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wasn’t just any smile. That smile told me she liked the wiggle
     in my walk. I asked her name. She said Blanche.
    Physically, I was a man but emotionally I was somewhere else. At that moment in time,
     the only date I’d ever had came in a jar from Spain. My coach in high school didn’t
     help. Coach Braly told me girls and sports went together like a pepper and a malt.
     I stayed away.
    Now I knew better. I wanted a date. I’d have died for a date.
SHORT STORY SHORTER
    We fell in love and got married. Blanche’s dad was a caretaker for the Whitney Plantation
     in Thomasville. We had full run of the place. On a number of occasions I came around
     the bend to find General Eisenhower and Admiral Halsey shooting quail and chewing
     the fat. One day Ike andBull looked at me. A few days later I was shipped to the Lone Star state. I know it
     was a coincidence.
    Blanche came along. She got pregnant. I was sent away. She got lonely. I was still
     away. She delivered Susan Gail. I was far away. She said, “you’re not for me.” I said
     I understood.
    I would have been more hurt but the waters did not run that deep. We never really
     had time to get to know each other. There was too much going on. Love blooms through
     experiences, good and bad, and with Blanche I had few.
    Years went by. The war ended. I’d done what they asked me to do. I thought I did it
     well but there was no reason to put my picture on a Wheaties box. In 1946 I was told
     I could go home. It takes a short time in the military to understand you only do what
     people tell you. I wasn’t going to make a move without permission. I called D.C. and
     asked if I could go somewhere else. “Whatever,” came the reply. I enrolled in the
     Georgia Military College. It was a turning point in my life. I met people who were
     kind and thoughtful and smart. I saw them make a difference in other people’s lives.
     I knew they had in mine. An image appeared. It was a long dusty road filled with bumps
     but at the end I could see a sheepskin. I would become a teacher. That meant Mercer
     University.
    I enrolled and shifted into overdrive. I had one ambition: to be the best teacher
     I could become. I met a guy by the name of Ed Sanders. We shared a common vision.
     We both wanted to accomplish something. Ed was my kind of guy. He was a tenacious
     personality and by hanging with him I adopted some of his traits. One day I ran into
     him and hewas all excited. He was so proud that he’d been hired to be a lifeguard. I was happy
     for Ed but concerned for whoever might need his help. Ed didn’t swim. I figured he’d
     find a way.
    We studied hard, played basketball, and ran track. Every now and then we had a Dr.
     Pepper. We joined the Sigma Nu fraternity. Ed told me getting a paddle broke over
     my butt would be fun. He lied. I didn’t hold it against him. Ed is still my friend.
     Why not? I learned friendship and furniture are much alike. If you invest in quality
     it won’t have to be replaced.
    I worked hard at Mercer University and I could feel my brain getting stronger. It
     felt awfully good. One day they gave me a diploma. The next day I was standing on
     the corner eating some peanuts wondering what to do. A Greyhound pulled up with a
     sign that said it was going east. I got on board. When the doors opened, I stepped
     out in Sparta, Georgia.
    I looked around. It looked okay. I had a nickel in my pocket but I wasn’t worried.
     I knew my million-dollar attitude would see me through. I’ve always been an optimist.
     I think much of it had to do with my mom. She told me over and over, “Son, we may
     not have much but there are people who have less.” I knew she was right. I’d seen
     the one room shack filled with ten and a Thanksgiving turkey that looked like a mouse.
     Those words have always been with me.
    I landed a job as teacher. My gosh. I was about to trade overalls for a white shirt
     and tie. My mom was proud. My dad didn’t know.
    It was