WAIT FOR ME, MICHAEL

Out of the pages of one of Anny's beloved novels walked a real live flesh and blood hero, Michael, aspiring playwright and boarder at Anny's house. Although Anny Miles longs to grow up and reveal her more womanly emotions, she finds a childish camouflage safer. With Michael's interest in other people, Anny moves a little out of her previous world which consisted of her avid reading and her vivacious life-loving mother. She begins to know the other boarders in the house, accepting some, rejecting others. But her mother's unrequited love for Mr. Wade and Michael's budding love for Mrs. Miles, leaves Anny quite out in the cold. Michael departs from the scene with the summer's end, play unfinished. Now slowly and painfully Anny abandons her fantasy life and substitutes real experiences for it. At 20, reminiscing on that faraway time, she realizes she has bridged the gap between feelings and behavior and no longer needs Michael to prove her womanhood. Plot here is secondary to the sensitive insights revealed. A truly mature piece for the alive teenage girl.