Last Leaf on the Oak Tree
COPYRIGHT 2016
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, whether living or dead, is entirely coincidental and the author and publisher have not used any likeness to anyone in this novel.
Copyright © 2016 Adrianna Cohen
SUMMARY OF THIS BOOK
Paulette is a U of M college student in her first semester at a large university in a big city, miles from home. She hails from a small river town and has culture shock adjusting to the life on a college campus one hundred times bigger than her hometown.
PJ is new at the U of M campus. He, too, is from a small town, the Choctaw Indian Reservation in Mississippi. His adjustment is just as big, but he seems to be coping better.
Paulette has a secret that she is trying to overcome. When she meets PJ, she doesn't discuss her secret or its ramifications. PJ is also hiding a secret.
The secret is out when PJ and Paulette converge at the same place at the same time. Will they be able to continue their relationship even though they both have hidden secrets? Will they share their secrets and grow closer? Or will this semester be like one of many; just another place to meet another failed relationship?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
QUOTE
“We are all a little weird, and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
- Dr. Seuss.
DEDICATION
“To the one that exists in my life and dreams.”
CHAPTER ONE
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Paulette went skidding into the very large classroom just as the bell rang overhead. Professor Kincaid reached for the door behind her and pulled it closed, remarking, "When the bell rings, the class begins. I close the door, and no one shall enter after the class has started. Is this understood?" he remarked to the class but was very clearly looking at Paulette when he made the announcement.
Paulette was mortified in embarrassment for being singled out from the rest of the students on her first day of college. As tears welled in her eyes, she nodded at Dr. Kincaid and frantically looked around for a chair in the overcrowded classroom. This classroom was equipped with chairs that had a desktop attached, and they were aligned in straight rows of 20 across and 50 back, on risers. The only chair available was on the front row, right in front of the lectionary. Paulette groaned to herself. Not only was she personally humiliated in front of her peers, she now had to look at her torturer's face for the next three hours.
Paulette pulled her blonde hair back from where it had drifted out of her bun and onto her shoulders. She was sure she looked silly with half her silky blonde hair down her back, and the other half up in a fashionable topknot. No matter how much hairspray and gel she used, the Memphis heat and humidity were guaranteed to melt the stiffest collegiate style.
Paulette was a classic beauty, the untouchable kind that was an artist's dream for a model. She possessed a long neck, fine, delicate features with sculptured cheekbones, and a dimple in each of her cheeks when she smiled. She sported a wide, expressive mouth with even, white teeth. Unaware of her striking beauty, Paulette was very shy and kept to herself. Others saw her as aloof, but instead she was insecure and unassuming.
This morning had been a culture shock for Paulette. She had risen at her usual early hour of six; On Monday it was a chaotic mess of disrobed girls running to the showers, people calling to each other, and a bathroom mirror that had not one extra inch of space for a small town girl anxious about her first day of class. Paulette dressed as quickly as she could in a short denim skirt, a blue striped top that brought out her unique turquoise eye color, and a pair of turquoise leggings patterned in a Native American print. She had purchased the leggings while visiting the Choctaw reservation in Mississippi, where she was working on a Volunteers in Mission trip with her local church in Arkansas. She liked the way the outfit emphasized her bright colored eyes. She didn't even notice her long legs were enhanced, also.
The zoo and crowd in the bathroom were nothing compared to the teeming crowds of the U of M campus trying to make the first 8:00 class of the Fall Semester. The walkways were overcrowded with the largest incoming freshmen class in ten years attending. Paulette had run, skipped and hopped from place to place trying to avoid being run over and to reach her class on time. She had failed miserably on the punctuality part but did manage to arrive at class intact and in one piece.
Paulette looked around the classroom as best she could without drawing the attention of Dr. Kincaid. She had heard that Psych 1010 was a very large class, but she had no idea it would be in an auditorium with over 1500 students. She was grateful for her front row seat so that she could hear the lecture but it required craning her neck to watch the accompanying PowerPoint demonstration on the screen. The pictures were a little blurry from her awkward viewpoint, but she had read the chapter assignments beforehand on Sunday and was familiar with the material.
Her next class was English 3010, but it was only two hours long. She was grateful because breakfast in the cafeteria had left something to be desired. There was plenty enough food, but the lines were so long she grabbed a Twinkie and a coke and was still almost late for class. Her English class was on the other side of the U of M sprawling campus, and she would literally have to run to get there. Good thing she was wearing her hiking boots.
Paulie (her nickname) snuck a quick glance at her seatmate across the aisle. She sucked in her breath. Wow! The boy sitting next to her was gorgeous! He had long black hair braided Indian style, dark skin, and was built very well. He looked at her, and she blushed. He flashed a quick smile, and she smiled back.
Paulie was so engaged by his smile she almost missed the dismissal bell as it buzzed in the classroom. Dr. Kincaid had lectured all the way to the end of class, so she was very happy that the syllabus had included all the homework assignments. Now to hoof it to the English building, a whole city block away. Paulie turned to pick up her books and stuff her backpack, noting that most students only brought a composition book or laptop and not a lot of other stuff to hinder their mobility.
The guy with the killer looks glanced quickly at Paulie and noted she was dumping stuff into a backpack. Too late to chat with her and get her number, he thought to himself. He shrugged and jogged down the hallway to the side exit, unlocked his moped, hopped on board and zoomed to his next class, English. He arrived with time to spare and took the first seat on the front row. He noted that the seat behind him was unoccupied. He shrugged to himself, noticing he was the only obvious Native American in the class of thirty or so.
CHAPTER TWO
The bell was ringing again as an out of breath Paulie sprinted into English class. Oh no! All the seats were taken except the front row, Again! Paulie slumped down in the chair and pulled out the English book. Professor Sartain closed the door and pointedly remarked,
"Class will begin on time and end on time. This Class is English 3010, the plays of William Shakespeare. Although we will not study every play of Shakespeare, we will cover 14 of them. Turn in your assignments on my desk when you leave. Make sure your name is at the top, with your student number. After today, I expect every assignment to be typed with a header. The header will have your name and number on it in the upper right corner. The graded assignments will be on that file box by the door, in alphabetical order for you to remove as you leave the next class."
Paulie was grateful she had typed her homework and had placed her name and number at the top already. She was lucky as she heard others murmuring they had not even read the syllabus or bought their books.
Professor Sartain spoke again, "If your name's not on your homework I will not grade it. I do not accept late papers unless you have a verified hospitalization or death in your family. If you do not turn in your homework, you will receive a zero. Five zeros and you have failed my course."
Paulie noticed that Beautiful Man was sitting next to her again. Maybe after class, they could get acquainted. Paulie pulled her hair to the side because now it was completely out of the carefully sprayed bun she started with this morning. What a doofus she was!
Beautiful Man noticed Paulie the minute she ran back into his class. She was a knockout! He couldn't help but gaze at her svelte figure with the cute short miniskirt and long legs in the bright turquoise tights. He carefully examined the tights again while pretending to gather his English book. Those were Choctaw designed tights. He recognized them from the designs he was making in the art consortium for his tribe. He was part of a group of tribal members designing clothing for sale on the reservation. He KNEW those tights very well. He also knew at present the reservation was the only place they could be purchased, for they had not found an outlet for the native inspired clothing line. He wondered if the blonde had gone to reservation for the casino. He hoped she wasn't a gambler. His tribe had the casino, but that was all due to the Federal Government interference. He knew too well the sickness of a gambling addiction.
The English class was finally over, and Beautiful Man ran for his moped, this time, to make it to swim class. It was too bad he didn't have time for an early lunch, and maybe even a sort of date, but he had one more class today and one meeting tonight. Then he could relax and think about how to meet up with the beautiful cool Blondie.
Paulie immediately noticed the disappearance of Beautiful Man after class. She sighed in disappointment. Just her luck, when she finally found someone that caught her eye, he disappeared like a jackrabbit. So far all the guys she had met were unappealing. They seemed like either airheads or party animals. None of them had the athletic, good looks of Beautiful Man.
Paulie trudged across the U of M campus and waited in the long line at the school cafeteria. She was determined to eat more than a Twinkie this time. She looked around while she tapped her foot, looking over the hot foods available today for lunch. Chilidogs looked good. The salad was good. She could choose from the ones premade, or she had a salad bar to make her own. Paulie selected a premade chef salad and a chilidog and coke, and then headed over to one of the round tables that looked cozy. It was full of students, but she didn't know any of them. It was time to plunge into the social connections.
Paulie spoke to the group as if they were one and said, "Hi."
One boy in glasses on the other side of the table said, "Hey." That was it.
Paulie continued to eat her dinner in silence, thinking, "so much for friends at college and social connections."
A dark haired girl dressed in the latest collegiate gear spoke up. "I'm Taylor. I think we're in the same dorm and English together." Taylor pulled her ponytail tighter into her bright blue scrunchy. "This morning was crazy in the dorms."
Paulie answered Taylor, "I'm in Richardson, Floor 3, and I have Professor Sartain for English. And yes, the dorm was nuts with everyone trying to get ready at the same time in the same tight space."
Taylor nodded. "Yes, we are in the same places. Dorm zoo and all. Maybe we can study together sometime."
Paulie smiled widely at Taylor, "I'd love that."
Paulie spoke to the table at large, "Does anyone know where the Wesley Foundation is located? This campus is so large that even with a map I'm lost. I know it's on the West side of the campus, but that is a big space."
Taylor replied, "The Wesley Foundation is on the same street as our dorm, across from the library. It is just this side of the library but on the opposite side of the road. There is a shuttle you can pick up on Patterson and Central near the front of the dorm that will drop you at the library or at Wesley."
Paulie flashed her wicked smile again, "Thanks so much. I have been running back and forth across this campus this morning. Thank goodness I don't have any afternoon classes except swimming, and that is later, after lunch. I picked a PE class I thought I would enjoy. I'm going to pick something different each semester, I think, just to learn new things."
Taylor answered, "I like swimming because we have an outdoor Olympic-sized pool for the class, but if it's raining we also have an indoor pool. I like the exercise every day."
Paulie frowned. "I thought we only met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?"
Taylor said, "You are right, but I go every day at 4. That's my class time, and I just make it a habit so I won't get too stiff. I also want to avoid the Freshman Fifteen."
Paulie smiled, "That's my class, too. I think I may join you. I don't want the Fifteen Flu either."
Taylor picked up her dinner tray. "I'll see you in swimming, then." She walked to the bussing area and placed her tray. Then she turned and waved and headed out to the sidewalk.
Paulie finished her salad. She learned the boy with glasses was Toby, and he was one of the thousands in her Psych class. Paulie left the cafeteria and headed back to the dorm room, ready for a quick nap before swim class.
Paulie set her alarm for 3 pm and settled down for her nap. She said a quick prayer for patience and turned over and drifted off to sleep.
Beautiful Man left his swim class and rode his moped to his afternoon job at Garibaldi's Pizza. Mike Garibaldi respected hard workers and always employed students first. Mike remembered his hungry days at U of M and tried to treat the students well. The first thing his employees did when they arrived at the job was a clock in and have a meal on him. They had their choice of any one item on the menu or the hot food bar that had spaghetti, pizza, salad and southern soul food. Today Beautiful Man went for the hot food bar as the hour long swim class made him famished.
He was the delivery driver today until 7 pm. Then he had a meeting to attend. This gave him a hot meal and a six-hour shift. The money came in handy, and the meal was almost the best part. Sometimes he got tips, too. Every penny made a difference, even though he had a scholarship on his grades. He would be out of his meeting at 9:00, and then it was time to study. His Tuesday and Thursday schedule were much easier, with a 9:30 Biology class and 11:00, Art 1010. This gave him 15 hours for this semester, including his hands on Biology lab on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6.
He caught a glimpse of the bombshell Blondie as he was cruising down Zach Curlin drive on a delivery. He would know those turquoise tights anywhere. She was walking into Richardson Towers. He liked that because he lived there too. The girls were on the odd numbered floors, and the boys were on the even floors. That was quite different from the segregated living he expected, but he could see its advantages better now that she also lived there.
CHAPTER THREE
Paulie awoke from her nap and donned her bathing suit under a short red dress cut in a classic princess style. The dress was made of cotton and neatly ironed. This dress would be fine after swimming if she was still a little wet, and she could show up at Wesley wearing something different tonight, in case she saw anyone she had shared classes with today. She brought her backpack with her minicomputer, a change of undies, a red hair scrunchie, and a few things
for showering to prepare for her meeting tonight. She had ten dollars stashed so she could grab something to eat, too. She saw a Subway on the corner of campus and thought a steak and cheese sandwich with lots of veggies sounded tasty.
Paulie made it over to the Wesley Foundation with plenty of time to spare. She looked very neatly put together in her red princess dress, red roman sandals, and red wrapped ponytail. She walked into the spacious common room and sighed with relief. She was finally in familiar surroundings where she could be herself with other like-minded people. She wandered around the room, reading the signs on the walls. First Things First. Let Go and Let God. She smiled her first relaxed smile in three days.
Paulie started making fresh coffee. Then she took the stacked chairs from over in the corner and started placing them around the table. She found the sugar and creamer and started filling the bowls and putting out disposable cups. She placed napkins by the cups, and a few coffee stirrers up and down the table. She finished by making sure the garbage had a clean liner and placing the trash can where it was easily located.
A dark-haired, clean-cut man wearing a black shirt, khaki pants, and a white clergy collar stepped into the room. "Hi," he said. "I'm Richard."
"Hi," Paulie grinned at him. "I'm Paulie."
"Are you a student at the college?" asked Richard.
"Yes, a freshman," replied Paulie. "Just getting my feet wet."
Richard smiled briefly. "I thought you were new. You'll find plenty of good folks here. We also have a Wednesday night fellowship for students with a hot meal and a Bible study. We meet at six if you'd like to join us."
"That would be great!" replied Paulie. "You don't have a Sunday service?"
"Yes, I was just getting to that. We meet Sunday at 10."
"This is just what I was praying for," said Paulie. "A home group and a home church. College is a little overwhelming, and I don't trust my judgment after the mistakes I made in high school."
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