Entangled Hearts

Chapter 4

From the time they were in the seventh grade, Laura Mae had always favored Eugene, who had by their junior year in High School, come to be called Gene by all who knew him, just as Philip had been nicknamed Phil. Laura Mae and Gene had studied together in the library and usually walked home together to the crossroads. Gene always danced the first dance with her when her father would permit her to attend a dance. Martha had never chosen to go to dances in her high school days and it was hard for Eli to give in to giving Laura Mae "privileges", as he called them. Martha had attended normal school and was now teaching the primary grades at Brenden, about eighty miles from her home. Eli was proud of his eldest daughter. He was sure Laura Mae would never amount to much, she was too much like her mother and not at all like him.

Philip Dreyer did not pay attention to other girls at school. He was determined within his own mind to win Laura Mae's favor. He would show Eugene that he could. He always chose a seat by her in assembly and whenever he could he would stop her in the hall to ask her a question or to compliment her on some achievement she had made.

Gene saw that Laura Mae had smiled for Phil as well as for him and he resented the fact. She had let Gene take her little gold pin and had gone buggy riding with him in his new blacktop buggy a number of times without her father knowing about it, but still, he wondered about those smiles for Phil. He thought that perhaps she would rather ride in Charles Luden's buggy which Phil was permitted to drive. Phil was not given an allowance of money for the hard work he did so could not buy a buggy of his own. He did not even own a horse to drive as it would only be fed hay from Charles's haystacks anyway.

A flame of jealousy toward Phil kindled itself in Gene's heart and burned there, until one day after school as he and Laura Mae were walking toward the crossroads, it could no longer be confined.

"Laura Mae," he said, "If you want to go with Phil Dreyer, why don't you do it? You like to dance with him. Why not save the first one for him each time? And you like to have him study by you and talk to you at school."

"Why, Gene, what do you mean?" Laura Mae was startled by the look on Gene's face, that had suddenly turned so pale. She went on, her own cheeks flushed. "I like to be pleasant and friendly with everyone. You foolish boy, you know I like you best or I would not walk home with you every night. Phil knows I like you too."

"Phil comes to this same road, and you are free to walk with him if you like. Shall I bring your little gold pin to you tomorrow or shall I mail it to you, so you don't have to speak to me?" Gene asked, stimulated by jealousy.

Laura Mae reached for Gene's hand. Her soft brown eyes looked steadily into his cold blue ones as she spoke. "Gene, we have always been such good friends, why do you spoil it all now? When I take the little gold pin back from you it will mean that our friendship has been closed forever or else that it had been clinched securely."

Laura Mae, young as she was, had often dreamed that someday, perhaps, she would marry Gene and go to live in the beautiful Whitmer Mansion. That was why those last words, 'clinched securely,' had come from her heart as well as from her lips. Gene did not speak as they reached the lane that led to the Porter home. Laura Mae was hurt, as the thought came to her that perhaps Gee liked someone else better, so she added soberly, "Keep the pin, Gene, but you needn't wait to walk home with me tomorrow night. Good night." She had turned down the lane. Gene saw her walk on briskly without turning around to wave the usual, "Goodnight?"

His heart was as heavy as lead and he walked slowly to his home. When he entered his room, he went to the dresser and took a long metal box out of the top drawer and opened it. It was his "treasure chest." In it were some notes from Laura Mae among trinkets he had saved since he was a small boy in grade school, but the objects he sought was fastened on a postcard. It was a tiny gold pin with the O.D.C. '13 engraved on it. The letters stood for Oakdale Drama Club. Laura Mae had proven to be a clever little actress and always had a part in all the school plays. Gene had pinned the precious little object to the card to it would not be lost among less valuable treasures. He took it from the box and looked at it. What was it Laura Mae had said? The words came to him now over and over again: "When I take the little gold pin back, it will mean our friendship is closed forever...keep the pin! When I take it back..." Gene's head was aching. What had he done? He had started the only disagreement he and Laura Mae had ever had in all their lives. Oh, how he hated himself for having said what he did to her, but then, Phil, why was she even nice to him? "Well," something seemed to argue back, "Phil is better looking than you are, with his big brown eyes and dark wavy hair. Your eyes are only plain blue and your hair is too light. Then Phil is a Senior and plays on the main Basketball team. You are only a "sub". You will have to step." Gene would like to have shaken that arguing something from him but it stayed right with him while he attended to his chores. When he tried to study, it was there in front of his books and even after he had gone to bed and turned out the light, the green monster lurked near for several hours.