Chapter Text
This was the year when everything would change. It was our first year of college for me and my friends, and we had no idea what we were going to do with our lives.
I had just started a new job, which allowed me to go out on the weekends with my friends, David, Anne, and Ruth, as well as Pat, who was a new addition. During our time at college, we would spend a lot of time together.
In those days, we were always together and it seemed that nothing would be able to separate us. Not one of us ever imagined that the events that would happen between now and the next summer would create such tensions between us that we might never recover from, even to this day.
Unlike most of my friends, I was not from a wealthy family. I had to work every day to pay for college and this took a lot of my time.
I had just started working at our local book store and I was finally in my element.
After doing my homework I would read everything I could get my hands on. I enjoyed staying up at night reading good horror while hiding under my blankets.
Back in those days, I was very awkward with boys and so reading became my first love. Having access to everything, I started reading subjects that I would have never read before and some of the books that I was able to take home and read were very rare and expensive. But the advantage of working in a book store, is that you could borrow books that you would not normally read and this would ultimately make you better at your job.
When it all started, I never thought that I would one day rely on having access to those rare books.
Among my friends, I was closest to Anne. She was very tall for a woman with long blonde hair resembling some Nordic shield maiden.
She had been dating John, a punker from Philly whom liked to wear leather and motorcycle boots. He didn’t ride a bike but liked the style just the same. He was sweet and really adored Anne with an uncanny ability to make her feel so special that she would light up the room.
It was during my second term that I had met Ruth, a mutual friend of Anne’s, whom later introduced me to David.
When I first met David, I thought he was a piece of work. He loved Doctor Who, a syndicated British sci-fi television show that was gaining popularity here in the states. He had a strange affinity for collecting memorabilia and seemed detached from anything meaningful in the real world.
After a while, David started picking me up after work for coffee at the local diner where we began to share strange details about our lives.
David worked at the mall where he too was paying for school. Like me, David’s parents were divorced and this left him to feel unsettled.
Sitting in that diner, we talked for hours, sometimes into the early mornings but he was always a gentleman. He would always make sure I got home and never pressed me for more than the budding friendship that we had. I felt a strong connection with David from the start and we shared everything.
Soon David was inviting me everywhere with him.
One Saturday night I was working restocking shelves and basically keeping myself busy when I received a call from David.
“I know it’s like last minute but are you doing anything after work,” David asked sounding as if he had been talking through a can.
“Where are you calling me from,” I inquired.
“Oh I’m at Ruth’s house. So are you free to go out?”
“I have to work until eleven,” I said feeling disappointed that I was not included.
“No that’s perfect,” he elated. “We are going downtown for the midnight show of Rocky Horror. I want you to come with us.”
In that moment, I almost jumped out of my skin. I was thrilled that David was thinking about me, and had invited me along. As the night grew to an ending, I became more and more excited to see Dave. As the clock on the wall began to creep onto closing time, I became exhilarated.
I finished my work as quickly as I could and grabbed my coat and headed outside. As I stood in the cold night air, I shuffled from one foot to the next to keep warm but right at eleven, I saw the square headlights of David’s car.
I squinted to look to see who was in the car with him as he pulled up to the curb, but could not see anyone.
David jumped out of the car and gave me a hug. It was the longest hug I have ever gotten.
He took my hand and opened the door for me. In the back seat were Anne, Ruth, and Pat.
After exchanging pleasantries we were off. This was the beginning of a routine that would lead us to new and exciting adventures.
Every Saturday, David would be waiting outside of the store and we would drive downtown to the Waverley Theater for the midnight feature. When I hear Science Fiction – Double Feature I knew that I was home. Tim Curry was so sexy, I thought and I wanted to be Susan Sarandon.
Soon I learned the lines and we began dressing up like the characters in the movie.
It was an exciting time for me, for I had never before been a part of something.
We began to spend every day together. If I had to work, David would pick me up after work and if I was free, I would sometimes walk over to David’s or Ruth’s house and then we would all get together.
It seemed like we were always doing something and we became the best of friends.
That was how it all started with David and me. I started finding David waiting for me out side after I was finished working and we would go out to the Farrell’s Restaurant for ice cream. Often he would have Anne and his friend Ruth with him.
At times we would all drive downtown together or just hang out at the mall. It seemed like we were always together and I was having the time of my life and I thought things could not get any better.
I would find out later how terribly wrong I was...