Chapter 5

Charlie's days were too busy for him to dwell on Tracy. She'd sent him several e-mails but he never read any of them. As far as he was concerned, any possibility of even a friendship with her was best forgotten.

The time passed quickly as his departure date approached. Besides working for Mr. Montero, he picked up every odd job he could find to accumulate cash. He mowed lawns, helped a neighbor roof his house, cleaned swimming pools and even did some legitimate math tutoring of kids who were in summer session.

The day his mom and stepdad drove him to the airport, he had over $3,500 in traveler's checks in his pocket. All the way there, Fran voiced a steady stream of instructions and advice that wouldn't even be remembered, let alone heeded. He checked one medium sized suitcase and carried on a gym bag with a few personal items in it. His computer, his books and his electronic gadgetry would follow via UPS after he got settled into his dorm room. His mom kissed and hugged him until they got to the security gate where he finally escaped her fussing over him. When his stepdad shook his hand and wished him good luck, Charlie was sure he could hear a note of relief in his voice.

He remembered he used to love to fly when he was little. Now it was just a chore that had to be endured, about as much fun as waiting in the dentist's office for your annual checkup. At least the flight wasn't jam-packed with over-sized derrieres taking up all of their space and a third of their neighbor's. The window seat was his excuse to avoid visual contact with eyes that lingered on his face just a second or two too long. But all in all, the flight was uneventful and Charlie was unpacking his bags in his dorm room by seven that evening. His roommate wouldn't be checking in for nearly a month so he'd have all the privacy he wanted.

It was two days before he was supposed to meet with his new boss at the communications company. That gave him a whole day to check out the campus and get the lay of the place. The next morning, he threw on shorts and a T-shirt for a run around the campus. The size of it was overwhelming to him, causing him to wonder how he'd ever find his way around.

He checked his campus map and ran toward the main quad looking around at the eclectic collection of buildings; some new, most old natural stone with a Spanish motif and tiled roofs. He loved the mixture of deciduous and palm trees. Yes, he was going to like this place.

Halfway around the quad, he was joined by another runner who just fell into step and easily matched his pace. The guy looked maybe three or four years older than Charlie and had the build and the long stride of a distance runner.

"Hi! I'm Marty. I usually have the streets to myself this time of day. Haven't seen you before."

"Uh, I'm Charlie. I just got here yesterday. I'm just trying to figure out where everything is."

"Nice to meet you, Charlie. Stay with me and I'll give you the grand tour. This pace doesn't look like it's any strain on you."

"Thanks, Marty. I'd like that."

They ran at a steady speed for another forty-five minutes, covering most of the high points on the campus layout. Marty turned out to be an excellent guide, very knowledgeable about most of the buildings and the history of the University in general. When they were almost back to the quad, he said, "How about we pick up the pace on the last lap."

"I'm game," Charlie laughed and took the lead at a blistering pace. Marty caught up within a hundred yards and they ran side by side for one circuit. As they turned onto the last leg, he shouted, "Race to the end!" and took off. They were both totally spent when they reached the end of the block dead even. They walked in circles, panting and smiling at each other as they cooled down.

Marty put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and shook his head. "My man, you are one hell of a runner! Nobody's ever been able to stay with me like that outside of an intercollegiate track meet. You must be here on an athletic scholarship."

That got a smile from the crooked face. "Nah, I've never been on a team before. I'm here to study physics, I hope."

"Are you telling me you've never trained for track before? Man, that's amazing! You're about the most natural runner I've ever seen, besides me, of course. How old are you, anyway?"

"Sixteen. And a half."

"Wow! So you're a whiz-kid as well. Hey, do you have to be anywhere right away?"

"No, not 'til tomorrow."

"Let's go have something cold and wet at the Union. I want to hear your life story."

"I can't imagine why," Charlie laughed. "You'd have to look pretty far to find a more boring one."

"I'll be the judge of that. Come on, I'm buying."

As they walked toward the union, Charlie couldn't help but wonder that Marty had never fixed his eyes too long on his face.

They both got large iced teas and sat at an outside table. As Marty flopped into a chair across the table, he asked. "Were you the bottom twin, Charlie?"

The boy's hand reflexively went to his face as he blushed. "How could you guess that?"

"Same thing happened to my twin sister. They were able to correct most of it with a cranial helmet but she still has a little distortion, hardly noticeable. Do you get much grief from the assholes of the world because of it?"

The matter-of-fact way that Marty chatted about his defect was disarming. He didn't seem the least bit repulsed by the ugly face. Probably because of his sister, Charlie guessed. "Some, but not as much as when I was little. I don't spend a lot of time out in public, though. It's hard to build a social life around a face like this."

"Whoa, Charlie! That attitude just won't do at all. You can't let the bastards grind you down. So far as I can tell, you're a class-A citizen. Don't be depriving the rest of us of your company. Surely some sweet thing has discovered your true worth by now."

That brought a smile and a headshake. "I thought that was the case a couple of months ago but it turned out I was wrong." Charlie told him about the Tracy fiasco.

"Ooh, man, that is harsh! I hope your mom learned her lesson. And as for the sleazy bitch, she obviously doesn't deserve you."