LIFE AT COLLEGE... First days (Part 17a)

I ended up bribing (with money) my brother to help me get my "chores" done by the time my father got home. After supper we packed the car for my own trip. Like Nan's mother, my father wanted to get away early. Our trip was about eight hours and my father wanted to stop and visit friends on the way back. It was a boring trip except for when he let me drive. I'd only driven his car once before and that had only been for a trip to the gas station and back. He let me drive the Thruway portion which was a real thrill because I was allowed to drive at 60 mph. We got to the campus around 3pm and checked in and got my room assignment. My father, having graduated from the same college some 27 years earlier, knew exactly where my dorm was located. I didn't bring much with me so it didn't take long to get the car unloaded. He was on his way by 4pm. None of my three roommates was in the room when I arrived but I could tell which was my bed as all the others were piled high with various articles of clothing. That was the first time I focused on just what my roommates would be like.

As it turned out they seemed like nice guys. Mac was the son of Russian immigrants and he'd earned an academic scholarship. He was from a small city and had attended public schools. Norm was like me in that he'd attended a boarding school only his was much smaller than the one I attended. He'd grown up in a fairly rural area and was very much interested in athletics. He also had a steady girlfriend. Those two had taken one of the sleeping rooms which meant I was to share with Dave, the son of two teachers. He was from a suburban area and was very quiet.

Freshman orientation was scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Although I attended all Friday's scheduled functions, my mind was on Elle. I'd called home and gotten a phone number for Elle from my mother. With that in hand I made at least six unsuccesful tries to reach her. I'd also been able to get a bus schedule and found that if I took the 9:30am bus I could be in the town where Elle's college was located by 2:30pm. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to do it. So, Saturday morning I decided to blow off orientation. I packed up some clean underware and my toothbrush and headed for the bus stop. It took 5 hours, including a 2 hour layover, to reach my destination. (I subsequently found out that the trip, by car, would only take 1 1/4 hours). I got directions for the college at the bus station and, on the way, passed by an old hotel. Not having anywhere to stay, I stopped. A room was around $15, and after allowing for bus fare back I calculated that I'd have approximately $5 left. I knew I had to have a place to sleep so I, reluctantly, paid the clerk. I didn't want to be carrying the bag so went right to the room. It smelled musty but was clean. It would certainly do.

As I trudgeded up the hill to the campus I wondered if all colleges were built on the top of hills. In just two days at my college I'd already become tired of walking up and down hills and here I was going up another hill. I did have the name of Elle's dorm so it wasn't that hard to find. However, locating Elle was, especially since she didn't know I was coming. There was a girl at the desk just inside the door and I told her who I was looking for. She didn't recognize the name but suggested that I take a seat in the small lounge located right there. I waited for almost an hour before I saw her walking in. When she saw me she squealed and the smile on her face could have lit up an auditorium. She was on top of me before I could get all the way up. Her kiss was almost violent. I was shocked. So were the girls who'd walked in with her. It was obvious she was glad to see me!

To be continued...