Steve Comer was in command.
The hard-throwing right hander was pitching a masterpiece for the hometown Rangers and Dick Parker was a captivated viewer.
Texas was pistol-whipping the hated Red Sox, 11-2, and Comer was in a zone, about to throw a complete game.
The sounds of victory rang out loudly in the cavernous Temple Junior College cafeteria. Dick was the only one in it, nestled neatly into a corner. Nervousness blended with excitement inside his 18-year-old body.
"Dick?" came a call from afar. It persisted.
"Dick?" said the voice again.
He jumped up to greet the caller.
"Dick? Yoo-hoo...Where are you, hon? Dick?"
He saw it was Carrie. The clickety clack of her high heels drew closer.
"Oh, hon," she laughed. "It was a wild good chase finding you..."
"I'm sorry, Carr," he insisted.
"You're not hiding in here, are you, sweetie?" she smiled.
"Nah, nah, just...I found a T.V. Comer is pitching a gem for the Rangers. They're beating Boston," he went on.
"You ready, hon?" Carrie said, offering a sweet, nurturing smile.
"Oh yeah, definitely," he answered, wanting to sound eager and strong.
They headed out of the cafeteria and down the long, long corridor, at the end of it Room 138. It was their destination for the moment, but also the end of a long, long journey for Dick Parker.
"Feels like I've been preparing for this class for like eight years," he mused.
Carrie rubbed his shoulder.
"I warmed 'em up for ya, hon. It's a fun group, really," she smiled.
"Oh, and hon," Carrie went on casually, wanting to ease Dick's mind. "We're gonna meet Phyllis Dorshten for lunch after. I had hoped to have her over the last couple weeks or so but she was in California."
"Cool, cool," Dick replied, his mind occupied a bit.
Carrie rubbed his shoulder again.
"You are going to do wonderful, hon. I assure you. And have fun, kiddo," she said, offering her sincerest encouragement.
When their journey came to a stop, just outside the classroom, Dick could hear the muffled sound of female exuberance. Chatting, giggling, laughing, shouting all could be heard from outside the room.
Monarch-sized butterflies fluttered around in Dick Parker's stomach.
"Hon, I am gonna have you..." Carrie began, composed as ever.
"I am gonna have you disrobe here, and just put this towel around you, hon. And then, we will walk in - together," she assured him, wanting to provide some strength in solidarity.
"You really do look great today," said Dick as he got undressed, repeating something he had told her on the car ride over.
"Oh thank you, hon," she replied, looking down upon her knee-length beige skirt. "It's the first time I've worn this particular ensemble but I think it works..."
Carrie held out the towel for Dick as he got fully nude. His rather large member flopped into view, a giggle inevitably escaping from Carrie's lips.
"And heeeeeeeer ya go, hon," Carrie said playfully, holding out the towel.
Dick wrapped himself in the towel, for the moment, and walked in with Carrie.
The thought occurred to him, motivating him: like Steve Comer, could he go the distance?
******************
Carrie held court.
Everyone in the classroom grew to a hushed silence when the charismatic brunette walked back into the room. She had their attention once again.
Their silence was also due to anticipation.
"Well, well, well. Okay, the final leg of our journey," Carrie announced with gusto. "The male penis..."
A few chuckles could be heard, understandably so.
The women, aged 18-22, all set their gaze upon Dick, who was standing in the corner near the doorway. It was a big class, but not overly substantial. Dick, to keep his mind occupied, counted 30 or so young ladies in attendance.
"This is my darling T.A. for the day. Hon, you wanna come in?" Carrie teased, as Dick seemed pinned to the corner of the room.
He walked further in, his bashfulness subsiding little by little. Somehow, he felt very prepared for this moment. The day he went nude for Krendy and Maddy seemed far more overwhelming. This just felt like a test he had studied all night for, and was acing the first few questions.
"You wanna tell them a little bit about yourself, hon?" Carrie offered gently, as she took a seat on the corner of her desk, crossing her legs.
"Sure," he replied, holding the loosely-fitting towel in place.
He coughed before he spoke, the Texas heat drying his throat a bit.
"Well, my name is Dick Parker. I...am going to Baylor in the fall, where I plan to study architecture. Um, my two best friends are Barney Bussett and Craig Nichols...This...is actually my first rodeo, as far as nude modeling.
"Carrie asked me if I would help out and I said sure, no problem..."
Silence filled the room. Dick wondered if he had said enough, or just sounded really boring.
"You're best friends with Barney Bussett?" asked Lucy Monroe, seated fourth in the third row from the window, the sun shining nicely through.
"Yeah, don't hold it against me," he laughed, the rest of the ladies also having a chuckle.
"Oh my god, he and this guy that lives up the block from me were practically drag racing up and down the street last night," she complained. "In a very loud Pontiac Firebird..."
"Okay, okay," Carrie interjected.
"Let's not get too far off topic," she laughed.
Again, a short silence. And Carrie let it be. It was as if slowly and surely, she wanted the girls to be the navigators, take the class where it should go.
"First, why don't we all give Richard a round of applause just for helping us out today?" Carrie suggested, the two and a half dozen young ladies following suit.
Richard bowed for affect.
"We heard it's a whopper," offered Jill Jones, right from the front row.
"Yeah we saw the pictures of 'U' Parker," added Lucy, "and if there's ANY correlation..."
The room went into a tizzy, laughter and chattering back and forth until Carrie had to get things back on course.