Dr. Sturgis stormed over to the corner, shielding Meemaw behind him. In a sharp, warning tone, he said, "Linkletter, it's highly unprofessional to try and move in on someone else's date."
Dr. Linkletter was Dr. Sturgis's equal in height, looks, and intellect, which triggered a massive wave of insecurity in John. Of course, John's over-the-top reaction stemmed from the fact that this was his first real relationship. In the world of romance, the professor was still a total rookie.
Linkletter, annoyed by John's aggression, shot back with a smirk, "If I were you, John, I wouldn't leave my lovely companion alone in a corner while I went off to mingle."
He had clearly noticed Meemaw looking a bit out of place earlier.
"That's none of your business!" John snapped like an angry bull.
The two men, both pushing seventy, stood there like a pair of prize-fighting roosters, glaring at each other and refusing to back down.
"Whoa, hold on. Is there a misunderstanding here?" Seeing them ready to butt heads, Meemaw stepped in to cool things down. Truth be told, she actually found Dr. Linkletter quite polite and charming during their brief chat.
"There's no misunderstanding!" John fumed. Jealousy is a powerful thing.
He leaned in and whispered to Meemaw—loudly enough for Linkletter to hear—"That's Linkletter. He's a colleague of mine. I know him all too well; he's a lifelong bachelor who's never even had a girlfriend."
John's implication was clear: he thought Linkletter was hitting on Meemaw because he was lonely. Whether it was an accident or a bit of petty bragging, John seemed to enjoy pointing out that he was the one who had finally found a girlfriend after decades of being single. Men can be surprisingly competitive about the strangest things.
Linkletter looked incredibly embarrassed by John's public call-out.
Meemaw, always the one with the social grace, realized John was being rude. She apologized on his behalf: "Dr. Linkletter, please excuse John. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it..."
Linkletter, who had been ready to snap back at John, just shook his head after hearing Meemaw's apology and walked away. Before leaving, he gave John a look that seemed to say, You're lucky you found such a great woman.
"Why did you apologize to him? Everything I said was the truth," John muttered, still blinded by jealousy.
Meemaw looked at John's immature behavior and gave a small shake of her head. She finished her drink and headed back into the crowd, leaving a confused John standing there alone.
By the end of the night, while Meemaw was driving John home, he was still pouting.
"Are you still mad at Dr. Linkletter?" she asked, amused by his sulking.
"No, I'm mad at myself," John muttered.
The second half of the party had changed things for Meemaw. After Linkletter approached her, she realized that the "successful" people in the room weren't so intimidating after all. Once she decided to mingle, she used her natural charm to make a ton of new friends. She was a social butterfly by nature.
However, Meemaw's social ease made John feel a sudden sense of urgency. On one hand, he felt he wasn't quite "cool" enough for a woman as magnetic as her. On the other, he cared about her so much that he was terrified of losing her. He was stuck in a loop of self-doubt.
"John, you need to have a little more faith in me—and in yourself," Meemaw said, almost like she was reading his mind. She added softly, "Don't forget, you're my 'Little Spud.'"
Since Halloween, they had officially become a couple. "Little Spud" was her private pet name for him.
Hearing her words, John realized he had been oversensitive. "Connie, I promise I won't act like that again. I'm going to work on being more 'grown-up' about this."
---
Monday afternoon, as Mike was packing up his bag to head home, Mr. Lundy from the drama club cut him off in the hallway.
"Mr. Lundy, about the drama club... I've thought about it..." Mike started, preparing to give him the polite "no."
But Mr. Lundy was in a rush. He cut Mike off. "I'm sorry, Mike. I've actually resigned from the school, so I won't be able to follow through on my offer to coach you."
Mike was stunned. "You quit?"
He noticed then that Mr. Lundy was carrying a box of his belongings. The guy was really leaving.
"Yeah, I've decided to go out and make a name for myself..." Feeling a bit guilty about bailing, Mr. Lundy spilled his whole plan.
It turned out that organizing the church's Halloween event had made him realize his true talent lay in directing. Over the last week, he realized his passion for directing actually outweighed his love for acting. He wanted to go out into the world and direct something classic—something people would remember forever.
"Good luck, Mr. Lundy," Mike said sincerely. He knew Mr. Lundy was only in his thirties and genuinely talented. Leaving the high school scene to chase a dream seemed like the right move.
"Thanks," Mr. Lundy smiled. "To make up for not being your mentor, I've put together all my acting lesson plans and notes. They're yours now. Take a look at them when you have time."
He handed a thick stack of books and binders to Mike. In his mind, Mike was a natural talent. With that face and that presence, it would be a crime if he didn't end up on screen someday.
Mike didn't argue; he took the materials. He could see how much work had gone into them—there were books on acting theory, music theory, and several notebooks filled with Mr. Lundy's handwritten notes.
"Alright then. Keep at it. Maybe we'll end up working together on a set someday," Mr. Lundy said with a wave before walking away, looking cooler than Mike had ever seen him.