SageSpeak - All Is Never Lost - II

John Anderton was a man from the country side, and he was proud of it. One could see it in his walk, hear it in his talk and feel it in his laughter. John was the first in his family to ever make it out of school. The fact that he made it in his first attempt and coming first in the whole of his county was something that had become a folklore in those parts. John's mom was very reluctant to send him to the big city which "had no semblance of the values" and was "morally corrupt". But at the thought of seeing her son in the graduation suit, which she had never seen happen in any of the families she personally knew, she let him go, but not without a truck load of free advice.

When John stepped into college, computers were the only thing that meant anything to him. An angel running straight into him, knocking his stuff to the ground, picking it up, pushing back a wave of jet black hair and apologising profusely while holding his hands was definitely not what he was looking forward to. John hadnt seen anyone remotely beautiful like that in his life before. But remembering his mother's words of caution ["Never look at city-bred woman. They suck your life source through your eye-balls and sell it for chocolates"], he looked at her feet for so long until the heel-clad feet left with an audible huff and were replaced with boot-clad trunks.

"Lamar Burgees, I assume we havent met before", a six-foot-two-inches piece of steel introduced itself by extending an iron pipe.
"John Anderton, from Dunceshire" said John, shaking what everyone seems to call a hand.
"Iris Hineman, First Year, Computer Science, Home-coming Queen in Grace County High and our classmate", Lamar seemed to know her horoscope.
"Oh" was all that John could manage.
"Pretty, Ain't she ??", asked Lamar uninterestedly. John hadnt thought of any such girl as pretty, but If ever he had to call any girl pretty, he wouldnt think twice before choosing Iris. He couldn't give an answer, but his face was a remarkable index to his mind.

John stood out in college, although it was not in a way he would have liked to. His trousers were seen in retro shows and his hair-do was passe by then. But no matter what, there wasnt a single soul in sight to shake him off his dominance when it came to computers. It was like they spoke a language that no one else understood. If his sense of dressing was greeted with laughter, his capability in problem solving was met with awe. That meant that he had all the girls coming to talk to him ["Do not shake hands with girls, they maim fingers for kicks"] and asking him out for coffee ["Never drink coffee with a girl, she drugs you and takes your posessions after you faint","But mom, i dont have anything that someone could steal from....", "Shut up and listen John"]. But nothing seemed to happen from one corner which John was expecting with all his heart. Iris was unmoved. She used to thread her way through the crowd, and not even turn. Each day that happened, John tried even more desperately the next day, and each time that happened he had a feeling Iris left early that day.

"It is Iris, isnt it ??" asked Lamar, shaving his ragged beard into some strange heart like shape.
"Yes, but how did you know" said John in a mournful tone.
"Your attempts at impressing her are not yet on national television. Otherwise everyone else seems to know about it".
"Except her", an additional note in the already moaning voice.
"Hey, you have the right intentions, but you dont seem to have the right technique. Do you really want to impress her ??".
"Yes", John's voice had the same eagerness a young pup has after it has tasted its first biscuit.
"I will help you do that"
"Thank you .. Thank you..", John was now visibly shaking.
"But on one condition, you have to write all my assignments".
"Of course .. of course..".
"So we start our operation today"
"Eh ??"
"We codename it 'I2 - Impress Iris'".
"Oh".
John had never made a deal with someone who had a beard like that. It looked like someone squashed a toad on his chin. But for some reason Lamar insisted that it was in the shape of a heart, and John, with this deal on, didnt want to offend his messiah.