GETTING IN LINE

“He’ll offer you the heights of ecstasy, but you’ll spend eternity in the depths of hell.”

Pretty scary stuff when you’re waiting on line to pay college tuition! Or if you like,

“This is the beginning of the end.” Yes, for poor old Dad as he pays up.

When in a college line, never bring reading material, it is provided for you by the students themselves. Although the reading material is not of your choosing, it is interesting none-the-less. What you must realize however is that the reading is on the back of a t-shirt, and it constantly moves about. The other problem is all the t-shirts are black, the lettering either white or red, and with it comes dandruff that sprinkles itself between the letter spacing.

There are other distractions and amusements to bide your time. A mother and her son go onto the end of the long line, and the young prodigy immediately declared that he was not going to wait on the line. Of course Mamma had other thoughts about it, and as her baby turned to leave, she stated she would call “Daddy” and put an end to the nonsense.

People watching can be fascinating, and I have perfected the art years ago, waiting for trains and buses, watching people and trying to figure out what their calling in life was. Most of the parents waiting on line were middle-aged people from humble backgrounds that looked like they were aggravated and their child was helping them look that way. As for my child, he was happy to be there, following all the instructions, reading all the signs and listening to all the directions. Signs are everywhere. “Any student that attends class without a photo ID will cause his parents to be arrested, and they in turn will have to pay even more.” “If your parents have any loose change in their pockets, it must be deposited with the cashier.” “All parents are required to leave signed blank checks with the cashier.”

College life is exciting, and being a college bound parent I’m excited for #2 son, but not for my pockets. We don’t even know about books yet, what books he’ll need, and where we can purchase them, let alone how much they will cost.

Pray for me.