Chapter 11

Melissa came over a few minutes later to our table with a light breakfast and coffee. I said, “Hi, Melissa. How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Paul and I talked until early morning. I borrowed your bed. You didn’t need it.” She looked at Karen. “Do you have anything to tell me?”

She smiled and pointed at me. “He’s wonderful. I love him so much.”

“What did you do so well last night, Brad?”

“I was just wonderful.”

Melissa pouted. “I want to know everything.”

Karen said, “Not a chance. You know too much already. More to the point, girl-friend, what did you do last night?”

Melissa smiled. “Truly, we just talked. That was what we needed to do. I think things might work out. Brad, did you set his alarm? He was very tired when I left.”

“Yes, you have to let him get some rest in the future.”

“We had a lot to talk about last night. I think we resolved some important things.” She looked introspective. “We didn’t even kiss much but we cared a lot.”

Karen gave her a hug. She left with us since we all had eight o’clock classes. Karen and I walked together since this was the English class that we had together.

“Do you think Melissa and Paul will work things out?”

“Love, I think it’s possible but they will have to overcome some bad habits they had both cultivated.”

“Brad, why has it been so easy for us?”

“Well, I’m monogamous from habit. I had left behind my situation with Lisa because I knew it was over last summer. It didn’t hurt when she sent me her ‘it’s over’ email. We were just going through the motions over the Christmas holidays and didn’t even see each other much.

“Your situation was different. You had no dating habit to accommodate or counteract. You are a virgin in so many ways.”

She grinned at me. She pulled my head down and whispered, “Not my mouth, Lover!”

We were both grinning ear to ear when we went into the classroom and took our seats. We couldn’t sit together but I was behind her and to one side. I got to see her when she walked up or down the aisle to her seat. The professor was handing out papers so each of us had to make that trip. Karen’s slacks weren’t too tight but there was no question that a shapely female was wearing them and that short-sleeved sweater.

I guessed she enjoyed watching me make that trip because, as I was walking back, she licked her lips slowly. That sight gave me an erection and I could tell by her grin that she knew it. We were given a project and told to pick a partner. We were next to each other almost instantly and much faster than anyone else who might have been headed toward either of us.

The professor said, “I want each team to write a romance. There are two requirements. First, it must end happily. Second, it should be faintly believable. I will give you some warnings. It cannot be very explicit and had better not be too short. This will be one-third of your grade. Each team’s partners will receive the same grade. However, if I sense that one partner or the other wrote too much of the story, I will lower both person’s grades.

“Our next class is Thursday. We will review for grade your description or thesis statement. I should be able to tell what the story is going to be about and should, from reading your description, want to read your story. Each way point on your story will count as part of your quiz’ score. The quizzes will be one-third with your final exam being the final one-third.

“There is a half hour before the end of this class. I suggest you meet with your partner and get started. If you have questions, I will be here.”

Two people on the far side of the class stood up to move. I glanced that way and Karen nodded. We took their seats thus beginning the mad scramble. Karen and I put our heads together whispering.

She grinned. “I wonder how erotic we can make it.”

I said, “I would be careful. She said not to make it too explicit. I don’t think you want to read an x-rated story in class or even a description of one.”

She grinned. “True. Let’s each come up with a description and see which one we like best. If we’re way different, we can ask questions of each other or fight about it.”

I took a blank sheet and thought. I remembered this professor from last year. She did not have much humor about her nor seem to care for young love. She was forties and either divorced or single. She had the old maid look down pat which made me think single. I decided to write a romantic description of an affair occurring at an old age home or some other place similar. Both would be widowed or divorced and in reasonably good health for their age. Now, an attention-grabbing description of that situation would be next. I titled it, “Aging Well.” My description was “Two lonely people come together with prior problems from old relationships. They solve their problems and, in the process, fall in love. More problems ensue in working out their relationship before they can truly be together.” I stopped writing and sat back waiting for Karen.

She finished and we swapped pages. Karen had chosen a younger love scenario with similarities to a mixture of our situation and Melissa and Paul’s. Her story emphasized the difficulties of two people from different family situations trying to combine their lives in face of both families distaste for the other family.

I was thinking of our grading audience as much as writing a story that would be generally enjoyable to read. I leaned over and whispered to Karen. “Is she going to read each one or is she going to have others have input into the grading?”

“That’s a fair question. You’re trying to determine our viewing audience.”

“Well, I would like to know our grading audience. If I have refrigerators and ovens for sale. I will have an easier time selling the ovens to Eskimos.”

She chuckled softly. “We can combine my ideas with your age group. We might make them a little younger and add some conflicts to the mix.”

“That sounds good. Do we have any questions for Professor Daniels?”

“No but you do.”

“Yeah, I wonder if we can do a teaser description and a thesis separately.”

“Go ask her.” I nodded and went to Professor Daniels.

I said quietly, “Professor Daniels. I understand a thesis statement and a description that is a teaser. May we do those as separate items?”

“That’s a good question, Mister Gillis. The answer is yes.”

“Thank you. We were also wondering who our grading audience might be. Will you be reading and grading each work yourself or will other students be reviewing these stories with those reviews affecting our grades?”

“That’s another good question. I haven’t thought that part through but I am inclined to use student reviews to assist in the grading process.”

“Thank you, Professor. We just want to prepare a work for our audience. My partner and I have good grades and want to keep it that way while preparing and writing an interesting story.”

“Mister Gillis, you have paired with Miss Mason. It will be interesting to see what you two develop in your collaboration.”

“Yes, Ma’am. It will be interesting. We already have some divergent opinions.” I went back to my seat next to Karen. “We have our work cut out for us. It’s interesting that no one has asked any questions. I would be worried about the work due Thursday.”

I added just loud enough to be overheard. “We will have to look at our class schedules and all to determine when we can work on this project.” At that point, the class buzzer sounded and we left.

“I’m beginning to see how devious you can be, Brad. You made that last loud enough for the class to hear it yet we’re spending a lot of time together already. You had a reason for that.”

“Sure, our efforts might be curved to some extent. At any rate, the grading will be subjective. Advantages aren’t bad to have. No one else in that class is on the Dean’s List if I remember correctly. I want to keep us there.”