Life on Banana Street
Literature
-Friday-
“All classes will start this morning at 9:00. Your professors will tell you what times to come in on Monday. You’re free to go anywhere this weekend. Have a wonderful day!” The intercom spoke. Well that’s good! I can go see Gabe!
“Hey Addie, are you going anywhere this weekend?” Mandy asked.
“Yeah. I’m going to see my boyfriend.”
“Cool! We might have the same flight! I’m going to see my girlfriends.” Girlfriends? What the hell is this girl’s problem? Oh god. The same flight. I looked at the clock and it was 8:45. Guess I better head off to my first class. Literature. I was walking out of the building into another building and someone came behind me and grabbed my waist. I screamed.
“Take it easy. It’s only me.” I turned around and it was Jeff.
“Oh, you scared me.”
“Yeah I can tell. You screamed.” There was silence as we walked.
“So what’s your first class Jeffro?”
“Literature. You?”
“Same. Who do you have?”
“Cochran.”
“Me too!”
“Cool! We can be first period buddies.”
“Yep!” I walked in the class and there was something familiar about the professor. Me and Jeff took our seats in the back and we talked silently as the rest of the class arrived. We were the first ones, so we had to wait a while. Suddenly, something popped into my head.
“Mr. Fedie?” The professor looked up from the board and looked at me.
“Yes. Who’s asking?”
“It’s Addie Mr. Fedie!”
“Addie? I haven’t seen you in years! How have you been?”
“Great! And yourself?”
“Fine. Just fine. How did you get out here to A & M?” He asked.
“I don’t know. I could say the same for you.”
“Oh, well I just decided to move on with my life and become a professor.”
“Wow, that’s not much of an improvement.”
“Yeah, I know. Say, who’s that man you’re sitting with?”
“It’s Jeff Mr. Fedie! Remember him?”
He scratched his head. “By god, I think I do! Is there anymore of my students coming in today?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know Jeff was here until Monday.”
“The day you arrived?”
“The day AFTER I arrived.”
“Oh, well I’m getting so old I don’t even know what I’m talking about, huh?”
I laughed. “Right. SO why is your last name Cochran?"
"That's my real last name. My middle school kids call me Fedie."
"Oh." After a while, the whole class was here and we started the lesson.
“Ok class. Today we will be talking about English literature then move on from there at the end of the month. Today’s topic is Romeo and Juliet…” I was just doodling on my notebook until he said those words. What was the catch? “At the end of the week, we will have casting of parts of Romeo and Juliet, the play, in which the whole campus of first years will be attending. Only this class will be doing the play, so I’d be proud of that.” There was only one thing going on in my head. I’m Juliet…and who would be my Romeo? Jeff? Nah…He would never try out for the play. “So talk to me sometime after class if you’re interested.” I am so interested. “Can anyone tell me…a summary of Romeo and Juliet?” Someone down in first row raised their hand. “Yes, sir?”
“Well, two people of different lives fell in love and nothing could separate them. Then Juliet dies.”
He laughed. “Well, can anyone put it into greater detail?” I raised my hand.
“Yes Addie?”
“Like he said, two different people fell in love and their families hated each other, but they still didn’t care. They just waned each other. One day, Juliet takes poison and Romeo is there for her final moments, and she silently dies, but it means the most to her that he was there.”
“That made me cry, Ms. Hersh.” I smiled. “That right there, was the best summary you could have given me.” The same guy raised his hand. “Yes?”
“I just said that…She just put it in different words!”
“Well, you didn’t give me enough detail.”
“This is bull!”
“Oh, that’s real mature. Just leave because you didn’t get the teacher’s attention.” He sat down his bag and sat back down. “That’s what I thought.” And the rest of the class was boring…
“Alright class. You’re dismissed. Come see me if you’re interested in the play.” I got up and walked to Mr. Fedie.
“You’re seriously going to try out for that crap?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah. Romeo and Juliet has always interested me.”
He smirked and said, “Well, I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Alright.”
“Hey Addie! Looks like you’re the only one who wants to try out today.”
“Nope, nope,” came a familiar voice.
Mr. Fedie looked up. “Who?” Someone in the line of desks looked up and said, “Me. Compton Ass Terry.”
“Ok. We can do this. This isn’t bad today. So Addie what do you want to try out for?”
“Juliet of course!”
“Well, you got the part.”
“What? Don’t I need an audition?”
“Well it seems as though no one else would be trying out. And you Terry?”
“Juliet’s father.”
“Alright. You got the part.”
“Yes! Hey daughter of mine…”
“Hi father of mine.” We laughed. Ha Ha. I walked out of the room and Jeff was in the hallway.
“Hey!”
“Yo,” he said. “Did you get the part?”
“Of course I did.”
“All right!” He high-fived me.
“So…are you going back to California this weekend?”
“Yeah. I’m going back every other weekend. To see my baby!” He smiled a weird smile. I could tell he was pinkin’, Peta. “Jeff, don’t take it personally. I love you.” His expression brightened. “As a friend.” I laughed.
“Hey!” I ran down the hallway and he chased me. He grabbed my waist and we fell on the floor laughing.
He turned me over and there was a moment of us staring into each others eyes.
“Jeff…”
“Yeah.”
He leaned in. “You got a booger in your nose.”
"Damnit! Again?!" He wiped his nose and I got up.
“Well, Jeffro, I’m gonna go to my next class.”
“Alright.” I left and went to my music class.
-The Weekend-
I didn’t have to pack, since I was going home, I just bought a ticket and left. “First Class, ma’am.”
“I didn’t get First Class…”
“It says here on your ticket. How much did you pay?”
“I don’t know, about $200.”
“You paid the price of a Coach ticket. When’s the last time you used this airline?”
“Sunday.”
“We have a discount for frequent fliers.”
“Oh cool!”
“First Class, ma’am.” I took my seat in First Class and enjoyed it the whole way. Pretty soon, I was landed in California.
-The Apartment-
I was at the front door of my apartment and I looked for my keys and finally found them. I opened the door and there was Gabe, asleep on the couch. I walked over in front of him and said, “Wake up, baby.” His eyes immediately opened and he rose up quicker than anything.
“What are you doing here?”
“I live here silly!”
“No, I mean, aren’t you supposed to be in college?”
“Yeah, but I get the weekends off.” He got up and hugged me.
“Why are you hugging me?” I asked.
“I missed you.”
“Then kiss me.” We kissed for what seems like forever. I looked up to him, with his deep, brown eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you.” It was like a volcano. Nothing could have stopped it. It happened. It It. The It. We were lying in bed and he was rubbing my arm.
“Addie.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you more than anything.”
“Aww that’s sweet. I love you more than anything too.”
“That’s why I was thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Us.”
I laughed. “There’s nothing to think about. We’re madly in love and nothing can stop that.”
He smiled at me. “No, no. I’m not talking about that.”
My expression faded. “We’re not breaking up are we?”
His eyes got wide. “No! I would never do that.”
“K, good.” There was a pause.
“Addie, do you really love me?”
“Of course I do, babe!” I said.
“No, I’m serious. Do you truly love me? Or do you just think you do?”
“No, I love you truly. Do you love me?” I asked.
“Yeah. I know I do.”
“Then where is this going?” Gabe got up and put his clothes on and went to the drawer. “Baby, you can’t put a condom on with your clothes on.”
He laughed. “No, I’m not doing that. Get dressed.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just get dressed.” He kissed me. “It’s a surprise.” I got dressed and we got in the car.
“Come on, tell me where we’re going.”
“Only the nicest restaurant in town.” I took a second to realize what he just said.
“Baby! We’re going to the place where we had our first date!”
He smiled. “You remembered. I’m proud of you.” I reached over the middle thing and kissed his cheek. We got there and the same gay waiter waited us.
“Table for 2?”
“Yes Fabio.”
“Oh, you read the name tag?”
“No, we just remember you from last time.”
“Oh, yes. I remember you 2, too.” He sat us down at a table. “May I get you drink?”
“Tea please,” I said.
“Tea,” he said.
“Alright. I be right back with order.” Gabe and I stared at each other for a while.
“Addie, I was gonna save this for after dinner, but I’m afraid it’s just going to spill right out of me.”
“What is it?” He got up and knelt before me.
“Adeline Hersh, will you marry me?”
“All classes will start this morning at 9:00. Your professors will tell you what times to come in on Monday. You’re free to go anywhere this weekend. Have a wonderful day!” The intercom spoke. Well that’s good! I can go see Gabe!
“Hey Addie, are you going anywhere this weekend?” Mandy asked.
“Yeah. I’m going to see my boyfriend.”
“Cool! We might have the same flight! I’m going to see my girlfriends.” Girlfriends? What the hell is this girl’s problem? Oh god. The same flight. I looked at the clock and it was 8:45. Guess I better head off to my first class. Literature. I was walking out of the building into another building and someone came behind me and grabbed my waist. I screamed.
“Take it easy. It’s only me.” I turned around and it was Jeff.
“Oh, you scared me.”
“Yeah I can tell. You screamed.” There was silence as we walked.
“So what’s your first class Jeffro?”
“Literature. You?”
“Same. Who do you have?”
“Cochran.”
“Me too!”
“Cool! We can be first period buddies.”
“Yep!” I walked in the class and there was something familiar about the professor. Me and Jeff took our seats in the back and we talked silently as the rest of the class arrived. We were the first ones, so we had to wait a while. Suddenly, something popped into my head.
“Mr. Fedie?” The professor looked up from the board and looked at me.
“Yes. Who’s asking?”
“It’s Addie Mr. Fedie!”
“Addie? I haven’t seen you in years! How have you been?”
“Great! And yourself?”
“Fine. Just fine. How did you get out here to A & M?” He asked.
“I don’t know. I could say the same for you.”
“Oh, well I just decided to move on with my life and become a professor.”
“Wow, that’s not much of an improvement.”
“Yeah, I know. Say, who’s that man you’re sitting with?”
“It’s Jeff Mr. Fedie! Remember him?”
He scratched his head. “By god, I think I do! Is there anymore of my students coming in today?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know Jeff was here until Monday.”
“The day you arrived?”
“The day AFTER I arrived.”
“Oh, well I’m getting so old I don’t even know what I’m talking about, huh?”
I laughed. “Right. SO why is your last name Cochran?"
"That's my real last name. My middle school kids call me Fedie."
"Oh." After a while, the whole class was here and we started the lesson.
“Ok class. Today we will be talking about English literature then move on from there at the end of the month. Today’s topic is Romeo and Juliet…” I was just doodling on my notebook until he said those words. What was the catch? “At the end of the week, we will have casting of parts of Romeo and Juliet, the play, in which the whole campus of first years will be attending. Only this class will be doing the play, so I’d be proud of that.” There was only one thing going on in my head. I’m Juliet…and who would be my Romeo? Jeff? Nah…He would never try out for the play. “So talk to me sometime after class if you’re interested.” I am so interested. “Can anyone tell me…a summary of Romeo and Juliet?” Someone down in first row raised their hand. “Yes, sir?”
“Well, two people of different lives fell in love and nothing could separate them. Then Juliet dies.”
He laughed. “Well, can anyone put it into greater detail?” I raised my hand.
“Yes Addie?”
“Like he said, two different people fell in love and their families hated each other, but they still didn’t care. They just waned each other. One day, Juliet takes poison and Romeo is there for her final moments, and she silently dies, but it means the most to her that he was there.”
“That made me cry, Ms. Hersh.” I smiled. “That right there, was the best summary you could have given me.” The same guy raised his hand. “Yes?”
“I just said that…She just put it in different words!”
“Well, you didn’t give me enough detail.”
“This is bull!”
“Oh, that’s real mature. Just leave because you didn’t get the teacher’s attention.” He sat down his bag and sat back down. “That’s what I thought.” And the rest of the class was boring…
“Alright class. You’re dismissed. Come see me if you’re interested in the play.” I got up and walked to Mr. Fedie.
“You’re seriously going to try out for that crap?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah. Romeo and Juliet has always interested me.”
He smirked and said, “Well, I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Alright.”
“Hey Addie! Looks like you’re the only one who wants to try out today.”
“Nope, nope,” came a familiar voice.
Mr. Fedie looked up. “Who?” Someone in the line of desks looked up and said, “Me. Compton Ass Terry.”
“Ok. We can do this. This isn’t bad today. So Addie what do you want to try out for?”
“Juliet of course!”
“Well, you got the part.”
“What? Don’t I need an audition?”
“Well it seems as though no one else would be trying out. And you Terry?”
“Juliet’s father.”
“Alright. You got the part.”
“Yes! Hey daughter of mine…”
“Hi father of mine.” We laughed. Ha Ha. I walked out of the room and Jeff was in the hallway.
“Hey!”
“Yo,” he said. “Did you get the part?”
“Of course I did.”
“All right!” He high-fived me.
“So…are you going back to California this weekend?”
“Yeah. I’m going back every other weekend. To see my baby!” He smiled a weird smile. I could tell he was pinkin’, Peta. “Jeff, don’t take it personally. I love you.” His expression brightened. “As a friend.” I laughed.
“Hey!” I ran down the hallway and he chased me. He grabbed my waist and we fell on the floor laughing.
He turned me over and there was a moment of us staring into each others eyes.
“Jeff…”
“Yeah.”
He leaned in. “You got a booger in your nose.”
"Damnit! Again?!" He wiped his nose and I got up.
“Well, Jeffro, I’m gonna go to my next class.”
“Alright.” I left and went to my music class.
-The Weekend-
I didn’t have to pack, since I was going home, I just bought a ticket and left. “First Class, ma’am.”
“I didn’t get First Class…”
“It says here on your ticket. How much did you pay?”
“I don’t know, about $200.”
“You paid the price of a Coach ticket. When’s the last time you used this airline?”
“Sunday.”
“We have a discount for frequent fliers.”
“Oh cool!”
“First Class, ma’am.” I took my seat in First Class and enjoyed it the whole way. Pretty soon, I was landed in California.
-The Apartment-
I was at the front door of my apartment and I looked for my keys and finally found them. I opened the door and there was Gabe, asleep on the couch. I walked over in front of him and said, “Wake up, baby.” His eyes immediately opened and he rose up quicker than anything.
“What are you doing here?”
“I live here silly!”
“No, I mean, aren’t you supposed to be in college?”
“Yeah, but I get the weekends off.” He got up and hugged me.
“Why are you hugging me?” I asked.
“I missed you.”
“Then kiss me.” We kissed for what seems like forever. I looked up to him, with his deep, brown eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you.” It was like a volcano. Nothing could have stopped it. It happened. It It. The It. We were lying in bed and he was rubbing my arm.
“Addie.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you more than anything.”
“Aww that’s sweet. I love you more than anything too.”
“That’s why I was thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Us.”
I laughed. “There’s nothing to think about. We’re madly in love and nothing can stop that.”
He smiled at me. “No, no. I’m not talking about that.”
My expression faded. “We’re not breaking up are we?”
His eyes got wide. “No! I would never do that.”
“K, good.” There was a pause.
“Addie, do you really love me?”
“Of course I do, babe!” I said.
“No, I’m serious. Do you truly love me? Or do you just think you do?”
“No, I love you truly. Do you love me?” I asked.
“Yeah. I know I do.”
“Then where is this going?” Gabe got up and put his clothes on and went to the drawer. “Baby, you can’t put a condom on with your clothes on.”
He laughed. “No, I’m not doing that. Get dressed.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just get dressed.” He kissed me. “It’s a surprise.” I got dressed and we got in the car.
“Come on, tell me where we’re going.”
“Only the nicest restaurant in town.” I took a second to realize what he just said.
“Baby! We’re going to the place where we had our first date!”
He smiled. “You remembered. I’m proud of you.” I reached over the middle thing and kissed his cheek. We got there and the same gay waiter waited us.
“Table for 2?”
“Yes Fabio.”
“Oh, you read the name tag?”
“No, we just remember you from last time.”
“Oh, yes. I remember you 2, too.” He sat us down at a table. “May I get you drink?”
“Tea please,” I said.
“Tea,” he said.
“Alright. I be right back with order.” Gabe and I stared at each other for a while.
“Addie, I was gonna save this for after dinner, but I’m afraid it’s just going to spill right out of me.”
“What is it?” He got up and knelt before me.
“Adeline Hersh, will you marry me?”