Chapter 14 - Going Home, Part 1

So I took Julie home, introduced her to my parents, who loved her, and we went back to school on Sunday. Simple, right?

If you believe that then you're more naive than I was when Connie first came into being. Of course it got completely out of hand even before we left the bus station. We got there mid afternoon because we didn't just cut class for the afternoon, we blew off the entire day.

Mom, Dad, Grandma Gladys and Grandpa Dave were all waiting for us at the station, you'd think they were excited to have me bring home a girl or something.

Actually, Mom told me years later that I had phrased it 'there'll be a girl on the bus I want you to meet,' and she was half convinced that I was going to be coming home as Connie. I would have liked to travel as Connie, but we had tried to keep her a secret in our little town. It wouldn't do to just throw all that effort away.

I hadn't been able to borrow any of the sophisticated electronic timers from the Physics Lab before I left, so I have to estimate that it took approximately 4.3 microseconds for Mom to spot the tiny rock on Julie's left ring finger. Mom grabbed Julie's hand in a double handed embrace and lifted her ring finger so she could get a close look at the engagement ring.

"Con! You didn't!"

"She… he surely did and I intend to say 'I do' very soon, Mrs Cobb."

"Please dear, call me Mother if you feel comfortable."

"You can never have too many mothers, Mom. And that would make you my new Dad?" Julie said, turning to my father.

"So it would seem. You think you have any chance to keep this hooligan in line?"

"I won't even try. Con's taken me too many interesting places so far."

"Oh boy, we're in trouble now!"

"Julie, ignore that grumpy old man and meet my Grandparents, Dave and Gladys."

"I'm so glad to meet you. Con's told me so much about his family."

"And you still came to visit?"

"Of course!"

"Then let's go home and get to know each other."

"You have a lovely home!" Julie enthused.

"I'm so glad you like it," answered Mom.

"How do you manage? Con tells me you're working full time, now."

"Well, with the house empty it seemed silly to sit around all day just doing housework. When Jim retired I talked my way into managing the store. It's not a very big store compared to what you must be used to, but it serves our community well."

"Not like the Mall idea has reached here, is it?" I commented.

"And I hope it never will. Things have to change, but I like living in a small town. I'm glad I know the people I sell insurance to personally, I really don't want to run an impersonal business."

"I guess I just grew up in the big city, I really wouldn't know what to do here at first. We don't have any real plans about where we're going to live once we get our MBAs, so I may have to learn to love small towns."

"You could do worse."

"I certainly know that."

"So tell us, Julie - how did you meet Conrad?"

Now that's a funny story. One of my roommates went and loaned him something of mine without telling me. I wasn't pleased and I was in something of a temper when I knocked on his door."

"People, that is known in the trade as understatement! The Trump of Doom would probably be quieter and wake up fewer of the guys on my floor."

"Conrad, I've told you a million times not to exaggerate."

"That doesn't sound like an auspicious beginning," observed Grandpa Dave.

"It wasn't. I was pretty mad."

"And I was half asleep when I opened the door."

"You might say I fell for him the first time I met him."

"Understatement again. She fell for me hard!"

"And I couldn't believe what I saw when I opened my eyes."

"Now I know a father needs to be proud of his son, but Robert Redford he's not."

"What I saw looked very tasty to me. He proved me right when we got to know each other."

You'll understand why I had a sudden coughing spell, which sidetracked the conversation.

"I have to admit I had my hands full when we met so suddenly."

"Con was the perfect gentleman. I hadn't been so stimulated in quite a while."

"So did you get your property back?"

"Since Con was such a nice person, I left it for another day so he could finish using it. After all, it wasn't Con's fault that my roommate was a dork and I did have another one to use until he was done."

"We found out we had a whole lot in common, had the same taste in many things, read the same books and were in the same program. It just sort of happened and I fell in love. I was trying to get the nerve to ask her to marry me, but she beat me to it. Of course I said 'yes.' "

"Are you thinking about a date yet?"

"Not until we graduate. Maybe before we start grad school. We both want to do the advanced 1-year program so we can actually use our degrees."

"An ambitious couple. Best of luck with your future, both of you," Grandpa Dave said.

"And we need to be thinking about dinner. With never knowing if the bus will be on time, we thought we should go out to dinner tonight. Perhaps you want to go up to your room and refresh yourselves, riding the bus can be tiring."

Julie shot me a look that plainly said "have you found out about sleeping arrangements yet?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Mom. Uh…"

"If you aren't sleeping together I'd be surprised," Dad offered. "If you believe the magazines and TV, moral turpitude and rampant fornication are ruining the moral fiber of our youth. If that were true we'd all have gone to hell generations ago. You have a double bed in your room, don't be afraid to use it."

"I'd better not ask if you and Mom know this from personal experience…"

"Good thinking, we aren't going to tell you."

"I'm not sure I want to know. See you in a few minutes, Dad."

"Wow, Connie. Your parents are seriously cool."

"And you're seriously hot but we don't have time to do anything about it."

"It's going to be very nice to wake up with you in my bed and not worry about roommates or classes or any of that crap."

"We need to see about getting an apartment together next year, this dorm business just doesn't work when I want to be with you."

"That's for sure. I'll start checking around with some seniors to see who might be leaving an apartment."

"I'll do the same. We ought to be able to find someplace we can afford."

"We'll have to do our own cooking."

"No problem, Mom taught Connie to cook."

"And I know my way around a kitchen, too. Speaking of Connie, I seriously want to see her tomorrow. You aren't going to disappoint me, are you?"

I couldn't be Connie in town, you know."

"I figured. But if you and you mother went ice skating, that would work."

"I haven't been skating in years."

"No excuses. I want to see you in one of those cute little skirts."

"I have a couple of tutus…"

"Whatever works. I always admired how effortless it seems when they're gliding around on the ice."

"The idea is to make it look glamorous, but it's hard work and I'm breathing like a racehorse by the time I finish a routine."

"We can ask your Mom."

"You'd better button up one more button on your blouse or Grandpa might be needing oxygen."