Pilgrimage (The New World) (5 page)

Once they arrived at school, Ross headed for the gymnasium to gather with his fellow graduates, while the two girls made their way through the crowd to locate four good seats for the commencement. Their path was not a direct one, as a few young men wanted to speak with Jessica along the way. She had just completed the eighth grade and was beginning to turn all the boys’ heads. The long curly brown hair, big smile and dimples that had made her such a cute little girl, had now been enhanced by the development of some curves on her body and additional height. All the attention Jessica had been receiving lately made her feel good inside, because it wasn’t just about the leg brace like it had been when she was little. Patty informed her that some of the boys in high school would be mature enough to look beyond the leg brace, while others still needed to grow up some, and it would actually be a great way to find out if they really liked her or not.

Robert and Elizabeth soon joined the young ladies in the seats, and a few minutes later the procession of graduates walked down the center aisle. This was one of those mornings when most local businesses in town were closed, because seemingly everyone wanted to be at the ceremony. Amidst all the other pomp, an introduction was made for Ross as the valedictorian of the class of 1968, and he rose to deliver his speech.

Deep down Ross knew that most of his classmates would remain close to this little dusty town of Rumley, or perhaps venture to other parts of Texas, but he couldn’t wait to spread his wings. His speech brought forth the possibilities that lay within each of the graduates if they only gave themselves a chance to succeed, and that some of the terrible social events that had recently occurred within the country should not dampen the spirit of this youthful generation.

Just two months before, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee and much of the nation was still currently in shock over the assassination of United States Senator Robert Kennedy. That tragic event had been recent enough that the funeral had not yet taken place. Little did anyone in attendance know that the social unrest to which Ross spoke of would be magnified in the upcoming months with riots in several cities across America including a large one surrounding the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

At the conclusion of his speech, his two favorite girls stood to applaud and most of the gathered crowd followed suit. Ross had become the first student from Rumley to ever receive an appointment to attend one of the military academies, so it was quite fitting that he be given the honor of a standing ovation. He graciously accepted the honor with a hint of blush in his cheeks, but was more gratified with the free apple pie a la mode that he had received from Mable at the diner the previous afternoon.

With the graduation ceremony complete, many of the townspeople gathered for a large picnic on the football field, while others, such as Mable, needed to return to their jobs. Perhaps for the first time Robert realized that his little girl was growing up, as several different boys gathered around Jessica while Ross and Patty stood close by. Elizabeth reminded him that Patty would help look out for her in school, but that Jessica would be just fine because Ross had prepared her with some sage advice about many of the boys. The celebratory picnic was scheduled to go on for several hours in the hot Texas sun, but eventually the Martin and Wright families would slip away for a more private celebration.

THE NEXT FEW
weeks went by in a flash. Ross and Patty had joined most of the graduating class for a three day camping trip to Proctor Lake that began on the day after graduation, which was a journey of slightly less than one hundred miles to the north of Rumley. They had been there privately, or with a small group of friends, for camping several times in the past, and it was a place that Ross and Grandpa Hank had planned on visiting before he passed away.

At the time of his death seven years prior, the dam was under construction to create the man-made lake, and the two of them couldn’t wait to try the fishing. Instead the memories of the campground by the lake belonged to Ross and Patty, and it would always hold a special place in their hearts as that was where they had both experienced physical love for the first time. Proctor Lake had also been the location of several deep conversations about plans for the future, including Patty’s hopes to attend the University of Maryland when she concluded her last year of high school.

At least fifty people showed up for the after-graduation camping trip, with the majority of that number being represented by couples. It was somewhat like attending the senior prom wearing bathing suits instead of formal attire, but Ross and Patty had a wonderful time during what they knew would be the last days of innocent freedom with this group of people. One night while sitting on the beach stargazing, Ross made the comment to Patty that he wanted to go into space someday. The Apollo missions of the current day were making tremendous progress, and it would only be a matter of time before NASA fulfilled President Kennedy’s dream as put forth in his speech that Ross had listened to with Grandpa Hank in 1961.

Upon their return to Rumley, Ross did all that he could with his few remaining days helping out around the ranch. He wanted to get Jessica set up correctly for life without him being around, and that meant doing as many heavy chores and repairs as possible. He saw very little of his father Robert during those days, and spent as much time with Patty as he could. Knowing how in love with Ross her daughter was, Elizabeth Wright gave them as much space as possible during those final days.

Before he knew it, Ross was standing outside of the general store waiting for the bus to arrive. Many people had come to wish him a fond farewell, and he had plenty of snacks for the long bus ride from kindhearted souls such as Mable and Elizabeth. He shook his father’s hand while asking him to be patient with Jessica, then turned to her and hugged her tightly while lifting her off the ground as he had done so many times over the years. She giggled when he tickled her ribs, and then smiled as she wished her big brother a safe journey. Jessica had promised to keep the fishing pole and their grandfather’s American flag safe for as long as Ross needed, and he knew she would protect them. Because of Grandpa Hank’s death just two days after giving Ross the fishing pole, it had never been used. The red ribbon was still attached, and Ross had secretly vowed to keep it that way for as long as he lived.

The final goodbye was the most difficult of all, and everyone else knew enough to back away and give the two young lovers some private space. Patty was doing her best to hold back the tears, but she was losing the battle. They held each other in a long embrace while sharing a passionate kiss, and then she presented Ross with a letter that he could open after the bus pulled away.

When the driver informed Ross that it was now or never, he gave Patty one final kiss goodbye and stepped onto the eastbound bus. He found a window seat near the back, and slid the panel open to wave as the bus began to move away. With luck he would see all of these people when he returned for Christmas break, but that was several difficult months into the future. His final glimpse of Patty and Jessica provided Ross with some comfort before the bus turned the corner, as the two of them stood together in a sisterly embrace.

INDOCTRINATION DAY AT
the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland was intense to say the least. The first of what would become perhaps several thousand lessons over the next four years was that Ross Martin was now a small fish in a very large ocean. Everyone associated with the academy, be it administration, faculty, or midshipmen, were incredibly bright, and he was at the bottom end of the food chain. Ross now understood part of why his father had said he was proud of how mentally tough he had become, because he would need to keep his wits about him if he hoped to pursue his dreams.

When room assignments were handed out to the incoming class of midshipmen, Ross found himself placed with three other plebes, or freshmen, that had come from various backgrounds. He was the last to arrive at his typical four person living quarters, so his choice of bunk was pre-determined. As Ross said hello to introduce himself, one of his roommates stepped forward with outstretched hand. James Franklin seemed like a friendly guy from Seattle, Washington who was a couple of inches shorter than Ross, but probably outweighed him by twenty pounds. He was a soft spoken black man who had grown up in an area of the country that had far less racial tension between blacks and whites than the other two of his new roommates.

Next to approach was Shaun Jamison who was from a tough Irish neighborhood on the south side of Boston, Massachusetts. The street smart kid was small and thin in stature, but Ross instinctively knew he could probably hold his own in a fight. He also figured that Shaun’s focus on succeeding would be intense, because the academy may have been his best chance to escape from the negative aspects of his home town. At least in that regard, they already had something in common.

The last of his new roommates to step forward was Davis Lee Wakefield III from near Charleston, South Carolina. He came from a wealthy family, and was the only one of the group that surpassed Ross’ six foot-two inch frame, but his introduction made Ross well aware that he had more growing up to do. Davis Lee, as he insisted on being called, said he was glad to have another “southern man” in the room, and claimed that he and Ross had to stick together because the other two roommates were “Yankees!” His next statement made even less sense, as he informed Shaun that he needed to switch bunks because the two men from the south should be on the same side of the room.

That sentiment did not sit well with the young man from Boston, who had been the first of the four to arrive and had already squared away most of his gear. Ross immediately quieted the situation by saying, “We are all going to be living together for the next four years, and this is not the best way to start things off.”