Louise and I were in Portsmouth; I had decided to return to college here. We drove to the Shawnee College and I began thinking about what I was going to study. I was thinking about studying income tax.
I left Louise in the car and walked inside. I found a list of the courses being offered and began looking over it. Finally I found one course dealing with participles. The entire course was devoted to one particular type of participle; it almost seemed like a math course. That one part of speech was going to be thoroughly examined in relation to all other parts of speech. I decided this was the course I wanted to take; but I was unsure what time it was given. I went into the office and asked someone there to explain it to me.
A fellow walked over, gave me a card and circled some items on it, showing me the times of the course. The card also gave the professor's name at the top. There was also written the requirement that anyone who attended the course must have attended high school within the last seven years. I thought that would limit the people who were entering to age 26 or below. I thought I would still be eligible since I had been in college the last few years. The requirement was probably designed to keep out people who didn't have a good grasp of the language. Although I thought I would qualify, I was simply going to show up for class without saying anything. I thought I would be able to get in.
I signed up for the course and thought about what a good course it was going to be. I also began thinking about James Joyce and the novel Ulysses and how that Joyce had talked about participles at one point in the novel. I thought the course would be dealing with the same kind of participle that Joyce had talked about in his novel.
I thought about how intricate the novel Ulysses was and how Joyce must have had a firm grasp of the English language to have been able to have written a novel like that. I thought this course would help me to better grasp the English language.
Actually when I thought about the participle, it was as if I could feel a burst of light in my mind. I thought how it was going to illuminate me to learn how the different parts of speech intertwined. I realized I needed to understand that.
I thought the course was going to cost about $300, but the fellow here told me it was only going to cost $12. That news made me happy. I went ahead and paid him the money.
I was just ready to leave, when I noticed a place there where I could get some coffee. I picked up a ceramic cup, got some coffee and began drinking it. I decided to take the cup with me when I left; I thought I would return it later. I headed out the door and hoped no one would see me leaving with the cup. I headed back to the car where Louise was waiting for me.
Copyright 2003 by luciddreamer2k@gmail.com
