HALF A LOAF Chapter 16 STANFORD BLUES

I chose Laney for My Bride

 

With Laney’s help I got through my whacky professor’s class and aced the final exam in the other one. 

 

I was glad to get those two classes behind me. It was one of those situations where I couldn’t see where they would be of any help to me. One more year at Cal and the summer session and I would be ready for law school at Stanford.

 

While Sally is living in a dorm I will have to use the metro system each day.

 

If it wasn’t for my job I would have rented a room in someone’s house but I had to work.

 

I saw Laney each day but Sally just on the weekend when she elected to come home.  

 

The regular grind, week after week had a numbing effect on me.  I wasn’t cognizant of time, days just came and went.  

 

Sally came home less and less and I heard she had begun to date some.  As far as I could find out it wasn’t any one guy at this time but I was afraid that might change. While I had no claim on her I found myself obsessing over the situation.

 

Laney was hanging in there with me and helped me keep my grades up.  She realized my mind was somewhere else part of the time and she came down hard on me.

 

She said, ‘You can worry about Sally after you graduate if you still want to.”

 

She continued, “She will probably be married with a family by the time you get out of school.”

 

Laney had been such a help to me and was a faithful friend, and I wondered if she will become more…

 

It looks like I may be losing Sally for if the rumors are true she and her new boy friend are getting closer than I would like.

 

My half a loaf status doesn’t allow me to do anything about it even if I wanted to.

 

I asked Laney if she knew what was happening and she said, “Yes, maybe.”

 

“What do you mean - - maybe,” I asked?

 

She said, “Well… you know second hand information can only be trusted so far, but I feel pretty sure what I have heard in right on.”

 

“If you knew something why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“First off,” she said, “You didn’t ask me and if I had talked about her it would have come off as gossip and you would have been mad at me for spreading tales.”

 

After thinking about it I agreed, that was exactly what I would have thought.

 

“Okay let’s have it, I want to know everything.”

 

“Okay, she said, but first realize you have no claim on her and what she does is none of your business.  If you were interested…well just what are your interests, do you know? Do you want to marry her or just keep her on the hook in case you decide later on?  

 

I have two friends who are very close to her and they tell me she is planning to marry Cedric at the end of this semester.”

I said, “She can’t do that she will still have one year of school left before she graduates.”

 

“That is true but she does have an AA Degree and from what I hear she isn’t planning on joining the work force.  Cedric will come into his own money when he graduates, so she won’t need to work.  

 

Their plans are to go around the world or spend a year just traveling.  She is talking about coming back after their year’s honeymoon and finish taking the few classes she needs for her B A.”

 

I said, “You didn’t think I should know about this?”

 

She said, ‘What could do about it if you did know?  What can you do about now that you know?  Do you want to do something about it?”

 

I said, “Why don’t you just back off and let me think.”

 

She said, “Fine, you asked for it so now deal with it.”

 

As she left I felt I should run after her and apologize but I had too much thinking to do.

 

Did I want Sally for my wife?… after a minute I realized the answer was, no. What I wanted was to keep her as a close friend.  Her father had put some pressure on me to consider marrying her but I concluded at best maybe. I just have to accept the reality of the situation and realized she has moved on and I am still in the past.

 

When this became clear to me I hoped Laney was still in the building for I needed to mend some fences.  I saw her talking to a guy she has become friendly with and I felt rage rising up inside.  He was trespassing on my property.  

 

I calmed down on the outside and went over to where they were standing and said; “Okay I’m ready to go have lunch if you are.”

 

Inside I was still steaming and if she turns me down I felt like I would blow.

 

She looked at me and knew I was stressed and said goodbye to her new friend.

 

“You seem a little boggled, my handsome man.”

 

I said, “You’ve got that right, I am your handsome man.  I finally figured it out and you can take me or leave me, it’s up to you, so what’s it going to be?”

 

She said, “I thought you would figure it out sooner or later.  I knew Sally wasn’t for you, but you had to discover it for yourself.”  

 

Laney continued, “Now you are going to listen to me; as soon as I graduate we will be married, period, no argument.  Then we will move near to Stanford so you can finish school and then pass the bar.”

 

“But what about…” - - she cut me off and said, “Your job will be waiting for you when you become a lawyer.  They have just been keeping you busy until that happens. They can get someone to do what you have been doing.”

 

“But…” she cut me off and said, “No more buts.  I have plenty of money to pay our way and besides I will get a job to keep me busy.”  

 

I couldn’t be more pleased with what just happened and said, “I think you are too smart for me.”

 

She said, “Yes I am but I will tone it down to your level and we will be happy ever after.”

I took her in my arms and kissed her somewhat passionately and said, “Can I come over and see you in your pretty night gown again?

She smiled and said, ‘We’ll see, but in the mean time you had better plan to take a lot of cold showers.”

 

I could go on but to make a long story short let me say things worked out just as she planned.

 

I am a lawyer, and I make a lot of money.  Laney is going to make me a daddy in a few months and I can’t wait to see if the child can survive its mother for she is something else.

 

As for Sally she and her husband are doing fine.  She doesn’t want a child which doesn’t sit well with her father.  He still wishes it had worked out with Sally and me but usually will say it probably all happened for the best.

 

I always think, “You got that right.”

 

Laney being chaste when we married was one good thing; and that is when I meet someone out of her past I don’t have to wonder if he had sex with my wife which is a bit of a relief.

 

I must say that for one who had no experience she sure learned quickly.

 

Ever the teacher she has taught me what married life is all about.  It had to be from all the reading she does.

 

The best thing that has come out of these experiences is that I’m no longer a Half Loaf man for I am now a Full Loaf.

 

Well adios my friends it has been good to spend some time with you.

And we lived happily ever after - - -

 

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