Chapter 10

The new term started and Ginny and I had persuaded Shirley to try to become computer literate so she was taking courses at the community college on Microsoft Windows and also Office. We felt this was a good way to get her back in some kind of atmosphere of learning. She had watched us using the computer for so many things that she had expressed a desire to learn how to use it.

We could have taken the time to show her ourselves, but we felt it would be more beneficial for her to go somewhere in order to become proficient. We had also drawn up a programme for Jake. Once or twice a week he came for math and science tutoring from Sylvia and sometime in weekend he would come to us for English and French. Ginny took him for the English and I did the French.

It turned out that Jake wasn't dumb. It was just that he had never really applied himself to study. Now that he had the motivation it wasn't too long before he started showing some progress. This was not only heartening for him but also for those of us who were giving up the time to help him.

After the first few weeks Sylvia seemed to be more relaxed in her role as a tutor and Jake was trying his best to avoid doing anything that would spook her. It did not seem any time at all before Valentine's Day was upon us and there was a school dance to mark the occasion. We even managed to persuade Sylvia to come along and the Tai Chi gang all sat at the same table.

Jimmy, Tom and I all took turns at dancing with Sylvia who was pleasantly rhythmical so that it was no chore to steer her round the dance floor. It was about half way through the night that I saw Jake heading our way. As he drew level with our table, he turned to Sylvia and said,

"I notice you have had the courage to get up on the dance floor with the guys from your group, would you do me the honour of dancing the next dance with me?"

Sylvia hesitated for a moment then rose from her seat took Jake's hand and he led her onto the dance floor. It caused quite a stir round the hall as the wallflower and the star quarterback made their way round the dance floor. I think it caused even more amazement that they seemed to be quite at home with each other and were carrying on an animated conversation. Jake brought her back to our table, gave her a little bow and said,

"Thank you Sylvia, I enjoyed dancing with you, I hope I may have a repeat performance later on."

Sylvia replied, "Thank you Jake I will certainly look forward to dancing with you again"

Hey, was this the girl who only a few short weeks ago was trying to merge into the walls and seemed incapable of talking to anyone, never mind a star football player. As promised Jake came back later and he and Sylvia took to the floor once more which if anything, caused a greater stir than the first time.

When the dance ended Jake again brought her back to our table and thanked her, and then he turned and looked at us and said,

"Would you guys mind if I joined you for a while. I think some of the team have smuggled in some hooch and I don't really want to join in that scene, I am in enough trouble already."

We agreed and we rustled up another chair and he took his place at our table.

"How are your team mates reacting to you deserting them?" Ginny asked.

"They don't think I am deserting them," Jake told us. "I made the excuse that I had enjoyed dancing with Sylvia and wanted to get to know her better. I hope you don't mind?" He said looking over at her.

Sylvia blushed, but she smiled shyly at him and then to our surprise replied by saying, "I don't mind at all Jake," she giggled, "by just asking me to dance you probably raised my social standing to an all time high. By coming over here to sit with me it will have rocketed up into the stratosphere."

We all laughed at that including Jake who then said more soberly.

"I suppose that will be true among the general school population, Sylvia, but from the leers that my team mates gave me, it was obvious they believed that I only had one thing in mind by paying you any attention at all. They don't know you have been tutoring me and just think I am trying to bed you."

Sylvia gave a sort of Mona Lisa smile and then asked without the hint of a blush this time

"And are you trying to bed me Jake?"

This time, believe it or not it was Jake's turn to blush and I wondered if he was going to dig himself into a deeper hole. He rose to the occasion however, and said,

"Sylvia, since you have come out of your shell and started to wear clothes that show off your not inconsiderable attributes, I think at least half the school would like to take you to bed and I would number myself among that half. However it was not my reason for coming to join you at this table, but if you were to offer to go to bed with me, I confess I would for once, have to exert all my self control not to take advantage of it in case I lost the friendship that has been building between us. I am so grateful for the help you and the others have given me that I would not wish to endanger that."

Sylvia said graciously, "Now Jake I am very touched to hear you say that, but I am getting as much out of this as you are. Not everybody is blind to what is happening. Several people have asked me what is going on between us. I have told them the truth that I am helping you get your grade up in math. Not all of them believe it though and are wondering if it is something more than that."

"Hey" Tom said with a laugh, "If you two want to discuss the exact nature of your relationship, much as I find it fascinating, I think it would be better done in private."

"You speak for yourself," said Helen "I was enjoying these two dancing around each other trying not to say they were interested in possibly developing something deeper than they have now."

"We were not," Sylvia protested blushing furiously.

"You were." Helen reiterated with a laugh, "but that is not something to be ashamed of. I think it's romantic."

Jake laughed, looked at Sylvia and said,

"Maybe we should go with Tom's suggestion and take this discussion further when I meet you for my next lesson or some of these romantic idiots will have us married before the Junior Prom."

We all laughed at that and the conversation steered into more normal considerations.

Shirley had made a friend in her computer class. It was another woman a few years younger than her but a lot older than the bulk of the students alongside them. They had started taking coffee breaks together. She had moved into her flat early in the New Year, but she must have felt she needed to consult me about having visitors. I assured her that she could bring her friend to her flat any time she wanted to. It was her place. I had also started Ginny on driving lessons and suggested to both of them that I get them a car to save me driving them everywhere they wanted to go. As a result we spent the next weekend looking for something suitable for them to drive. I had bought my car from the same garage and the same salesman seeing me came over to attend to our needs. I explained what I wanted and he told me he had a car that by its age they would normally just send off to auction. But he had held it back because although it was old it had a very low mileage and had a full service history. It belonged to an old lady who only did about two thousand miles a year and presently stood at twenty thousand on the clock. He took us to see it and it really was immaculate.

Shirley took one look at it and said if the price was right that would do her as she would not be comfortable with a new car. The salesman looked at me, and asked

"What about the car for your fiancée sir. What do you have in mind for her?"

"I would want a very good second hand one with a low mileage." I said.

"We are doing a special deal at the moment, sir," he told me. "If you buy a new car before the end of the month, we will discount ten percent of the price. It would come with a full three year warranty and we will send it out with a full tank of gas. If you are interested in that, I would let the other car go for the price I paid for it."

I agreed his deal and Ginny picked a small red Chrysler. She thought it would be easier for her to park. We had a test drive in each and we were told we could pick up both cars in three days time as they would be given a final check, and in the case of the second hand, one a service before being made available to us.

Sylvia met with Jake a few days after the dance and she proceeded to go through the math lesson with him before setting him further work to do at home. When they had finished Jake leaned back and said,

"Did you enjoy the dance last week?"

"Yes I did," Sylvia replied. "I am getting better at talking to people. I am feeling better about myself. But when I meet strangers I still feel that I should run and hide again. I suppose I have been doing it for so long that is hard to break the habit"

"You are talking a lot more easily to me than you did in the beginning," Jake said.

"What I can't understand is why you felt you had to hide in the first place. You are brilliant, you have a pretty face, and now that you are displaying more of it, a figure to die for, so why hide?"

"You should know some of the reason Jake," Sylvia said. "You have a great game and a thousand of people stand and cheer you for the talent you have displayed. I ace a test and for some reason people single me out for bullying. That has been my lot since my first year at school. The fact that my parents are older and tended to dress me very conservatively did not help either. It just attracted more abuse and name calling. So I tried not to be noticed and I was so scared a lot of the time I could not talk to people."

"I guess I contributed quite a bit to that kind of thing," Jake told her. "You do it without thinking what it is doing to people like you."

"It is never just one person, though," said Sylvia. "It is the cumulative effect and the fact that you are isolated and have no friends. I have friends now and that lessens its effect and gives me more confidence to deal with it."