The Path to True Love

By Colleen

Jump to new as of July 22, 1999
Jump to new as of August 5, 1999

Prologue

Posted on Wednesday, 14 July 1999

Five minutes and counting. Five minutes until her life would change forever, good or bad.

She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. If one of her sisters were standing in the middle of a crowd waiting for a life-changing event to happen, she wouldn't be as surprised but this was herself. She had always been the plain and quiet member of the family, always blending into the background in contrast to her siblings, but to her astonishment, it was her that was causing the stir.

As she thought back over the past few months, she could hardly believe how her life had changed so dramatically. A few months ago you couldn't have picked her out of a crowd if you tried, but here she was, in the middle of a tremendous crowd of people chanting her name as reporters and news cameras looked on. It seemed that all of Chicago had turned out for this event.

Two minutes and counting.

She started to think back on how all of this could have happened. How an amazing turn of events could change her life so completely. It all started three months ago at a seemingly ordinary day at work…

Chapter 1

Posted on Wednesday, 14 July 1999

Mary Bennet had a busy day planned as one of the copy editors at the Chicago Sun-Times. She was the youngest copy editor at the Times and, at 25, she was quite a successful young lady. She had her own office with a window, her name on the door of her office, her own secretary, and the respect of many of the office staff. Not many young women her age were able to accomplish as much as she had in so little time.

Mary had a way with words. More precisely, she had a way with grammar. She could spot a grammatically bad copy a mile away, and she was one of the best copy editors at the Times. But Mary had a dream. As much as she loved her job, for nothing was more satisfying to her than seeing a grammatically correct copy, she really wanted to be a reporter. She felt she had a talent for writing, and all she needed was a chance to prove herself.

As Mary headed for her office at the Times, she saw that her assistant, Newman, was talking on the phone, again.

"I'm telling you, this is a great idea. People will love it. All we need to do is…No! We should have no problem.."

"Excuse me, Newman. Newman!" Said Mary, "Can I please have my messages?"

"What?! Of course not. No I got it all planned out…" explained Newman to the phone, "Just a minute, my "boss" needs something. Did you say something?"

"I asked you if I could have my messages." Mary said patiently, "Also, I would like to have some index cards and new pencils. You know I can't correct the copy without my index cards."

"Right," said Newman, "Messages, check. Here you go." And handed her a message that had a big coffee stain on it, "I'll get right on the other stuff in a minute."

"Thanks," said Mary hesitantly, "but I really need those pencils and index cards so if you could…"

Mary had no time to finish her sentence because her assistant started to resume his former conversation.

"Yeah, just had to talk to the boss lady. I know, you're on the phone and…"

Mary just left Newman at his desk. She really didn't know why she put up with his attitude, but he could be helpful, at times. As she started to walk into her office, she heard her boss, Gus, yelling for her.

"Bennet! Get over here!"

Gus was the typical newspaper man stereotype. He seemed to eat, sleep, and think the news business. His personality was gruff and he liked nothing more than to intimidate his staff members. He often wore rumpled shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a hideous tie. While he intimidated many staff members, most people liked him.

"Bennet! Here. I need this copy by five."

"Sure Gus. Gus, did you look over that story idea I submitted to you?" asked Mary.

"Yeah. The blind foster mother, it was a good idea. I sent Calhoun to look into it," replied Gus distractedly.

"Calhoun, he's pretty good," said Mary dejectedly.

She stood quietly in thought until she noticed that Gus was walking away. 'It's now or never.' She thought.

"Gus!" she said, hurrying to catch up with him. "I was kind of hoping you would let me write the story. I've submitted several story ideas to you and you have used several of them. I would really appreciate the chance to actually write a story, instead of just correcting them."

"Bennet," Gus replied patiently, "Bennet, you don't want to be a reporter."

Gus had to admit that he liked Mary Bennet. She was a darn good copy editor, one of his best. There was no editor that he trusted more to get the copy correct before the deadline. However, he knew that she was not cut out to be a reporter.

"Look, a reporter's life is messy. A reporter has to get into where the bombs are, elbow his way through the crowd, and take the bull by the horns. You are all about neatness, order, and getting my copy by five."

"What, you think I can't handle disorder? I can't elbow?! I most certainly can!" exclaimed Mary.

Gus grinned, and to prove his point, he purposely moved Mary's nameplate so it hung crooked on her office door. He then started to walk away.

Mary, unable to resist the temptation to fix the nameplate, jumped when she heard Gus say:

"Copy by five!"

Chapter 2

Posted on Thursday, 15 July 1999

Mary was sitting in her office later that morning checking over the copy that Gus had given her, when her good friend, Ruth, rushed into her office.

"Mary, you'll never guess what happened to me last night!"

Mary, not looking up from her copy replied, "You went out on a date with Scott from ad layout and had a fantastic time?"

"Well, yes," said Ruth, a little disappointed, "How did you know?"

"It could be because you said to me that you were going to ask Scott on a date yesterday afternoon." Said Mary, looking up from the copy and smiling, "So the date went well?"

Ruth was a very flamboyant and outspoken person. In fact, she was the complete opposite of Mary. She was a vibrant red head that loved to wear outrageous clothing and accessories. Today she was wearing a black mini skirt, a tight, off-the-shoulder shirt in a bright green, and four-inch heels. Mary, in contrast, was quite plain looking, with her gray pinstripe skirt and jacket. The most outrageous thing that she ever wore was a bright colored blouse underneath her suit jacket. But Ruth never made Mary feel plain when she was with her. Her exuberance for life often would make Mary feel as if she was not so dull herself. At Mary's question, Ruth plopped herself in the office chair in front of Mary's desk.

"Oh, it was wonderful! I really think that Scott maybe the one." She replied, "You know, Scott has a good friend that he thinks would be perfect for you. We could introduce the two of you and we could double date sometime."

Mary was used to people being worried about her lack of a love life. Her mother was constantly after her to date more, however that had decreased slightly do to the recent births of her grandchildren. Mary was rather picky when it came to dating men. She really didn't see the point of dating a lot of losers in hopes of finding the right man. So as a result, she often rejected the matchmaking efforts of her mother, her sisters and Ruth.

"Thanks but no thanks. I really appreciate you thinking of my relationship welfare, but you don't have to. Believe me. I have a Mother and two older sisters to do that job for me already. Besides, I really don't want to date a lot of losers to try to find the "one". When I meet him, I'll know," said Mary.

"What do you mean, 'you'll know'?" asked Ruth, "Are you talking about love at first sight?"

"No," replied Mary, "I'm practical enough not to believe in that, but when I meet the right person, I'll be able to tell from how we relate to one another. I'll feel comfortable talking to him and have no problems speaking my mind. I'll be able to be myself, not someone I think he expects me to be. Also, I'll be able to tell from his kiss."

"What?!" Laughed Ruth, "What do you mean, 'I'll be able to tell from his kiss'?"

"Well you know that oldies song, you know, the "Shoop, Shoop Song"? Well one of the song lines goes: 'If you want to know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss.' I'm not talking about some plain old kiss, a really special type. When I get finally get kissed, I'll know."

"Are you telling me you've never been kissed before?" asked Ruth, amazed.

"Well no, I have been kissed before, although my experience isn't as great as yours." Said Mary, "No offense."

"None taken. So how is this kiss different from the plain old ones?"

"Well," replied Mary, thinking carefully. "It's the kind of kiss that makes you feel warm all over, makes you forget where you are and what you were doing. It's the kind of kiss that makes you feel that you and this man are the only two people in the world. You will want to laugh and want to cry because the experience is so profound and life changing. The first kiss that you have together will tell you all you need to know about the other person and make all past kisses pale in comparison. So why should I settle for second rate when I know that this is out there for me?"

"But how do you know that this type of kiss really exists? That it's just not make believe?" asked Ruth, curious.

"From my older sisters. Both have found the love that I just described to you. When I asked Elizabeth and Jane how they knew that their husbands were right for them, they told me just what I told you. So, again I ask, why should I settle?"

"Well, I have to say I have never experienced what you have said, but since you say your sisters found this kind of happiness, I'm sure you or I could." Said Ruth, "I have to get back to work, I'll see you at two for the staff meeting with Rigfort?"

"Sure, I'll see you at two."

Chapter 3

Posted on Thursday, 15 July 1999

At ten minutes to two o'clock, Mary left her office to attend the weekly staff meeting held by the publisher himself, Hiram Rigfort. Rigfort was an intimidating man in his mid-fifties who often held his staff in constant fear of being fired during one of the meetings. In fact, it was a common occurrence for a staff member to run from the room in tears over one of Rigfort's tirades. Mary had been lucky so far, for Rigfort had never taken notice of her before. As usual, she simply faded into the background. Which of course suited her fine in this situation, for she had no intention of being fired.

As she walked into the conference room, she snagged a chair for her and Ruth, making sure that they were not too close to the head of the table where Rigfort conducted the meetings. She sat down noticing that Gus had seated himself not too far away from where she was sitting. As expected, Ruth breezed in the doorway only a few moments before the meeting was to begin. Mary said a quick hello, and turned to listen to what Rigfort had to say.

"Well good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. I would like to start by saying that I enjoyed Sanderson's exposé on chemicals used to keep our produce fresh in supermarkets. It was well done. However, since the Trib did the same story, only better, your fired, Sanderson."

Poor Sanderson looked dumbfounded at this announcement. He just sat there stunned until he heard:

"Why are you just sitting there? Didn't you just hear me? You're fired! Go clear out your cubicle." Said Rigfort, watching the man scurrying off. He then turned to the rest of the staff and said:

"I'm pleased to announce that our circulation numbers are up for this quarter, and currently we are out selling our competitor, the Chicago Tribune. So I have decided to celebrate this by doing another undercover story."

Hiram Rigfort was well known for his love of undercover stories, however many of the staff members at the Times detested those assignments because it frequently caused pain, embarrassment, or a loss of a job for the reporter. Many staff members inwardly groaned at the prospects of this type of assignment and wondered whom the unlucky schmuck was that would be chosen for this story. Rigfort went on, not noticing or simply ignoring the uncomfortable looks that his staff members were giving him.

"As you all know, many of my ideas for these stories come from my real life experiences. Who would have know that my experiments with hair plugs would turn into the awarding winning piece, "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow", or that my wife's mid-life crisis involving her ski instructor, would lead to a series of articles about ski resorts that take advantage of women?"

As Rigfort was saying all this, the unfortunate reporters of the stories showed the scars of the past stories, bad hair plugs and two broken arms. All the staff members waited anxiously to hear what his latest story idea was.

"Well last night, I was sitting at my dinner table when my 16 year old son started to choke on a piece of chicken," explained Rigfort, leading some staff members to have unpleasant visions of working in an emergency room, or worse. "As I sat there, watching my son, I realized I hardly knew the kid. After he stopped choking, I stared thinking: how many of us really know what's going on with our children, what do they do, say, and think? Then it came to me: My Experience at High School."

Now as Rigfort was walking around, explaining his idea, many of the staff members looked uneasy, wondering just how this would work and who would do the story. Suddenly, he came to a stop in front of where Mary and Ruth were sitting.

"You!" He said, pointing at Mary, "What's your name?"

"M-Mary," she stammered, shocked, "Mary Bennet."

"Mary Bennet, you are going back to school. You're about the only person here that can pass for a teenager. You enroll on Monday."

At this announcement, Mary, Gus and Ruth had stunned expressions on their faces. Of course Mary's was an excited shock, while Gus and Ruth's expressions held more wariness. As the meeting broke up, Mary hurried to her office, with Ruth closely following.

"I can't believe it." Said Mary; "I'm finally going to get my chance to be a real reporter."

"Wait a minute, Mary," said Ruth, "are you sure you want to do this? We're not talking about a short little piece; we're talking a major undercover story. You saw what Rigfort did to Sanderson. Maybe you should consider turning the story down."

As Ruth was finishing her statement, Gus walked into Mary's office.

"Bennet. I'll get this all straightened out with Rigfort. I'll explain that you have never written a story for us before. Don't worry…."

"You don't think I can do this, do you?" said Mary to the two of them.

"It's not that Mary, it's just…" said Ruth.

"Why can't you let me have my chance to prove myself? I know I can do this. Just let me have a chance." Said Mary.

"Well," said Gus, gruffly, "I guess it could work out. I'll let you try this assignment, but I can't help you if this story blows up in your face."

"Don't worry," cried Mary, giving Gus a hug. "Everything will turn out fantastic. You'll see."

Gus left her office, wondering if he should start stocking up on antacids now or later. Ruth, however turned to Mary and said:

"Mary, do you realize what this assignment means? You get to be a teenager again! How many people get to redo their senior year of high school? You'll get to be 17 again."

"I know!" said Mary as she and Ruth squealed with delight over the turn of events.

Chapter 4

Posted on Thursday, 22 July 1999

Mary Bennet needed a different car. Soon after Gus had left Mary's office, she and Ruth started to brainstorm ideas that would help transform her into a teen again. So far, they had come up with the following:

1. Different car
2. Teen-style clothing
3. Teen-style make-up
4. New hair style
5. Read teen-oriented magazines
6. Watch all those WB shows for teens
7. Listen to popular teen music

Several of the items could be taken care of almost immediately. Mary had run to the drug store across the street and bought several different teen magazines. She also purchased a few hair styling magazines, hoping to find an appropriate teen style. She had called her teenaged cousin, Lydia, in hopes of finding tapes of some of the WB teen dramas, and was in luck. Lydia had several tapes full of her favorite episodes of Dawson's Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She had assured Mary that all the girls and some of the guys at her school loved both shows. Mary planned to get the tapes from Lydia when she saw her at her sister's party Saturday night.

The clothing and the make up would be purchased tomorrow on a shopping spree that Mary and Ruth had planned at the local mall. However, the car posed somewhat of a problem. Mary's car was a very conservative model. It was not the type of car that teenagers would want to drive. As Ruth stated, "No offense, Mary, but your car is the exact type of car that my grandparents drive." Mary liked her car, for it had good gas mileage and was extremely reliable, but even she knew that her car was not something that a teen would like to drive. After discarding several ideas, she found the perfect solution: her bother Chris.

Christopher Bennet was the total opposite of his sister Mary. While Mary was responsible and clearly took her life and career seriously, Chris showed no signs of growing up. At the age of 23, Chris Bennet showed no desire of wanting to become a responsible adult. He still lived with his parents, for example. And his vocation choice? Chris worked at the Tiki Post, a mail, packing and copy-machine shop that had a Hawaiian theme. Mary suspected that the only reason that Chris picked this job over a fast food joint or chain store was the dress code: Hawaiian shirts and flip flops.

Because of working at a Tiki Post salary, Chris was not able to afford a new or even nice car. In fact, he didn't even buy the car since he still drove the used 1987 red Ford Escort that their parents had bought for Mary and Chris's use when Mary got her driver's license in high school. Because of the age, and frequent use, the Escort had seen better days.

Mary figured that she wouldn't have a problem getting the car from Chris, because she was the closer to Chris than the rest of her family members and vice versa. She supposed it was because of the outcast factor in her family. For Mary, she had been the plain one in her family, and was constantly being overshadowed by her older sisters and younger brother. All three had been extremely popular and well liked, and therefore, Mary faded into the background. Chris, however, lost his favored status when it became apparent he had no direction in life, and did not intend to find any. So Mary and Chris bonded over the fact that neither could measure up the success or beauty of their older siblings, Jane and Elizabeth.

Mary had decided to tell Chris of her undercover assignment, because she figured she would need a good excuse for wanting to exchange cars. She also wanted to tell someone in her family about her exciting career shift. Mary knew that her Father and two sisters were far to busy to be concerned about her assignment, so she would just tell them that she was going to get the chance to actually be a writer without going into specifics. The other reason for not giving details was her mother. Mary didn't want her mother to even get an inkling of what she was doing, for if she did, Mary could guarantee that within the hour, her cover would be blown. It was because of her mother that she would swear Chris to secrecy. Also, she was counting on the fact that as of Monday, her parents were leaving on a two-month cruise to Europe. Mary found however, that convincing Chris was harder than she thought.

"No," said Chris, shaking his head, "No way, uh-uh."

"Please Chris," she begged. They were standing outside the Tiki Post, by where Mary parked her car next to Chris's Escort.

"Why don't you just use Mom's car? She and Dad are leaving next week."

"I can't drive a mini-van!" She exclaimed, "I need a older, cheap car--" catching herself in mid-sentence, and amending her statement-"a vintage classic. It's just for a couple of months."

"A few months is like years in Kitty's life," said Chris, as he lovingly stroked the Escort's hood.

"It is so weird that you named your car," she said to him.

"What's so weird about it. Guy's name their-"

"Let's not go there. Okay?" She said, "I really don't want to get too much information about your life. Look, I'll even trade cars with you. You can drive my fully loaded car while I use your car. How 'bout it?"

Chris laughed at her and turned, walking back into the Tiki Post.

"I'll let you name it whatever you want!" she shouted after him. She ran after him into the store and was immediately greeted by bad Hawaiian music and the store owner who said "Aloha, Welcome," and presented her with a plastic lei.

"She's my sister, Jack," said Chris. At which time Jack yanked the free lei off Mary's neck and left to go back into the storeroom.

Mary shook her head as she looked around the store. She knew that her brother was a smart guy, and couldn't believe, like the rest of her family, that Chris could possibly be happy at this dead-end job. It was such a waste!

"Did you call the lady from the community college yet?"

"No."

"I bet that she can still get you enrolled for the summer session. Maybe she can even arrange for you to get a baseball scholarship…"

"I'm not going to college, Mary. I thought you understood that." Chris snapped, "I'm not going to play baseball, either. This is my life."

"This?" Mary said, lowering her voice, "This is a luau that sells packing materials. Look, Chris, I know you get frustrated with the family always nagging you, but it's just that you have so much potential. Don't you want to move out of Mom and Dad's house? Be independent?"

"Why? So I can be as happy as you?" he shot back.

In the past, a barb like that would have shut Mary up, but today she had a comeback for the remark.

"For your information," She retorted, "You are looking at the newest undercover reporter of the Chicago Sun-Times. Starting Monday, I will be Mary Bennet, high-school senior."

Chris's reaction wasn't what Mary had hoped for. He started laughing.

"What?"

Chris could barely contain his laughter. "Do you remember high school"

"It was a long time ago," she replied, defensively.

"Do you remember what they called you?"

'Don't go there, Mary.' She thought to herself, 'it's all in the past. It's over. It can't be the same-' She tried to stop the memories, but they rushed over her, like a tidal wave…

She was standing in front of the cafeteria full of students. She looked on with horror was the entire room broke out into the chant- "Scary Mary, Scary Mary, Scary Mary…"

"Scary Mary." She replied, suddenly stricken.

"I know. Are you ok? You look as though you're going to be…"

Chris didn't get a chance to finish his statement, because Mary was covering her mouth and dashing to the bathroom.

She leaned over the toilet, retching, as her body tried to physically remove the pain filled memories from her. As she leaned against the tile wall, she was helpless to fight the memory that was returning…

She was walking down the hall in her high school, clutching her books tightly to her chest. Today was the day. She was finally going to talk to her crush, Ryan Hanson.

Ryan was the most popular, most athletic and cutest boy in her high school. He sat behind Mary in chemistry class and Mary never had an excuse to talk to him before today. She noticed that he was absent yesterday in class, and because there would be a big test on Friday, she planned to offer her notes so that he could study off them. As she was walking down the hall, she heard several students screaming as she walked by, but she paid little attention to their behavior. She finally reached Ryan and hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ryan, I noticed that you were absent from chemistry yesterday. You missed a lot of notes. I made a second copy of mine so you won't get behind for the big test on Friday."

Ryan Hanson looked surprised to see that such a geek would be talking to him and replied, "Uh, sure."

"Great! Here they are." Mary said and she started to turn to leave. Suddenly she heard Ryan starting to chuckle and felt him tap her on her shoulder. Mary turned quickly to face him and looked at him expectantly. "Yes?"

Ryan just continued to laugh as he reached behind her and pulled a sign off her back. He simply handed it to her and walked away laughing and giving a little scream. Mary quickly looked down to see what the sign said:

"SCREAM IF YOU SEE A GEEK!"

Mary just looked down at her feet in disgrace as the entire student body seemed to laugh at the joke played on her….

Mary groaned as she remembered what high school was like for her. She remembered that she couldn't wait to leave the torture that was called public education.

Now she was going back. On purpose.

Chapter 5

Posted on Wednesday, 4 August 1999

"Well," said Mary, "After much convincing and begging, I finally got Chris to loan me his car."

"That's great," replied Ruth, "When are you going to trade cars?"

"Tonight after Elizabeth's going away party for Mom and Dad. I want as few of my family members as possible to know what is going on. I can't risk getting my cover blown. Having Chris know is bad enough."

Ruth looked over at Mary. Mary was calming driving her car to the local mall while they discussed what Mary still needed to do for her transformation into a teenager. Ruth knew a little about Mary's family. She knew about Mary's sisters, Elizabeth and Jane, both of whom were happily married to successful men. Elizabeth and Jane had married in a double ceremony over two years ago. Both had children now, and Ruth suspected that Mary quite envied her sisters' happiness. Ruth felt that Mary suffered a terminal case of lack of self-confidence. She knew that Mary felt quite capable in her job, but lacked the confidence to be successful in the dating world. Ruth felt that all Mary needed was a nudge (okay, big shove) in the right direction. So consequently, she was constantly trying to point out men and set Mary up on dates with eligible men.

"Okay, here we are." Said Mary, as she pulled the car into a parking space near the mall. "What should we do first?"

"Your hair and make up." Decided Ruth, "Those will take the longest to do and we have a better chance of getting into the salon right away if we go earlier."

Mary and Ruth had decided that one of the major things that needed drastic action was Mary's hair. Mary had dark blond hair that some called "dish water blond" that hung half way done her back. When she was in the office, Mary often wore her hair up in a very practical style. It was a style that was fine for a career woman, but hardly appropriate for a teen. Currently she had pulled her hair into a simple pony tail. Mary had little talent in working with her hair beyond basic styles, so what ever was done to her hair had to be something she could work with on her own.

Ruth and Mary started walking to the salon in the mall, going over what they needed to accomplish that day. Mary had her list with her and was busy trying to decide where the best place to buy clothes for teens was, when she bumped into someone by mistake.

"Oh, excuse me. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Mary said. Mary noticed that she had knocked some packages out the man's arms and bend down to help him pick them up.

"I'm fine," Replied the man, as he gathered the packages that Mary held out to him. "Thanks for helping me with these. I guess you were quite involved with what ever you were reading. You didn't seem to notice much around you."

Mary looked up at the man as he started talking, and looked into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Mary started to stammer.

"Y-yah, I-I have a lot of stuff to do today. I really need to get going. I'm really sorry for what happened." Mary said to the bewildered man, and hurried off, dragging a speechless Ruth with her.

"Mary!" Ruth exclaimed, "Why did you run off like that? That guy was dreamy and he was trying to make conversation with you. G-d, why can't I run into men who look as good as that?"

"Look Ruth," said Mary shakily, "We're on a tight schedule. I really don't have time to talk to someone unless it's the hairdresser." Mary was quickly walking to the salon, this time, paying attention to where she was going. "He was handsome, wasn't he?"

"That he was." Replied Ruth, "Okay, here we are. Are you ready to transform yourself back into a teen?"

"Let's do it!" Said Mary as she and Ruth walked into the salon.

Alex Carlson watched to two women hurried away from him. He didn't know where the fire was, but it sure seemed urgent to the woman who bumped into him. He himself had not seen her coming at him until right before they knocked into each other, for he was trying to think of what else he could get for his girlfriend, Lauren, for her birthday.

He had come to the mall early today, in hopes of avoiding the crush of people that usually descend on shopping centers on weekends. He guessed he was like most males, he hated shopping, especially in malls. He really hated trying to find an appropriate gift for his girlfriend. She was just so hard to buy for because they were so different. Everything that Alex liked, Lauren didn't and vice versa. Sometimes he wondered why they dated at all, they had so little in common, but he had found no one else that attracted him more, so for now, Lauren would have to do.

He had to admit that the woman that ran into him was rather interesting. He had never seen any one so intent on a purpose as she seemed. When he first looked at her, he noticed that she was not conventionally pretty, at least not like her friend. Alex was not the type of man that was hung up on appearances, however he was a normal male who appreciated a beautiful woman. Although this woman was not what most man would find beautiful, she had an intelligence about her that spoke to Alex. He was kind of wishing that she hadn't ran off so fast, because he had a suspicion that she would be fascinating to talk to.

As Alex was lost in his thoughts about this curious woman, he didn't notice some of his British Literature students walking by him until he heard:

"Hey Mr. Carlson! What's up?

Alex looked up to see Devon Morgan, a senior at Southglen South, where Alex taught high school English. Devon had several of his friends with him and was obviously cruising the mall for fun.

"How are you guys doing?" Replied Alex with a smile. Alex was quite popular with the students, not only because he was a "Hottie" as several of the students called him, but because he was a fun teacher. If he saw his students out of school, he usually stopped to talk to them, for he was generally interested in their lives, but today he was strapped for time and couldn't stop. "Look guys, I'd really like to stay and talk with you, but I need to get some shopping done before it gets too busy. So I'll see you guys on Monday in class, Okay?"

"Yah, Okay," Devon replied for the group, "See yah around, Mr. Carlson"

'Well, back to the job of finding a birthday present for Lauren,' Thought Alex, as the woman that he had been thinking about a few moments ago faded from his memory.

---