CHAPTER 2

 

 

Oliver Barrett IV

Ipswich, Mass.

Age 20

Major: Social Studies

Dean's List: '60,, '62 '63

All-ivy First Team: '62, '63;

Career Aim: Law

Senior

Phillips Exeter

5'11" 185 lbs.

 

By now Jenny had read my bio in the program. I made triple sure that

Vic Claman, the manager, saw that she got one.

"For Christ's sake, Barrett, is this your first date?"

"Shut up, Vic, or you'll be chewing your teeth."

As we warmed up on the ice, I didn't wave to her (how uncool!) or even

look her way. And yet I think she thought I was glancing at her. I mean, did

she remove her glasses during the National Anthem out of respect for the

flag?

By the middle of the second period, we were beating Dartmouth o-o. That

is, Davey Johnston and I were about to perforate their nets. The Green

bastards sensed this, and began to play rougher. Maybe they could break a

bone or two before we broke them open. The fans were already screaming for

blood. And in hockey this literally means blood or, failing that, a goal. As

a kind of noblesse oblige, I have never denied them either.

Al Redding, Dartmouth center, charged across our blue line and I

slammed into him, stole the puck and started down-ice. The fans were

roaring. I could see Davey Johnston on my left, but I thought I would take

it all the way, their goalie being a slightly chicken type I had terrorized

since he played for Deerfield. Before I could get off a shot, both their

defensemen .were on me, and I had to skate around their nets to keep hold of

the puck. There were three of us, flailing away against the boards and each

other. It had always been my policy, in pile-ups like this, to lash mightily

at anything wearing enemy colors. Somewhere beneath our skates was the puck,

but for the moment we were concentrating on beating the shit out of each

other.

A ref blew his whistle.

"You-two minutes in the box!"

I looked up. He was pointing at me. Me? What had I done to deserve a

penalty?

"Come on, ref, what'd I do?"

Somehow he wasn't interested in further dialogue. He was calling to the

officials' desk-"Number seven, two minutes -and signaling with his arms.

Iremonstrated a bit, but that's de rigueur. The crowd expects a

protest, no matter how flagrant the offense. The ref waved me off. Seething

with frustration, I skated toward the penalty box. As I climbed in,

listening to the click of my skate blades on the wood of the floor, I heard

the bark of the PA system:

"Penalty. Barrett of Harvard. Two minutes. Holding."

The crowd booed; several Harvards impugned the vision and integrity of

the referees. I sat, trying to catch my breath, not looking up or even out

onto the ice, where Dartmouth outmanned us.

"Why are you sitting here when all your friends are out playing?"

The voice was Jenny's. I ignored her, and exhorted my teammates

instead.

"C'mon, Harvard, get that puck!"

"What did you do wrong?"

I turned and answered her. She was my date, after

 

"I tried too hard."

And I went back to watching my teammates try to hold off Al Redding's

determined efforts to score.

"Is this a big disgrace?"

"Jenny, please, I'm trying to concentrate!"

"On what?"

"On how I'm gonna total that bastard Al Redding!"

I looked out onto the ice to give moral support to my colleagues.

"Are you a dirty player?"

My eyes were riveted on our goal, now swarming with Green bastards. I

couldn't wait to get out there again. Jenny persisted.

"Would you ever 'total' me?"

I answered her without turning.

"I will right now if you don't shut up.

"I'm leaving. Good-bye."

By the time I turned, she had disappeared. As I stood up to look

further, I was informed that my two-minute sentence was up. I leaped the

barrier, back onto the ice.

The crowd welcomed my return. Barrett s on wing, all's right with the

team. Wherever she was hiding, Jenny would hear the big enthusiasm for my

presence. So who cares where she is.

Where is she?

Al Redding slapped a murderous shot, which our goalie deflected off

toward Gene Kennaway, who then passed it down-ice in my vicinity. As I

skated after the puck, I thought I had a split second to glance up at the

stands to search for Jenny. I did. I saw her. She was there.

The next thing I knew I was on my ass.

Two Green bastards had slammed into me, my ass was on the ice, and I

was-Christ!--embarrassed beyond belief. Barrett dumped! I could hear the

loyal Harvard fans groaning for me as I skidded. I could hear the

bloodthirsty Dartmouth fans chanting.

"Hit 'em again! Hit 'em again!"

What would Jenny think?

Dartmouth had the puck around our goal again, and again our goalie

deflected their shot. Kennaway pushed it at Johnston, who rifled it down to

me (I had stood up by this time). Now the crowd was wild. This had to be a

score. I took the puck and sped all out across Dartmouth's blue line. Two

Dartmouth defensemen were coming straight at me.

"Go, Oliver, go! Knock their heads off!"

I heard Jenny's shrill scream above the crowd. It was exquisitely

violent. I faked out one defenseman, slammed the other so hard he lost his

breath and then

-instead of shooting off balance-I passed off to Davey Johnston, who

had come up the right side. Davey slapped it into the nets. Harvard score!

In an instant, we were hugging and kissing. Me and Davey Johnston and

the other guys. Hugging and kissing and back slapping and jumping up and

down (on skates). The crowd was screaming. And the Dartmouth guy I hit was

still on his ass. The fans threw programs onto the ice. This really broke

Dartmouth's back. (That's a metaphor; the defenseman got up when he caught

his breath.) We creamed them 7-0.

 

If I were a sentimentalist, and cared enough about Harvard to hang a

photograph on the wall, it would not be of Winthrop House, or Mem Church,

but of Dillon. Dillon Field House. If I had a spiritual home at Harvard,

this was it. Nate Pusey may revoke my diploma for saying this, but Widener

Library means far less to me than Dillon. Every afternoon of my college life

I walked into that place, greeted my buddies with friendly obscenities, shed

the trappings of civilization and turned into a jock. How great to put on

the pads and the good old number ~ shirt (I had dreams of them retiring that

number; they didn't), to take the skates and walk out toward the Watson

Rink.

The return to Dillon would be even better. Peeling off the sweaty gear,

strutting naked to the supply desk to get a towel.

"How 'd it go today, Ollie?"

"Good, Richie. Good, Jimmy."

Then into the showers to listen to who did what to whom how many times

last Saturday night. "We got these pigs from Mount Ida, see . . . ?" And I

was privileged to enjoy a private place of meditation. Being blessed with a

bad knee (yes, blessed: have you seen my draft card?), I had to give it some

whirlpool after playing. As I sat and watched the rings run round my knee, I

could catalog my cuts and bruises (I enjoy them, in a way), and kind of

think about anything or nothing. Tonight I could think of a goal, an assist

and virtually locking up my third consecutive All-Ivy.

"Taking' some whirly-pooly, Ollie?"

It was Jackie Felt, our trainer and self-appointed spiritual guide.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Felt, beating off?"

Jackie chortled and lit up with an idiot grin.

"Know what's wrong with yer knee, Ollie? Diya know?"

I'd been to every orthopedist in the East, but Felt knew better.

"Yer not eatin' right."

Ireally wasn't very interested.

"Yer not eatin' enough salt."

Maybe if I humor him he'll go away.

"Okay, Jack, I'll start eating more salt."

Jesus, was he pleased! He walked off with this amazing look of

accomplishment on his idiot face. Anyway, I was alone again. I let my whole

pleasantly aching body slide into the whirlpool, closed my eyes and just sat

there, up to my neck in warmth. Ahhhhhhh.

Jesus! Jenny would be waiting outside. I hope! Still! Jesus! How long

had I lingered in that comfort while she was out there in the Cambridge

cold? I set a new record for getting dressed. I wasn't even quite dry as I

pushed open the center door of Dillon.

The cold air hit me. God, was it freezing. And dark. There was still a

small cluster of fans. Mostly old hockey faithfuls, the grads who've never

mentally shed the pads. Guys like old Jordan Jencks, who come to every

single game, home or away. How do they do it? I mean, Jencks is a big

banker. And why do they do it?

"Quite a spill you took, Oliver."

"Yeah, Mr. Jencks. You know what kind of game they play."

I was looking everywhere for 4enny. Had she left and walked all the way

back to Radcliffe alone?

"Jenny?"

I took three or four steps away from the fans, searching desperately.

Suddenly she popped out from behind a bush, her face swathed in a scarf,

only her eyes showing.

"Hey, Preppie, it's cold as hell out here." Was I glad to see her!

"Jenny!"

Like instinctively, I kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Did I say you could?" she said.

"What?"

"Did I say you could kiss me?"

"Sorry. I was carried away.

"I wasn't."

We were pretty much all alone out there, and it was dark and cold and

late. I kissed her again. But not on the forehead, and not lightly. It

lasted a long nice time. When we stopped kissing, she was still holding on

to my sleeves.

"I don't like it," she said.

"What?"

"The fact that I like it."

As we walked all the way back (I have a car, but she wanted to walk),

Jenny held on to my sleeve. Not my arm, my sleeve. Don't ask me to explain

that. At the doorstep of Briggs Hall, I did not kiss her good night.

"Listen, Jen, I may not call you for a few months." She was silent for

a moment. A few moments.

Finally she asked, "Why?"

"Then again, I may call you as soon as I get to my room."

I turned and began to walk off.

"Bastard!" I heard her whisper.

I pivoted again and scored from a distance of twenty feet.

"See, Jenny, you can dish it out, but you can't take it"

I would like to have seen the expression on her face, but strategy

forbade my looking back.

 

My roommate, Ray Stratton, was playing poker with two football buddies

as I entered the room.

"Hello, animals."

They responded with appropriate grunts. "Whatja get tonight, Ollie?"

Ray asked. "An assist and a goal," I replied. "Off Cavilleri."

"None of your business," I replied.

"Who's this?" asked one of the behemoths. "Jenny Cavilleri," answered

Ray. "Wonky music type."

"I know that one," said another. "A real tight-ass." I ignored these

crude and horny bastards as I untangled the phone and started to take it

into my bedroom.

"She plays piano with the Bach Society," said Stratton.

"What does she play with Barrett?"

"Probably hard to get!"

Oinks, grunts and guffaws. The animals were laughing.

"Gentlemen," I announced as I took leave, "up yours."

I closed my door on another wave of subhuman noises, took off my shoes,

lay back on the bed and dialed Jenny's number.

We spoke in whispers.

"Hey, Jen..

"Yeah?"

"Jen... what would you say if I told you.. I hesitated. She waited.

"I ~hink... I'm in love with you."

There was a pause. Then she answered very softly.

"I would say. . . you were full of shit." She hung up.

I wasn't unhappy. Or surprised.