My name is David H. Lowell. The H doesn't stand for anything, it was just a joke of my parents that stuck. I am a student of astronomy at Mt. San Antonio College , the second son of a doctor and a veterinarian. And for almost three years, I have been her "good ol' Watson."
My first year at the school was also my first year in Southern California. It's always amazing to see how different things are once you cross that invisible line that separates the North from the South. Southern California, or So Cal as the natives called it, had the most highways, the most people jammed together, the most strangeness I had ever seen. You had to know 3 languages just to get find your way home. And everything was so close together. Most people would have enjoyed that, but I loved the feeling that comes with driving a long way, it reminded me of home, where things were far apart. So when I looked for housing there, I wanted something a ways away from the college itself. This got me a good deal of strange looks from the So Cals.
Rescue came to me in my third week, at 9 o'clock at night in the Campus Café. Actually, it had come before then, at about noon in that same place. I had been talking Andrew Stamford about my plans to move out of my Northern parents home. We had gone to the same high school together, and he had gone to college only because his parents said that if he didn't he would have to work. Thus began his career as "the perpetual student."
"A good place, far enough away from here for a good long ride." Were my exact words. Stamford spat out pineapple pizza, stared at me and said "Dude! That's like, deja vu all over again!"
"What do you mean?"
"Check it out. There's this chick, I mean girl, in my Ag class right before now, Handling and Restraint. Anyway, she was just going off on how she found a great place in Costa Mesa er something. Just like you said "a good place, far enough away." Ya know, right near the Orange County Fairgrounds. But the price was too high and she was all "If I can't find least one body to share at least half of it with, I'm gonna have bail out, I can't afford all that. Sucks too, cause it's great, and the cheapest I could find." "
It was too real. "Who is she?"
Stamford suddenly became more interested in the pizza's crust than answering my question. "Weeeellllllll..."
"Stamford!"
"Look, I just know what I heard. Far's I know she works here and they give her an education in return. That's all I know I swear!"
It took a bit more poking and prodding, but I finally convinced him to let me at least with speak with her. Not that it would necessary. I'd already made up my mind to join the invisible "her" in staying at this place. Stamford had her again in Animal Science that night. After each lesson the class went down to the Café to hang out, because "there ain't no reason ta go home when there's stuff ta do here for an hour longer." So I was to meet them there and be introduced to my potential roommate.
My first year at the school was also my first year in Southern California. It's always amazing to see how different things are once you cross that invisible line that separates the North from the South. Southern California, or So Cal as the natives called it, had the most highways, the most people jammed together, the most strangeness I had ever seen. You had to know 3 languages just to get find your way home. And everything was so close together. Most people would have enjoyed that, but I loved the feeling that comes with driving a long way, it reminded me of home, where things were far apart. So when I looked for housing there, I wanted something a ways away from the college itself. This got me a good deal of strange looks from the So Cals.
Rescue came to me in my third week, at 9 o'clock at night in the Campus Café. Actually, it had come before then, at about noon in that same place. I had been talking Andrew Stamford about my plans to move out of my Northern parents home. We had gone to the same high school together, and he had gone to college only because his parents said that if he didn't he would have to work. Thus began his career as "the perpetual student."
"A good place, far enough away from here for a good long ride." Were my exact words. Stamford spat out pineapple pizza, stared at me and said "Dude! That's like, deja vu all over again!"
"What do you mean?"
"Check it out. There's this chick, I mean girl, in my Ag class right before now, Handling and Restraint. Anyway, she was just going off on how she found a great place in Costa Mesa er something. Just like you said "a good place, far enough away." Ya know, right near the Orange County Fairgrounds. But the price was too high and she was all "If I can't find least one body to share at least half of it with, I'm gonna have bail out, I can't afford all that. Sucks too, cause it's great, and the cheapest I could find." "
It was too real. "Who is she?"
Stamford suddenly became more interested in the pizza's crust than answering my question. "Weeeellllllll..."
"Stamford!"
"Look, I just know what I heard. Far's I know she works here and they give her an education in return. That's all I know I swear!"
It took a bit more poking and prodding, but I finally convinced him to let me at least with speak with her. Not that it would necessary. I'd already made up my mind to join the invisible "her" in staying at this place. Stamford had her again in Animal Science that night. After each lesson the class went down to the Café to hang out, because "there ain't no reason ta go home when there's stuff ta do here for an hour longer." So I was to meet them there and be introduced to my potential roommate.