A Separate Peace.pdf - Southwest High School

477Brinker Hadley came across to see me late that afternoon. I had taken a shower to wash off thesticky salt of the Naguamsett River—going into the Devon was like taking a refreshing showeritself, you never had to clean up after it, but the Naguamsett was something else entirely. I hadnever been in it before; it seemed appropriate that my baptism there had taken place on the firstday of this winter session, and that I had been thrown into it, in the middle of a fight.I washed the traces off me and then put on a pair of chocolate brown slacks, a pair whichPhineas had been particularly critical of when he wasn't wearing them, and a blue flannel shirt.Then, with nothing to do until my French class at five o'clock, I began turning over in my mindthis question of sports.But Brinker came in. I think he made a point of visiting all the rooms near him the first day."Well, Gene," his beaming face appeared around the door. Brinker looked the standardpreparatory school article in his gray gabardine suit with square, hand-sewn-looking jacketpockets, a conservative necktie, and dark brown cordovan shoes. His face was all straight lines—eyebrows, mouth, nose, everything—and he carried his six feet of height straight as well. Helooked but happened not to be athletic, being too busy with politics, arrangements, and offices.There was nothing idiosyncratic about Brinker unless you saw him from behind; I did as heturned to close the door after him. The flaps of his gabardine jacket parted slightly over hishealthy rump, and it is that, without any sense of derision at all, that I recall as Brinker's salientcharacteristic, those healthy, determined, not over-exaggerated but definite and substantialbuttocks."Here you are in your solitary splendor," he went on genially. "I can see you have realinfluence around here. This big room all to yourself. I wish I knew how to manage things likeyou." He grinned confidingly and sank down on my cot, leaning on his elbow in a relaxed, athomeway.It didn't seem fitting for Brinker Hadley, the hub of the class, to be congratulating me oninfluence. I was going to say that while he had a roommate it was frightened Brownie Perkins,who would never impinge on Brinker's comfort in any way, and that they had two rooms, thefront one with a fireplace. Not that I grudged him any of this. I liked Brinker in spite of hisWinter Session efficiency; almost everyone liked Brinker.But in the pause I took before replying he started talking in his lighthearted way again. Henever let a dull spot appear in conversation if he could help it."I'll bet you knew all the time Finny wouldn't be back this fall. That's why you picked himfor a roommate, right?"