I had always been the awkward, nerdy guy in high school and college. I was shy around girls, and had never gone on a date. This continued into college. I attended a small, private university in northeast Ohio, where I majored in history. By my senior year I could talk politics and history with any of the professors, but I couldn't get a date. Hell, my junior year was the first time I set foot inside a women's dormitory, and that was only to work on a class project. But that all changed just before graduation.
It was spring 2007. I was a teaching assistant to my favorite world history teacher, Dr. Jeff Wilson. He'd been a teacher and a mentor, but his passion for teaching was what hooked me on history. He asked me to come to his office after class. I sat down in the chair opposite the desk.
"Hey, Alex" he said. "As you know, we're almost to finals week. As we did last year, Dr. Jackson is leading a select group of history and poli-sci students on a Washington, DC, trip. It's just for a few days, and as you're a senior I thought you'd like to go as his student leader."
I was stunned. I had been on the trip a year earlier, and it was an amazing experience. I couldn't believe this year I was the one being asked to be the student leader. Being the student leader also meant the university paid for my trip; I just needed money for souvenirs.
"I'd be honored," I replied.
"Good," Dr. Wilson said, handing me an itinerary. "You guys are leaving Sunday afternoon. You're meeting here and taking a van to the airport. You get back Friday morning. You'll have a good group of students; we even have a couple freshmen this year."
That was almost unheard of for this trip. Rarely did freshmen know their major, let alone get to go on these trips. Dr. Wilson reminded me of my responsibility to help these students learn, think, and analyze for themselves. He also suggested I do what I can to make the freshmen feel welcome and included. I took the itinerary and headed back to my dorm room.
Sunday couldn't come quickly enough. I spent Saturday night packing and making sure I had everything I needed. Our plane didn't leave until mid-afternoon. I met Dr. Jackson early, and we discussed the itinerary and what he expected of me. Finally the small group of ten students arrived. I knew all of the students going on the trip; some of them were very good friends.
"We're just missing the freshmen," I told Dr. Jackson.
"Don't leave without us! We're here!" a voice said.
I turned to see two very pretty girls walking quickly toward the van. I knew who they were. Erin Jones was a thin, pretty, 5'6" redhead with hair down to the middle of her back. She was a poli-sci major and wanted to work as a Foreign Service Officer or at UNICEF. The other girl was Carrie Marshall, a cute, petite blond who wanted to teach junior high social studies.
"Damn," I thought to myself. "Why them?"
I didn't have a problem with them personally. They were both nice, smart young women. The issue was that I'd stared at them on more than one occasion, especially Erin, and had sometimes masturbated thinking about them. I would just have to control myself on the trip.
We piled into the van and headed to the airport. We arrived in Washington, DC, around dinner time. A van picked us up and took us to the Mt. Vernon campus of George Washington University, just outside DC. We were welcomed by a university representative then shown to our dorms in West Hall. As classes had just finished at GWU the week before, the dorms were newly emptied and had been cleaned. We were all on one wing of the building. Dr. Jackson and I had our own rooms, the other students were paired off and shared a room.
After getting to our rooms we headed up to the cafeteria for dinner. We ate, chatted, and Dr. Jackson handed out itineraries and laid out ground rules and expectations. After the meeting several students chose to walk around campus. I headed back to my room. I had just purchased a new Tom Clancy novel and was eager to read it. I sat on the bed spent the rest of the evening reading.
The next morning I got up, showered, and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. I was the first one there. I said good morning to the staff and went through the line and got my food. I had just sat down when Erin and Carrier walked through the door. Both girls were wearing nice sleeveless tops and skirts. They got their food and walked over to my table.
"May we sit with you, Alex?" Erin asked sweetly.
"Of course," I said; I wasn't gonna be rude and say no.
I asked them how their night was. They were roommates, not just on the trip but back home, too. Carrie told me they stayed up talking and doing each other's nails. Carrie asked me if I liked their nails.
"They're very pretty," I said. "And you ladies look pretty, too."
They both blushed.
"Thank you, Alex," Carrie smiled.
Soon the other students arrived and joined us at the long dining table. We finished eating and met outside the university's front gate, where a van was waiting. We drove into DC, and we were dropped off in front of the Smithsonian Castle. The day was spent looking through the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History, the National Archives, and the African-American History Museum. I looked as well, answering any questions the students had. I noticed that Erin and Carrie seemed to be hanging around me a lot. I reasoned with myself it was because I had helped them through world history, and they felt comfortable around me, nothing more.
The next couple days went quickly. Tuesday we visited the other Smithsonian museums and sat in on a session of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Wednesday was spent at Arlington Cemetery and looking at the various memorials. Several students got pictures at the presidential memorials: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln. I showed students where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had stood when he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.
We returned to the GWU campus, ate dinner, then discussed the day. We sat outside in the warm evening, a slight breeze blowing. One of the students asked me about the MLK assassination, and if I believed the official accounts. I told them I wasn't sure if I did, and I asked them what they believed. The students didn't seem to know much other than what their textbooks told them. I told them to consider the what was happening at the time.
"The Cold War," one student said.
"Ok, good," I replied. "Anyone remember the idea of the domino effect?"
The students recited what they knew. I also told them that colonialism was ending in Africa. Nations like Kenya had just become independent. I then asked them to circle back to what Dr. King was preaching at the time.
"Racial justice and equality," Carrie said.
"Good. Now put it all together," I said.
I could see the wheels spinning as the students tried to connect the dots. Then I saw Erin's eyes light up. I could see she'd had a revelation. I called on her.
"So because the West was worried about Communism, and African nations were becoming independent, some countries might've been worried Dr. King's message would spark revolutions and resentment that could open the door for Communism to take hold in Africa?"
I couldn't help but smile. She'd gotten it. She may have been a freshman, but she was smart. I found it rather sexy.
"Exactly," I said.
It was getting later. Time had flown by. We headed back to our dorms and went to bed. As I watched Erin walk away, I couldn't help but be attracted to her. She was smart and pretty. Too bad she was out of my league.
