Chapter 22

Brian did call Jenna and groveled a lot and she forgave him. She didn’t agree to go out with him though. Brian also called Lisa and asked to come out to her plant and spend a day with her to learn. That story will be told but, first, it’s appropriate to tell some more detail about Karen and John.

Never let it be said that teenagers don’t have a sense of humor. John talked to Karen’s parents and Karen talked to John’s. The story of the two of them is interesting enough that I asked John and Karen to write some of their story and let me include it in this journal. They agreed and this is their story.

I edited it very little.

Mister Al asked us to tell our story thus far. I first met Karen in elementary school when I was given advanced placement in the fifth grade. My parents had bought a new house and I changed schools. Karen had lived in the same house all her life.

We were paired by the teacher as study partners. Initially, I was mad about that. She and I were the only girl/boy combination. All the others were either two girls or two guys. Our teachers had decided that study partners were good and we were the odd ones out.

Just to make the situation worse, we were now in the same Sunday school class and, even worse, our birthdays were only three days apart. At least, I am older! We did study together. We had to because those classes were tough. I helped her with math and she helped me with English. She is letting me write this but has made a few corrections. I’m not sure which one of us is best at science.

We became friends. You can’t spend all day at school except for Phys. Ed. and not learn to get along pretty well. I learned that she had my back and I try to watch hers.

She played softball and I played baseball. I play third base while she pitches. I got her attention when I hit a home run on her fourth pitch. I had missed the first three and the next two after that though. That ball may be big but it comes at you fast with a funny motion. We also went to the same church and had Miss Lisa (Karen says she’s Missus Lisa. I say she is now but wasn’t then.) as our teacher.

Miss Lisa made us think and we both enjoyed her class. The movies had come out but she talked the class into reading the books. I’m glad she did. There is so much more in the books. Karen and I read them together and talked about the story. We have two different pictures of Frodo in our minds. The one in the movies is young. The one in the book is older. We brought that up to Miss Lisa and she asked us to report our thinking the next week to the class.

That was work but it was fun, too. Since it was summer, it gave us a reason to see each other. We found out that summer that we liked each other as more than just as friends. Our parents didn’t try to encourage or discourage us though Karen’s father can be scary.

In sixth grade, we sort of grew up. We continued to like each other and having a boy friend or a girl friend was more acceptable. We stayed together though now in middle school. We were sort of a pair and the top scorers on all tests. We weren’t official study partners any more. Our new teachers didn’t require that. We continued to study together because we enjoyed it.

Late in the seventh grade, Mister Al made his first appearance as Miss Lisa’s fiancé. Karen says he’s dreamy. I say he’s a nice guy and Miss Lisa really seems to like him. Miss Lisa is a great lady and is someone I would go to talk to with a problem.

They are so happy. Then Miss Lisa was shot. I later learned more about that but I only knew she was shot and Mister Al was a hero. I liked him better than before. He said it was all about protecting Miss Lisa not doing anything heroic. He seemed to mean it. She was in church and teaching us Sunday after it happened on Wednesday. At the time, I thought she had been slightly wounded.

Karen and I would hold hands a lot and she even let me put my arm around her. One evening before I left for my house, she kissed me on the lips. I liked that. My lips tingled all the way home. I watched Mister Al and Miss Lisa and Mister Frank and Missus Pam and realized that this love stuff was interesting. I knew that I really liked Karen. I think now and thought then that she was the prettiest, smartest girl I knew. She was also my best friend. There were guys on the team who were good friends and I trusted them. Karen was the one person I could talk to about anything and everything, even how I felt about her. Plus, it felt really good to hold her in my arms and kiss her. We helped in Missus Lisa and Mister Al’s wedding. It was a wonderful event. It made me wonder what a wedding for Karen and I might be like. The really cool thing is that, when Pastor Jim pronounced them man and wife, a flash of light went over the ceiling of the sanctuary and a big voice said, “Joy!”

After they came back from their honeymoon, Karen’s parents and Karen were invited to an event at the country club for them. Karen and her parents came back changed. They were still the same great people but there was something more about them than before.

Karen and I talked about it and she introduced me to Glimmer and explained all about her. Glimmer let me talk to her with Karen. Glimmer could hear me call and would tell Karen. Then my parents and I received aliens. I realized quickly that my parents shared one as did Karen’s parents. Karen had Glimmer and I had thought I might share Glimmer but Karen said that we should each have our own partner. Brightmist came to me. The four of us, Karen and Glimmer and Brightmist and I, became great friends. They taught each of us to talk mentally to the other and to each other’s partner.

Karen and I have been more emotional with each other since we both have partners. Finally, at Missus Lisa’s graduation party, we talked to Missus Lisa and Mister Al about our parents and their attitudes. They talked with each of our parents and then brought the six of us together with them in their bedroom. Our partners froze time to let us talk. We found out that our parents had started early. Mister Al and Missus Lisa were tough and showed our bond to our parents along with each of theirs. Our parents have blessed our bond and have gone from trying not very subtly to break us up to pushing us together.