Disclaimers: As usual, any and all characters in my story partaking in sexual stuff are 18 or older. Everything about this story is 100% fictional. If you think you know anyone named here, its purely coincidental.
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My name is Nick Mueller, a 28 year old co-owner of two very prosperous hardware stores, with my dad. This, after a semi successful college football career.
I started playing football in the 7th grade, mostly because I was the biggest kid in my entire grade, in a very large Junior High School, in North Seattle. I already stood nearly 6'3", and weighed just over 200 pounds. My love for football came from my grandfather, who emigrated to the US, with his family, in 1956, after helping Hungarian freedom fighters do battle with Russian invaders, at the age of 13.
To say my Grandfather Laslov, Les, as he became in the US, was fearless was an understatement.
Even though soccer was his primary sport, it wasn't an organized sport in the Seattle school district, in the early 60's, when he played. So at 5'10" and a very solid 220, he became a punishing fullback, and place kicker, for our high school's championship football team.
I started out as an offensive lineman, but as I neared high school, I switched to the other side of the ball, playing defense.
Starting the very first game, as a sophomore, I wound up starting every game in my three year high school career. By the time I was finishing my final year, I started getting some notice from colleges up and down the west coast.
The only things holding down the number of offers, were my less than stellar grades, and a lack of foot speed. Yes, I was 6'5" and weighed 245, but my speed was a detriment. My C+ grades didn't help, either.
All through high school, I sort of knew that even with a college degree, I would take over my dad's successful hardware store. Did that affect my studies? Who knows?
Being one of the largest kids in a school of over 1,600 students, and one of the strongest, too, I did command a bit of respect. I never used my size and strength to bully anybody.
In that vane, I also hated seeing anyone else being bullied. One Friday, nearing the end of my Junior year, I see a group of three or four boys teasing and taunting a girl who I knew from a few classes we had together. The girl, Lucy Abrams, was on the short side, and fairly round. More than a little heavy, and being just a shade over 5' tall, her weight was accentuated, by her lack of height.
Hearing these jerks teasing her, calling her 'porky' among other not so nice names, I moved closer, to see tears streaming down both cheeks, and her trying to tell them all to leave her alone.
One of these jerks told me to butt out, and let them have some fun. I took two hands full of his shirt, and while lifting him off the ground, asked if he liked how I was having fun.
I definitely got everyone's attention, as I pushed this clown backwards, causing him to land a few feet away from me, on his back side.
"Anyone else think its funny to pick on this poor, defenseless girl?" I asked.
Not hearing any of them answer, I turned to Lucy, asking if she was OK. Yes, she answered, wiping her tears away, thanking me for helping her out.
Just as I was going to ask if she wanted me to walk her home, her brother, a Senior came running up to see if she was indeed OK.
They stood there, for a minute, talking in a foreign language, that I didn't understand. I knew a few words of Russian, but this was different.
Her brother, Eugene, thanked me, too, and they both headed for home. I quickly asked if they were OK walking home, as I offered to walk with them.
Eugene told me they had to get ready for their special dinner, and left.
Knowing a bit about other people from Eastern Europe, where my grandparents came from, I put two and two together, and realized the language they were speaking was Hebrew. and they were Russian Jews.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't have any problem with them being Jewish, because none of the Russians that invaded Hungary in 1956 were Jews.
For the rest of the school year, I kept an eye out, making sure none of those clowns bothered Lucy, if I was nearby. When we would see each other in the hallway, I would always smile and say hello. It took a while, but she would finally return my smile.
Once in a while, she would say hello, first, but it seemed as if she was uncomfortable talking with me.
One afternoon, I asked her if the reason she wouldn't talk to me was the fact I wasn't Jewish.
"Not really, Nick, but your size kind of scares me," she said.
"Well, I can't shrink, so I guess I could get on my knees," I said, with a smile.
This resulted in one of her brightest smiles with me.
When I told her how much I liked seeing her smile, she blushed a very bright shade of red.
She then told me that her brother told her parents and grandmother about my rescue of her from those jerks.
"Did he tell them where my family comes from?"
"Yes, and my mother said she was glad to see some 'goyum' are nice."
I just sort of stared, until she told me that 'goyum' are non Jews.
All throughout the summer, I would see the Abrams family, in the neighborhood, but never approached them. I knew Lucy saw me, but she only briefly smiled, and walked away.
Was she embarrassed because I wasn't Jewish? I just didn't know. Should I go up to them, and introduce myself? Again, not sure what the outcome would be.
Only one way to find out.
About a week before our Senior year was to start, I saw the family near the hardware store my father owned.
I walked up to then, and quietly said, "Shalom Alechem"
"Alechem Shalom" her father, Gershon, answered.
Lucy turned to her parents and introduced me to Gershon and Rose Abrams. They very cautiously looked me over, saying something to each other, in Hebrew.
Her father did thank me for coming to Lucy's aid, back those few weeks ago. As they seemed to be in a hurry to leave, I said my goodbyes and turned to walk away.
Lucy called out, and moved beside me, saying I impressed her parents, said with a huge smile.
I was going to lean down and kiss her, but her parents were watching me like a hawk. She just put one hand on my arm, and whispered, maybe next time.
I left feeling really good about making a good impression with her parents.
As our senior year started, I was constantly busy with my final football season. What I learned was she wouldn't be at my games, as they were played on Friday nights, and since her family were Orthodox, she wasn't allowed to attend.
I did noticed the second to the last game was on a Saturday evening, so I asked if she would be there. Since kickoff was after sundown, she told me she would try. She also told me she had never seen a game, on TV, or in person.
We were not having a good season, and this game was against the top team in our league, and the third ranked team in the state. We hadn't beaten this team very often since my grandpa played, in the early 60's.
