Escape to the Wildey

Prologue

October 1968
Edwardsville, Illinois

Ninth-grader Ethan Krieger gazed down the hallway of his high school at Nona Riley talking to a girlfriend as she thrust her books inside her locker. Nona, considered by most to be the prettiest and most popular girl in school, fascinated Ethan and his interest in her went well beyond Nona’s physical beauty. He liked the way she walked, her style in clothing and Nona’s slow, careful, sly way of speaking reminded him of Lauren Bacall in a movie that he had once seen. A bit reserved, Nona, a smart student like Ethan, didn’t always have her hand in the air. However, when called upon by the teacher, she produced not only a reliably correct answer, but could also shrewdly analyze, compare, and contrast as well. At home in the classroom, it seemed obvious to everyone that she had a future in whatever she decided to do.

One day, when Nona smiled at Ethan with her piercing dark brown eyes, it seemed as if the entire room glowed and afterwards, whenever he heard her laugh, Ethan found himself wanting to laugh with her as if she floated on a perfect spring breeze, like an angel.

However, while Ethan had no problem mingling with girls as lab partners or classmates, when it came to the strange new tingly feelings within him, like many other fifteen-year-old boys, he suddenly became shy and apprehensive. So, when he considered the idea of asking Nona out on a date, in Ethan’s mind it appeared certain that when she turned him down, the whole school would know about it immediately, and that they would be merciless in their ridicule. It drove Ethan into a better safe-than-sorry hiding place that tortured his romantic adventurous soul every time he saw Nona.

But, today, Friday afternoon, Ethan had finally gained control of his teenage cowardice. A Three Stooges double feature plus cartoons played at the Wildey Theater in their small town on Saturday afternoon, and Ethan steeled himself to ask Nona to go out with him before she left school. Inhaling one last nervous deep breath, he walked towards her.  

 “So, what’s playing at the Wildey this weekend?” asked Nona as she pulled her coat from the locker and put it on.

Cynthia shrugged. “Nothing, just a stupid Three Stooges double feature.”

Nona secretly adored The Three Stooges and loved their comedy, but she didn’t want to seem uncool to her girlfriend.

“Yeah, you’re right, they’re really stupid,” responded Nona semi-derisively as she picked up her books. Holding them against her blossoming chest, she turned and saw tall, handsome Ethan Krieger standing behind Cynthia. Smiling up at him, Nona liked the way his soft brownish-blond hair caressed the top of his ears and his steel-blue eyes shone whenever he looked at her. Nona, playing with a small silver cross on a chain around her neck, couldn’t help herself. A warm, excited feeling raced through her body whenever he was around. A nice feeling that her religious mother reminded her on many occasions good girls didn’t have.

Ethan and Nona stared at each other while Cynthia watched.

“Ethan. Did you want something?” asked Nona, hoping he did.

Ethan, with Nona’s Three Stooges comment blaring in his mind like a trumpet, shook his head. At that moment, he felt like everyone in the school was judging him, laughing at his foolishness and audacity for believing he had a chance with the smartest, prettiest, most popular girl in school.

“No…uh…nothing,” answered Ethan sullenly, and to Nona’s disappointment, quickly retreated in the direction he’d come.

Ethan had walked thirty feet down the hallway when blind, relentless courage kicked in and he decided that no matter what he had to endure, he would ask Nona out this weekend to something, anything. Then, as he turned around, he saw Nona talking to Kenny Peters, the most popular boy in school, and in that instant, Ethan knew his moment had passed.