[Monday, August 22, 1988]
Tami had a little trouble finding her classes the first day of school. She was six minutes late to her English Composition class (a core requirement) and four minutes late to her Pre-Calculus class. (She had to take that and Calculus as a prerequisite for Statistics, which she would have to take eventually if she wanted to concentrate in Psychology. It was going to be her hardest class this year. She hadn't realize she was going to need so much math to study Psychology. She was grateful for Eric's past tutoring, but he couldn't help her now. He'd never gone beyond Algebra II himself.) She was three minutes late to her Introduction to Sociology class, and two minutes late to her Cultural Anthropology class, but finally on-time to her Introduction to Psychology class. She'd scheduled all of her classes for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to minimize the commute. With breaks between classes, that meant she was on campus from 8 AM to 6 PM.
That evening, she was sitting on the bar stool and filling out an Applebee's application she'd picked up when Gretchen walked in. Tami's roommate slapped her purse down on the kitchen bar, jerked open the refrigerator, took out a Diet Coke, and began guzzling it like a sailor chugging a beer. Gretchen set down the can with a slam and an "Ahhhh!" and glanced at Tami's application. "You should apply at Bazookas. You'll get twice the tips you do at Applebee's. Easily."
"I'm not really comfortable working at a place like that," Tami said, writing down her address in the application field. She'd already stopped by Chili's and filled out an application and interviewed there earlier this evening, but she wanted a backup plan.
"Oh, I see. Too good for that, huh?"
Tami looked up from the application. "That's not what I said."
"Look, it's not as if I have to dance. Or take anything off that isn't already off. Or sit in their laps. Or let them touch me. Guys state at your tits all the time anyway, don't they?"
"Not with my shirt off."
"But they undress you with their eyes, I'm sure. It's demeaning either way. Might as well get paid for it. This is putting me through college. Then I never have to do it again."
"I'll be glad never to waitress again, too." Tami resumed filling out her application. In an attempt to make conversation, she said, "My boyfriend's roommate Stumpy said he asked you out, but you told him you don't date customers."
"I don't date period. Guys suck."
"Not all of them," Tami said with a smile.
"Oh, sure, you're boyfriend's different. Because you're too good for anything less, right?"
Did Tami come off as snobbish? She didn't think she did. She supposed it was obvious what she thought of Gretchen's job, however.
"He's a football player isn't he?' Gretchen asked.
"Yes," Tami said, and then, a little proudly, "He's going to be the second string quarterback for the Baylor Bears this season."
"Well, honey, your fantasy bubble's going to burst sooner or later. Because football players are the worst. They all cheat on their girlfriends, and they all have each other's backs."
Tami thought of what Eric had said, about Stumpy having his back.
"They all lie for each other," Gretchen continued. "And they all come into Bazookas like they own the place, flashing money around, because they get those plush scholarships that cover housing and food."
"But not Eric," she said. "You've never seen Eric at Bazookas."
Gretchen laughed scornfully. "Why, did he tell you he would never set foot in place like that?"
Tami felt suddenly sick. "Have you seen him there?"
"No," Gretchen admitted, much to Tami's relief. "I've never noticed him there. But give it time." Gretchen tossed her empty Diet Coke can in the trash. "If it's not Bazookas, it'll be some girl's dorm room."
"Why are you so cynical?" Tami asked as Gretchen walked behind the bar and plopped down on the living room couch.
"Life experience," Gretchen told her. "I'm way older than you."
Gretchen was at most four years older than her. Tami swiveled on her bar stool to face her. "Well, the first guy I ever slept with dumped me the next day. And my first steady boyfriend cheated on me, but that hasn't made me not believe in Eric." Those things had, however, made her test Eric a little bit, hold out longer than she otherwise might have, let him prove himself before she gave him either her heart or her body. "He's different."
"They're all different until they're not," Gretchen said, picking up a music magazine she'd left on the coffee table. The cover had a band Tami had never heard of, the guitarist covered with tattoos and a ring dangling from his nose as if he were a cow.
"I wish you wouldn't pre-judge my boyfriend."
"Why not?" Gretchen asked. "Haven't you already drawn a hundred conclusions about me?"
Tami turned on her stool and resumed filling out her application.
"I wish the landlord would come and fix that oven," Gretchen muttered.
"You should call Stumpy and ask him to do it," Tami said. "He fixed the toilet after all."
"He did? He can fix things? Hmmmm…." Tami heard Gretchen clomp her feet up on the coffee table, black high-heeled boots and all. "Maybe I will date him. At least until I can afford a handy man."
[Tuesday, August 23, 1988]
"That's a long shift," Sarah told Tami. "That's 12 hours!"
Tami was leaned against the kitchen counter, talking on the kitchen phone. She'd splurged on the long distance call after walking into Applebee's this afternoon to submit her application and being offered a job on the spot. She would work Tuesday and Thursday, the two days she had no classes, from 10 AM to 10 PM. "I know, but I get paid for a full twenty-four hours a week, while I still get forty minutes for lunch and forty minutes for dinner. And then I don't have to work on weekends. I can go to Eric's games, party, study, whatever."
"You're going to get blisters on your feet."
"I'll sit during downtimes. You know, there's going to be times without a lot of people there. That mid-day time. I might even be able to study."
"Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't the best days for tips," Sarah warned her.
"I know. But they're paying me $6 an hour based on my past experience."
"Wow. That's more than minimum wage." Restaurants usually paid less than minimum wage, expecting you to make up the difference with tips.
"Well, they want someone who shows up on time and sober. That job skill is in high demand around here, apparently."
Sarah laughed.
"So, how are you and Joey getting on as roommates?"
"You were right. He's holding out hope for more. And it's a bit awkward. I need to get a boyfriend so we can close that door."
"Well don't rush into it. If you're just going to pick some random guy, it might as well be Joey."
"Not if I pick some really hot, muscular random guy who's fantastic in bed."
"You're not going after casual sex, are you, Sarah? Not you."
"I don't know, Tami. I'm 18. And I'm a virgin. Maybe I should just get laid and get it over with."
"Don't talk like that, Sarah. Don't make the same mistake I made with Paul."
"Was it that bad?"
"It's better with someone you love. Or more to the point, someone who loves you. Trust me. It just is."
"Maybe it's just better with Eric."
Tami laughed. "Well, that too…"
[Wednesday, August 24]
Eric had two glasses of milk on his tray. They were eating at one of Baylor's dining halls, because he had twenty guest meals on the meal pass his scholarship covered. Tami had been impressed by the selection. This was nothing like high school. She was eating a salad at the moment.
"Milk them bones so you can grow," Stumpy told him, and then snickered. He stood and grabbed his mostly empty tray. "I'll see you guys later. I've got to go back to the room and call my girlfriend in New York. Fucking expensive, those long distance calls."
Tami watched him go and shook her head. "He has a girlfriend back home? And he asked Gretchen out?"
Eric didn't say anything. He started in on his second glass of milk.
"Isn't that awful?" she asked him.
He put down his milk and cut into his meatloaf. "Maybe his New York girlfriend knows. Maybe she's okay with it."
"How can she possibly be okay with it?" Tami asked, her blue eyes flashing.
"I don't know. I'm not her. Why are you mad at me?"
"Because you don't seem upset about it. What do you say to him when you see him trying to pick up girls?"
"I don't say anything. It's none of my business."
Tami shook her head and slumped back into the chair, her arms crossed over herself. "I just…if you hang out with guys all the time who think it's okay to cheat – are you going to start thinking it's okay?"
He put down his fork and stared at her in disbelief. "Tami, did I ever cheat on Laura? Have I ever cheated on you? And I was hanging out with guys like this in high school."
"Not really. No. You were mostly hanging out with Joey."
"Hey," he said softly. He reached across the table and held out his hand. She put her hand in his. "I'd be a fool to cheat on you, Tami. Some girls, they put up with that. You're not the kind of girl who puts up with that. Don't think I don't know that. And no one else could hold a candle to you anyway." He squeezed her hand.
"When are you taking me to a party? I've never been to a college party."
"Well, first real game isn't until next Saturday, but there's a party this Saturday. At the frat house of one of the guys on the team. Want to come with me?"
She smiled, plucked a carrot off her salad, and bit down on it. "Of course I do. And you'll need a designated driver, I'm sure."
[Thursday, August 25]
Tami invited Gretchen to join them at the party on Saturday, in an attempt to extend some good will. She didn't actually want Gretchen to go, and she knew she would say no because she had to work, but Tami wanted to look like she was being friendly.
"No," Gretchen told her as she counted her tips from the night and slid the cash in an envelope.
Gretchen was right. That was a lot of cash. Tami felt a hint of envy. The tips she'd brought home tonight from Applebee's were a third that amount.
They were sitting on the couch. Tami had been relaxing watching the Late Show on Fox when Gretchen walked in, slumped down next to her, and started counting her cash. "I have to work Saturday night," Gretchen said. "And besides, I'm straight edge. There's nothing for me at those frat parties."
"Straight what?"
"Straight edge. No drinking. No drugs. No smoking. No caffeine. No promiscuous sex."
But working at a topless bar was okay? "Is that a religious thing?" Tami asked.
Gretchen gave her a peculiar look. "No. Unless music is a religion."
Gretchen frequently played loud, angry-sounding music that involved a lot of screaming. Tami had finally mustered up the courage to ask her to turn it down last night. Gretchen had, without comment, but with a look of disdain.
[Friday, August 26]
Eric met Tami for lunch on the Waco Community campus between her first two classes. They picnicked in the shade of a tree. He'd brought fruit and sandwiches he'd smuggled out of his own dining hall and placed in a cooler. They'd resolved to only eat out once a week. He wasn't working during football season, and she would be scraping by on her part-time income.
"Gretchen said she might date Stumpy just because he can repair stuff," Tami said.
"It's an in-demand skill for a boyfriend, I hear," Eric said. "It's a shame I suck at it. A son of a handy man really shouldn't."
"Didn't you ever work with him?"
"Sure. I mostly held the ladder and fetched things. I can do basic stuff, but…I never really caught on. For my dad, it's like instinct. He can fix just about anything. Stumpy's like that too."
"I really don't get you hanging out with that guy so much."
"He's my roommate," Eric said, biting into an apple, "he's on the team, and he's helpful. He'll help anyone out, any time. What's not to like?"
"You know what I don't like. Two-timing his girlfriend. Hanging out at Bazookas."
"Most of the guys hang out at Bazookas. Their girlfriends don't mind."
"Well I mind," she said angrily.
"I know! I don't go, a'ight?"
"I'm sorry," she said, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm a little on edge. Gretchen said some things that wound me up the other day."
He slid an arm around her waist and kissed her head. "That girl's a seething cauldron ready to boil over at any minute. Don't listen to her."
Tami chuckled. "She's not a bad roommate, though. She's neat, clean, never has anyone over, and does her half of the chores on time. The music I could do without, but once I asked her to turn it down, she did, and she's kept it at a reasonable level." She turned and kissed him. "What's your schedule today?"
"I had practice in the early morning." They had to practice early. The weather was topping 100 these days. It was 99 now, but the tree's shade made it somewhat more bearable. "Then I had English Comp. That's a requirement, but it's also a gut. They told me if I show up, I've got a B."
"Must be nice to be a football player."
"Then I had Weight Lifting. That's for my P.E. major. Easy for me."
She smiled and squeezed his arm. "I like that class."
"After I leave you here, I've got Biology 101. I need at least six math or science hours for my core requirements. It's non-lab though. And I was told if I show up, I'll get a C+. With a little effort, I'll get a B."
Tami shook her head. "No history this semester?" He'd been planning to double major in P.E. and history, after all.
"I was told not to take any history classes during football season. So I've got Nutrition on Tuesday and Thursday and also Conditioning for Football. Both count toward my P.E. major. I was told if I show up for Nutrition - "
"- You'll get a B."
He smiled and nodded.
Tami shook her head.
"Hey, we train twenty hours a week with the coaches. Then it's silently understood we'll be spending twenty hours on our own, running routes, watching game tape, studying the playbook. Then there's the games and travel for the away games."
"Joey was right. They should just treat it like a job and pay you. Instead of pretending you're getting an education."
"I fully intend to get an education, too, Tami. I know I might need something to fall back on. But I'll pack my real classes in the spring and summer."
Eric had to take at least six hours in the summer to maintain his scholarship, and there was summer training. Tami would work through the summer, at least full-time. They would not be returning to Tyler, like so many of their high school classmates who had gone to college. The apron strings had been cut fast. Tami missed her sister already, and even her mother a little bit.
She took Eric's half eaten apple from his hand and bit into it.
"Ewww."
"Like we don't swap plenty of fluids anyway?"
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Speaking of which…." he whispered, "It's been awhile."
She patted his cheek. "Well, if you can manage to get it up after all your drinking at the party tomorrow night, I promise you we'll fool around."
"Oh, Tami, no amount of alcohol could keep me down around you." He kissed her, and she pushed him playfully away, telling him she was about to be late for class.