MILKSOP Chapter 3

Working Out is Good
courtesy free clip art

 

Archie had difficulty going to sleep for he was pretty sore and when he woke up he was still tired.
  
His Aunt Celia had fixed breakfast and called him down to eat.

She didn't normally ask him about school, but this morning she asked him how his first day at the new school turned out.

He tried to put on a straight face and said, “You know it was busy, getting the class assignments, and finding the rooms and everything.”   

His Aunt said, “And you didn't have any trouble with anyone?”  Archie replied, “We were just getting acquainted, you know, there were a lot of people from other schools.”   

She said, “Well try to make as many friends as you can. You can bring some of them home with you if you let me know in advance.”  

 

Archie was surprised by this for she had never been interested in his friends before.  Of course he didn't have any friends just school mates.

When he arrived at school this morning there were several kids giving him a hard look and he wondered what that was all about.  Later one of the boys walked by and said, “You are going to get it when we get you alone.”

Archie asked, “Why, what have I done to you?”  The boy answered. “We just don't like your looks, so watch out for after school.”

Archie was wondering where Agnes was and as it turned out she had to report to the principal's office, and he was glad when he saw her.

He was afraid he had been abandoned by her, and was going to have to face the bullies alone.  In any case he felt that sooner or later they would get him.

Days went by and nothing happened except they would give him the "Evil eye" which kept him unnerved.

Agnes told him he had to come home to her house and begin to work out each afternoon. She had some exercise equipment she used and she wanted to get him started on them.

     

After the first semester Archie was beginning to muscle up and she taught him about self defense. Her dad would often come home early, watch him, and make suggestions on how to improve his technique.

The boys in his classes were still almost a foot taller than he although he had began to grow.

 

Time went by and Archie had not been attacked so far by his tormentors with the year winding down.  His grades were holding up and he was going to make the honor role.

Agnes told him she had talked it over with her dad, and she was going to enroll in the Navy R.O.T.C. program which would give her the opportunity to go to college, and receive a commissioned officer rank when she graduated.

 
As a child she would march and drill with the recruits on the military base so she already knew all about that. She said she wouldn't be able to spend as much time with him as she had in the past, but she hoped he would continue working out.

Archie was surprised by what she said, but it made good sense to him for she would make a good soldier.

It was time to take the finals for the ninth grade and Archie was glad to see the year come to an end. He was planning to take some summer classes he would need for college and he took up running track again just for the exercise.  

He didn't want to compete in the races because it had caused him problems when he ran before.

He thought to himself,

 

“What a dull life I am leading. I'm busy all the time but there's not much excitement in my life. None of the girls my age want to go out with me because I am shorter than them and I don’t want to date younger girls my size for they were too immature.”

He thought, “Here I am fifteen and the 10-12 year old girl’s want me for a boy friend, Wow.        

 

To be Continued