I was a bit surprised, but very appreciative of the positive responses to my last story. I really didn't think anyone would be too interested in my imaginary friends. I figured they would remain hidden in my messy assortment of notes stuffed into the top left drawer of my desk. If you really want to know, I'll first give a quick update on Bert. If you remember, Bert recently moved to Fort Davis, Texas from his home in Fort Worth, Texas. His decision to move was prompted by the death of his beloved wife, Velma. He couldn't stay in their home after she passed so he sold out, moved to a little town in West Texas he had only visited once, but immediately fell in love with the town, the area, and the whole idea of small town life. His letters back home to his best friend and former neighbor, Frank, make up the basis of stories about him. Nothing much of interest has happened for Bert in the past two weeks. He's been busy setting up utilities, emptying all the moving boxes, and of course finding the best place to go for breakfast. He promises himself he will send a note to Frank as soon as the dust settles...especially so he can tell him about his first trip to the grocery store.
Today I want to introduce you to a young man named Lou. Lou is twenty-five, single (again), and at a dead-end path concerning his future. He seems all alone in the world because, well, he is alone in the world.
Lou never thought his life would take such a sour turn as he was growing up. He had wonderful parents, one brother and two sisters, a plan to become an electrical engineer after college, and lots of anticipation for a full life. When it came time to start college, Lou enrolled at the University of Texas as Arlington. The campus was close to home and several of his friends were going there. Things started to unravel for Lou toward the end of his freshman year though. His dad was offered an opportunity to move up the corporate ladder with his company, but only if he would relocate to Detroit. Lou's dad grabbed the chance to make more money and told the family to get ready to move. His sales pitch to Lou was, "Hey man, Ann Arbor is really close to Detroit. In fact, we might even choose to live there. You can transfer to the University of Michigan to start your second year of school. You'll love it!" Despite this sales pitch, Lou wasn't interested in leaving Texas. He bargained with his dad to stay behind to finish school by finding a small apartment close to campus and paying less to stay at UTA. He even proposed he would be willing to pay his own living expenses, rent included, if he could just stay in Texas. You could have knocked him over with a feather when his dad agreed. The only stipulation was if getting a job to cover living expenses caused his GPA to drop by even a point, he would be moving to Detroit with the family.
Lou loved his family but he was really excited to be getting his own place. He quickly found a job at a Kroger grocery store and signed a lease for a tiny loft in an older apartment building close to UTA. His parents left for Detroit after selling the house Lou grew up in and Lou moved into the little closet he would now call home. It seems like all was well for the whole family and Lou never looked back with regrets. He liked his job at the grocery store because he worked nights and had plenty of time for his classes and study. He kept his GPA right where it should be after the second semester and enrolled for a full load the following fall semester.
Life was good....well, things were actually better than good. During the summer Lou was invited to a party thrown by one of the older students. It so happened that a certain baby sister of said older student had been instrumental in getting Lou to the party. She had met Lou at the Kroger while shopping and immediately "fell in love". Her name was Dana. She was eighteen, kind of tall but drop dead gorgeous with her stylish outfits, brilliant red hair and flawless complexion. I'll note here that the description I gave was from Lou. I never actually met the girl. Dana quickly became Lou's downfall in college. Her parents were loaded and Dana was the very spoiled little sister. It didn't take long before Lou was spending more time with Dana than he spent studying, working, and even sleeping. He was smitten!
As the fall semester began, Lou told Dana he had to concentrate on keeping his GPA where it was supposed to be. She either didn't quite understand the situation or really didn't care. She kept trying to keep Lou all to herself and a nineteen year old boy is going to opt for girl over grades...every time. It didn't take long before Lou realized he was in trouble. He had to get busy and bring his grades back up. Dana still didn't back off. She was going to a local junior college because, "Daddy said I have to go to college. I don't know why because I don't plan to ever work!" Her twelve hours of freshman classes weren't hard to keep up with and she didn't think Lou's eighteen hours should take any longer. Oh, and she hated the idea of her boyfriend working as a clerk at a grocery store. She also hated the ancient loft Lou called home. After just one semester Lou had to tell his dad he had blown the GPA. He also had to tell Dana he would be leaving for Detroit after he completed his sophomore year.
This isn't the end of Lou's story. It's only the beginning. To find out what really broke Lou, you are invited to "stay tuned" for the next episode.
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