George sighed. “She said yes. Our plan was to be engaged for a year—until I got my master’s degree and she graduated with her bachelor’s. Then we’d get married.”
“What went wrong?”
“Laura was killed in a car wreck.” George felt the old lump in his throat. “Just three days before my graduation.”
“Oh ... I’m sorry.”
“This isn’t a story I usually tell,” George explained. “But considering your circumstances, it seemed appropriate. My circumstances were different ... but my heart was broken just the same.”
“How did you get over it?”
George considered this.Hadhe gotten over it? Certainly, it wasn’t something he thought about on a daily basis anymore. But how long had it taken to reach that place? “Well, it was certainly painful. I didn’t even attend my own graduation. But my grandparents tried their best to help, and they encouraged me to continue with school and to get my master’s. After that, well, I moved back to Warner and went to work teaching.” He sighed. “Time passes ... the pain lessens ... you move on.” But George felt hypocritical. Had he moved on? Really?
“As horrible as I feel about Marissa, I’m guessing you must’ve felt worse, Mr. Emerson. I can’t even imagine how that would feel.”
“I don’t know if you can measure pain. It’s probably relative ... different for everyone.” George attempted a smile. “The thing is, Collin, you have to keep going. And that gives me an idea. What about aiming for something higher than our community college for your first year? How about a more academic school?”
Collin frowned. “The main reason I settled for community college was because of Marissa. Now it sounds like the stupidest idea ever. But it’s probably too late to get in anywhere else. Maybe I’ll just skip school altogether this year. I can just work at the bookstore and—”
“What if I looked into a college for you?” George offered. “I’m an alumnus of Whitfield College. I just read in the newsletter that they have a new president, and he’s an old friend of mine. Of course, I can’t make any promises, but I could certainly ask.”
“That’d be great.”
“It’s a small liberal arts college,” George explained. “Some might think it old-fashioned, but I liked it.”
“Sounds good to me.” Collin picked up his sandwich and bit into it.
While they ate, George told Collin more about the college, and by the time they finished, Collin actually appeared somewhat encouraged.
“Thank you, Mr. Emerson. It means a lot to me that you shared that story.”
“Like I said, it’s not something I like to talk about much.”
“I understand.” Collin nodded. “I don’t think I want to talk to anyone else about Marissa either. Except I know Nana will ask me about it ... eventually. Or maybe Marissa will mention it since she’s working for her.”
“No harm in simply saying that you and Marissa parted ways.”
“That’s true.”
“Perhaps you can mention your interest in going to Whitfield. Your grandmother will probably appreciate that. She was concerned about your educational goals.”
“I know.” Collin’s brow creased. “When do you plan to call your friend? The one who’s the president of the college?”
“No time like the present.” George went to his phone and, after dialing for information, was soon connected to the college. While he waited to be transferred to the president’s office, Collin stood nearby with an anxious expression. “I’ll probably just have to leave a message,” George quietly told him. But to his surprise, he was soon speaking with his old friend. After catching up a bit, George told Martin about Collin. “He has a strong interest in English and is probably one of the best students I’ve taught.” He paused to listen then turned to Collin. “He wants you to email your transcript. Can you do that?”
“Of course.” Collin nodded as he pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll do it right now.” He waited while George relayed the email address to him.
As George continued to visit with his friend, Collin punched things into his cell phone, then gave George a thumbs-up signal, mouthing, “It’s sent.”
“It looks as if my young friend has just sent you his transcript.” George tried to hide his amazement that this could all be handled so quickly and efficiently. The wonders of modern technology!
Martin assured him he’d go over the transcript as soon as possible. George thanked him and hung up. He turned to Collin. “Martin and his wife are about to go on vacation, so he promised to get on this right now.”
“I hope my grades are good enough.” Collin looked uneasy as he pocketed his phone and glanced at his watch. “I need to get back to work now. But thanks for everything. Especially for calling your friend like that.”
“I’ll let you know what I hear,” George promised.
“That’d be great.” Then Collin frowned. “I’ll understand if it doesn’t work out. It’s just nice that you tried. I appreciate it.” He said goodbye to George and headed out the door.
