Date Night....

Date Night….

About a week later and a week before finals I had decided I was not going home before finals as I had been told if it snows and you do not make it back for finals, too bad, so sad, see you again next semester. I was again in search of some fun in Chadron. I was babysitting my baby cousin Sawyer Friday night and decided we needed to cook something up for the rest of the weekend. I had done the house parties, fun and all but the last one I had gone to the police showed up at and I just really don’t like police run-ins. Plus I had done my share of partying in high school and didn’t care to get drunk off my ass as much anymore. I called Sheri to see what she was doing and asked if she knew that Wayne guy’s number and if we should ask him to do something with us. The previously mentioned stink eye giving girl must have been gone as she was Sheri’s friend and Sheri didn’t seem to think there would be a problem calling him up. She did a 3 way call and we decided on bowling for some reason….again, Chadron in 2003 didn’t have many options, (it was pre “Hide-a-Minor” bar.)

The next night we were all accumulating in room two-whatever and turned out Wayne Guy was a Mathlete and was helping one of the girls with their math. Ugggg. “So what’s your major, math or something?” I asked, thinking what a nerd.

“Well, I was a Chemical Engineer major at my last 2 colleges, but now I am going for Math teacher,” was his response.

Of course he was going to be a teacher, was there anything besides teachers and Ag Management at CSC? He didn’t wear cowboy cut Wranglers so that put him in the teacher category. But Chemical Engineer, whatever that meant, sounded important and definitely nerdy. Normally nerds and SoCo don’t go together but had I found 2 in a row? Hmmmmm.

Well, whatever, I thought, lets just go do something before I transfer to UNL! ….Okay, that might be a little extreme, I LOVE my mountains and cowboys too much to turn back now, but there has got to be more to do around here. I am about to resort to cow tipping and hay bail jumping.

Finally we piled in this tiny little beat up Mazda pick-up that resembled a tin can, and sounded like you were inside of one too. Sheri hopped in the middle and I sat on the freezing passenger side. Driving to the bowling alley she flirted aimlessly with him. Nice. My idea, my choice, your help, you snatching. Really not worried, just amused, again. So I let my mind wonder…there was that guy from speech that was incredibly hot who had came by my dorm a while back, then there was the one from Crawford who was a heck of a lot of fun and reminded me of an old Kearney friend. If tonight sucks, I will look one of them up before break.

What the hell?!?! The bowling alley is closed, and SERIOUSLY did I just hear “let’s go to Wal-Mart?” Uggggg. “Yeah Sheri, maybe you could buy Kate and Leopold, I think Wayne wanted to see the rest of it.” I said frustrated.

Wayne, “That’s all right…”

My mind started to wonder again. There was that guy Dorr that pole-vaulted, I bought Photoshop from him, more because I liked him and didn’t want to actually download it myself, nor did I know how to do it without getting busted. He was fun to play Jenga with that night. And then there was Jeff, Lexi was such a bisnatch to him, but I think he was dating Julie now and they are totally perfect for each other. Nawww, time to paruse the cowboys.

We pulled up to Wal-Mart and started across the parking lot. My boredom took over and my goofy crazy kicked in. I was putting on goofy clothes and sitting on video rockers on the shelves and bouncing balls down the isles. The others quit scolding and joined in. Of course I had my camera with as always and we began to take a couple of pics. I think Sheri did buy another movie of some sort and we headed back to the truck.

“There is a bike horn on your truck?” I asked.

“Yeah, in South Dakota the law states you have to have a working horn, but it doesn’t say what kind,” says Wayne Guy.

Interesting nerdy smart-ass who drinks SoCo.

This time I jumped in the middle, pissed Sheri off! What can I say; he is kinda fun and intriguing.

That set the tone for the rest of the night back at room two-something. I dialed an old friend who I’d introduced Sheri to and they talked for hours while Wayne guy and I talked and gave each other one of the 3 backrubs of our relationship and ate some Ramen noodles and chatted for hours.

We all passed out in room two-something that night. I was first and only up and out the door to class the next morning. I thought for sure the girls would be up and he would be gone when I got back an hour later, but they weren’t and he wasn’t and we made plans for later that night!

Every night that week we spent together and I even spent a few days extra in Chadron until I got to missing my babies I nannyed for the previous 2 years back home and cancelled a trip to his home town (and Evans Plunge) and drove on home hoping that it would not end things that were turning out great between us…