MISS MATTIE Chapter 9

Mattie was accepted at school
courtesy photobucket.com

 

The rest of the first day at school went pretty much as the morning did.

Tomorrow they were to bring their exercise clothes and any feminine necessities they might need.

When Mattie got home Mrs. Martin wanted to have a full report on how the day went. Afterwards she gave Mattie a little more advice but said, “I think you will do alright for you passed your first test with flying colors.”

After a good dinner Mattie settled in and read to Mrs. Martin until she went to sleep. Then she looked over her school books and found they weren't any harder than what she was used to and felt more at ease.

The next morning Marie the maid came up and checked on Mattie to make sure she didn't skip over anything hygienic and was properly dressed. 

The morning classes went well and the home work wasn't that difficult. In the after noon they had the exercise time or gym class as some called it. There were showers for those who wanted to take them which most of the girls did, due to the high humidity.

After the last class two girls came up to Mattie and introduced themselves.

They had seen how she had handled herself when being questioned yesterday by the girl they called miss snobby and said; no one has ever handle her like you did. They said they would like to be friends with her if she was willing.

Mattie suddenly had become the leader of those who felt nothing but disdain for those who were self anointed sweethearts of the campus.  As the days wore on the elitists group grew smaller until it all but disappeared.

Time has a way of passing and the days became weeks and the weeks became months but Mattie made the best of them.

In addition to her regular studies she took a class in secretarial skills because Mrs. Martin said the Secretaries were the ones who did most of the real work, and the bosses took credit for it.  

Mrs. Martin felt that a good understanding of what really happened during financial transactions would better prepare Mattie for a career in banking.

Mattie spent her summers working in the bank Mrs. Martin owned, performing in every department from cleaning, to the teller’s cage, to making loans.

 

The one thing Mrs. Martin stressed to Mattie was business was to be all business and charity was separate from business for mixing the two would cause both to fail.

At first those who worked in the bank resented Mattie, but over time they came to depend on her when they were in over their head and needed help.

All this activity coupled with what seemed to be mandatory appearances at social events left little time for Mattie to visit her folks, but once in awhile she would have a free weekend and off she went to visit her mom.

When arriving home, the first to greet her were the dogs who still loved her and missed her. They were raised up together but now the dogs were aging and one by one they were passing off the scene. They were replaced with pups who didn't know Mattie.  

Finally the last of her dog buddies died and it was like a big association with the past was over.

She still loved her Ma and Pa but her sisters were married with children and they had moved on without her.

The only connection now with Samsville was Ma and Pa Hays and they too had become a smaller part of her life now.

To be Continued