On the first day of the new semester, we awakened to a cold, rainy morning. The combination of rain and temperatures below 40 degrees brought hope for snow to those of us from the southern part of Texas. Houston gets a small amount of snow about every 10 years, and I remembered a snowfall when I was much younger. San Antonio, however, was even farther south than Houston.
Still, to me the cold and rain were exhilarating. The buildings were not far apart, so we didn’t have to walk outside a lot. It was a little difficult for me to concentrate on schoolwork when the rain was painting beautiful patterns on the window pane. Once, after the teacher droned on for a while about The Constitution, I heard “Jamie?”. I quickly snapped out of my dream and took a few seconds to “run the tape back”. Ah! There it was! Question and answer! “Thomas Jefferson”, I replied confidently. I think I saw the teacher smile and shake her head slightly as if to say, “Thought I had her that time”. I sat up straighter at my desk…determined to quit dreaming. The incident drew an amused smile from Amie. She puckered her lips so slightly that I would be the only one to notice. I smiled and drew renewed encouragement from this subtle show of affection.

Yet, I remained pensive on that cold, rainy day. I allocated just enough of my brain to function academically and socially while thinking about my life. So much had changed in the past months. All the changes were for the better. I was happier than I had ever been. I looked down at the hem of my skirt. Part of the fun of being a girl is the almost unlimited array of wonderful clothing that was available … and here I was wearing a dull school uniform. I had more than one closet full of beautiful apparel before I left home and, if I knew my mom, the inventory had grown a lot in my absence.
Yes, life was great. There was always a feeling, however, that something had to go wrong. This perfect existence could not last. I thought of a song my mom liked:
Well it’s been building up inside of me
for oh I don't know how long.
I don't know why but I keep thinking
something’s bound to go wrong.

These thoughts had to be pushed aside, though, because bad things happen and most of them cannot be predicted or prevented. Thinking about them in advance was a waste of time. I directed my musing toward my life and my place in the world. I wanted the world to be a better place because I lived. I know that sounds trite, but I saw so many people focusing on things that were so unimportant like the latest Star Wars movie or IPhone.
As usual, my thoughts turned to Amie. Could I make her a better person? She was awfully mean to Lauren, but I had to admit that Lauren had it coming, and Lauren came to realize it and apologized. No, finding fault with Amie would not yield much of a harvest. Maybe she was actually an angel. If so, she was my angel!
Amie and I had quickly made the school our own. We didn’t mean to say it was ours only … only that we felt at home there and loved the old buildings, the trees, the fields and the spring that ran through the large, idyllic campus, even the teachers.
Yes … the teachers. The school had a process that enabled it to pick the “cream of the crop”. Every one of our teachers was there because she or he loved teaching. They loved it because it was their calling. I doubt that any of them would leave teaching for twice the salary. We appreciated their talent and dedication because we remembered teachers at our previous school who had no business teaching. It was a struggle for both student and teacher. Of course, the teacher saw the students as the problem. These teachers didn’t stay in teaching positions long. Many viewed teaching as a stepping stone to an “administrative position” with higher pay and little or no contact with students.
The bell signaling the end of class ended this train of thought. I saw that the rain had stopped. I looked forward to a game of volleyball in the cold after school. Sure enough, when school was over the sun was out and we headed to our room to change clothes and had a great time playing until time for dinner. It had warmed up quite a bit, so we were able to wear shorts. I could feel the cool air coming up my shorts, keeping that area nice and comfy. My new sports bra kept my upper body assets secure, so I was able to concentrate on the game. During the game, Amie whispered, “Looking good, girl!” where only I could hear. I replied with a smile.
After volleyball and dinner, we went back to our room. Amie sat on the bed and was looking very thoughtful. “What’s up?” I asked.
“We should discuss what we do after graduation. I’m going to start out in pre-law and I’m pretty sure you want to start in pre-med. We just need to decide where we’re going to start out.”
I was certain, “Rice University”.
Amie’s eyes widened a little, “Wow! It’s hard to argue with that”.
I continued, “My mom and both your mom and dad went there. It’s less than 10 miles from River Oaks. Of course, there is a lot of traffic in those miles, so I think we should get a dorm for the week and we can go home on the weekend.”
“Ok!”
“Just like that?”
“Sure! Sounds great!”
I knew Amie better than that. She had already decided on Rice and was prepared to talk me into going there. That was OK, though. “We have to get admitted.”
“I was admitted the day I was born. I could show up with tattoos and a nose ring and they’d take me. Just so my dad doesn’t withdraw his support from the school. When they see your records they’ll be begging you to ‘come on down’.”
So, when that school ended we had one more year of high school before heading for Rice University. When I got home, however, I would find a big surprise. A new person would come into my life. Would this person change things? If so, how would things change?