“Do you have a date for tonight?” Tim asked to change the topic.
“No. I’m going to the airport for flight school. I’m about done with instrument training and need that to be able to fly in all conditions,” I explained.
“You know, I think Don is starting to get a little irritated that you spend more time with his girlfriend than he does. When are you going to steal her from him?” Wolf asked.
“Coach would have a fit if I did that.”
“It’s not like he’s your coach anymore,” Tim reminded me.
“I know, but I made him a promise.”
“That sucks,” Wolf added.
“Besides, it’s complicated.”
“Don’t you know that a woman loves a man who can express what he’s feeling for her? Why don’t you just tell her?” Tim asked.
“What Cosmo quiz did you get that out of, dumbass?” Wolf asked.
“Plus, Cassidy and I are just friends,” I said.
“Whatev,” Tim said.
“Why don’t you two worry about your own love lives?” I suggested.
“That reminds me. Tami said you’re supposed to go to their Valentine’s Dance. She said to get a suite at the hotel so we can have a place to change and other things,” Tim said.
I would have to get a two-bedroom or adjoining rooms because I wasn’t going to share my room with him and Tami again. It still irritated me that they’d used my apartment as their love shack and had left it a mess.
“Sarah said that if you did, you might get lucky,” Wolf said with a big grin.
I decided to take that exactly the wrong way.
“If you’re okay with that, I’d be willing to do your girlfriend,” I teased.
That earned me a punch in the arm.
“Shut up, gutter-mind,” Wolf rumbled. “She said that some of the girls have been asking about you.”
I hadn’t visited Wesleyan in a while. It sounded like fun.
“Okay, count me in.”
◊◊◊
Chapter 8 – Fox Walking Saturday February 4
Cassidy and I met JD first thing because I had a busy day planned. JD had us meet her at the park near my house.
“Morning. What are we learning today?” I asked.
“In the movie, you’ll need to act stealthily when breaking into different places. Chubby wants you to look as natural as possible when you’re doing it. The first thing I need to teach you is how to walk noiselessly,” JD shared.
I perked up.
“Finally! Fritz has been doing that ninja routine where he sneaks up on me. It might be time for payback,” I said, rubbing my hands together.
“I’m glad you’re enthusiastic.”
When I glanced over at Cassidy, her expression told me my plan to sneak up on Fritz had zero chance of success. I loved a challenge.
We hiked to a wooded area with a lot of leaves and twigs on the ground to learn our craft. JD had Cassidy and me try to walk quietly, but we failed miserably. I didn’t see any way we could cover that ground without making some noise. When you stepped on a dried leaf, it crackled.
“Most people, when they walk, don’t stride with their feet exactly straight,” JD explained. She demonstrated, first with an exaggerated toe-out style, and then with toes pointed in as she walked.
The point was that because you weren’t walking with your feet straight forward, there tended to be a slight twisting motion, which caused noise. JD brought to our attention that if we went home, got out an old pair of shoes, and looked at soles, we’d see they didn’t wear evenly.
“In martial arts, they teach you to use the toe-first method. Imagine putting your foot forward and slipping your toe under a rug,” she said, then demonstrated.
When I tried, I lost my balance and almost fell.
“Bend your knees and crouch down slightly to maintain your center of gravity,” Cassidy suggested.
I should have known that. When I tried it again, it was much quieter.
“I prefer what’s called ‘fox walking.’ Native American lore talks about how they can move through a forest quietly. They studied animals and mimicked their movements. A stalking fox takes slow, careful, exact steps. When a fox runs, it uses precisely the same motion.
“A fox’s feet touch the ground in a straight line. Let me use a football field to visualize. Imagine walking on a sideline. You have to keep your feet straight so you don’t step off the white line,” she explained.
She took her shoe off to show us how our foot should touch the ground.
“When you stride, the lead foot contacts the ground with the front outside of the foot. Your foot will naturally roll across the ball of the foot towards the big toe. Then your heel will come down to stabilize you and give you a good base to take the next step,” JD said as she demonstrated with the shoe.
Cassidy and I practiced sneaking around. Cassidy was a natural. I contended that was because she weighed a hundred pounds less than I did, so she had an unfair advantage.
◊◊◊
We arrived home to find the core group assembled that had kicked off the culture change at Lincoln High. Two people I wasn’t sure would make it were also there, Tom and Tracy Dole. Tom now spent most of his time in Chicago, working at Dixon and Dixon. Tracy had graduated and was now taking classes at State.
