Of Prophets, Saints and Sinners - 8. Chapter 8: collige puer rosas

Chapter 8: collige puer rosas

The sounds of children at play would not be held prisoner. The field within the walled compound of the House of Refuge was trod by boys running a ball around, and girls skipping rope. Warders stood guard in the corners and kept an eye out for the older lads, who preferred to sit in hushed conference, stooped on the grass with backs pressed against the stone walls.

The sweet smell of autumn roses shared the courtyard with the gurgling fountain. Aloof from the others, and as if sailor chummies exercising on the gun deck of a warship, Felix Yeager and Hampden Cox walked arm in arm around the paved area in hushed conversation. Light and freshness surrounded the pair of boys, but they were troubled and dark inside with anxiety.

One guard watched them intently, smoking, with a foot atop the step to the Superintendent's house. Every time Felix's eye fell on him, a smirk would rise and the man's hand adjusted himself.

As the adolescents rounded the corner of the court and began to come back along the other side, Hampden caught the guard's lewd gesture too. Felix watched Hampy make a threatening grimace to the man, who only gripped himself harder, and in a more open way.

Just as Felix was about to tell the younger hothead to watch it, a flash of reflected sunlight caught their attention. It was the door from the girls' school wing opening with Miss Waverly behind it.

She shielded her eyes from the sun for a moment and then strolled to them. The boys stopped walking as she came up behind them, but she invited them wordlessly to continue ambulating in front of her by slipping her arms loosely in theirs.

"It's a lovely day!" she called merrily as they sailed past the guard, who was now on his best behavior. "There's a sweet smell in the air. It's glorious, boys."

They continued on for a few paces before Hampden boldly replied, "The flowers may smell nice, but we can't really be free to appreciate them, miss."

She drew her arms tighter, bringing the boys' ears closer to her mouth. In a falsely conversational tone she told them, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, young men. You might not have a chance to collect them in this place for very much longer."

Felix and Hampden leaned forward to take a look at one another; did they dare to hope?

They strolled on, the boys too nervous to ask for outright details. Waverly picked up on their reticence, again turning chatty to remain in ear-shot of the observing warder. "How goes the book I lent you, Mr. Yeager."

"Um, fine."

"Excellent. Would you like to hear about a certain novel I'm reading at the moment?" Her nodding head and raised eyebrows advised the boys to say yes.

"Yes, miss," chirped Hampden.

"Well, it's about a handsome, brave writer asked to help a pair of wrongly accused young 'knights' free themselves from an unjust situation."

"And he's decided to help them, in the book?"

Waverly glowed. "He has."

The boys squeezed each other's hand.

"However," the teacher warned, "he doesn't know if his attempts will prove successful. Parts of his plan are out of his control, but he is trying."

The boys stopped walking. Miss Waverly led them along by the arms, eyed the guard with a nod and a slight grin.

She said in a conversational tone, "If I had to guess what's coming next in this book, I'd say he – this bearded writer, this be-whiskered bard – is a 'character' I may not have liked very much in the beginning, but slowly, I'm now willing to say I respect him more and more. And most importantly, I trust him; I'm learning he has a depth of character unusually bold for a man of this age. In short, my young pupils, the two young knights in this tale have fallen on a lucky stroke to ask the right man for help. He's trying to pave the way and make sure his plan can work."

"And," inquired Hampden, "in this book, is there also a woman? Say a younger woman assisting these two misfortunate people as well?"

"There is indeed."

"And," asked Felix, "she's promised to do all she can as well?"

"She is confirmed and absolute in her resolve."

Hampy chuckled. "Sounds like a woman I know."

Was that a slight blush Felix saw on Miss Waverly's face…?

"Anyway," continued the woman, "she has her part to play too in securing the necessary items the young men will need if the plan goes into effect."

The boys were silent.

After a few more paces, Waverly added, "She's working on it, and has enlisted the help of a generous man."

There was silence again.

"As for the brave and resourceful writer in my tale, he has one more extremely unpleasant task to do. Once he has accomplished it, he will go to the lads in the story and tell them one way or the other. It may be a difficult wait for them, but they have lived on hope for so long, a few more days is not too much to ask."

She disentangled her limbs, re-linking the boys' arms. "I must see about my duties."

As she got a few strides away, Hampden exchanged an urgent look with him, and Felix called out: "But Miss Waverly, this book of yours, does it have a happy ending?"

She appeared moved, answering slowly but with determination. "I don’t know; I haven’t gotten that far yet. But one thing I can tell you is, the people in the book are good and brave, and they deserve a very happy ending. That I believe with all my heart, for as the poem says:

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flyin';

And this same flower that smiles today

To-morrow might be dyin'.

"Now, good day, boys."

"Good day, Miss Waverly," they said in unison.

They walked on and waited till they rounded the far side of the court, farthest from the guard, to speak again.

Felix asked, "I wonder if Miss Waverly and Monk know how we feel about each other."

"It's probably obvious to everyone."

Felix's heart sank. That could be why he felt targeted by all the abusive types in this spic-and-span hellhole.

"You do love me, don't you, Felix?" A glance at Hampden's eyes confirmed he knew Felix was lost in his head.

"Yes. Don’t ask, because I know you remember the first night I told you."

Hampy played dumb. "Do I…?"

"The night we were arrested. We were in that juvenile jail cell in the Four Courts Building, nothing but a blanket, a bunk, and us holding on to one another."

"Of course I remember, Felix."

"I don’t know how to put it in words – "

"Then don’t. It's all right with me."

"No, Hampy – let me try. I mean, it's like something happened in that dark cell, with the wild sounds from the other wards, and the chill in the air being in that stone box, but it was like I could 'reveal' to you what was too scary to say in the real world."

"What you felt about me?"

"Yes, Hampy. That I loved you."

"I said the same thing, for the first time. It was on that night, Felix and never doubt, please, that I'll always remember it."

Felix smiled and held his partner's hand tighter. A small chuckle arose. "Why do sometimes the brightest lights shine in the darkest moments. There we were, trapped and frightened, unsure what would become of us, but we were less afraid than we had been. Know what I mean?"

"I do."

"Front to back, me holding on to you, you lifted your head to me, and our touching melted into tender spooning, tears of happiness and the confession that we'd always be together, no matter what. And, love. I love you, Hampy."

"And I love you, Felix. God I do. I hope you know that."

They had turned the corner and were strolling back towards the sightline of the guard. He smoked indolently and fouled the air being sweetened by the roses around the boys.

The uninhibited noise of the younger children at play on the open field entered Felix's consciousness for a moment. It was the sound of kids insisting on being kids despite the dire surroundings and having nothing others would consider playthings.

"I know you love me, Hampy, but…but – " The older of the two boys was coming to something he'd wanted to say for a long time.

"But, what? You can tell me anything."

"That night, the night we were arrested…?"

"Yes."

"I…. I knew they were coming to get you. I knew there was nothing I could do to warn you, but – "

"But what?"

"But I went there on purpose, to get myself collared with you. I did it so we could go in together; so you wouldn't have to be alone in here."

"Felix! You didn't have to."

"But I felt I did. You were too trusting. You trusted the General Strike organizers, and Hampy, they used you. Used you not caring if a boy got caught by the police because they thought better you than some working man with a family to support."

"I know you never liked the Union men – "

"It has nothing to do with 'like.' They used you, and you did not know how goddamn serious it was. We were swept up in the currents of change, made drunk on possibilities of revolution. Those four nights in July seemed to be the start of a time when everything would be better for the Felixes and Hampdens of the world."

"Don't get hot, Felix."

And it was true; Felix Yeager was getting freshly angered thinking about how his partner had been scapegoated by the ones rallying the men to take action against the unjust powers that be. Here they were, paying for those men's ambitions with a cruel loss of their freedom for three years and counting. Nothing about any of it was fair.

"I went back and made sure I was pinched with you, Hampden, because I know you. You are a hothead, a fella likely to think with his fists and not his head. You needed me in here; needed me thinkin' things through."

"I'm sorry, Felix. Please don’t be sore." He squeezed the older boy's arm with coaxing affection.

"I ain't sore, Hampy."

"Look, if your cousin's plan doesn't pan out, we'll stick it out here. Then you'll get released a year before me and set up a place for us to live, get a job and so forth, and then when I come out, we'll be together forever."

"I need to be in here with you, or else – "

"Go on."

"I just want you to know – to open your eyes to what's really going on."

"I don’t need protection."

"Oh, yes, you do."

"From what? What do you mean…? Felix, tell me." There was fear in Hampden's voice.

"Well, do you ever wonder why I get more beatings than you?" A glance confirmed that Hampden's heart was sinking, but Felix had to go on despite the pain for both. "I take the extra so you don’t have to. The guards are, well they are coming at me for ways to keep you out of trouble, and – and provide them, with what they want."

"Felix – "

"I take the abuse so you are safe. Your temper would get the best of you and you'd never get out of here, or the real jail they'd ship you off to the moment you turn twenty-one. You see? You'd never get out, if I didn't do what I do."

Hampden stopped walking.

Felix slowly stepped in front of the boy, seeing the younger man clinch his fists; witnessing red color crawl up the boy's neck. In another moment, a determined grimace appeared. Hampy lurched towards the guard's position.

Felix quickly jogged to the side, grabbing strongly onto both of Hampden's upper arms. He shook his head vehemently. "This! This, Hampy, is what I mean. Do you see?! Hampy!"

"What's going on over there, boys?!" the guard called out.

"Nothing, officer."

Felix jammed his arm through Hampden's and forced the hothead to continue walking with him.

They did, with the bigger lad's steps dragging at first. Now the sweet smell of the roses was bitter to Felix; the sounds of determinedly happy children, false and goading.

"Why did you never tell me, Felix?"

"Because, you'd act out, that's why. It was best you did not know."

"I love you, Felix."

"I know – "

"Why hurt yourself over me. I'm bigger, I can take it better."

"It's just, I'm the older one. I'm supposed to protect you – Hampy, don’t cry. You can't, not here, please.

"Felix, you break my heart."

"No, Hampy. I told you because we have to face facts and work together."

His jacket sleeve wiped his eyes. New resolve appeared. "Yes. From now on, I swear it. I'll pull my weight. What they want of you is nothing I ain't use to trading. You know that about me and the fellows at the lumberyard."

"But you shouldn't have to."

"Neither should you, but this system ain't fair. That's nothing new to you or me."

"You're upset. I understand, but this is the time we need to keep our heads cool, and keep them down on our work. We can't seem like we're planning nothin'. They'd get us for sure if they suspect anything at all."

"Okay. I get it, but – " Hampden stopped walking; took his boy's arms in his hands and forced him to hold his gaze. He told him calmly: "I want you to stop, Felix. No more taking lickings in my place; no more giving them what they want instead of me."

"Hampy – "

"It's time, Felix, for me to pull my weight. And if your cousin and Miss Waverly can't come through for us, don’t worry. I swear by all the love I have in my heart for you, this Christmas we will be free. I'll figure a way out of this place. I'll make sure we escape on our own if we have to."