6 comments/ 13602 views/ 20 favorites Pinball Wizardess By: DrTool "Card, please. Welcome back, Frank." "Mike, you know me by name", said Frank. "You know I don't drink, I'm here for your arcade games. Why do I have to show my ID?" The bouncer looked at him. "I get paid to make everybody show an ID. You too. You didn't lose your ID again, did you?" Frank sighed. "New year, new ID." He produced his new student ID. He was a senior now. Mike had let him in since he was a sophomore, on his brother's old ID. Mike didn't worry nearly as much about the validity of the ID for people who didn't cause trouble. Right behind him a pretty lady was waiting, or he would have razzed his favorite bouncer more. He stood aside, to let her by. "ID, please. Welcome to 'The Toolkit'." Frank glanced at her. She had a dark hair, a page boy haircut, a pert little nose, a flowery top that would have passed for a miniskirt without the blue jeans underneath, and she had an incredibly pretty frown as she dug through her purse. Frank had never seen a pretty frown, before. She handed over a card. "Driver's license OK?" The bouncer squinted at it. "You with the college?" She nodded. "New this year." "Next time, bring your college ID, please. Out of state licenses are too easy to forge." There was that frown again, coupled with a sigh. Frank liked the way her body moved when she sighed. "That's a valid ID. I'm over 21. Besides, I'm not here to drink; I just came to see if you have any pinball machines." "Welcome, Kelly," Mike said, after a final glance at her license, "my buddy Frank here will show you to our arcade room. Don't spend your whole allowance." Well, Mike, I owe you one, Frank thought. "Well, Kelly, is it? They've got two actual pinball machines left in these modern times, and several other games. Come on, I'll show you the ropes." She stayed by his side as he went straight to the arcade room. Her profile looked fairly nice. "So, new at the college this year?" Frank hated asking people what there major was, or which sorority they pledged. She must be either a transfer or a non-traditional student; either way, not your typical incoming student. She looked young, but carried herself with a certainty that in his mind went with maturity. "Yep, I just came from ISU. They decided they wanted me here, and I wanted a small town. Preferably with pinball machines." Her smile was much prettier than her frown. Kelly was used to being carded at bars. Some people still mistook her for a teenager. She supposed some day she would like how much younger she looked than she was, but it was irritating. She hoped too many people didn't mistake her for a student. Surely she looked older than a freshman, at least. She had a PhD from ISU, and she still looked young enough to be carded. "So", she asked, "are you with the college? What area?" "I do philosophy." She frowned the pretty frown again. "I'm surprised I didn't run into you before. I'm philosophy too." He shrugged. "You're new. I guess you didn't meet everybody on your visit." Then he quickly added, "But I'm really glad to meet you now." They entered the arcade room. "Why am I not surprised," she said. The pinball machines were decorated with images of scantily clad buxom women. "So sexist." "Hey, I don't make the machines. Sorry." "I know, most pinball players are guys, yada yada yada, but why is it always so sexist?" "Well, Kelly," he liked how her name sounded, "You're right about it mostly being guys in here. And you know how marketing works. Both men and women are more likely to use a product that is associated with a pretty woman. But I must admit..." he hesitated. "What?" "Well, this is the first time in my experience that the person playing the machine is prettier than the images ON the machine. Not meaning to be sexist." He paused, hoping he hadn't just put his foot in it. She blushed. He hoped that was a good sign. "Do you say that to all the women who play pinball with you?" she asked. "Well, technically, yes," he admitted, "because you are actually the only woman I've even seen in this room. It really is usually a guy thing here." Then he blurted out "but I'm glad to have you here. Really." She had not wasted any time, and was racking up the points while they were talking. His score was suffering, because he kept sneaking peeks at her profile. Maybe she wasn't centerfold material, but she had a bouncy perkiness that he really liked. "Hey," she said, "I was supposed to get an extra game. What gives?" "Didn't you say you came from ISU?" "Yeah, ISU in Bloomington, Illinois. Why?" "Oh. Here, when we say ISU, we mean Indiana State University. Bloomington is Illinois State University. I grew up near Peoria, but I got corrected when I first came." "So, what's the big deal?" "This is Indiana. The Indiana anti-gambling laws prevent pinball machines from giving extra games." She looked at him. "You're joking. I'm going to need more quarters than I thought." He held his palm up, as if being sworn in court. "You came to the wrong state." He slid a quarter over to her. "I'll spot you a game or two, as a welcome to Indiana." He looked at her. "Your company is worth a lot more to me than a quarter." She laughed. "You smooth talker, you. But the only thing you get for your quarter is to watch me play it. Are we clear on that?" "Sure. It's worth it, to watch a pro." She really was good. If not for that silly law, she might have been able to play all night on one quarter. She was totally into the game, bouncing from side to side, cheering, cursing, and having a grand old time. Too soon they were both out of quarters. She was breathing heavily, beaming, her face was glowing. For her, pinball was good exercise. "So, Kelly," he said, tentatively, "I'm out of quarters, but I think I've got enough bills for two ice cream cones on the way back to campus. Celebrate the new semester?" I really should get to bed early, Frank thought, but I want a chance to get her phone number. She's a live one. Kelly hesitated. He seemed so nice, and she needed to make friends among her coworkers, but tomorrow was the first day of class, and she wasn't ready yet. "I'd love to, Frank, but I really can't. Rain check?" He was a little disappointed, but tried not to show it. "Did you drive here or walk?" "I walked. Why?" "So did I. Can I walk you back to your place, then? We might as well walk together." She gave him a long look, and then smiled. "Yes, I'd like the company. Thank you." They started walking. Frank was trying to nerve himself up to hold her hand on the walk back to campus, when she stubbed her toe on a bad spot on the sidewalk. He had just taken a long step over the spot, and heard the crack of shoe on sidewalk. He turned, and just managed to catch her. He pulled her upright, which incidentally pulled them very close together. "Are you OK?" he whispered into her ear. "Yes, thank you," she whispered. She didn't pull away. "I've never had a beautiful woman fall for me like that before." She turned her head to look into his eyes. "You are pretty strong. That would have been a bad fall. Thank you." "I've never thought of myself as pretty strong, but I already think of you as pretty." Couldn't he come up with a better line than that? "I was already glad I met you tonight," she answered, "even before you caught me." She nodded. "Nice catch." He nodded too. "I thought so. And I'm sure anyone who met you would agree." He enjoyed watching her blush, as she caught his second meaning. "And I'd like to see you again" he said. "Are you going to be on campus this weekend?" "Yeah, but I'll have a lot to do. But...maybe some pinball and icecream? Saturday?" "Give me your phone number, and I'll call you to find out what time you'll be ready." Her eyes widened. "I... don't have my new phone number memorized, yet." His face fell. Was that truth, or brush off? "Give me YOUR number," she said. "I'll call YOU. OK?" "Oh, very much OK," he said. His arms were still around her. Her face was close. He took the chance, and leaned over, and gave her a gentle kiss. She smiled at him. "I really have to get back home," she said. "But I really look forward to seeing you this weekend." It turned out she lived in a little house, on the edge of the park near campus. She let him in, just long enough to write his phone number down. "See you Saturday. I'll call." And she gave him a sweet little kiss, just before she shooed him out. The next day, Frank arrived extra early for his first class. It was Ethics, required of all majors. He was hoping the new student, Kelly, was in at least one of his classes. As philosophy majors, there was a chance. If she hadn't had Ethics yet, she'd probably be here. Most took it as freshmen; he was probably the only senior. Kelly liked to be early to class, but she had to copy the syllabi for the students, so she didn't have as much lead time as she wanted. She would have looked up Frank in the department directory if she had had time. She hoped she could catch Frank in the faculty lounge later. She kind of wanted to see him again. She walked into the classroom in good time, put the roster on the podium, and looked out at the gathering class. There was Frank, sitting in one of the student desks. She peeked at the class roster. Pierce, Frank, was right there, plain as day. She looked up, and tried to smile. She was sure it looked weak. Frank was watching everyone come in, and yes, there was Kelly! But she walked over to the podium. He looked down at his schedule again. Ethics: Marshall, K. He looked up, and caught her eye. He tried to smile, but he was pretty sure he looked sick. She actually gave a very good first lecture. She hit the highlights of the various ethical theories that would be covered, and reviewed practical situations in which ethics played a central role. She started almost stuttering when she mentioned legal situations that would be reviewed in class, and then he saw it coming. She stared at the girl in the front row, deliberately not looking at him, as she said, "and, of course, there are situations of sexual harassment, and why employers need to be careful how they treat employees, and professors need to keep their hands off of their students. So, I expect by the time we finish discussing legal aspects of ethics, the semester will be over, and we will have a fun and exciting final exam, to tie it all together. Any questions?" "I'm sure we can't discuss this today," Frank said, "but can we discuss how to deal with legal protections that accidentally prevent something that would be perfectly moral?" "What do you mean?" "Well, say you have a supervisor in a company, and an employee she supervises." 'Kelly, are you thinking about professor and student right now' he thought. 'I certainly am.' "If both want... more social contact outside of work, and neither wants to abuse the professional relationship, would that be morally OK? Could it be legal? How can you know when it's OK to make an exception to a very good general policy?' Now she looked at him, with a sad look. "You're right, that's too complex to get into today. But yes, I think we should discuss that later, in office hours, if necessary." He nodded. "Class dismissed." After she finished her last class of the day, she returned to her office. Frank was waiting. "Professor Marshall," he said, formally, "may I make an appointment to discuss something in office hours? There is no real rush, honestly, but there is an... ethical situation I would like to discuss with you... ideally before Saturday." She opened her office. "As it happens, I have a few minutes right now." He followed her in, pushing the door mostly closed, but leaving just enough gap so that the door could not be said to be closed. "Please, Frank, sit down." "Professor, first I want to say, I suppose I should offer you an apology. I just assumed that you were a transfer student. It never occurred to me that you were the new philosophy professor. But..." "Go on?" she prompted. "But I can't say I'm sorry about what happened last night. I, as a human being, met another human being, who I found interesting. And I found her very attractive. And I enjoyed very much the little time we spent together. And I was looking forward to having more time to get to know her, starting Saturday." "And now, I'm worried that because of some laws and policies, that are very good for people in general, I'm not going to have the chance to develop a relationship with such a wonderfully, intriguing person, simply because she is in a position of authority over me. Quite an ethical dilemma, isn't it?" "I know I'm an 'A' student. I'm perfectly OK with being graded by the same standards as everybody else. I'm sure I'll do fine. I'd drop the class, but I'm a senior, and I need it for graduation. But please. Please give me a chance to get to know you... off campus. Please don't lock me out just because I'm a student. Please let me at least be your friend." "Frank, I feel bad. This is my first semester here. I don't have tenure. The Dean doesn't even need to give a reason to not hire me back for next year. I can't risk it. Even tenured people here lose their jobs if they... develop a relationship with one of their students. Tenured philosophy positions of any kind are few and far between; this is my best shot at a job this good. I admit, I feel attracted to you, and that's why I can't. I just can't. I'm sorry." She looked closer; there were tears in his eyes. "Is it against College policy to give upset students a hug?" he asked. She came over to him, and pulled him close. He hugged her fiercely back. "Just so you know," he said, "every Saturday night, all semester, I intend to be at the arcade room at 8. There is no reason you have to avoid doing an activity you enjoy, just because one of your students might be present, is there?" "I guess not," she said. "It's a small town, and a small College." "So, I may or may not run into you, but I'll see you for sure in class. You're already my favorite professor, after one lecture." She gently reached up and wiped tears from his cheek. "I'm not allowed to have favorite students. But, I'm glad we met last night, first, even given how awkward that made it, today. I do love to play pinball; I'll probably run into you at the arcade, now and then. You'll be there Saturday at 8?" He nodded; not trusting himself to say anything else, he left. Mike nodded at Kelly as she produced her ID. "Welcome back. Frank's in the arcade area, but if you elbow him, he'll let you play your favorite machine." "Thanks," she said. "There's more than one machine, I'm sure we can share." "He's pretty good at sharing," Mike agreed. "Say, did you walk or drive?" "I walked", she said, "why?" Mike hesitated. "I'm not paid to scare off business. But I gotta mention. Last night, a young lady leaving at bar close, intoxicated, was apparently assaulted on her stumble home. Police didn't say if it was mugging or something else. I don't think anything will happen tonight, but, if Frank offers to walk you home, you should take him up on it." "Oh, I'll be OK. It's not like we're dating, or anything. He doesn't need to walk me home." "Listen. Miss Kelly. A guy doesn't need to be dating a lady to be a gentleman and walk her home. I'm a big guy, and nobody bothers me. But a lovely lady such as yourself, you'd be safer if someone was with you." "Well, thanks, for thinking of me." Frank smiled at her as she walked into the arcade. She smiled back, but didn't say anything. There was a third person there, on one of the other machines. She was already through her first quarter before she started loosening up. Shortly after that, the third person left. "I'm getting a soda, want anything?" Frank asked. "Thanks for asking, Frank. I'm good." Once he came back with his drink, she started feeling more normal. "So, how are your classes going?" she asked. "Pretty good," he answered. "It's my senior year, but most of my major classes are done. So I get to finish up my minors, and take some fun classes. And my one major class I'm taking, is with a new professor, but she seems pretty smart and with it. I like her a lot, and I think it will be a great class." "So, what minors do you have?" "Math and computer science. I figure the computer science will get me a job, even if I don't go to graduate school." "Makes sense. In philosopher school, they teach you to avoid questions about employability. Not very many of us get the teaching jobs. I've got teacher certification in history, as my backup." At the beginning of her session, she had lined up 10 quarters on the machine. She grabbed a quarter, leaving two left. Then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and there were three quarters again. "Have you been adding quarters?" she demanded. "Guilty as charged," he answered. "Remember what I said about quarters last time?" She thought, and then nodded. "But how many?" she asked. He smiled at her. "Five, so far." She smiled at him. "That's very thoughtful, and I appreciate it, really, but I can't have you paying for my pinball addiction. It just isn't proper. You know why." She handed him back the three quarters lined up on the machine. Besides, I've got to get home. I have some papers to grade." "Such a mean professor," he teased, "making an assignment due Friday of the first week of class." He paused. "So, are you leaving?" "Yes." "Ummm, did you hear about what happened last night?" "Mike told me. I'm surprised I hadn't heard it on campus today, but yeah, I heard." "I really think I should walk you home." "No, Frank, I don't think so. I appreciate it. But I can't afford to be seen being walked home by a student from the bar." "OK", he said, "but I'm telling you. I'm leaving too, and I'm going to follow you all the way home. That's not walking together, but it still makes sure you get home safe." She sighed, and looked at him. "OK, thank you. I accept." True to his word, Frank followed about a block behind. When she got to the park, which had no street lights, he was suddenly next to her. "Maybe you should walk AROUND the park tonight," he said softly. "Better lighting." She went straight on in anyway, but she didn't object to him walking her through the dark park. Then she saw, in the moonlight, shadowy figures ahead. "Frank, someone is smoking up there, by the path to my house." "Bull through, or retreat?" he asked. "Bull through. But now, I'm glad you're here." The two shadowy figures blocked the main path. "Well, what have we here? Are we out for a little walk?" one of them said. Frank whispered to her, "go on home without me if you get a chance. Seriously." He walked up to the two shadowy figures, incidentally leaving her a clear shot at the side path that was her true destination. "Yeah, guys, want to join me? I'm just getting a little healthy exercise." "How about your girlfriend? Is she exercising too?" "Oh her? She just followed me into the park. Will you protect me? I was afraid she was going to mug me." "Well, said the other, we got good news and bad news. The good news is, we won't let her mug you." "But the bad news is", said the other, "that we WILL." Kelly took off running. One of the guys started after her; Frank spun around and tripped the guy with his leg, sending him sprawling. That gave her just enough time to get away, but now he was trapped. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that. YOU spoiled our fun. If you got enough money on you, though, we'll not beat you up." "TOO bad," added the other. Frank stuck his hand in his pocket. He grabbed the remainder of his roll of quarters inside his fist. "I'll give you all the money I have on me," he said. Pinball Wizardess "We need gas to make it to our next stop on the circuit. We'll just see if it's enough. Hand it over." "OK," Frank said, and swung his fist full of quarters right at the one guy. He spun, and snap kicked the other in the stomach. Good thing I kept up on my Tae Kwon Doe, he thought. He took the chance, and made a break for the nearest safe place, which was her house. He ran out of the park, with the two men right behind him. "FREEZE!" came a loud voice, from behind a sudden pair of headlights. Frank stopped, and raised his hands. The two turned and ran back into the park. A police officer walked over to him, and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "No, officer," came a familiar feminine voice, "not him. He was protecting me. It was the two men who ran. They were the ones." "Well, hopefully the car at the other entrance to the park will get them. I can't believe they were dumb enough to try it a second night in a row, at the same place." "We'll need your statements." "Yes sir." "Frank, thanks." Kelly said, after the officers left. "You saved me. Do you want to... come in for some hot chocolate, and unwind, before you go home?" "I'd like that." They sat at her kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate. They talked about nothing important, for a while. Finally, she opened the subject. "Frank. Listen. I'm impressed. I don't know if it was bravery or stupidity, but you took on two men, in the dark, just so I'd have a chance to get away clean. And I'm really glad the police already had the park staked out. I'm worried about what they would have done to you." "I was more worried," Frank said seriously, "about what they would have done to you." "I know. And, I don't know how to thank you." She paused. "Actually, I do." And she leaned over, pulled him close, and gave him a long, lingering, kiss. "That was stupid," she said. "You're still my student. We can't..." He didn't want to hear any sentence starting with those words right now. So he silenced her, gently, with a second kiss. And then a third. Then she kissed him again. Then they moved to her couch. And pretty soon he lost count of how many kisses there had been. "Wow, Frank, what were you thinking?' said the student next to him, in his first class the next day. "What?" "Are you some kind of vigilante now? Cruising the park, looking to bust the chops of muggers?" "I just happened to be there, that's all." "Right. You just happened to be in the park after dark, with the youngest and prettiest professor in the whole school, who you just happen to be taking a class with. I'd say..." Frank's glare finally penetrated. "OK, you just happened to be there, I'm good." Frank nodded, and turned away. Frank's notoriety faded fairly quickly. Not everyone just happens to save his professor from being mugged, or worse, in the park. But he was very careful to maintain a strictly formal address to his professor when in class. He studiously avoided her office hours. He would not, he could not, get her fired for 'an inappropriate relationship with a student.'" He even avoided the arcade at the bar. But every time he went for a walk, he ended up going through the park, and staring in the direction of her house. At the end of Friday's class, Professor Marshall handed him his homework back on his way out. "Oh, Mr. Pierce. Please look at my comments, and decide if you wish to revise your paper. You may have misunderstood an important point." "Yes, Ma'am," he said. He looked at the paper, back in his room. It was an 'A-', with no major comments. But a sheet with feminine handwriting was stuck between the pages. "I really want to clarify the situation with you. I will be holding 'office hours' tonight; at the place you had the hot chocolate. You are welcome to come; however, this has nothing to do with your grade in the class." He conscientiously finished his homework after supper, and then went for a walk. He entered the park at dusk. The porch light at the back of the house was on; there was a light on in the kitchen. He went in the back way. Before he even raised his hand to knock, the door was opened. "Frank, I've tried, and I just can't do it. Get in here." He went in. "What can't you do?" "I can't think of you as just another student. This isn't about the class. " "I know," he answered. "I know you'll give me the grade I deserve, and that you won't upgrade me or downgrade me." "I promise," she answered. "I've already started grading papers without looking at the names. And, just to be safe, I asked a colleague to check a sample of the midterms. Your paper was in the sample." She smiled. "She actually gave you a grade higher than I gave you. WE both gave you an 'A'. So I know, in my heart, that you will be graded fairly." "But, going back to a question you raised on the first day of class, I don't want the very good policies the campus has to prevent something, that I think is actually perfectly moral, if it is what we both want." "I think you were smart to avoid the arcade, and to not show up at office hours. But that means I haven't seen you in a long time, except for in class. And I can't even look at you during class; I'm afraid my eyes would give me away. I've found that I miss you too much. So I thought, if you now and then came to my back door, through the park, we could visit, and still be totally discrete on campus." "We'll have to stay totally discrete, at least through the rest of the semester, and probably until you graduate. But I don't think I could stand seeing you three times a week, and not be able to talk to you, or touch you, or anything. Are you OK with being my occasional visitor?" Instead on answering, he opened his arms. She came eagerly into his embrace. They didn't talk much, that first night; mostly, they just snuggled on her couch. The next evening they spent together they chatted more like friends, but they still stayed very close to each other. He was done his last final. He knew she would want to see him; he went to her house, and saw the light on in the kitchen. He tapped softly on her back door, and entered. She was wearing a soft looking robe. She waved him in. He heard the door click behind him, then a 'snick' like a deadbolt being thrown. He turned to face her, and found the beautiful woman he had been trying not to fall in love with throwing her arms around him, and squeezing tight. His pleasure at her embrace proved he had failed miserably at trying not to fall in love. "I finished grading the finals." He nodded. "I know. Promise me you'll give me the grade I deserve, that you won't upgrade me or downgrade me." "Grades are done. A colleague cross checked some of my finals; you earned your 'A' fair and square." "We'll have to stay discrete, maybe even until you graduate. But, as of right now, you are no longer my student, and there is no official prohibition on socializing with former students." "Oh, yes, I like the way you're talking." he said. "For a minute there, I thought I had waited too long to 'check my grade'. In that robe, you look like you're all ready for bed." She smiled at him. "I am" , she said. "All ready for bed." And she dropped her robe. Underneath, she was wearing a filmy, totally see through negligee, with no panties. "Would you like to tuck me in bed?" "I can't believe I'm doing this", she whispered in his ear, as he romantically carried her to her bedroom. "Be gentle, you're my first." "You're my first too," he said truthfully, "and I have no idea what I'm doing." He laid her gently on the bed. She had laid back the cover, there was a candle burning, and there were some interesting looking supplies on her bedside table. She had obviously done some preparations. Somehow his clothes disappeared, and he was rubbing lotion all over her body. The negligee did absolutely nothing to prevent him from seeing, or touching, any part of her body. He liked caressing her all over her body very much. Then he began kissing her all over her body. They were both completely inexperienced, but they were comfortable enough with each other, that they could take their time figuring out what they wanted to do, and the best way to do it. Afterwards, they just lay together, as physically close as was possible, and cuddled for a nice long time. "Do you have any idea why I've asked you to come by my office, today?" asked the Dean. "No, sir," answered Kelly. "I assume you are about to tell me." 'Please don't let it be about Frank' she thought. 'Please.' "Miss Marshall, we have certain standards to uphold at this College. While we don't give a long and tedious listing of every way someone could set a bad example for students, we expect you to uphold certain standards. And upholding those standards is not compatible with being seen going into the 'Toolkit', the townie bar, several nights a week. What do you have to say for yourself?" She barely stopped herself from giving a sigh of relief. "Sir, I do not go into the bar to drink. I go to play pinball. Is there a problem with playing pinball?" "This is a dry campus. The problem isn't pinball, per se. The problem is a professor, being seen going from a dry campus into the townie bar multiple times per week. It's bad enough the students go there, but to have a professor go there so often, even though you SAY you don't go there to drink, it still gives the wrong impression." "Sir, the only reason I go to the Toolkit, is to play pinball. It's the only place in town that HAS pinball machines." "Then I suggest you either stop playing pinball, or find another town that has pinball machines, preferably not in a bar, and preferably not in a place that is known as a place with... undesirable influences for our students. Am I making myself quite clear?" "Aye, Aye, sir. You have made yourself very clear, sir. Thank you, sir. Will there be anything else today, sir?" 'Captain Bligh doesn't like me playing pinball at the bar' she thought. 'And he can dismiss me for any reason or no reason. I've got to keep my temper.' He nodded, apparently satisfied. "No, that is all I had for today. Your first semester teaching evaluations looked fine, especially for your Ethics section. I'm glad we got a chance to clear this other matter up. Feel free to come by if you need any help. My door is always open." She neglected to mention that his door was closed currently. "Then I need to get back to my office. See you at Faculty meeting." And she made good her escape. "Card, please," said Mike. "Frank, haven't seen you as much recently. And is um, Professor Marshall, um, OK? It's not like her to be gone so long." Frank glanced around; no one else was coming in. "Off the record?" "Sure", said Mike. "The Dean hinted that faculty coming to the Toolkit is a bad example for the students." Mike snorted, unusual for his normal deadpan expression. "I hope the Dean doesn't know how many faculty and students are regulars here, and not just to play pinball. It could get bad for business. Listen, you need to know. The Boss says, he's tired of high school kids trying to sneak in to the Arcade. He's getting rid of the old Pinball machines. He'll probably keep the other stuff, but you two were the only regulars for pinball. Sorry, Frank." Frank looked thoughtful for a minute. "So, what happens to the machines?' Mike shrugged. "I don't know if he'll try to sell them, or just junk them." "Listen, Mike, I have an idea..." "Come on Josh, it's a GREAT prank. I just can't do it on my own." "Yeah, Frank, but the guys on the team who've had her, think she's pretty cool, for a prof. Maybe they won't want to make her mad." "She won't be mad, I promise. She'll laugh." "Well, maybe. I'll talk to the guys. If you're sure she'll think it's funny..." 'I'm going into pinball withdrawal', Kelly thought sleepily. ' I swear I heard a pinball 'ding' just now. Makes me want to blow a few quarters, but I can't risk it. Besides, the bar is closed, this late.' She drifted back to sleep, and slept through a few more muffled thuds. In the morning, she saw something sticking through the mail slot in her front door. It was in perfect format for a student paper in Ethics. The title was 'Ethical Ramifications of Pinball Decision making'. The author was listed as 'A. Student'. It was too short to be a serious paper; half the text seemed to consist of 'See Exhibit A' and 'See Exhibit B'. Very strange, she thought. On a hunch she opened her front door. On her screened in front porch were the two pinball machines from 'The Toolkit'. One was prominently labeled 'Exhibit A'. The other was labeled 'Exhibit B'. She touched each one, to make sure they were both real. "How did he? .... That little rascal." Students in her first class were surprised at what a good mood she was in that day. On her way home, she bought two heavy duty extension cords from the hardware store. She didn't think it was just coincidence that Frank came in by the front way (instead of the back door) that day. She tried to glare at him, but the grin shone through anyway. She laid off trying to attach the extension cords, and took him into the house without a word. She spent the rest of the evening trying to show, mostly by pantomime, exactly how happy she was with his surprise gifts. It took the neighbors several days to figure out where the bells were coming from in the evenings. Frank quietly entered her back door. She had told him he no longer needed to knock, when he was expected. "Kelly, guess what?" She looked up from her spot grading papers at the table. "I don't know, but I guess it's good news. Tell me." "The computer center got authorization to hire an assistant programmer. I applied, and they actually hired me! They'll pay for some training, but I got the job." "Wow," she said, stunned. "That means, next year, I won't be a student. I'll be staff." "I was so focused on getting through my first year, I hadn't thought about beyond," she said. There was silence. "Um, Kelly? I kind of thought you would think it was GOOD news. Is something wrong?" "No, no, nothing's wrong. It's great news, you have a job. I'm sure you're thrilled. It just, your good news just, caught me by surprise, I guess." Frank frowned. This was not the reaction he had expected. "Well, I just stopped by to share my news. Those papers you're grading remind me I have a research paper to do, so, I'll get going. Is tomorrow good for you?" "Yeah, Frank, tomorrow. Frank, you seemed so happy, and now you look sad. Am I missing something?" He shrugged. "No big deal. I'll see you tomorrow." And he left, quietly, back out the door and through the park. She was still puzzled, but she really had a lot of papers to grade. She was still awake, grading, when the front doorbell rang late in the evening. She peeked out the window, and saw Mike, the bouncer from the Toolkit, which she hadn't been to in months. She opened the door. "Mike? What a surprise. Aren't you working? Why are you here?" "Professor Marshall, I got the manager to cover for me while I took an inebriated customer home. I think you need to hear what I have to say. May I come in for a minute?" As big as Mike was, she knew him to be gentle, so she had no hesitation letting him in. "Thanks for your part," she waved at the pinball machines, "whatever your part was." "You are most welcome, lovely lady. It was a pleasure to do a favor for Frank." "So you wanted to say?" "Excuse me for being short and direct; I don't want to lose my job, any more than you would want to lose yours. In all the time Frank has been visiting the Toolkit, tonight was the first night Frank ever had a drink other than soda." "Go on." "He SAID he was celebrating getting a job. But Frank had too many to drink. And after he got a little wobbly, he kept pulling a little box out of his pocket, and sniffling. He said things like, 'She's too good for me'; 'I'm not anywhere near her level'; 'I thought she was the one.'" "Now, even though he usually only gets sodas, I consider Frank to be a regular. And so I got the manager to cover for me, and I drove Frank back to his room, and made him lie down. The manager doesn't want any trouble with the campus, so he covers for me when I say it needs to be done." "So I'm telling you about it." "Um, thanks, but why do you think I need to know? Just curious." He fixed her with the stare that had sent freshmen with badly faked IDs running for years. "Did you see him earlier tonight?" She blushed. "yes," she admitted. "Was he happy when he first saw you?" "Yes," she nodded. "Did he seem sad when he left you?" "Yes," she said, thinking. "Professor Marshall, I spent many years at the bar. And when a guy carrying a little box like that starts drinking too much and bawling in that particular manner, it almost always has to do with the lady he has just seen, before arriving at the bar. So use your professorial brain, and see if you can figure out what made him sad between when he arrived to see you and when he left." "Um, maybe it's too late at night for my professorial brain to be working, but what is this about a little box?" Mike's deadpan look gave way to a faint hint of pity. "Your professorial brain needs a hint?" She nodded. "So maybe you never even saw the box. It was an itty bitty box, like you get from a jewelry store, where they sell earrings, necklaces, and rings. Have you ever seen Frank wear an earring or a necklace?" She shook her head. "Neither have I. Now I hope that's enough of a hint, because I got to get back to work. The manager needs me back doing my job. I don't know what the right thing is for you to do, but you're smart; you'll figure out the right thing to do, whatever that is, and do it. Good night. Glad you enjoyed your presents," he said, waving at the pinball machines. "I think Frank had one more present he wanted to give you, but something made him change his mind. Good night." With that, he actually bowed, and walked out the door. After a minute, she heard a car start up, and drive off. 'He was SO happy about his job offer,' she thought, 'and he expected me to be just as happy. Then he suddenly turned sad, because I wasn't happy. But wasn't Mike hinting that Frank was going to give me a gift? Why would Mike give ME a gift because HE got a job? I don't need anymore earrings, I don't wear necklaces often, .... OH. He got a job that would let him STAY IN TOWN and he got me a ... ring? OH, A RING. Oh, my GOODNESS.' She knew exactly where he lived, and that, as a senior, he had a single room. She had never been to visit him; the Dean would have had a fit. But she knew what she had to do. There was enough movement in and out of his house that she did not worry about getting in, even in the middle of the night on a Friday night. She was there barely a minute when a young lady came quietly out the back door. Her blouse was not quite buttoned right. Kelly caught the door, and pulled it back open. A young man standing there looked at her wide eyed. "Um, excuse, me, but visiting hours are over." She gave him her best glare, and said, "no, they MUST still be on, otherwise your... friend, that I just saw leaving, would have been long gone. RIGHT?" "Um, right. What was I thinking. Of course, it must still be visiting hours. Yes, Ma'am." "Of course, it doesn't really matter," she said sweetly. "I'm not visiting, anyway." "Of course not," he agreed, with a puzzled look on his face. She disappeared up the stairwell before he came up with anything else to say. She hoped he hadn't recognized her, but he'd probably not say anything, anyway. As she suspected, neither Mike nor Frank had thought to lock Mike's room. She slipped in. He was sound asleep. She almost left him to sleep it out, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. She turned on the light. She picked his discarded jeans off the floor. Sure enough, there was a little box in the pocket. Pinball Wizardess She laid down in the bed next to him, and began to stroke him in a sensitive place. The physical reaction was almost instantaneous, and he began stirring immediately, making happy little sounds. Then his eyes snapped open, and he saw her. "Am I dreaming?" "No, Frank, you're not dreaming. I'm really here." "What, why, are you here?" "Frank, a little bird told me that you were going to give me something tonight, but then you decided not to. Frank, were you going to give me something tonight?" "But you seemed so dismayed at the thought that I got a job right here in town, I thought, I must have, maybe it was just, ..." he trailed off into incoherence. "Maybe you should have let me decide if I wanted your present, or not. You didn't even show me. You didn't even tell me you had something for me. You can't assume I don't want something, if you never even show it to me, now can you?" He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. "Frank was there something you wanted to give me? Or was there something you wanted to ask me?" He took a deep breath. "Yes. Just a minute." He disappeared into the bathroom for a minute. He came back out, looking more awake. (And his face was very wet.) He picked his pants up off the floor. He pulled out the box. He dropped to one knee. "I don't know how you found out, but it doesn't matter. Once I found out that I could get a job in town, after I was finished being a student, I realized that there was a very important reason I WANTED to stay in town. That reason is you." "Maybe this is too sudden. Maybe..." "Maybe you should get to the point. We don't have all night." He took one last deep breath. "Kelly, I love you. Will you marry me?" Then he opened the box. She saw a glitter, but she was looking into his eyes, not at the box. "Frank, I was worried that you were going to throw away your professional career, just so you could hang out and play with me after graduation. We can talk about jobs later. We can talk about other really important questions later. You just asked me a very important question, that I did not see coming." "Yes, Frank, I love you. The answer is 'yes'. I want to marry you. We'll work out the details later. Now come here and seal the deal right now. Take me, I'm yours." An hour later, she snuck back out the door, and around the side of the building. A second later, a campus security guard came around. "Excuse me, miss, did you just see a coed come this way?" Kelly pointed towards the nearest sorority house. "Whoever she was, she got away clean." "Dang," he said. "The Dean promised me a bonus for every girl I caught sneaking out in the middle of the night. I haven't caught one yet." She patted him on the shoulder. "Tough luck. I had one go right by me, and she still got away. But I don't think they kidnapped anyone and brought them here by force. And I think they are all chronologically adults. So..." she shrugged. "I suppose so. But, sometimes, I think these girls just don't know what they're getting into." "Usually we don't. How many people would get married, if they really knew what they were getting into, after all?" She left him to puzzle that one out. She made it home without further incident. Around noon, Frank came in her back door, up to her room, and further displayed his enthusiasm. He called his parents, and told them he needed to work on a project with a professor over break. He called his house, and told them he was going to spend the week with a friend. They were a little low on groceries by the end of the week, because neither left the house, or even got dressed, all week long. They were married in a quiet ceremony before the start of the next school year. Mike was best man.