All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.
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I had to do it.
After all, she was my mother. Or
is
my mother.
She just didn't understand and couldn't or wouldn't think of changing. I knew that eventually, I could make her understand... or maybe not.
"Ella is anxious for you to move back in," she said, certainly not smiling. "Her gain in my loss," she said with a shrug."
"Mom, come on. Be fair. I have two more years, and then I'll probably be home."
"Hopefully, in those two years, you'll find a man -- "
" -- get married, and give me a grandbaby," I interrupted. I'd heard that, in one form or another, for years.
"I can have my dreams, Paige."
I just wished her dreams weren't diametrically opposed to mine.
"I promise to come home more often." I could do that, but I'd miss some good study time. Plus, the athletic department wanted to pay me to be a tutor at the athletic study table.
Extra money was attractive and very compelling.
"Don't be silly," she said, surprising me. "Just call when you can."
That one dug at me a little, but I deflected it as I'd grown used to doing.
"Talk to Guy, my older brother, and he can get you set up with a smartphone so we can FaceTime."
"Is that where the faces are on the screen?"
"Right."
"I'll see."
That meant she wouldn't do it.
I'd have to talk with Guy about setting that up for Mom.
The day finally arrived, and I kissed my mother goodbye and headed for Aunt Ella's.
"Your room's ready, Honey.
"Thanks, Aunt Ella. I appreciate what you do."
"I enjoy having you here."
I enjoyed being there, too, although sometimes I wondered if living in a dorm would have been more fun.
I'd never know.
I had scholastic scholarships that covered my tuition and only left me with fees to pay. Sporadic summer work had so far covered them.
Free-living with Aunt Ella made college possible.
I was scheduled for a meeting with the other study table tutors and the member of the athletic department who was in charge of the table.
I decided the study table wasn't his favorite enterprise.
"Thanks all of you for helping out. The schedule is on the bulletin board outside my office. Checks will be available after noon on Friday at my office. One word of caution. You guys are exceptionally intelligent. The people you're tutoring probably aren't. Be patient."
He looked at each of the eight of us in turn.
"Any questions?"
Hearing no questions, he bolted out the door, obviously anxious to get back to recruiting an offensive tackle or some other equally important task.
"Who's doing women, and who's doing men?" one of the tutors asked.
Despite the confusion, I determined the men's group was three guys and me. The women's group was just the opposite. Football had its own table, and the women's athletic teams had notoriously high GPAs, so being assigned to their table often allowed the tutors to get in some studying of their own.
Not so for Paige.
After a few minutes of getting to know the other tutors in my group, I headed to the bulletin board to check my schedule.
I copied the first two week's times into my notebook and was ready to head to the student union for some coffee when I heard a voice behind me.
"Paige, how lucky can I be?"
"Oh, hi Jerry.
Jerry had seen me play basketball in high school and had somehow felt some sort of attachment to me. We'd actually had a date last year when I'd relented and said yes hoping that might deter his romantic intentions. But apparently, it hadn't.
"You're looking good after a summer of vacationing. "
It had been a summer of working, but whatever.
"How was your summer, Jerry?"
"Lots of time at the lake cabin," he said with a big smile.
I knew the "lake cabin" was over four thousand square feet, hardly a cabin, but the family had plenty of money, and they often liked to act as though they didn't.
"What are you doing over here?" he continued. "Are you going to try out for basketball?"
That made me laugh. "Not a chance. I've signed up to be a tutor at the non-football study table."
"That's perfect, Paige. Using that super brain to help dumb jocks, huh?"
Jerry was relentless.
"It's a little extra money to help me get through."
"That's right, you get paid for that, don't you?"
"It's meager, but it helps." I was sure that Jerry had no concept of what being short of money was like. "What are you doing here?"
His turn to laugh. "Just cutting through the building on the way to the parking lot. It's easier than walking around."
"Well, don't let me hold you up. Nice to see you again, Jerry." That was at least half true. I certainly didn't want him hanging around.
"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again, Paige. We'll have to get together for lunch sometime."
"Maybe that'll work out," I said as he headed away down the hallway. Then, maybe it won't.
Sometimes, when I had nothing else to do, I'd wonder what it was about Jerry that so turned me off. Maybe it was his money. He was nice-looking, friendly, personable, and not overly aggressive. I mean, he never pawed at me or was otherwise physical. Mom always said there was someone out there for everyone. I'd decided that Jerry just wasn't the one for me, even though I'd never figured for sure why that was true.
Classes began, and I was excited. I loved learning and acquiring knowledge, and it didn't hurt that learning was easy for me. I would graduate as a mechanical engineer, but I loved writing, too. Thus, the English minor.
Talking with the other tutors, I discovered that none of us were simply altruistic in what we were doing. We all needed to earn money, and this was a way to do it. I'd tutored friends during high school, but I wondered how this would go. The high schoolers been anxious to learn, but I wasn't sure that would be the case with these athletes. Some, I was sure, would only be there because it was required. I'd just have to see.
The first evening, six basketball players showed up. All were upperclassmen and basically C students, anxious to maintain their eligibility. They'd discovered that getting help was easier than struggling through it individually.
I introduced myself to Adam, Keshaw, Brandon, Alex, Konrad, and Jamarii. Konrad was from Germany and said he sometimes had language difficulties and could use help along those lines. He laughed and said that numbers, though, were no problem. The others said they did most of the study on their own but would have occasional questions I'd need to help with.
I think they were surprised to find a female tutor, something they'd never had previously. There was some flirting, particularly from Alex, which I accepted with a smile. My knowledge and capabilities were checked as they began studying. Questions were asked, and I was able to answer them all, much more completely, I think, than they had been expecting. By the end of that first session, I sensed a respect that hadn't been there at the beginning.
The second night, there were four new guys who showed up for the study table. Two were soccer players, one from the volleyball team, and a new one from basketball. I introduced myself to the three, all of whom approached me to say hello. The fourth went to a back corner and sat down, scrolling through his phone.
"Hello, I'm Paige," I announced to the loner, and he just scowled at me. "Are you a basketball player?" I added.
