Tap Day

A cool, damp wind coming in off the water in the harbor spoiled a New Haven spring day.  A wool sweater helped as I made my way to the Branford College court with the other junior hopefuls.

"Hey Sam," came from behind me.  It was Karen.  John was with her.  We'd formed a study group as frosh and agreed to stand together for Tap Day.  What we hadn't settled was what we'd do if selected.

"John, any thoughts on what we should do?" I asked after giving both a welcoming hug.

"As I said last night Sam," John replied, "your dad was in Skull and Bones, Karen's in Wolf's Head, so you both are likely.  On the other hand, my touchdown in The Game doesn't hurt."

"No kidding," Karen said.  "The question is, do we want to go secret or refuse by shaking our heads no?"

"Should I flip my lucky coin to decide?" I asked, with a half hearted laugh.

"As Dumas put it, 'tous pour un, un pour tous'," Karen said.  "If we get tapped by one society, we join.  If not, we refuse."

I held out my arms, and we came together for an affirmative hug.

At 5:00 PM, the senior members entered the court, their pins identifying their organization.  We waited close to one another.

Marty, who'd caught John's winning pass, was tapped by Scroll and Key, and left immediately with the senior who'd tapped him.  One of the jocks gone.

A trio approached, two women and one man, all Bonesmen.  This looked like a setup.

Sure enough!  A woman for John and I, the man for Karen.  A tap for each of us.  While there would be the secrets of the Tomb to learn, we now knew our senior year would be together.