richard rochester, walter syracuse, and john paul binghamton all lived in a twelve story apartment building on main street in a large city.
richard rochester lived on the tenth floor, walter syracuse lived on the eighth floor, and john paul binghamton lived on the seventh floor. they occasionally saw each in the building’s elevator, but none had ever spoken to any of the others.
one day the three of them happened to be in the elevator together when it got stuck between the fifth and sixth floors.
they did not know if they would ever see the light of day again. to pass the time they began telling their life stories.
richard rochester went first.
i was born in a medium sized city, richard began, the oldest of two children. my parents, lester and romona rochester, both went to work every day, my dad for the government and my mother in the private sector.
although both explained to me on numerous occasions - when i specifically asked them - what they did at their jobs, i was never able to quite understand what they were talking about. i assumed that when i got older i would have such a job myself, and it would all become clear to me. when i was younger both parents went to work in the morning and came home at night, but later my dad began working odd staggered shifts, and my mom began working at home.
meanwhile i went to day care, and then to elementary school, junior high, high school, and to state university, consistently scoring in the fifty-seventh or fifty-eighth percentile in my classes.
my sister rhonda, who was three years younger than myself, usually finished in the eighty-seventh percentile in her classes through high school, and won a scholarship to a small private college, which made my parents beam with pride. however, they did not make a big deal about my relative lack of success, and always treated us both the same.
i made the soccer and lacrosse teams in junior high and high school but did not play much. i went out for the lacrosse team at state, but did not make it. up until the next to last day of tryouts i thought i had a chance.
i met a great bunch of guys at state. we were not actually a fraternity or a secret brotherhood or anything like that, but we got together most nights at a local place just off campus and drank ourselves senseless. my grades began to suffer, and me and a couple of the other guys started going to a a meetings, which i found quite helpful, and still do sometimes. i know some people knock it, but i have nothing but good things to say about a a.
when i graduated i got a job in the training program of the human resources department of a large consulting firm whose name you probably do not recognize. i am now a trainer there myself.
i met a great girl named alexandria, and we are planning to get married next spring, and try to have two kids, a boy and a girl. with alexandria, i am going to religious services for the first time in my life, and i have to say it does not really excite me much, but i am giving it the old college try.
my favorite tv shows are star trek, seinfeld, and friends.
my favorite movies are the godfather, godfather ii, and the magnificent seven. i have watched them all a hundred times.
well, that’s my story, richard rochester concluded.
No comments:
Post a Comment