A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER Chapter One: School Days, School Daze Things change and that includes people and their lives. Mine was no exception. So Meara Kilpatrick, that’s me, had made the decision to go back to school.  I hadn't gone at the age when young people leave the nest and journey off to college.  I had done other things. But at this later point in my life, I yearned to do more, learn more, to be more. As Mark Twain once said, "I never let schooling get in the way of my education." Oh, I had education alright--education in life's lessons. I had learned a lot of lessons, some the easy way, some the hard way. Lessons that make you laugh, lessons that make you cry, lessons that make you strong, lessons that make you weak. It's really true, you do learn something new everyday, especially about yourself and nothing stays the same forever. I had always been intensely fascinated by psychology.  Human nature is intriguing. What makes people act, think, feel, and behave the way they do? What would it be like to step inside people's minds? I’ve been told many times that I was quite intuitive, almost psychic. As the saying goes, "I missed my calling" as far as psychology goes. So at last I decided that it's never too late. School was calling me loud and clear, and this time I was listening. No missing out this time around.  This time, Mr. Twain, I wanted the "school" to go hand in hand with the "education." Even though I was taking Introductory Psychology at the same time, the school computer must have slipped up. They let me take an advanced course, Forensic Psychology. I was definitely a fish out of water in this class. I sure didn't qualify as the "college age crowd."  Looking around, it was obvious some of the crowd wanted to be anywhere but where they were. Not me, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Like a sponge, I wanted to absorb everything, to learn, to grow. To find out about all the things I had missed out on, desperate almost to the point of impatience to make up for lost time.  Lost was a word I was quite familiar with. My teacher, Professor Kane, was well-educated, very intelligent, with eloquently flowing words, softly spoken with a hint of a British accent. Well mannered, reserved, yet at times there was a hint of humor in his eyes and his faint smile. I listened with the utmost intensity, noting everything he said. Making it a point to "always think outside the box," as he instructed us to do. I did my homework and was always the first one to raise my hand when questions were asked. The others always tried to hide behind their books (or under their desks, for that matter) as if Professor Kane was shooting out questions like missiles aiming for a specific target.  Most of the students, it seemed to me, tried to get out of firing range. It didn't take long for the odd man out, or in this case, odd woman out, to fit in. Suddenly I found myself becoming everybody's new “best friend.” I had become the "popular" one in class. Guess you could say "I'm in with the in crowd" now.  This was a FIRST!  Though I was eating up all my new-found attention, I knew what was going on. I knew all the answers to all the questions, passed my tests with flying colors. I was not blind to my "popularity."  Professor Kane wasn't either. I helped the others as best I could, that is, without getting myself into trouble. This was an opportunity to "break the ice," so to speak, with my fellow classmates. I enjoyed getting to know them. Where they came from, where they wanted to go, what they wanted out of life, their long rang goals. Some of them were quite the characters. I told them they were real “cool cats.”  They looked at me like I was a dinosaur relic on exhibit. We shared a multitude of laughs, lots and lots of class notes, and stories, aka gossip. Of course, what student doesn't have somewhat of a natural curiosity about their teacher.  I listened as they said this and that about Professor Kane. Nothing derogatory; everyone liked him. So did I.  I found him to be a very good teacher. I was learning a lot and I enjoyed being in his class. About two weeks into the course, someone brought up Professor Kane's autobiography while we were waiting for class to begin.. Hmmm...this was interesting. I got a brief glimpse of it. This was the first I had heard of such a book. Autobiographies are my favorite readings, so I was very curious. Some had read the book, some had not. The conversation got even more fascinating with talk of Professor Kane's supposed involvement with the FBI. Hmmmm....again!  But other obligations called before I could find out where I could get or possibly borrow a copy of this book. Living off campus, I didn't get involved in much of the "out of classroom" social activities--dances, social clubs, parties, etc. But fate had other plans for me. Ethan, one of the more colorful personalities in the class, had agreed to the dreaded doom of being set up on a blind date. He asked me if I be his "stand in" date if things went awry with his blind date. I told him, “Sure. We could create quite a scandal.”  This fine handsome young man keeping company with an older woman on his arm. Oh, the “shame” of it all. The scandalous headlines would be all over campus within an hour and on the front page headlines of the National Enquirer by the next morning!  After all, inquiring minds want to know all the cheap and tawdry details. But he certainly couldn't be accused of having bad taste, not with me on his arm. After a good laugh, I told Ethan to go on have a good time. “Make the best of the situation,” I told him, “mind your manners and behave like a gentleman.”  He gave me a sly, devilishly wicked look and replied, “Yeah, right..........” Chapter Two: Dancing the Night Away One afternoon after work, I had to go by school to pick up some important forms. Leaving the Admin Building, walking towards the parking lot, I heard Ethan shouting my name at the top of his lungs and running furiously towards me. “What's wrong?” I asked.  After he managed to catch a few deep breaths, he went on to explain his "blind date" would be a no-show. He had been stood up. With utter agony written all over his face, he said that he couldn't not show up after he had told everyone he would be there. “ Think of how humiliating it would be for me to show up without a date,” he continued. I asked him, “Isn't there anyone else you can call?”  “No,” he explained, “It's too late.”  Then came the "million dollar question."  Ethan asked me if my offer was still open to be his "stand-in" date.  I thought to myself, OK, Ethan, feel free not to try to put me on the spot here or anything!  But I leveled with him and told him I had worked all day. “Take a good look at me, I'm tired.  I look and feel like something the cat dug up from the yard. “ Disappointment was written all over his face. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I started to say “Well, I guess”... Before I could finish, he looked at me and started giving me the "puppy dog eyes." Oh no, not the "puppy dog eyes,"  Oh man....What a predicament!  “Alright, mister, but you owe me one,” I told him as I pointed my finger at him with half a smile on my face. He asked me to meet him back here at school at 8pm. As he started walking away, he said, “Don't worry, we'll work out something with your costume when you get here.” “Whoa, back it up, “ I exclaimed. “A what?” “This is a costume dance party,” he said. “Please don't back out on me now, “he muttered, flashing the "puppy dog eyes" my way again.  “Fine, fine, I'll see you later,” I returned stoically. On the other hand, why worry about a costume, I thought to myself. I'll just go as a sociopath. According to Professor Kane, they look like normal everyday people walking around. (These days, Professor Kane says the official term is “anti-social personality, but we still all use the term “sociopath.”) A dance? I mused.  How many years had it been since I had been to a school dance? Better not think about that one too hard! If I try and do the math now, I'll just get depressed. A costume party? I’ve never been to a costume party in my life. Better late than never, I guess. Might be fun.  Well, I'll keep telling myself that. At least a mask will disguise the tired look on my face. Just as he promised, Ethan was at the front door of the party location to greet me, with a costume for me in hand. He said he had borrowed it from Amanda, one of the students in our class. It was some sort of Renaissance costume. How appropriate this was, since I love the clothes from that time. We agreed to meet each other back at this same door after changing into our respective costumes. Ethan went one way to change, I went another. I was the first one back to our appointed meeting place. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. “There you are,” I said. I couldn't help but notice that Ethan's costume was striking and unusual. He had on a shiny silver breastplate, a long black cape and a complete face mask, one side black, one side white. “Who are you supposed to be?” I asked. “A knight, the Phantom of the Opera, Zorro, or a combination of all three?”  He didn't answer. At this point, the noise level was extremely loud, so I guess he didn't hear me.   In a voice muffled by the mask, he asked me if I would like to dance?  “Sure,” I replied.  Ethan turned out to be a wonderful dance partner. I was impressed and having a good time, better than what I had expected! As the evening started to wind down (not to mention me too), thank goodness, I thought,  we had finally come to the last dance for the evening. As the dance ended, Ethan looked at me, graciously gave me a bow and said “thank you.”  “You're welcome,” I replied as I looked at him, politely giving him a little curtsey.  He gallantly kissed my hand. Then something strange happened.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a waving hand. It was Ethan waving at me! Then, within a split second, not even as long as it takes to blink, my dance partner had vanished. He was right here. There's no way he could have left without me noticing, or so I thought. What was going on here? Ethan approached me and asked me who I had been dancing with.  “I assumed it was you,” I said. “It wasn't me,” replied Ethan in a perplexed voice. I was thoroughly confused. “Where were you all evening?” I asked him. “I saw you dancing and obviously having a very good time, so I didn't want to interrupt,” he said. “I hope you didn't spend the whole evening alone,” I returned. “No, no,” he replied with a smirk on his face. “Oh, so I take it from that half smirk on your face, you found not one but perhaps several ladies to keep you company?”  “Yep,” he laughed. He also thanked me and promised he'd return the favor some day. Driving home, I was still mystified about this mysterious man I danced with. He appeared out of thin air, then vanished just as quickly. Who was he? Who was that masked man? Not the Lone Ranger, that’s for sure. Who was my mysterious Fred Astaire?.... Chapter 3: Be True To Your School Have you ever had one of those days when everything that could go wrong does? Somewhere in the cosmos I guess it was decided that this was my day. First, a terrible storm that raged on all night and kept me awake for half of that night. Then after sleep finally did overtake me, there was a power outage so no morning alarm to cuss at and rally me to greet the new day. Instead it was the shake, rattle and roll of thunder that rallied me to my senses and rolled me out of bed. Thunder, not an alarm. Yes, that certainly pointed out the fact that I had overslept. Haphazardly throwing myself together, I flew out the door, constantly reminding myself how late I would be for class. But school meant a lot to me so better late than never. I was determined to get there in this storm (determination and perseverance are not exactly two of my shortcomings) but the storm was relentless, continuing to rage on and on. In fact, it seemed to be gaining momentum, making driving a treacherous nightmare. I cringed with every jagged lightening bolt that ripped through the heavens, as if to split it right in two, and with every deafening roar of thunder that made the ground shake like an earthquake. I was frightened - storms frighten, really frighten me. Don't ask me why, they just do. Not the rain, I love the sound of the rain, but thunder and lightening is a different story. We all have a fear or fears of something. Why? What triggers it, where does it stem from? Maybe one of these days, I'll find out why. Maybe the day will come when I find the answers to a lot of things I asked why about. Or maybe it's just best if I don't find some of these answers. I finally arrived at school and scurried to get inside to escape this monsoon, not to mention the wind attempting to blow me all the way to Oz without benefit of the hot air balloon, adding a little more to my already otherwise dismal day. An armload of papers dropped onto the sopping wet ground. Honestly, it was hard to say which were more soaked and limp-- me and my hair, or my papers. Oh please, somebody out there in the universe give me a break! Then the ad slogan "Calgon take me away" popped into my head along with the thought I really need a long vacation. Hop on an airplane to a destination, anywhere - anywhere that it's not raining, that is! At this point, the way my luck is running, of all the airplanes in the world, I would probably hop on the one that was in a recent movie I watched. The name of it escapes me now, but it was about a terrorist who was trying escape from the FBI and hijacked the plane. Well, his name escapes me now, but he ever so handsome, blonde, charming, brilliant blue eyes, British accent, and he kept claiming he was not insane! Now I'm fully convinced I was the one that was insane going through all this. I gathered my soggy wet papers up as fast as I could and made a slippery beeline for Prof. Kane's class. Discreetly I tried to slip into class without being noticed, (like I really thought I could pull this one off being as late as I was and looking like a creature that just stepped out of a horror movie).  And I know exactly the scene from the horror movie that best describes me at this moment. I look like the identical twin of the woman, oh what was her name, whose handsome husband Edward, hmmmm... funny how I can remember his name… found a spell book and performed a ritual in a seaside hotel, calling on Cat or Catlu, whatever that strange name was, to bring his dead wife back from a watery grave, but all he got was a hideous, mildewed creature. Oh, what was the name of that movie? I can't recall now. I think I'm so saturated, all my brain cells are doing the backstroke. Nevertheless, there was no mistaking she and I both looked like we had been gone longer than on just a 3 hour tour on the S.S. Minnow). Suddenly, all conversations came to a dead silent screeching halt as mouths hung wide open and all eyes, including Prof. Kane's, were on me! Did my heart suddenly stop or was I simply in suspended animation? We all as individuals would love to have a few shining moments in the spotlight, but this is not exactly what I had in mind for myself, especially the way I looked! Ethan and Amanda came to my rescue to help me to my seat. I thanked them and started apologizing profusely to Prof. Kane for being late and interrupting during the middle of class. I had never been late to class before or had caused this much of a commotion in class either, so I didn't quite know what type of reception I would receive from Prof. Kane. Whether it be kind (I hope) or otherwise, I would not take it personally, class continues on......... "From this point on", said Prof Kane in a stern voice with a faint curl of his lip that formed an almost sinister smirk. His expression was as stern as his voice, and I knew right where that point was being fired …at ME!  Then picking up where he left off with what seemed like an eternity of a silent but deadly pause....., "from this point on", he continued, "my lectures must be improving." Huh?! I thought, run that by me again!  "I've never had a student go to such great lengths and battle such insurmountable obstacles to get to my class." Prof. Kane said, once again showing the faintest hint of a sm....no, but it wasn't a smirk, it was a smile. "Thank you for such dedication, Ms. Kilpatrick," said Prof Kane, once again faintly smiling. I believe it was just about at that moment my heart decided to start beating again! "Way to go, Maera," replied Ethan with a devilish look on his face. "Thanks for setting such a fine example and making the rest of us look bad," he went on to say, giving me a little wink to show he was only kidding. "I believe what Ethan is trying to say is he would simply not have shown up for class and certainly wouldn't have went to this much trouble to get to class. Is that about the size of it Ethan"? asked Prof. Kane, with a sly smirk on his face. The Professor seemed to have a real knack for displaying smirks. Ethan returned the sly smirk that indicated “yes” without uttering a word. Class continued on for everyone, and me....The Creature From The Black Lagoon making puddles all over the floor! © Copyright 2005 by Bruce's Angels