I'm an unusual person in that I grew up in an orphanage. It was a Catholic institution run by a bunch of Nuns. It wasn't a terrible way to grow up but I'm pretty sure I missed out on a lot of things. I lived there until just a few months ago because I was never adopted. I left because I turned 18 and I have gone off to college. Because I was in a Catholic orphanage my schooling was done at Catholic schools at which I excelled in all of my classes. I graduated from my High School as the valedictorian.
Because of my high academic achievements and my lack of money I was able to secure scholarships and grants to several of the Universities that I had applied for, basically earning full rides. I opted to go to a mid sized University in Chicago because it had a highly regarded International studies program. Despite never leaving the state in which the orphanage was located I had a very international upbringing because the Nuns were from countries around the world. I, also, have a knack for learning different languages as I speak French, Italian, Hindi and Mandarin, again all thanks to the Nuns who raised me!
Because I'm a freshman I have a number of required courses I have to take before I can delve into the serious courses of my major. When I was deciding what electives to choose I opted for a literature class as one of them. One of the Nuns had told me that she took a lit class every term despite being a chemistry major. Her rationale was that it gave her an excuse to read enjoyable books in addition to her textbooks. Since I love to read I thought that this was a great idea, so I enrolled in a lit class that focused on writers of the European continent.
On the first day of my lit class I ended up sitting next to a real cute blond girl. As she took her seat she managed to drop several books and a notebook. I bent over to help her recover her items and then handed them to her. She smiled, thanked me and then thrust out her right hand and introduced herself as Jane Robinson. I stood, took her hand and told her my name was Tony Smith. I sat back down thinking to myself that Jane was very lovely. She had mid length blond hair, dazzling blue eyes, an enchanting smile and the softest hands I had ever felt. I was, in a word, enamored!
Since the lit class was two hours long we got a ten-minute break in the middle. During the break Jane turned to me and asked, "So, are you a lit major too?"
I replied, "No, I'm an International Studies student. I'm taking this course towards my required humanities electives." I proceeded to tell Jane about the Nuns theory about taking lit classes and that I thought it was a good idea. I then asked Jane, "Are you a lit major?" She replied that she was and was really looking forward to this class.
At about this time the other students returned to the classroom for the remainder of the class. When class got out I asked Jane if she would like to get a cup of coffee at the Union and she agreed. We walked together and talked. I discovered that she didn't live in the dorms but lived at home a few miles north in the village of Winnetka.
As we walked and stood in line for our coffee I couldn't help but notice Jane's body. She seemed to have a rather large chest and a largish ass. She wasn't fat but she wasn't skinny either. The overall effect on me was very pleasing. Additionally she was very bright and had a lovely laugh.
As the weeks progressed we became great friends and we spent every hour after lit class together from then on. As the term progressed Jane asked what I would be doing for Thanksgiving. I told her that I would stay in the dorms and go to the dining hall as usual. She said, "Well, that won't do! I'll check with my parents and see if you can stay with us for the long weekend."
I replied, "That would be nice but I don't want to be a problem."
Jane stated, "It won't be a problem. We have plenty of room and as long as I give my parents enough time to plan for the meal it should be OK."
True to her word Jane told her parents about inviting me for the weekend and they agreed that it would be nice to have someone new to dinner. So on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and after our last classes I rode to Winnetka with Jane to her families home. As we drove through the village I couldn't believe the size of some of the houses. Many of them were larger than the orphanage I grew up in! Finally, we turned into the driveway of one of the biggest houses I had seen.
"Well, here we are! Home sweet home!" Jane declared. I stared in disbelief, as the place was palatial! We grabbed my luggage and headed for a side door. As we entered Jane's mother greeted us with a hug for Jane and an introductory handshake for me.
"Welcome Tony. We are so happy you could be with us for Thanksgiving. My name is Bettina. Please make yourself at home while you are here!" I thanked her for her hospitality and handed her a bottle of wine that I had asked an older student in my dorm to get for me, as a thank you gift. Bettina beamed while looking at the label and thanked me for such a lovely gift.
Bettina then told Jane that she should take me to the "coral room". We grabbed our belongings and headed upstairs to our rooms. We passed Jane's room first so she dropped off her stuff. I smiled as I looked into her room. It reflected Jane's personality perfectly. Instead of posters of bands and movies she had prints of classic art that were tastefully framed. She also had a huge bookshelf crammed with books. I said, "That's quite a collection of books you have there!" She then told me that it contained every book she had ever received as a gift or purchased.
We then went a bit further down the hall to the "coral room", so called because of the color of the walls. The room was tastefully done with a nice large dresser, a couple of easy chairs and the largest bed I had ever seen. Jane asked, "Will this be okay?"
I replied, "It's more than okay! I've never stayed in a room this large or a bed this big in my life! I think I'll be able to make the adjustment!" Jane laughed then told me to stow my gear and then meet her downstairs.
I did as I was told, though I didn't have that much, and then headed back downstairs in search of Jane. When I found her she took me on a tour of the house. We went into the cellar where there was a wine room, a sauna and a home gym with weights, a treadmill and a stationary bike. Back up to the main floor there was the kitchen dining room, living room, study and recreation room with a giant TV, a bar and a pool table. We then headed upstairs where Jane pointed out the various bedrooms (there were five) and several bathrooms.
Jane and I returned downstairs where we found her mother in the living room sitting on the sofa. Jane joined her mother on the sofa and I sat in a chair across from them and watched them talk. I was struck by how different they looked. Jane had a light complexion while her mother was dark with dark hair. Jane was more full figured while her mother was quite slim. They did share one thing though; they both had bright blue eyes that looked very alive.
Bettina asked me if I would like something to drink but I told her no thanks, I was fine. At about that time Jane's father got home. Jane squealed and ran into her father's arms and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. I could now see whom Jane took after. Her father had a light complexion and blond hair with grey eyes. After their hug Jane's father walked towards me with his hand out in greeting. I stood and took his hand as he said, "Tony, welcome to our home. We've heard a lot about you and look forward to spending the holiday together. My name is Stan." We shook hands and I, again, thanked he and his wife for being so generous for allowing me to spend the holiday with them.
After the introductions were done Stan walked over to his wife, gave her a hug and kissed her. They then turned towards Jane and I and said that we were going out to dinner. During dinner I learned that Stan was the CEO of an agricultural company and that Bettina was the head of the hematology department at the local hospital. They asked about me and empathized about my youth in an orphanage. I told them that it wasn't bad, that the Nuns were very kind and took good care of us all. They then asked what I hoped to do in the future and I told them about my dream to work in international relations in some form.
When we returned to the house after dinner Jane's parents said their goodnights and headed off to bed. Jane and I went into the living room and talked for a while. I told her, "Your parents are very nice. I really like them."
Jane replied, "They like you too. I never dated that much while in high school and the few boys I brought home either one or the other of my parents wouldn't like them. It's nice to know they like you!" This statement caused me to blush a bit. Jane took my hand and said, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."