Last Leaf on the Oak Tree (2 page)

Paulie trudged across the U of M campus and waited in the long line at the school cafeteria. She was determined to eat more than a Twinkie this time. She looked around while she tapped her foot, looking over the hot foods available today for lunch. Chilidogs looked good. The salad was good. She could choose from the ones premade, or she had a salad bar to make her own. Paulie selected a premade chef salad and a chilidog and coke, and then headed over to one of the round tables that looked cozy. It was full of students, but she didn't know any of them. It was time to plunge into the social connections.

Paulie spoke to the group as if they were one and said, "Hi."

One boy in glasses on the other side of the table said, "Hey." That was it.

Paulie continued to eat her dinner in silence, thinking, "so much for friends at college and social connections."

A dark haired girl dressed in the latest collegiate gear spoke up. "I'm Taylor. I think we're in the same dorm and English together." Taylor pulled her ponytail tighter into her bright blue scrunchy. "This morning was crazy in the dorms."

Paulie answered Taylor, "I'm in Richardson, Floor 3, and I have Professor Sartain for English. And yes, the dorm was nuts with everyone trying to get ready at the same time in the same tight space."

Taylor nodded. "Yes, we are in the same places. Dorm zoo and all. Maybe we can study together sometime."

Paulie smiled widely at Taylor, "I'd love that."

Paulie spoke to the table at large, "Does anyone know where the Wesley Foundation is located? This campus is so large that even with a map I'm lost. I know it's on the West side of the campus, but that is a big space."

Taylor replied, "The Wesley Foundation is on the same street as our dorm, across from the library. It is just this side of the library but on the opposite side of the road. There is a shuttle you can pick up on Patterson and Central near the front of the dorm that will drop you at the library or at Wesley."

Paulie flashed her wicked smile again, "Thanks so much. I have been running back and forth across this campus this morning. Thank goodness I don't have any afternoon classes except swimming, and that is later, after lunch. I picked a PE class I thought I would enjoy. I'm going to pick something different each semester, I think, just to learn new things."

Taylor answered, "I like swimming because we have an outdoor Olympic-sized pool for the class, but if it's raining we also have an indoor pool. I like the exercise every day."

Paulie frowned. "I thought we only met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?"

Taylor said, "You are right, but I go every day at 4. That's my class time, and I just make it a habit so I won't get too stiff. I also want to avoid the Freshman Fifteen."

Paulie smiled, "That's my class, too. I think I may join you. I don't want the Fifteen Flu either."

Taylor picked up her dinner tray. "I'll see you in swimming, then." She walked to the bussing area and placed her tray. Then she turned and waved and headed out to the sidewalk.

Paulie finished her salad. She learned the boy with glasses was Toby, and he was one of the thousands in her Psych class. Paulie left the cafeteria and headed back to the dorm room, ready for a quick nap before swim class.

Paulie set her alarm for 3 pm and settled down for her nap. She said a quick prayer for patience and turned over and drifted off to sleep.

Beautiful Man left his swim class and rode his moped to his afternoon job at Garibaldi's Pizza. Mike Garibaldi respected hard workers and always employed students first. Mike remembered his hungry days at U of M and tried to treat the students well. The first thing his employees did when they arrived at the job was a clock in and have a meal on him. They had their choice of any one item on the menu or the hot food bar that had spaghetti, pizza, salad and southern soul food. Today Beautiful Man went for the hot food bar as the hour long swim class made him famished.

He was the delivery driver today until 7 pm. Then he had a meeting to attend. This gave him a hot meal and a six-hour shift. The money came in handy, and the meal was almost the best part. Sometimes he got tips, too. Every penny made a difference, even though he had a scholarship on his grades. He would be out of his meeting at 9:00, and then it was time to study. His Tuesday and Thursday schedule were much easier, with a 9:30 Biology class and 11:00, Art 1010. This gave him 15 hours for this semester, including his hands on Biology lab on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6.

He caught a glimpse of the bombshell Blondie as he was cruising down Zach Curlin drive on a delivery. He would know those turquoise tights anywhere. She was walking into Richardson Towers. He liked that because he lived there too. The girls were on the odd numbered floors, and the boys were on the even floors. That was quite different from the segregated living he expected, but he could see its advantages better now that she also lived there.

CHAPTER THREE

Paulie awoke from her nap and donned her bathing suit under a short red dress cut in a classic princess style. The dress was made of cotton and neatly ironed. This dress would be fine after swimming if she was still a little wet, and she could show up at Wesley wearing something different tonight, in case she saw anyone she had shared classes with today. She brought her backpack with her minicomputer, a change of undies, a red hair scrunchie, and a few things for showering to prepare for her meeting tonight. She had ten dollars stashed so she could grab something to eat, too. She saw a Subway on the corner of campus and thought a steak and cheese sandwich with lots of veggies sounded tasty.

Paulie made it over to the Wesley Foundation with plenty of time to spare. She looked very neatly put together in her red princess dress, red roman sandals, and red wrapped ponytail. She walked into the spacious common room and sighed with relief. She was finally in familiar surroundings where she could be herself with other like-minded people. She wandered around the room, reading the signs on the walls. First Things First. Let Go and Let God. She smiled her first relaxed smile in three days.

Paulie started making fresh coffee. Then she took the stacked chairs from over in the corner and started placing them around the table. She found the sugar and creamer and started filling the bowls and putting out disposable cups. She placed napkins by the cups, and a few coffee stirrers up and down the table. She finished by making sure the garbage had a clean liner and placing the trash can where it was easily located.

A dark-haired, clean-cut man wearing a black shirt, khaki pants, and a white clergy collar stepped into the room. "Hi," he said. "I'm Richard."

"Hi," Paulie grinned at him. "I'm Paulie."

"Are you a student at the college?" asked Richard.

"Yes, a freshman," replied Paulie. "Just getting my feet wet."

Richard smiled briefly. "I thought you were new. You'll find plenty of good folks here. We also have a Wednesday night fellowship for students with a hot meal and a Bible study. We meet at six if you'd like to join us."

"That would be great!" replied Paulie. "You don't have a Sunday service?"

"Yes, I was just getting to that. We meet Sunday at 10."

"This is just what I was praying for," said Paulie. "A home group and a home church. College is a little overwhelming, and I don't trust my judgment after the mistakes I made in high school."

"College is a great time to learn what you are about," answered Richard. "Give yourself time and explore new things. Change your surroundings but don't change your meetings. Make them the constant in your life while in school."

The other students and some older people began to wander into the common room. Paulie greeted several with a "hello", although she wasn't personally acquainted with any of them. Just as it was time for the meeting to begin, in walked Beautiful Man. Paulie sighed with satisfaction and more than a little anticipation. Maybe he would sit by her? Paulie looked hopeful.

To Paulie's joy and disbelief, Beautiful Man walked over to the empty chair beside her and took a seat. Paulie was excited and buoyant as there were still many empty chairs in the room, so he obviously had other choices for seating, unlike today's classroom assignments.

Richard sat at the head of the table and rang a little bell. Everyone stopped their quiet conversations and looked to him, giving him their full attention.

"I'm Richard, and I'm an alcoholic," he announced. He paused, waiting for the room to respond.

"Hi! Richard," was the reply from the room, in unison. "Glad you are here."

Richard smiled and nodded, and then continued. "This is an open meeting of the Wesley Foundation Chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. Please go around the table and state your name. If you are new to the group, you can say 'I'm new' instead of your name." He nodded to the person on his right and around the table went the introductions.

Paulie was sitting to the left of Beautiful Man and the right of Richard, the Speaker, so she got to say her name first. "I'm Paulie, and I'm an alcoholic," she said.

Everyone replied as a group, "Hi Paulie, Glad you are here!"

Then Beautiful Man spoke. "I'm Pauley, and I'm an alcoholic," he said. Everyone in the room laughed at the coincidence of duplicated names sitting next to each other.

"Hi Pauley, Glad you are here," the group returned.

The greetings continued around the table.

Each person took a turn speaking on the topic. After an hour had passed, the meeting concluded with the Lord's Prayer.

Pauley turned to Paulie and stuck out his hand to shake. "I'm Pauley," he laughed. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Paulie laughed and replied, "I'm Paulette, but go by Paulie for short. My mom was a big NCIS fan of Abby Sciuto."

Pauley responded, "My mom loved the comedy of Pauley Shore."

They continued to converse as they walked out the door and toward the dorms.

Paulie asked Pauley, "Do you live in Richardson Towers also? We are walking that way."

Beautiful Man Pauley answered, "Yes, on the second floor. This is my freshman year."

"Me too," answered Paulette. "I come from a very small town in Arkansas, St. Ives, about 100 miles from here by car and a thousand years by time warp."

Pauley laughed. "My friends call me PJ. Pauley James is my name."

Paulette asked, "Is James your last name?"

"No," PJ stated. "James is my middle name. Davis is my last name."

"Mine is Paulette Rogers, Paulette Anne Rogers. Pleased to meet you too."

PJ said to Paulette as they turned into the dorm lobby. "I'll be glad to give you a ride on my moped tomorrow morning. It makes it much faster to zip around campus with wheels."

Paulette replied, "I don't have a class until 9:30, that's Biology 1010."

"I have that class too!" announced PJ. "Then art after that."

"Wow, we have the same schedule except PE. What did you take this year?"

"I took swimming at noon," answered PJ. "Then I work at Garibaldi's Pizza until I get off at 6. On Tuesday and Thursdays, I have Biology Lab in the evenings at 6, so I get off at 5:30. I usually grab a sandwich to go and eat on the way to class. Mike is good about feeding his student employees."

Paulette replied, "We have the same schedule for everything but swimming. Mine is Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 4, but I go everyday. I work in the library Wednesday from 12-4, Friday, 12-4 and all day 9-5 on Saturdays. Sunday is free, but I'm going to attend chapel here at Wesley Foundation. They have a Wednesday night supper and Bible Study also. That's what Richard told me."

PJ smiled, "I'll meet you here in the morning at 8:30. That gives us time for breakfast in the Student Union."

"The Student Union? I haven't been there. I thought we had to eat in the cafeteria."

"No," PJ replied. "We actually have three places to eat with student cards. The cafeteria but the lines are too long, the Student Union, which has a smaller buffet but still good food, and the Tiger Alley, which is really a hamburger type snack bar."

"Tomorrow morning it is," said Paulette cheerfully. "I'll see you at 8:30."

Paulette pushed the elevator button for 3 while PJ got off on the second floor. Paulette was still thinking of his dreamy chocolate eyes when she bumped into Taylor as she exited the elevator.

Taylor remarked, "I was just looking for you. The dorm mother said you hadn't checked in tonight. You know you are supposed to say hello to her every day for sort of a wellness check. And let her know when you leave the dorm to go off campus."

"I didn't realize they watched us that carefully," replied Paulette. "I kind of like that, knowing somebody wants to know where I am."

"It's all great until you miss curfew. Then you're not so appreciative of the mothering."

Paulette smiled at the obvious consternation in Taylor's voice. "It sounds like you've been on the wrong side of curfew."

Taylor nodded ruefully. "This is my second year. Last year I made a few serious mistakes. This year will be better."

CHAPTER FOUR