Tim by Studbound 1. Meeting Tim I met Tim when he walked into the dormitory room that we shared for the next two years. Freshmen at the University, we were there to check in and go through orientation. Tim came from out of state – from Minnesota where he lived on a farm some miles north of St. Paul. Average height, plain brown hair, a rather nondescript face, he had a fairly good build – probably from working on the family farm. He was a Republican, conservative, Lutheran, and had hardly ever been away from his family. Timmothy Larson was his full name, but nobody ever called him anything except Tim. Tim was likeable, quiet, and, as it turned out, a good student. He quickly established and then followed a regular daily routine, studied hard, attended all of his classes, and received good grades. In other words, he turned out to be the ideal roommate. We got along well together, and Tim more or less took me on as project, helping me establish my routine, study regularly (something I had not been doing), and he introduced me to classical music which I grew to like. Since I lived only a couple of hours away from the University, I frequently went home on weekends, but Tim had to stay, going home only at Christmas and in the spring. Our first year together was uneventful except for the noteworthy fact that my grades were the best I had ever achieved. Coincidently, both of us majored in Business Administration. Tim had two older brothers who had claimed the farm, so it was necessary for him to find something else. He decided that farming needed a better business head, and that he could help his family by going in that direction. At the end of the first year, Tim and I agreed to room together again the next year. 2. Second Year After summer vacation, both Tim and I returned to the dormitory at the University, and to our old room. We immediately fell into our routines as if there had been no hiatus. My parents were beside themselves with my improved grades, and my father had offered to keep paying my tuition and costs as long as I acted like a real student. Tim was his usual self – quiet, conservative. Once in a while we discussed this and that – even politics. Tim was convinced that Ronald Reagan had been the best President the United States ever had, and that liberals were just a lesser breed of Communist – Godless Communist in his eyes. Tim went to church regularly, dressed in his jacket and tie, carrying his Bible. He often coaxed me to go along, but I declined. I don’t have anything against religion – it’s just not my cup of tea, so to speak. During the second semester of our sophomore year, Tim met Psyche (pronounced sigh-key). He mentioned her a few times before I actually met her – said she was in a class with him and that she was in academic trouble. He had agreed to tutor her, and they met frequently to study. Tim was convinced that she was making progress, and that she was worth the time and effort. Near the end of that semester, I finally met Psyche. It was something of a start to say the least – she was a diminutive person, just over five feet tall, frail looking, and dressed from top to bottom in the Goth style. She had all black clothes, black lipstick, black nails, heavy boots, hair died black with bright tinges of red here and there. She had dark make up under her eyes that gave her a gaunt look, but she had a pleasant smile and what struck me as a rather pronounced sense of humor which was out of step with her otherwise dark continence. As long as I didn’t look at her too much, I found her fun to be around.
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