The Best Years of My Life

In the heat of the summer, I reviewed all the text books from junior year with Addie. She was relentless and made me study till I complained.

"My brain hurts Addie," I would whine with a pinched face.

"It won't hurt when you win the scholarship," she said with enthusiasm.

That was Addie, always the cheerleader, always full of encouragement.

All of senior year, Addie hounded me about studying for the scholarship exam. As a result, I had my best year academically and finished with honors.

The exam was at the beginning of May and I crammed on weekends and after school. But, when I heard that Lillian Barrett was taking it also, I lost my drive to study. She was a shoe in for Valedictorian of the senior class.

"I can't beat her," I said crestfallen but Addie was having none of my defeatist attitude.

"Is that carved in stone?" she asked with an uncharacteristic harsh voice.

I gave her a snide look.

"I never thought you were a quitter but I guess I was wrong," she said with a huge sigh and gave me a look of bitter disappointment.

"Quitter? Not me! Why I'll give Lillian a run for her money that..." I said fiercely but Addie was grinning from ear to ear at me.

Addie instinctively knew what buttons to push to get a rise out of me and it worked. I went back to studying like a girl possessed with Addie by my side.

Addie was committed to nursing as her field of endeavor and she volunteered for any community project at school with a humanitarian or medical focus.

When Addie told me she was accepted to the nursing school only a few miles from the teachers college, I doubled my study efforts.

The scholarship exam was exceedingly hard but I was well prepared. The oral part was held in front of three professors and lasted over an hour. Although I knew I did well, I still had my doubts.

With only a week until graduation, I was on pins and needles waiting for notification from the scholarship committee. Everyday I checked the mailbox as soon as I saw the postman walk down the street.

Graduation day arrived and Donald Cramer, our senior class president, invited the entire graduating class to his house for a party after the ceremony.

Earlier that day, I finally received a letter from the teachers college congratulating me on winning the scholarship. My mother was very proud of me and rushed out to buy me a new dress for the celebration. I was on cloud nine.

Just as I predicted, Lillian Barrett was the class Valedictorian. Addie finished with high honors and won the Humanitarian Award. No surprise there.

As soon as I arrived at the party, I told Addie the good news and she was ecstatic.

"Madelyn, that's wonderful! I knew you could do it," she crowed happily and hugged me.

"I'm only a trolley ride away," I stated with excitement referencing the short distance to her nursing school.

Abruptly, I realized it was Addie with her determination, selflessness and unflagging support that made it all possible. I took her hands in mine and looked into her lovely green eyes.

"I owe it all to you," I said blubbering unable to hold back my emotions and embraced her.

"Madelyn, that's very sweet but I didn't take the scholarship test; you did," she said with kindness.

I knew Addie was deflecting the praise that she so richly deserved but there was no doubt in my mind that her influence changed the tapestry of my life.

"No Addie, I'm eternally grateful and indebted to you. I couldn't have done it without you," I stated with raw feeling and tears fell from my eyes.

Addie was regarding me with misting eyes and held me close in a tender embrace. I loved her as a friend but something new was beating in my heart.

The celebration was in full swing and I danced the Charleston with a smiling exuberant Addie on the expansive porch. With loud music blaring from a phonograph, we danced every variation of the Charleston and Fox Trot that we knew until the festivities ended at midnight.

As we walked arm and arm to Addie's house, I was overcome with feelings for my best friend and rested my head on her shoulder. An extraordinary day in my life was coming to a close and I hated to see it end.

Without the teachers college scholarship, I would have looked for work at one of the textile or cigar mills along the river or a secretarial job downtown. A dismal way of earning a living that held little prospect for a bright future.

A month later, our eighteenth birthdays were history, officially marking our entrance to adulthood.

I was sitting in the back seat of an old Ford runabout quiet as a church mouse while Addie's father tried to teach her how to drive.

Addie was having problems with the clutch and was grinding the gears something awful.

"No, push in the clutch before you try to shift," her father stated with exasperation.

After twenty minutes of frustration, Addie's normally very patient father shut off the car and went into the house. Addie and I sat in the dusty automobile and laughed with amusement. It was one of those unforgettable moments that stuck with me.

I moved up to the front seat with Addie and she was looking at me rather curiously. I wondered if she was experiencing similar new feelings for me.

Since graduation, we had become inseparable and talked endlessly about college and nursing school. Sometimes, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake and not dreaming that I was actually attending college in the fall.

"Madelyn, I have a favor to ask," she said with a smile.

"Anything," I said eagerly.

"My Great Aunt Violet has invited me to spend a couple of weeks with her at the summer cottage on the Perkiomen River," she said wistfully.

I could tell that Addie wasn't looking forward to her visit.

"I'm permitted to bring a friend with me and...I...think of you as my dearest friend," she stated shyly.

Not only was I Addie's best friend, I was the dearest. My heart fluttered like a butterfly in flight.

As I gazed into Addie's pretty green eyes, my heart was beating faster with an emotion that I was too scared to admit to myself. I was experiencing romantic feelings for my dearest friend.

"Of course I'll go with you," I said eagerly.

"I want to warn you ahead of time, it can be incredibly dull. No radio, no indoor plumbing, no electricity and plenty of hungry mosquitos. We'll have to sneak out to the movie house and it's a good three mile walk," she stated with caution.

The cottage could have been on the Moon, I wanted to be with Addie.

On a hot July afternoon, we took the train to Collegeville and her aunt was there to greet us. We drove down River Road in an old noisy Pierce Arrow and I was enchanted by the surroundings. The river was to our right and the banks were shaded by majestic trees.

However, when we arrived at the cottage, I remembered Addie had forewarned me. The rooms were lit by oil lamp and the outhouse was near the river.

The bottom floor was simply laid out with a parlor, bedroom, small dining room and tiny kitchen with a wood stove and pump.

The upstairs consisted of a sole bedroom with dormered windows on opposite sides for ventilation. A full bed, small dresser and chair were the only furniture in the room. It was spare but functional.

Aunt Violet was a fastidious housekeeper and though the rooms smelled of furniture polish and disinfectant, they were spotlessly clean.

For her advanced age, Aunt Violet had a lot of energy. She cooked our meals and cleaned the rooms with military precision.

There was a screened porch off the kitchen with a panoramic view of the river and that's where we ate most of the time. A wood stair led down to a boat dock and a row boat was tied to the pier.

After dinner and a card game, Addie and I went upstairs to bed.

"Don't you have to use the outhouse?" she asked curiously.

My bladder was almost full but I hated going in the little house with the half moon door. My fear of the dark was another factor and I was too timid to ask Addie to go with me.

"I guess I can wait until morning," I said hesitantly.

Addie was regarding me suspiciously.

"Madelyn, are you afraid to go by yourself?" she asked very kindly.

Slowly I nodded my head. Addie took my hand and led me downstairs, stopping to light a lantern on the porch.

Addie waited outside the half moon door for me and I did the same for her. Back in the bedroom, I was feeling mighty grateful to her.

"Thanks," I said with humility.

Addie smiled at me and we changed for bed. In her white cotton nightgown, I could see her breasts through the thin fabric in the dim light.

The sole bed in the room was covered by a mosquito net and I climbed in first while Addie carefully sealed any openings.

In the glow of the oil lamp on the night stand, the sight of her breasts under the night dress was stirring something inside of me.

Addie left the lamp on as we lay in bed facing each other. She was gazing at me with affection in her pretty green eyes and I wanted to melt into her arms.

"Goodnight," she said sweetly and kissed me on the forehead.

As Addie turned to blow out the lamp, my entire body was prickling with sensations. The overwhelming urge to touch myself gripped me but I fought it and refused to give in.

It was the longest night of my young life. I could barely discern Addie's shape in the darkness but her breathing was slow and steady, indicating she was asleep.

As I lay flat on my back and drifting toward slumber, Addie turned and her arm fell across my stomach. I remained motionless for a long time, too frightened to move.

Sometime during the night, I dozed off. When daylight peeked through the windows, I woke with my back to Addie. She was against me and her arm was draped over my side with a hand resting over my breast.

I was about to lift Addie's hand and climb out of bed when her breathing changed, a sign she was waking up.

"Madelyn, did you sleep well," she asked in a drowsy voice.

"Uh huh," I answered quietly still wondering if Addie realized where her hand was.

Addie gave my tit a playful squeeze and it startled me. Nothing was said or glances exchanged and we dressed casually for breakfast.

It was a glorious morning with the sun shining brightly and a symphony of birds in the trees. I ate with a happy heart, overjoyed that I was with Addie.

In the parlor on opposite sides of the fireplace were built in shelves filled with books. Addie was looking for something and when she found it, took my arm and down the stairs to the boat dock we went.

"Come on Madelyn, get in the boat," Addie pleaded.

I had never been in a row boat and was afraid it would tip over. Holding onto the pier, I got one leg into the boat and shakily sat on the seat.

The current on our side of the river was very sluggish and Addie rowed upstream without too much effort. Her skillful handling of the oars kept us on a straight course.

Under the shade of some stately oaks, Addie found a huge branch partially submerged and tied the boat. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves and a light breeze kept us cool.

Addie opened one of two small books that she found in the library. I lay down on my seat and listened with rapture as she recited some of the most beautiful poetry I ever heard.

"Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Thou are more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And Summer's lease hath all too short a date..."

Addie read the lines with extraordinary depth of feeling in a crisp clear voice.

"She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes..."

Enchanted by Addie's performance, I listened with my undivided attention and concentrated on every word that she spoke. I felt as though she meant the words for me.

We returned to the cottage in time for lunch and afterwards strolled along the riverbank in our bare feet. To my delight, the soft mud and cool water squished through my toes.

We walked until we encountered an old dam in disrepair and skipped stones on the calm water trying to reach the opposite bank. Neither of us came close.

The air had turned very muggy and after dinner Addie and I quietly sat on the porch and watched a fierce storm blow in complete with thunder and lightning.

I was thinking about the poetry that Addie read aloud in the rowboat. The words best described how I felt in my heart about her.

"Maybe that's how she feels about me?" I wondered to myself.

The air turned cooler and as we readied for bed, I was hoping for a glimpse of Addie's breasts and was richly rewarded when she put on her night gown in front of me.

Addie's nipples looked tight and crinkled.

"She's either excited or it's the cool air," I wondered to myself and felt the heat in my loins.

Normally, we turned away from each other to undress and I was convinced her bold move had a purpose.

I lay in bed on my side away from Addie trying to gather my strength for the night. With her so close to me, it took a lot of self control not to roll over and kiss her.

Addie got in bed and lay against me with an arm draped over my side. I could feel her breasts on my back.

"Good night, my dear friend," she said very affectionately and kissed my neck.

A pulse of sensation settled between my legs and I valiantly fought the urge to touch myself. Somehow I calmed down was able to fall asleep.

We woke in the same configuration and I could feel Addie's breath on my neck. The exquisite sensation of her arms and body against me was lighting a fire in my loins.

While Addie slept, I had an internal debate with myself.

"Nice young ladies prefer boys not their best friend who happens to be a girl," my brain scolded me.

Why I wanted my best friend had me in a quandary. In Sunday school, I learned that the Bible was specific on these matters.

"...like shall not lie with like..." or something to that effect.

But it was useless arguing with myself, my body was responding to Addie and I was powerless to stop it. She was stirring and pulled me close in an embrace.

"Good morning," she said in a dreamy voice and lightly pecked the back of my head.

After breakfast, Addie rowed to the same spot with the tree branch. The diffuse sunlight shone on Addie's pretty face as she regaled me with more poetry.

"Love is like the wild rose- briar; Friendship like the holly-tree. The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms, But which will bloom most constantly?"

Because it was a hot day, Addie's blouse was open to the tops of her creamy white breasts and her old slacks were rolled up to the knee.

"You are as lovely as the poetry you recite," I silently mused with desire.

Addie was reading with enthusiasm and emotion in her voice.

"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee: And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me."

As Addie rowed back to the dock, I was moved by her heartfelt recitations and my eyes were wet with tears.

"What's wrong Madelyn?" she asked with caring.

I was going to say I got something in my eye, but both eyes?

"I think the poems are...well...so beautiful," I answered honestly.

Addie's face wore a gentle smile and when she docked the boat, took me in her arms and hugged me.

The afternoon sun was blazing hot and we decided to go swimming.

"Stay away from the stagnant and still water, there may be leeches," Aunt Violet warned.

We walked along the river bank until we saw the branch where Addie tied the boat. The water was brackish and still. Forgetting to heed Aunt Violet's warning, we waded out until it was chest high and used the submerged limb as a platform.

The cool water was very refreshing and we splashed and played like two youngsters. We were in so long my fingers were pruning. Slowly, we made our way back to shore.

As we toweled our bodies, I looked at Addie and saw little black worm like things on her back and legs. She was staring at me with a look of horror and pointed to my legs. I looked down and saw the same things clinging to my body.

"Leeches!" Addie shrieked and we ran slipping and sliding along the muddy river bank to the cottage.

When Aunt Violet saw us, she sprang into action and rubbed fistfuls of salt on the parasites. One by one they dropped to the ground and a red welt appeared at the site of the attachment.

We stripped our bathing suits and stood stark naked as Aunt Violet checked our bodies for any more of the loathsome critters. Then, she wrapped us in a bath towel and made us sit in the kitchen while she filled a large tub with warm water.

We took turns bathing and afterwards, felt a heck of a lot better. For the remainder of the day Addie and I were subdued.

We ate a light dinner and played a card game similar to Hearts until it was time for bed. We hurriedly changed and snuggled against each other in the bed.

That night we clung to one another more for comfort than anything else. Our ordeal with the leeches would stay crisp in my memory for a long time.

As Addie predicted, a few days went by and we were bored. We secretly plotted to walk to the movie house in Collegeville. Aunt Violet usually retired around seven, plenty of time to sneak out and catch the movie.

It was a hot and humid night but the theater had something new called air conditioning installed. Inside it was cooler and I marveled that such an invention existed at all.

The first picture after the news reels was a western followed by an adventure movie with an actor I never heard of, Errol Flynn. It was just past ten when we exited the theater and a blast of humid air greeted us.

As we talked about the last feature, we turned down River Road, thunder and lightning announced a coming storm. We started running but we were a long way from Aunt Violet's cottage.

In the dark, I could barely see Addie in front of me as we ran. Remember, street lights were very uncommon on country roads at that time.

The rain came in windy sheets and soaked us to the bone. I heard Addie yell something and I followed her to a cottage with a one car garage. The house was dark but the garage door was open and looked empty in the sudden lightning flashes.

We waited inside the garage for the storm to pass and in the flashes of light we looked like two drowned rats. I told Addie and we started laughing hysterically.

But, I was soaked to the skin and started shivering something awful. Addie held me against her, rubbing my arms and back trying to create warmth.

When I lay my wet head against Addie's chest, I experienced a deep sense of longing and need that was overpowering. The exquisite sentiments of love expressed in the poetry that she read resounded in my head.

As I looked up at her with yearning, my heart thudded like a hammer in my chest. In the brief flashes of illumination, Addie's eyes betrayed her desire for me.

The love sonnets, the closeness in bed and the genuine affection we had for each other was leading us to a crossroad in our friendship.

Slowly, her face moved closer until her supple lips gently pressed against mine. As Addie held me, she kissed me with tenderness and my body surrendered to the sensuous feel of her mouth.

It was a defining moment and took our relationship to a higher plateau. In my heart, my love for Addie was clear, concise and unmistakable.

The storm eventually passed and Addie held me in her tight embrace, not letting go. We were breathing heavily almost panting and I wanted her to kiss me again. I didn't have to wait long.

The sky was clearing and the moon shone bright, bathing everything in a pale glow.