Never the Same: Supplemental High School Confidential

Kirk recalled how he got to where he was.

 

Cue: “Anemone” https://youtu.be/I6R9WSClRfE  

Just another hum drum dirty finger-bustin’ day at work fixing minor warranty items at the dealership. Kirk had been assigned one of his most favorite tasks of working under dashboards. No one could make extra bonus money working on tasks like that, so they gave it to Kirk. He had to troubleshoot the temperature gauge meaning he more than likely had to replace it. Lying on his back on the car’s floorboard to each up behind the display to remove the screws meant cramps in his back and scrapes on his fingers as he struggled to see or feel his way around back there. Pulling this particular car into the service area had set off a flashback in Kirk’s mind from his high school days because this car headed to the body shop after he was done to replace the cracked windshield.

For anyone who had read Kirk’s story from back then knows that Kirk didn’t have the best time in school even though he did have some fond memories such as spending time with Dee. The reason for a flashback due to a cracked windshield goes back to Kirk’s commitment to attend summer school. Well, even though his rotund guidance counselor seemed to be on top of things, Kirk could have been on top of things better for himself. As finally determined, he was one credit short of what he needed to graduate. He sure wasn’t planning on hanging around for the next school year to graduate at that late juncture so he opted for a typing class during summer school, how embarrassing. Not seeing the computer age bearing down on him, Kirk didn’t imagine working in an office setting where he needed to type letters or documents. Being a secretary was the furthest thing he could imagine becoming. Though in typing class there was cute Peggy from another school who wore a pageboy type haircut which bizarrely had a ingle pigtail sticking out from her head a skewed angle. Well, she was cute anyway.

So, he attended summer school at another school so that meant taking the bus. NO, NOT MORE BUS RIDES! This is where the cracked windshield comes to his mind. Summer school attendance appeared sort of a loosey goosey affair not to be taken very seriously by the experts on the subject which were those kids who attended summer school every single year. Kirk had never been before, but he caught on pretty quickly. The bus rides ended up being rowdy trips with nothing better to do but to be rowdy especially taking typing because you sure were not going to study touch typing on the bus: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” page after page, are you? So, one of the most fun activities was bombs away until the day in question!

Kirk loved playing bombs away. Seeing he and his bus mates had loads of paper, they’d ball of sheets of paper and timing being of the essence, they’d whip the paper balls out the window when a car went by the other direction. BOMBS AWAY! Big fun! What harm can come to this harmless fun? See what I did there? Anyway, taking turns they’d let paper bombs go at regular intervals with the traffic. The bus driver must have known it was going on, but acted oblivious to the white balls whipping out the back windows that he had to see in his mirrors.

On one sunny day, a paper ball went out hit a car and “harmlessly” bounced off and away into the wind. The kids in the back, Kirk included, were horrified when the car slammed on the brakes, did a U-turn, and speeded after the bus. The kids tried to calm down with tense eyes flicking back and forth. As the car approached rather rapidly, the driver began flashing his lights and blowing his horn. The kids slumped down in their seats. The bus driver eased over on the shoulder to see what was up with this guy. Well, the guy stepped onto the bus in a rage. He said some kid had thrown a rock out the window and broke his windshield. Kirk and crew had to turn to look at the car behind them and sure enough the windshield had decent-sized damage. The guy and the bus driver pounded back to the rowdy section and demanded to know who had thrown a rock. Tight lips all around. Kirk thought they’d all go to jail or at least have to pay for the windshield. The bus driver acknowledged that he saw “something” go out the window at that guy’s car. The third degree continued too long until a practiced liar spoke up.

Addressing the guy with fake politeness, “Sir, yes sir, a wad of paper went out the window. That had to be what hit your car.” He shrugged. “It was only paper.”

The bus driver asked. “Who threw it out the window, then?”

 “It wasn’t on purpose,” the liar said. “We were playing catch with it and the wind took it out�"that’ it.” Kirk couldn’t believe the load of BS.

“Is that true?” The bus driver asked. All the heads bobbed up and down. 

The guy seemed a bit stymied. “But then what, what hit my windshield hard enough to break it?”

One guy, a tough, expert summer school attendee said, “I think you had that broken windshield before that paper ball hit it�"if it actually did. You just want to blame us for something that’s not our fault. “Sure, blame it on the stupid kids their parents will pay up.” Heads bobbed some more. John the bus driver stepped back and appeared to consider the situation for a few moments. Kirk wondered how John would handle the situation.

“Well, sir. I can’t hold these kids up from class. Give me your name and number and I’ll make sure the school authorities get the whole story. If you desire, you can contact the school and submit a formal complaint.” He eyed the guy. “Okay?”

The guy seemed to cool down, maybe rethinking his complaint. “Okay.”

The bus was soon on its way and nothing was ever heard of the incident again.

 

Kirk had a kink in his neck and his fingers and wrists were sliced from the sharp metal under the dashboard. Despite all his training, he wondered if he were meant to do mechanical work. Besides his class elite leadership had voted Kirk “the least likely to succeed.” Maybe it was true and all the hard work and perseverance in sports didn’t equal a hill of beans. Perhaps if one were stupid and untalented, they were destined to fail. On the other hand, maybe if he had attended the advanced auto mechanics course in college instead of the diesel class that he didn’t enjoy he’d be better prepared for the work he tried to accomplish every day and work his way up in skills. Attending that course was a misstep.

As his senior year drew to a close, Kirk turned eighteen. Along with now having a legal beer, he had to register for the military draft. This sent a thrill of terror up Kirk’s back. You see, the Viet Nam war still raged on. Talk lingered about ending the war which President Richard M. Nixon had promised. Not everyone was convinced including Kirk. He could claim exemption as sole surviving son, but Kirk didn’t want to admit that. He thought about college as a way to avoid the draft in an unassuming way, but he didn’t have stellar grades that could warrant his entry in any kind of college�"except one. As graduation drew near and his apprehension grew, he dropped in on the guidance counselor again.

“Is there any possibility for me to attend college in the fall?” Kirk asked meekly. He swallowed with a gulp.

With a deep exhalation, the counselor pulled a thick, dog-eared catalog from atop his desk. He whipped open the book and turned it to a section near the middle. Kirk thought he just flipped it open there to show he tried and immediately give Kirk the bad news.

“What curriculum would you like to study, Kirk?” He asked.

Kirk sat there with his mouth open, but without words to be expelled. He knew what was asked but being put on the spot only brought shrugs to mind with maybe a “I dunno.”

“Well, logically with your automotive background gained at Vo-Tech you’d be a likely candidate for an advanced automotive course. Kirk didn’t even know such a thing existed.

“If you are interested, I can put feelers out to see what is available. I assume you’d like to stay close, maybe within the state?”

“Yeah-yes! I would.”

“You do know this is quite late in the school year for an application in the fall semester, but I’ll check and maybe we can get you in somewhere close by.”

 “Okay. Yeah, I’m really interested in that possibility. Want me to come back later?”

“I’ve got a lot of appointments,” he looked at his door. “I have a young lady who’s been waiting patiently. Come back first thing tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have found something you can slip into this fall.”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot for the information and your help anyway,” Kirk said with his hand out to shake hands with the counselor who had a limp handshake by the way. Kirk thought he didn’t have a shot in hell, and it’ll be the military lottery for him. Would he enlist? The terror hit him again.

First thing the next day, Kirk swung into the office. The counselor seemed pleased if that was possible. He told Kirk that he was sorry though not surprised that the most notable colleges that had automotive programs were already booked up; however, there was openings at a regional college in the southern part of the state. The statement confused Kirk but then perked up with the sound of “an opening,” but the counselor held a finger up. The thing is their automotive course is booked. Kirk now seemed really confused and asked then what could he take then? The counselor spread his hands out saying that if Kirk wanted, he could enroll in the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Course.

Kirk sat there rather dumbfounded seeing he never thought about working on heavy equipment. From his experience with farm equipment mechanics, he recalled them being heavy, muscular sort of grubby, dumb guys. Kirk thought they might fit into the category of “bottom feeders.” Kirk who had a slim almost scrawny physique thought he didn’t fit into that field. He sat there. The counselor told him he needed to apply ASAP if he wanted to attend because of the late time frame. With an uncertain worried body language, Kirk silently nodded.

So that’s how he got to take the college course “Diesel Systems and Heavy Equipment Mechanics” which has already been covered in this story. Meanwhile, Kirk had a couple months of indecision about other pressing things before graduation but going to college at least removed the possibility the U.S. Army wouldn’t be knocking on his door!

To say the least that relieved one factor bothering him, but at the same time it directly meant that he’d have to live away from home which wasn’t a problem, but he would have to leave Dee for what, eight months?  He felt like he couldn’t take the separation or was it that he didn’t trust her on her own?

Anyhow, the remaining couple months slid by in a flash as he anticipated the end of his hometown schooling with a distressing mix of emotions. Kirk and his one buddy prepared for the Troubleshooting Contest that tested their abilities to find a number of problems with a purposely non-running engine. We know how that went don’t we?

With an achy head and sick stomach, Kirk attended his graduation and marched up onto the stage to get his diploma without tripping and falling or dropping his diploma or some other embarrassing thing the guy “least likely to succeed” might accomplish. Dee, Kirk’s little sister and his mother attended the ceremony. Apparently, his father had something better to do on the farm. Afterwards, a relieved but apprehensive Kirk gave Dee an extremely long embrace and a kiss like he really meant it. Interestingly, Dee met up with Lucinda on the school’s front lawn. Kirk didn’t know they were friends and both of them together kind of affected Kirk erotically.

Lucinda was a cute compact young girl with long silky strawberry blonde hair, pudgy cheeks and an attractive round forehead. Years back, Lucinda rode the same bus as Kirk seeing she lived just a few miles away. Kirk thought she was a very desirable female specimen (this was before Dee). She had a very German last name and because he mentioned her (for some unknown reason) to his parents, they suggested he speak some German to her, which he knew nothing beforehand. “I love you” in German would be a place to start thought the young inexperienced Kirk. After a few days, Kirk managed a bit of courage and tried speaking the German phrase to Lucinda on the bus. She looked at him like he was a toxic fungus.

Out there on the lawn during his graduation day, Lucinda apparently still took him as a fungus. She and Dee shared a few secret whispers and giggles which Kirk was SURE made fun of him. High School had happened all right for Kirk, but he dreaded his future now unquestionably assured as a lowly grease monkey. Kirk hadn’t dreamed of being a mechanic in his younger years, but as a child he didn’t dream of being a cop, fireman, or astronaut either. He just didn’t think the day would come when he’d be an adult and have to decide what to become. He had thought perhaps that someone else would decide for him which, more or less, they did.  So, he was soon far from home, attending a course he didn’t care about, separated from his beloved Dee which led to…well that’s been hashed to death. Maybe he would rethink his unhappy life and make a decision for himself�"perhaps some day.

Sitting there in the dealership’s service department breakroom, Kirk looked at his cut, grubby hands that gripped a paper cup of foul coffee.  With the back of his dirty hand, he wiped his wet eyes…