What began as a long and boring summer finally came to an end. I had worked most it making pizzas at “ROMEROS”. It was the local hangout for Mason High, my alma mater. This was it: my final year of high school! And college was right around the corner. My plan was to start in the spring of next year. I had earned an academic scholarship, so I guess being called the class nerd would be a title befitting of me. My social life was non-existent!
Dale was a childhood friend of mine and I considered him to be my best friend. We’d known one another since elementary school. But he wasn’t of the opposite sex, and most of the time I didn’t know what to say to girls. I often just stood there, frozen. Cathy was the most beautiful girl in school. A racing heart always alerted me of her presence. Whenever her voice was heard I felt all floaty and spaced out! Sometimes she would just stare at me for no apparent reason. It felt like being shot with a tranquillizer! Maybe she liked me. But I wasn’t the campus jock or some cool guy everyone wanted to be seen with.
Perhaps she felt petty for such a lowly peon. I was the geek who never knew what it felt like to have a girlfriend. My virginity was still intact. I always wondered what it would feel like to be touched by someone other myself.
The first day of classes started off as usual but a few of the teachers had either retired or simply transferred. One of them was Mr. Hodges the P.E. coach. Everyone cheered when they heard he had retired. This man was a Drill Sargent from hell itself! He was a former Marine. At least that was rumour that had been passed down through the years. Many students had ended up in the hospital with pulled muscles and broken bones because of his training regime. He was brutal.
My final class happened to be PHYSICAL EDUCATION! I hoped our new coach would be much nicer. We were told to all meet at the old gym which was hardly used because of a leaking roof. This would probably be an easy day of filling out forms and receiving permission slips that needed signatures and ordering gym clothes. And then it happened! What I mean was she happened! The most beautiful woman I had ever seen walked into the gym!
"Good Morning! My name is Ms. Taylor!" And everyone just stared…She had on some very form-fitting dress slacks and a blouse that concealed to two large objects not very well! Her reddish-brown hair was shoulder length. Those emerald eyes of hers enchanted me beyond belief. She began roll call and everyone answered accordingly when their names were called.
My heart began to pound nervously as she got closer and closer to saying my name!
“Christopher Ronal!”
I answered very loudly for no rational reason: “HERE!!” She looked at me and smiled. And I just melted inside…My day had ended with a wonderful surprise! As we left the gym Ms. Taylor reminded everyone to bring back all the forms signed before next Tuesday.
I had decided to go the library to do some studying, for at least 30 minutes or so after school. I always walked home from school which was only about half a mile from my home. The sound of a sputtering engine immediately startled me. It wasn’t a car but something smaller. The first left on this road lead to the old Wagner place. So out of pure curiosity I followed the sound. And there she was Ms. Taylor straddling an old Honda CB 750. She would kick start it and it ran for a few seconds and then stalled. It sounded like a vacuum line was loose.
“Hey are you having trouble?” I felt awkward after stating the obvious! She said the bike had been in storage and hadn’t been ridden since last year.
"I think that you might have a loose vacuum line on one of the carburettors," I said. She looked amazed at my assessment. I told her that my dad had been a mechanic and had taught me some basic trouble-shooting. I put down my backpack and kneeled whilst looking at the engine. And then I noticed a very loose vacuum hose. I then took my pocket knife and tightened the clamp on the hose.
“Start it up now.”
She immediately gave the bike a hard, kick start and the engine rumbled to a smooth idle. "WOW! That was amazing!" She said. "I don’t know how to thank you! Can I at least give you a ride home?"
"Well I … Okay," I said and climbed on the back. She then grabbed my hands and placed them around her waist. Her perfume, engine vibrations and her incredible body took control of me. I didn’t want this ride to end. My jeans had gotten a lot more confining in the front! But I didn’t care. We made it to the driveway in no time.
As I got off the motorcycle she instinctively looked at the menacing intruder. I was embarrassed beyond belief! She just smiled and waved as she rode off. I just stood there dumbstruck. How would it even be possible for me to face her tomorrow? It’s only been one day of school and I already have a year’s worth of complications already!