I <3 Katherine Hepburn

True story.

   It’s time. Finally, after two weeks of planning, the moment has come. I no longer have to look at the clock on my rolling dresser. When I learned we were going through with our plan tonight, I could hardly contain myself. Butterflies have been fluttering in my stomach all day and I can’t wait to release them back into their natural habitat. All we need to do now is get out of the dorm. We should have figured that part out earlier. But we artists, so we improvise all the time. We can do this…I hope.
    We congregate outside of Paloma’s room. Marion has just gone to get Sally Jo. We know we can’t go down the main staircase. Thank G-d there’s a back stairway. Lena and I wait on the landing of the third floor as Paloma and Ruth go downstairs to scout the area. I’m holding Marion’s camera and towel while trying to keep myself from bursting with excitement. I don’t want to wake the uptight science geeks, the thirteen of whom us forty-five writers tried to be friends with but who coldly turned us down. We are afraid of the science PA catching and lecturing us. So we  must be on guard.
    Somehow we manage to do the following: run  to the first floor to see if Amanda is coming (but she is too busy breaking up with her boyfriend on the phone), end up back on the third floor, but we went up a third staircase that leads us to the science side of the third floor, almost get caught by Lauren (the constipated science PA), lose Marion and Sally Jo (luckily she took her camera and towel), and finally go out the basement door to the back of Radnor (our residence hall).
    For now it’s only me, Ruth, Paloma, and Lena. We sneak quickly and quietly toward Merion Residence Hall until we are out of sight of the large common room windows of Radnor, where Leslie (one of our PAs) was sitting). Once we are in the clear, we quicken our pace. Our hearts begin to race when we see the headlights of a car heading in our direction. “Run!” I silently scream. We sprint across the road to the front of Thomas Hall. We’re here. “How do we get in,” Lena asks. “Let’s try the front door,” Ruth says. Paloma runs to the main entrance. Locked. She tries the other door. Locked. “This is working well,” I say. “Let’s try the side doors,” Paloma says already jogging to the side of the building. “There’s a side door?” Lena asks. “I had no idea either.” Ruth is already following Paloma while Lena and I take up the rear. We walk through the small light-posts that line the main sidewalk. Lena taps one of them and the light turns off. “Crap!” We say in unison, fleeing the scene of her seemingly innocent crime.
    When we reach the side of the building, Paloma is already trying the doors. “Hey, keep it down, the guys are in Pem. They might see us!” Ruth exclaims in as loud whisper as she can make. “Don’t worry, the lights are facing the other direction, and, besides, they’re actually asleep,” I respond. Lena asks Paloma if the first door is open. Nope. We shift to the next door. Nope. “Should we go back?” I ask reluctantly. “No, wait, there’s a third door,” Paloma says hopefully. This door better be unlocked, my excitement is starting to dissipate. I wonder if Katherine Hepburn had this much trouble. “You guys, it’s unlocked!” Paloma says with contained excitement. Lena, Ruth, and I smile at each other as we run to gather by the door.
    “The light’s on” Ruth says. “Do you think someone’s in there?” asks Paloma. I volunteer to go first. The lights in the hall are dim and I do not hear anyone. The gang has already followed me in. Shocked and amused, we find the door to the cloisters staring us in the face, open a crack, inviting us in. “It’s like they know people come and do this sort of thing all the time,” says Ruth. “I’m pretty sure they do,” I respond. We all laugh.
    It’s pitch black in the cloisters. We lay our towels, keys, and shoes on the ground. We check the water. Yeah!  It’s warm! We get in, turn our back to each other, undress, count to ten, sit in the water, and turn around. “You know what this means, you guys?” I ask. “I can wear my ‘I went skinny dipping in Katherine Hepburn’s fountain’ shirt tomorrow.” We all laugh. “Umm, you guys, I just realized something,” Lena begins, “How are we going to get back in without being caught?” Oy vey! Here we go again.