Adam Blake - 4. Chapter 4

By the second six-week period, it wasn’t secret anymore. Billy didn’t tell, the football guys, Jerry, Dan, and Emory told the squad. Within a week it was all through the school about Adam tutoring the football players and it wasn’t three, the rumor was everyone on the squad was being tutored

Now there was a problem, if a player wasn’t being tutored and scored a high grade, they wouldn’t believe him. It took the coach and Mr. Cheston to put the rumor to bed. Even then you could hear a snicker and the word tutor at the same time.

School was soon out for the summer, my boys did very well and Jerry did receive a scholarship to play football at a small school in the mid-west. At first, his dad said he couldn’t go, my dad talked to his dad and he was on his way. I didn’t find out until Jerry graduated that Dad gave him an allowance to cover school incidentals. Jerry never made it to the pro’s but he wanted to be a coach. When he graduated from college, he was hired as an assistant coach, at our school, working with the junior sports program.

My senior year I was called Teach, I never had a nickname before then. I was asked to head up a tutoring program for the 10th grade and eventually, it was expanded to junior high. I had several seniors helping, so none of us were confined to a strict schedule. We worked around the schedule of those we were helping. Of course, any football player that got into trouble academically, I was called to help.

I remember one morning Billy and I had just finished our run, “Adam, what do you think about Jennifer?”

“I think she’s a lovely person. She’s smart, fun to work with, why, do you like her?”

“Yes, I’d like to ask her out on a date. Do you think she’d say yes?”

Now I knew something Billy didn’t. Jennifer liked Billy and thought he was a nice guy but just shy. Billy and I never dated, I concentrated on my studies, and then when I did have time I ended up tutoring. Mom and dad always said there was plenty of time. We had our gang who we hung out with. We never paired up, we’d go to dances in a group and pretty much stayed in a group. “Billy, I’d bet if you asked Jennifer to go out on a date, she would jump at the chance. Ask her at lunchtime.”

Billy smiled, I knew he was happy and I also knew he’d be really happy when she said yes. I never missed dating a special girl, don’t know why. Got along with about everyone. I was happy that way, never thought I missed anything by not going out.

Senior year was over in a flash. As a graduation present, Mom and Dad gave me a trip to Europe. We had cousins in England and Dad had arranged for me to stay with them for a month. They had stayed with us two years ago. Our families kept in touch over the years, and I was looking forward to the break.

Billy and Jennifer announced their engagement and had been accepted to the same college. He was over the hill happy and Jennifer was like a cat that just caught her mouse. Only this mouse wanted to get caught.

My summer vacation was great. The cousins made sure I got to see all of Great Britain and not only England. I took hundreds of pictures and bought scads of souvenirs. They tried to get me to go to one of their prestigious Universities but I wanted to go to a small college that allowed the students to interact on a one-to-one basis with their professors. There were a few where total enrollment was limited. This guaranteed small classes and intense professor-to-student interaction. High school was large enough for me.

Arriving home, Mom and Dad had a list of 5 schools that met my criteria. Mom had a favorite based on a concert they had in the town where the school was located. Dad was from a big university and he was just glad to see me go where I wanted. I never had a negative vibe from my parents, we talked everything through. I think having an artistic mom and a statistical dad guaranteed me a balance. Mom and her music taught me the appreciation of the masters and Dad being a CPA with his own company taught me the appreciation of order. I was happy and so were they.