that was not possible�she's there alone�I couldn't even consider it.
I still haven't told her about Dartmouth. I hope she'll consider it seriously�it's a wonderful opportunity.
* * *
* * *