First night of night courses
Jane stepped off the bus at seven at night at the base of the driveway that led to county college. Her nervousness caused her legs to shake all the way down to her feet. Her new black flats were stiff and uncomfortable. The heavy starch she put on her new slacks hid the leg shakes, but sitting was uncomfortable. The new backpack straps had to be adjusted as well. She pulled out a map of the campus, but she couldn’t read it in the dark.
“You lost?” asked a voice.
She saw an older retiree look at her with soda bottle thick glasses on his face. He had a small stack of books in each arm. His paunchy stomach hung over the elastic band at the top of his trousers that a few washings faded the color out of.
He seemed harmless so she admitted that she was lost. He told her that he was in his second season and knew the place. She folded the map and walked with him. Because of the stumble earlier, now she had a limp.
“No big deal. I have a fake leg and limp all the time. Sometimes, I take off the leg at Halloween just to scare kids,” the guy said.
She didn’t laugh. “I’m taking Anatomy. Maybe by the end of the night, I’ll know what I did to my ankle that it hurts so much.
“I’m looking for something to do now that I’m retired. My wife passed on and I don’t want to sit home alone. I’m taking History tonight.” He paused. “And no, I didn’t live through most of it already.”
She still didn’t laugh.
“You need to lighten up,” he said.
“I’m scared of class. I didn’t do good in high school. I hope this wasn’t a mistake.”
“You lost?” asked a voice.
She saw an older retiree look at her with soda bottle thick glasses on his face. He had a small stack of books in each arm. His paunchy stomach hung over the elastic band at the top of his trousers that a few washings faded the color out of.
He seemed harmless so she admitted that she was lost. He told her that he was in his second season and knew the place. She folded the map and walked with him. Because of the stumble earlier, now she had a limp.
“No big deal. I have a fake leg and limp all the time. Sometimes, I take off the leg at Halloween just to scare kids,” the guy said.
She didn’t laugh. “I’m taking Anatomy. Maybe by the end of the night, I’ll know what I did to my ankle that it hurts so much.
“I’m looking for something to do now that I’m retired. My wife passed on and I don’t want to sit home alone. I’m taking History tonight.” He paused. “And no, I didn’t live through most of it already.”
She still didn’t laugh.
“You need to lighten up,” he said.
“I’m scared of class. I didn’t do good in high school. I hope this wasn’t a mistake.”