A Tale of Two Legacies

  Chapter 19

  Clark headed for home from work that Tuesday with a strange feeling. There were rumors at the USGS that changes were in the wind. An early Thursday all-hands meeting had been called by the Bureau chief. All the scuttlebutt was in the negative and just when he had all his ducks lined up for replenishing his coffers for the next school year. He was in the mood for something to take his mind off work and he hoped his coffee date with Jenny would be just the ticket. He stopped at Lota Burger for supper and hied himself home for a shave and a shower.

  Because of his financial situation, most of Clark’s social life had been partying more with groups or resulting from more impromptu arrangements. This pre-scheduled one-on-one date with Jenny was in actuality a new experience for Clark. He didn’t want to admit it, but truthfully his concern about his height had also played a role in this. He hoped this turned out well.

  Minutes before seven, he drove into the Hokona parking lot. Several girls were standing on the steps and among them was a blonde considerably taller than the rest. ‘My God’, said Clark to himself, ‘She is beautiful. I’ve got a date with Venus herself!’ Jenny spotted him, waved enthusiastically, and came running to greet him.

  “I sure hope you’re Clark,” she laughed. “I’m Jenny, the Swedish girl.” Both of them blushed. Temporarily tongue-tied, Clark just nodded his head. “Let me run get a sweater. I’ll be right back,” she gushed. Clark slowly followed her path back to the door. By the time he got there, she was down the steps and immediately placed her hand in his. “I’m so pleased to meet you. Shall we go?” and they walked off holding hands. Clark felt a warming sensation in his groin. He prayed his protuberance was not clearly evident.

  It was just a five-minute brisk walk from Hokona to the Frontier Restaurant on Central, but it took them thirty minutes to cover it. She was six feet four, bubbly, happy, and talkative. Clark had never before felt so masculine. They exchanged volumes of personal information. She was a second generation Swedish-American. She had been named in honor of Jenny Lind, a world famous soprano known as the Swedish Nightingale. Clark responded that he got his middle name from a not so famous grampa whose not so famous grampa was Swedish. She said she named her pillow Bjorn after the famous Swedish tennis player, Bjorn Borg. Clark said he didn’t believe in naming pillows, especially after men, but his grampa did. As a child, his was named Gunder Hägg who it is said was a famous Swedish runner who first flirted with the four-minute barrier in the mile. Clark suggested that maybe she should be having this date with his grampa. Jenny replied, “I think you’ll do just fine.” They laughed until their sides hurt.

  Jenny was from Minnesota and was only here for the summer to take a couple catch-up courses before going back to the Golden Gopher campus. She inveigled him into a promise for a motorcycle ride. Clark said to himself, ‘I’m putty in this girl’s hands and I’m loving it’.

  Neither one could really remember having had coffee. The time went so quickly. Before they realized it, they were back at the front door to Hokona Hall. Jenny’s eyes glistened with a tear or two as she said, “Come here, big fella, I want to know if we can kiss each other standing up without looking ridiculous.” It took them some time to prove it to their mutual satisfaction.