Week 49 - The Transfer Student

It had been an easy decision. Paris College was in the rearview mirror, literally, as Brittany Burns drove south and east on a cold and snowy morning. Her few friends, Marty and Devon, had tried to talk her out of it. But her mind was made up. A few too many random run-ins with Buzz, the roommate from hell. A few too many professors always asking her to repeat herself, as if Appalachian were a foreign language. A few too many sorority girls like Betsy with their perfect hair and their perfect bodies and their perfect iced coffees constantly condescending her. It was a few too many few too many’s. 

Brittany’s mom, Josephine, sounded almost relieved, Brittany thought when she heard the news. It wasn’t a financial burden on the family, as she had a full scholarship to attend college. “Maybe she’s just missed me,” she pondered as the terrain got a little more mountainous the further she drove. 

Her boyfriend, Graham, was a different story. He had been down since blowing out his knee a few weeks ago and she thought it best to tell him in person about her coming home, at least for a semester. He was cold and distant for most of her time in Paris. But things would be different once she was home. Things would be better. 

Around two hours after leaving campus, Brittany pulled into her parents' driveway. It was still hers; she supposed. But it didn’t feel the same. Even after only one semester away, there was a sense of distance from this place she couldn’t quite place. Josephine was standing by the storm door, waiting on her to pull in and ran down to the car as soon as she saw her daughter drive up. 

“There’s my baby. Good to have you home, sweetie!” She hugged her daughter tightly and rocked her back and forth a bit. 

Brittany returned the hug. “Good to be home, Mama.”

They packed in a few baskets full of laundry and books, the only things Brittany brought home from Paris, and sat them inside the door. “Come in here a minute,” Josephine said and motioned for her daughter to follow into the living room. 

“Now, you know I’m happy to have you home. And I’ll support you in any decision you make,” she said as they sat on opposite sides of a green leather couch. “But you have too much potential to just sit here and waste away in Black Grass. I’m not gonna have that.”

This was her Mama trying to deliver some tough love, Brittany thought. It was sweet, in a way. “Mama, I have no intention of ‘wastin’ away’ here! I’m not sayin’ I want to spend my life here. I’m not sayin’ I want to get hitched to Graham tomorrow. But Paris was a toxic environment for me and I was not gonna thrive there. I was barely able to survive there. It was not good for me. Maybe Columbia would have been better. Maybe one of the bigger state schools? I don’t know.” She twisted open a bottle of extra-sweet tea and took a swig. “I just know that with the classes I was able to take in high school and the ones I had last semester, I can have my associate’s degree from the community college by the end of the summer. And by then, hopefully, I’ll have an idea of where I’m goin’.”

Josephine pursed her lips and nodded her head. “That all sounds very reasonable. What does Graham say about all of this?”

“Not much,” she responded, taking another drink of tea. “He’s been so down since he hurt his knee. And the pills they had him on made him groggy and light-headed. I didn’t like talkin’ to him when he was takin’ ‘em. I think he’s done with ‘em though.”

Her mom stood and stretched her arms and back. “Well, I’m happy to have you home. Go ahead and call the college tomorrow and set up your classes for next semester. I also want you to find a part-time job. Nothin’ crazy. Just to get you some real-world experience at something and to get you some walkin’ around money. Them sweet teas don’t grow on trees, you know,” she said with a grin. 

“You know tea literally grows like a tree, right?” Brittany asked giggling. 

The next day, Brittany arranged to meet Graham at City Park. Long-distance dating had been difficult this semester, sure. And she couldn’t remember how many times someone said to “Dump your high school sweetheart!” while she was at Paris. Not just to her, it was like a mantra or something. She had a private joke that they were secretly running some sort of underground breeding program with the students the topic came up so much. So, she was more than excited to see Graham for the first time in a while. 

His crutches and knee brace clanked and clicked as he shuffled from his old pickup to the benches along the river. Brittany was already there, with a basket of fries and a large strawberry shake, waiting for him. She noticed how skinny he looked, like skin hanging on bones. His coloring was off and he looked different. Tired, maybe? But he was smiling at her, just like he used to. 

“There’s my girl!” he said as he got a little closer.

She stood and met him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. He was at least a foot taller than her, and she felt safe being enveloped in his frame. 

“I forgot how good you smell,” she said as she closed her eyes and brought him in even tighter. 

He chuckled. “Glad I showered.”

Taking his arm, she helped him across the rocky terrain to the bench where she had prepared them a mini picnic. She wasn’t sure he was going to like what she had to say, so she thought a little insurance in the form of Martha’s fries and a shake might come in handy. “How long are you in for?” he asked, lowering himself gently onto the bench.

“Well, it’s funny you mention that. I’m not going back to Paris.” It was out of her mouth before she had time to stop it. She had wanted to ease into it. She had wanted to break him in gently. This was not going as planned. 

His face contorted into confusion mixed with a little anger. “What are you talking about?”

She shifted on the bench to better face him. “You know how miserable I was there. We talked about it. The people. The professors. My roommate with the spiky hair. It is not where I’m supposed to be. So, I’m comin’ home this semester.”

He sat back, away from her, forcefully, blowing hard out of his mouth. “You gotta be kiddin’ me,” he said to no one in particular. 

“Why are you so upset about this? I thought you’d be happy. We’ll be able to see each other if I’m here at the community college.”

Shaking his head, he absentmindedly snagged a few fries and shoved them into his face. “You don’t get it. The only thing; the only thing keepin’ me sane was the thought that in just a few months I could come be with you and get out a this place. Did you know that?”

She put her hand on his knee. “There’s no reason we still can’t do that. I’m not saying I’m buying a house and getting a job. I’m going one semester to the community college and then, we’ll see.”

He just kept shaking his head. “You were out. Do you know how lucky you were? Ever since I hurt my knee, my dad makes it a daily ritual to tell me how much of a worthless piece of crap I am and now I’ll never amount to anything since I can’t play ball. And the worst thing is, he’s right! If I ain’t playin’ ball, what the hell good am I?” 

Tears welled up in Brittany’s eyes. “Don’t say that, babe. Do you think I’d fall for someone who was ‘just a good ballplayer?’ Really?”

“I told you months ago that you gotta make it. You gotta get outta here so I can make it too. If you can’t make it, what chance in hell do I have.” He sounded defeated and distant. It took some work, but he contorted his body enough to grab the strawberry shake and take a big drink. 

She took his hand in her own. “We’re in this together, Graham. I hated Paris. Hated it. The students were cruel, the teachers were condescending and the girl they tried to make me room with was a sociopath. But I still managed to make it through with a 4.0 GPA and my sanity.” He was staring off into the distance, so she turned his face to hers. “I’m not saying we’re gonna get married by New Years. I’m not saying we’re gonna be together forever. But for me, today, I’m saying I want to be with you. I’m gonna go to class next semester and get my associates by the end of the summer. You’re gonna finish high school and then, together, we will figure out our next move.”

He sniffed hard and looked away. “I gotta get outa here, Britt. I just gotta.” 

She inched over next to him and put her head on his shoulder. “I get it, babe. I do. But let’s not wish our life away. There are worse places to be than Black Grass, Kentucky.”

He reached down and grabbed a fry and held it her direction. “Me and you; to the end of the line?”

She grabbed a fry of her own and gave him a cheers. “End a the line, babe. End of the line.”