Notes on a Silencing

by Lacy Crawford

George Plimpton,

Whose father held a Nobel and whose was under indictment; whose had just been sworn in and whose laid to rest with televised honors.

Then I’d simply avoid the ones who knew. In case I was uncertain what they knew, one of them called a word in my direction: “Threesome?”

the days that followed, I watched the news pass from student to student,

it was often broken.

scion,

Lou gerstner

(Washington

Francesca carega

New York)

Catherine Sitrick

newb book belonging

Scope book

senior, a girl

Sam gehring?

They lived in boys’ dorms and they played on boys’ teams. They were members and, in several cases, between the two of them, captains of the varsity boys’ soccer, football, ice hockey, basketball, and lacrosse teams.

the boy with rooster hair. His shuffle. His sidekick: shorter, same hair,

The taller boy smiled. He had a full, smug mouth and an ordinary name that nobody used, preferring the nickname “Budge.”

Budge

By the time I was at St. Paul’s, the school seemed to have settled on admitting blue bloods and recruiting athletes. These

stained-glass window with biblical script:

Was this there 5th form?

Russ,”

???

Shep,

Sam von trapp?

Shyla,

door open, lights on, three feet on the floor.

Nooo!

Mr. Lane

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s son, who lived across the quad, nicknamed “Stoli”). What

Stephan solzh

Gaby,

Erika Buck

Helena,

Katie depree

“Kelly

Carrie hall

Stewart,

Lou gerstner

Status was our first language, one that had to be learned, instantly, if you did not arrive fluent (and many students did); and it functioned like some primitive, instinctive form of communication beneath the surface of every exchange.

(lacrosse over track and field, low-slung corduroys over khakis, old station cars over luxury vehicles)

Shay,

Ms boesch

“The Rock.”

Gillespie

Leighton Huhne.

Rob Kirby?

Brooke

Anna chaffin

Trevor,

???

Sarah Devens,

Brooke,

Anna chaffin

Maddy,

Sarah rulon miller

Linley, from Colorado,

Amanda precourt?

Elise,

Anne payne

Caroline,

Eliza jones

Samantha,

Abby manny

Brophy.”

Stephen hermadorf

grandson of a famous actor,

Franchot tone

Knox Courtland’s

Ramsay Ravenel

Amelia

???

Sarai!”

?

“Benjamin McKenna

??

“Lucretia Turner

?!

Heath.

?

Pell.

Tripler pell

Gall...

?

Troy. This last name I recognized as my friend from soccer...

Robin troy