Tuesday, September 22, 2009

just walk beside me

  "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
 Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow
 Just walk beside me and be my friend."

As the new students settled into their seats, this quote is what they read on the chalk board.
They had signed up for a writing class taught by Professor Keith Hillman, a noted Author and Poet.
Professor  Hillman likes to begin his class with prompts from famous writers.  The first assignment is given before he introduces himself.  The assignment is to write a short story on the featured prompt.  Take it anywhere you want, he lectures, but have it ready by next class".   Then he promptly walks out without another word.

In this class were two special students, winners of an essay contests for a free tuition into the class.  They were both in their mid twenties and had been writing since they had learned the art of letters.  However that is all they did was write.....and eat.  They were very heavy.  Actually they were obese.  John weight 375 and Julie weighed just on the wee side of 400.  Neither had ever had a date.  In fact they had never talked to the opposite sex in a dating way.  They both searched for obscurity in the back of the room.  

After Hillman left, the other student  wrote down the quote and went their prospective ways.  John and Julie didn't leave.  They both began to write.  They wrote for an hour before they noticed each other.  John sneezed and Julie said "Bless you".  They looked at each other and turned beet red and then each smiled at the other.  It was instant love.  Two heavily obese people seeing nothing love.  They shared stories, discussed the quote and decided  to make a life long pact to always walk side by side through life.  They both vowed they would not be the one to break the pact.
 

They decided to go for coffee.  But, as they walked hand in hand to the door, they realized they could not walk side by side through the door.   Neither will break the pact.  They are stuck in that room until they lose weight.  Professor Hillman brings them a dinner salad every evening.  You do not want to hear about the bathing and  toilet arrangements.


posted for "Carry on Tuesday"

 

18 comments:

anthonynorth said...

Well that was certainly different - and funny :-)
Nicely done.

George S Batty said...

thanks Anthony....A visit from you is always a treat.

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Excellent, I just love the true life story?
At one time in my life I though I too would teach.
Not Lit. because I can't spell worth a hill of beans. I wanted to combine my poetry and my art work. Some how life got in the way. All I can say is I have three wonderful sons.

love-Melanie-bhd

George S Batty said...

Beloved - thanks for dropping in. Always appreciated when someone "reads" what I write

floreta said...

hahaha taking it literally in the end made it a bit humourous :) but, overall very sweet!

George S Batty said...

thanks floreta, I appreciate your taking a minute away from your tattoo. we are going to get to see it, right?

2cats said...

Hand in hand true love must go. Very sweet. I wish I could be stuck in a room to lose weight.
Thanks for sharing.

totomai said...

absolutely lovely.

i stumbled that quote too, which is so very true :-)

George S Batty said...

2cats - thanks, maybe I have come up with a weight loss program that will work us or maybe for bloggers we would get to post every time we lose a pound. We could connect a scale to the computer.

George S Batty said...

totomai - thanks

gautami tripathy said...

It is different and very enjoyable too.

dad, will you walk one more time with me?

Dee Martin said...

Great one but I think they would want to get out of that room a little quicker than the daily dinner salad would move them - I say bring them twin treadmills too so they can walk off hand in hand into the sunset!! Love it :)

Heliotropism said...

A sad story with some positives. I like it! I also agree with Dee! LOL.

George S Batty said...

gautami....yes it was different but then so am I

George S Batty said...

Dee ..the tread mills are a great idea, but Professor Hillman claims his salary is to small to afford the treadmills

George S Batty said...

Heliotrope...love is where you find it or where it finds you and sometimes you become a prisoner of that love. No matter how it began it can become nasty and ugly. that is the moral I hoped to achieve with this story.

Tumblewords: said...

Oh, so very unusual and funny, too.

George S Batty said...

Tumblewords - thank you I m always excited when I see that you have dropped in