Date:         Mon, 12 Dec 1994 13:10:49 -0600
Reply-To:     Highlander TV show stories <HLFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Sender:       Highlander TV show stories <HLFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
From:         Jennifer Lynn Hedberg <jlhedber@MAILHOST.ECN.UOKNOR.EDU>
Subject:      OtGDY Ch10

Only the Good Die Young, Ch10
by Gwen Vohs

        Richie made it to class early thanks to a 7:00 am wakeup call from
Natalie, which consisted of her flipping his bedroom light on and off and
yelling "It's a disco, it's a disco!!!!  Wake up and dance!!!!"
        It was the first day of school for both of them, and needless to say,
she was much more enthusiastic about it than he was.  But nevertheless, at
8:30 am he was in room 236 of Gittenger Hall, waiting for his British Lit
survey class to begin.
        At precisely 8:30, the teacher entered adn kicked the door closed behind
 her.
        "Hello.  My name is Jennifer Lynn Hedberg and I assume you're all here
for Brit Lit 1700 to Present.  If not, be gone!!!!!"
        When no one moved, she continued.
        "Groovey!  Okay, I'm passing out sylabii, each of which has an index
card stapled to it.  *Carefully* remove the card and fill out the following
info.  Phone number and address are highly optional but highly reccomended."
        On the board this strange little woman wrote;
Name
Address
Phone Number
Major
Classification
Last book you read NOT for a class
When I hear the word "literature" I think ......

        Richie got to the last question and stopped.  he had no clue what he
thought when he heard the word "literature", except that it was something he
always felt was over his head.
        The teacher noticed Richie's thoughtful expression and pounced.
Taking his card from him, she began the cross-examination.
        "Mr. Ryan, is it?"
        "Uh, yes ma'am."
        Several students who had had this teacher before winced.
        "MA'AM?"
        She huffed.
        "Look, Mr. Ryan, Richard A. goes by Richie, if you promise never to
call me "ma'am" again, I promise I'll never call you "Dick", okay?"
        "Okay."
        "Ahhhnnnnnnyway, Mr. Ryan doesn't seem to know what he thinks of when
of when he hears the word literature.  Why not, Richie?"
        He simply shrugged. "I don't know.  I've never read alot for fun, and
what people always call "literature" never seemed to relate to me."
        "Say it ain't so, Richie."  She sat backwards in an empty chair right
in front of him. "What have you read?"
        "Mostly Shakespeare.....my ....sister-in-law got me into it."
        "Ahhh...the Bard of Avon.  Unfortunately we won't do any Shakespeare in
here, but YOU come to my office after class and we'll get you reading in the
right direction, okay?  Your sister-in-law has excellent taste but you might
be more comfortable with Joyce, Dickens, or, if you're the romantic type, I
might send a little D.H. Lawrence your way."
        She hopped about the room collecting the cards and putting them neatly
in the pocket of her oversized blazer.  After the usual first-day-of-class
housekeeping chores were done, she shouted, "Okay! Now we can have some fun!
I know you haven't had a chance to do any reading yet, but take five minutes to
write me a paragraph or two on how you would react to finding yourself in a land
of little people...and no, *I* don't count."
        Suddenly, Richie realized that this lady could be Eleni's Nordic
cousin.  The only physical difference between them was their coloration and
Jen's improbably babyish overbite.  he was about to crack up when the student
behind him tapped him on the shoulder.
        He turned around and found himself staring into two hazel eyes with
explosions of gold surrounding the pupils.
        "Hi!  My name's Pauline.  Don't let her friendliness fool you...she's
a great teacher but I had her last semester for Poetry and she can be a real
bitch when it comes to grading."  She slipped him a peice of paper with her
phone number on it. "Call me if you want to get together to study."
        Richie smiled and whispered back,"will do!!!"
        That night Richie was pouring over "Gulliver's Travels", trying to sort
out what was supposed to be satire and what wasn't.  Natalie had already finishe
d her homework and was playing on the internet.
        Richie heard Duncan's footsteps as he came in from the garage.
        "Duncan!  You won't believed what happened!"
        "You met a gorgeous girl in one of your classes."
        Richie's mouth dropped.
        "How did you kow?"
        "You're actually studying"
        "har har!!!  Seriously, I'm freaking out cause my Brit Lit prof is a
total psycho....fun, but a psycho...and this girl sitting behind me HANDS ME
HER PHONE NUMBER OUT OF THE BLUE and tells me to call her if I want to get
together and study."
        Duncan grinned."Good for you!  Perhaps some of my charm is rubbing off
on you after all."
        End part 10
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