Before the Glitter: 1971

Acceptance

At 11:32 on Saturday, my phone rang. "Hello?" I answered only to realize I didn't recognize the voice on the other end. "Who is this?" I asked. "Oh, hello Roger. How are you?" I asked, utterly shocked that this guy actually called me. I had already written the guy I met outside the bar off into my 'I'll never see him again' pile. What further shocked me is that here I was on the phone with him and he was asking me to meet him at one of the nearby café's in the city. I didn't exactly know what to say. Was he aware that I didn't date? Because that was certainly what he was insinuating. "Meet me at Tony's for a drink. I'm buyin'" he told me with confidence. I had just met this guy! "I'm buyin'!?" I didn't....no....just...no! I always paid my way.  In the midst of my mental 'who do you think you are rant' I did what anyone else would do in this situation. I was intrigued and so I responded with "Um....yeah, okay. What time?" I nearly choked when he said 'around noon'. My god! It was nearly noon already. Did he have no damn clue that I would spend at least forty-five minutes ensuring I was completely put together before leaving my flat!?

"Alright...yeah. Okay. I'll see you then." I said, hanging up the phone before he could say another word. God...now I had to scour my closet in far less time than I typically did.

In another household, a very different kind of Saturday afternoon was taking shape. "Your studies come first, Brian. You're so close to finishing and look! This letter came for you today." Brian's father said, sitting across from his son and handing a letter over that had been opened. He stirred his tea and eyed his son as Brian stared back at him, unfolding the letter. Brian hadn't touched his tea as the steam continued to rise from it.  Brian read over the letter with wide eyes. He found himself smiling beyond his control. "See! Ya' see there?" his father said with an equally enormous grin as he reached for his son's hand.

"I...I go-...I got in. I...I can't believe I got in." Brian was ecstatic as he examined his acceptance letter for the Doctoral Program of Astrophysics. "And they're offering you a full time mathematics teaching position, Brian! I hope you don't mind I read the correspondence. It's just...your mother and I were so very excited when it came in the mail. We phoned your aunt Sue. We couldn't keep it to ourselves." His father beamed. Brian glanced between his father and the letterhead:

Dear Mr. May, It is with great pleasure that I, Floyd Jennings Ph.D Department Chair of the College of Sciences, announce your acceptance....

His father continued to talk about what an honor and what an exciting moment this was in Brian's life. He was right, this was monumental that Brian had not only gotten into his doctoral program of choice, but also offered a full time position at the college teacher undergraduate math. Brian placed the letter on the table, and picked up his tea, not taking his eyes from the letter.

"Now, your mother and I have already decided to help you find a better place to live closer to the college. We both realize that if you're working there full time once you enter that you'll need to be more accessible to it." He said.

"You...you know...we...we had a great show last night. There was a good turn out. Freddie sounded..." Brian stopped talking, realizing this was not at all what his father wanted to hear in this moment. All Brian knew to do was change the subject from his acceptance letter entirely. His father's face sunk as he snatched the letter away from the table.

"This is your future, son! Look at this! Huh!? People dream of getting accepted into Doctoral programs! LOOK. AT. THIS!" His father said, emphatically; leaning across the table and nearly spilling his tea as he thrust his finger at the opening line of the letter.  "I don't care if you have a thousand people at your little show! That's your hobby and it's great to have a hobby. This is your future!" his father lectured him. Brian shook his head. He knew that his father was right to a certain degree.