The Boy from the Band

Marry Me Bill

I got my first glimpse of him in the registrar's office when I went to sign up for winter quarter. He was having trouble getting into a class he wanted and was trying to convince the girl at the counter to try to help him.

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "I'm sorry, I'd love to help but there's nothing really I can do." And I could tell she'd like to help, he's good looking even though he's only a little taller than me and on the pudgy side, but he's got dark hair and perfect white skin and these narrow eyes with iris the most unusual color of color of blue I've ever seen. And beneath the extra flesh on his face he's got nice bone structure.

He's silent for a moment, then gives her a killer smile. "Is there someone you could ask?" he cajoles her, "I really need this class."

She looks thoughtful, then says, "Just a minute," and disappears. She comes back and says, "They can make room for one more, you're lucky you came in now, if you'd been later I couldn't have done it." He gives her that smile again and touches her hand. It was that easy.

Bet she couldn't have found room if it had been me. He gives me a look and the smile on his way out. He doesn't say anything, he just smiles. He's a charmer, just like Rick and for a moment I entertain the thought of trying to seduce him. Rick's on tour and I'm spending too many lonely nights alone.

I go to the bookstore and buy my textbooks. They are way overpriced, but I need them. I'm having to make up a lot of math and science and I'm going to need a tutor to help me get through them. Biology won't be too bad, I've already taken geology, but chemistry is going to be a killer. Anything that requires math defeats me.

There's a message from Rick on my machine when I get home. They're taking some days off before they hit the road again and he wants to see me. He doesn't know when, but he'll let me know. I think about the cutie in the registrar's office, then I think about Rick and how he makes me feel and I know who wins that contest, hands down. For now.

School starts in January; I am both scared and excited. I'm having to pay more for tuition since I am not a resident but I don't mind. The more I think about this the more convinced I am that this is the right thing. Rick is coming around, finally, and tells me that he admires me for the goals I've set. I think a part of him wishes he could take care of me so I wouldn't have to work but I'd probably still go to school and try to find something to bring in extra money.

I wonder if the cutie is going into the nursing program. He looks like he's about 25 or 26, either he's been working or maybe he's heading back to school because what he studied the first time isn't making him any money. Maybe he wants to use nursing as a jump start to medical school. If so, I admire him, med school would be too much damn work and takes too long. I'll stick with nursing.

It's been a lonely Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving for me, which has become my norm. Sometimes I'll visit and share holidays with friends so I won't feel so lonely. Rick knows this is hard on me, but we don't know how to deal with it. If he can, he will try to find a chance to see me and is pretty good about making the effort. He always gives me something nice for Christmas and for New year's makes sure I find a party to attend, he hates the thought of me sitting home alone.

Rick shows up on a Wednesday night, hyper from being on the road and whisks me into the bedroom as soon as he comes in the door. Not that it's an unusual situation, but most of the time we talk for a while and catch up with what's going on with each other. Not tonight, he's got me in the bedroom and has my clothes off before I even have time for a drink. Hey, I miss him too.

Making love slows him down somewhat and he asks me how getting ready for school is going. I tell him little stories about people that I've met and how I seem to be older than everyone in school—which isn't true but makes him smile.