Author's Note: This story is a complete work of fiction from the get go and is intended solely for the readers to enjoy. The reader needs to keep that in mind.
Author's Special Note: The author wishes to express his great appreciation to Patrick Armagh for his invaluable hard work in editing the original submission of this piece and his unique professional contribution to the story which has greatly added to the quality of this work.
The Story:
My name is Roger Cook; an average 18-year old high school student with a high "C" average academic record. At five foot ten, and 170 pounds on a normal frame, I am the epitome of an average male high school student. Even most of my friends are average, just like me with similar academic records.
I have dated some in high school but I never found a girl that really excited me all that much. Probably because I was just average and not the proverbial, "Tall, Dark and Handsome" guy that most girls were looking for. I was never really considered a "hunk" by any of the popular girls in Woodlawn high school.
Although I knew a lot of the girls in my classes, I was somewhat friendly with most of them and I knew most of them by name. They in turn knew me by my name as well but, they did not think of me as date material. In short, I was just not part of the "in crowd" in high school.
I even knew some frumpy girls who were book worms and wore frumpy looking clothes. They really did not date because most of the guys in school wouldn't consider them because of their appearance or the guys were intimidated by their intelligence and their academic achievements or both. Most, if not all, of the frumpy girls were always on the honor roll in high school, and they were considered to be "brains".
One of those frumpy girls that I thought was very nice was Crystal MacDonald. She always wore big round glasses, oversize blouses and baggy skirts that came down to or below her mid-calf. Even I as "Mr. Sophisticated" knew that girls' skirts that came down to a girls' mid calf or lower were well on their way out and long gone by the late '50's and early '60's.
That was long before I was in high school and most girls were wearing their skirts just above or just below their knees. But, I was always friendly with Crystal when I saw her on campus or in class. She was always very reserved and not very outgoing as she pretty much kept to herself and a few of her girlfriends. Most of the guys and many of the girls thought that she was a really mousy girl. I really did not like it that most guys did not treat her very well. In fact, they treated her very poorly.
One of my friends, Gary Miller, once asked me, "Roger, she is just a frumpy little girl. Why the hell do you even talk to her? What the hell do you even see in that girl? There are a whole lot of better looking girls out there you could make time with."
I responded, "I don't know Gary. Maybe it's because she has always been nice to me; and my Mom has always taught me to treat people the way I would like to be treated. Give her a damn break, Man.
Quit looking down your damn nose at her like she's some kind of leper. She is a damn site smarter than either you or I are. She's on the honor roll every semester. When was the last time either you or I were on the honor roll, Man?"
He kind of scoffed at me and said no more. I knew that he was always chasing some of the in crowd girls but, I didn't know how much success he was having with them. He probably wasn't getting along with them any more than I was which was zilch. I just thought, knock your lights out, Gary and see how far that gets you!
Maybe it was because beneath those big "Barney Google" glasses Crystal wore and her tousled blond hair; she had a very pretty face. I figured Gary just couldn't see beyond superficial appearances, but her intelligence still kind of intimidated me. Crystal held the academic achievement of being on the honor roll all through our high school years. I didn't see much of Crystal during my junior year and even less of her during my senior year.
Although I did see Crystal at graduation but, I didn't get a chance to talk to her and congratulate her on the academic honors recognition she received. She had been surrounded by teachers and some of her girlfriends talking to her and I said to myself do I really want to get mixed up in that melee? I thought there might be another time. If and when I would see her again I sure as hell didn't know. However, later it did seem to be some kind of a self-fulfilling thought.
I graduated from high school and hadn't yet decided what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I found a job that paid fairly well for a teenager. However, I knew this job wouldn't support me well in my future life, and it certainly wouldn't be enough to support a wife and kids.
This made me realize that I had to make a major decision regarding my future and likely very soon. I worked most of the summer, working as much overtime as possible, and saving most of my pay with the thought of possibly attending college in the fall. Despite all the money I was able to save that summer, I didn't think it would be enough to get me through much more than my first year in college, if it even got me that far.
One evening after our family had eaten our supper; I sat at the table in the kitchen with my parents and discussed my future plans. My Mom asked me, "Roger. What do you plan to do with yourself now that you have graduated from high school?"
"I haven't decided just yet, Mom. I thought about working at the job that I have but, it doesn't pay all that well and there is not much room for any advancement. In short, I reasoned that it is a menial and dead end job and it wouldn't be likely to take me very far if anywhere in my future life.
I thought about going to college but, the money I have saved over the summer isn't enough to get me through more than my first year in college if it'll even do that. I really don't want to but, I have even thought about joining the Marines. I think that a grunt marine is paid better than what I'm getting paid in this summer job."
My parents didn't think the military would suit me suggesting "You'll be better off enrolling in college in the fall. You'll get much more benefit getting your college education than joining the military, Roger. We'll help you with your college expenses, provided that you agree to work during each summer and save as much of your pay for college each year.
In addition, you'll have to make sure that you keep your grades well above passing." They also explained, "Our help is for you to go to school. If you are to quit, don't get good grades, or if you get married the money will stop, so they suggested, "You think it over, Son."
After pondering the offer, which didn't take very long, I finally thought that my parents bargain was a good deal for me to accept. So I talked to my parents. "Mom and Dad, after I've thought about it, I have decided to take you up on your offer to help me through college.
I've already made enough money this summer for a down payment on the first year of our bargain with this summer's work that I have done so far. I also think that I can get this same job back next summer and that would help a lot, too, but, if I'm going to get into college this fall I'm really going to have to 'shake a leg' to make my application immediately to the State College because fall admission is getting pretty close to ending."
State college is located in another city a little over a hundred miles or at least a couple of hours drive from my hometown of Woodlawn, so I immediately set about getting all the paper work together ready for submission to the college for acceptance. My parents helped with my request for admission and they even took me up to the college to help expedite my acceptance for admission.
