How I Spent A Year In College
an excerpt

It was the girl from class. Her tire was flat and she was trying to pry the jack out from her trunk. Rufus went over and offered his assistance.
“Hey, aren't you in one of my classes?”, she asked.
“Yeah, American Studies, I think,” he replied, knowing full well what class they were in together.
“Well, nice to meet you. I'm Monica,” she said, extending her hand with a smile.
“Nice to meet you too. I'm Rufus.”
“Well Rufus, do you have any idea how to get this jack out? My dad neglected to teach me about this stuff.”
“Yeah, let me get a wrench from my car.”
Rufus went to his car and got a wrench from the toolbox in his trunk. As he undid the screw and got the jack out, he marveled at his luck. They talked while he changed her tire to the spare. Monica was from Overland Park, was majoring in art history, and wanted to go to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a painter.
“That's really cool,” Rufus said, not really being able to come up with anything better.
“Anything's better than staying in Overland Park, having two babies and driving an SUV. I would slit my wrists if that ever became my life,” Monica said.
“Yeah, I guess it would be pretty dull, wouldn't it?” Rufus replied, just as he had finished tightening the spare.
“Thanks for doing that. I wouldn't even know how to begin changing a tire. Listen, I owe you big for doing this. What do you say to dinner? You free this week?”
“Uh, yeah. I think I'm free on Friday.” Rufus was exhilarated and frightened by this new development. He didn't have any clue what else he could say or do.
“Then it's a date. Here's my number. Call me tomorrow and we'll set it up,” Monica said. She scrawled her number on an old grocery store receipt.