You learn a lot over the years, at least I know I did. Those of you who have read my other stories know that I grew up in a small, backwards, redneck town, and that my greatest ambition was to get the hell out of there and never return. So far, I have managed to do just that.

Still, as you get older, you learn, or, more importantly, you begin to piece together, tidbits of information, and you find out that what used to be a puzzle now begins to make a little sense. Sometimes, that leads to the realization that what you used to perceive as a handicap is in actuality a benefit. That, in part, is why I decided to make a pilgrimage of sorts, and go back to the old hometown.

Over the years, I have lived and worked all over the world, in major cities and in small towns, and I have learned a lot. It just took me a long time to realize that I hadn't pieced together what I already knew. I had all the pieces, I just had never bothered to fit it together to see the whole picture. When I finally did, several things happened, which is, of course, the reason for this story.

Growing up in a small town like I did, I knew the thoughts and attitudes that could be found there. At the time I was growing up there, I had no idea how to deal with them, let alone how to capitalize on them. Now, though, after being a "city boy" for many years and having traveled the world, I came to several realizations about how to use those same small town thoughts and attitudes to my advantage. The opportunity to try it came about as a direct result of a whim and some careful planning. I made a promise to myself that once I got out of that town, I would never return. I was always of the opinion that I left nothing there, and that there was no reason to return.

The main reason I went back was because of my high school reunion. I planned it well, putting a lot of thought into it. First, I made reservations for a suite at the best motel in town. I made arrangements through a special car rental company to rent a Jaguar XK-8. It cost me a fortune, but it was all in the plan. I made sure my wardrobe was impeccible, and planned on taking no casual clothes with me at all. I even went to a stylist a couple of days before the trip and got the works, including a manicure. I wanted to be "class out the ass" when I got there. I had a lot to prove.

I had been a nobody when I grew up there. I was just a poor kid that really never did fit in. I was snubbed routinely by the society kids, which really didn't bother me at the time. I didn't fit in their clique anyway. I didn't fit in with the poor kids because I always had ambition and drive, while they didn't. I didn't fit in with the rednecks, because I always thought they were stupid. I didn't fit in with the intellectuals, because while I was smart, I wasn't nerdy. I didn't fit in with the Jocks, because being a jock takes a special level of intelligence. To be a jock, you have to be smart enough to understand sports, but stupid enough to think they are important. That just wasn't me. Basically, I didn't fit in anywhere. I was pretty much overlooked, which, at the time, suited me pretty well.

Like any kid in my position, I always lusted after all the girls, but much more so after the "untouchable" girls. The cheerleaders, of course, and the rich girls. Even at the small school I went to, most of them didn't even know my name. There was no way in hell I would have ever asked one of them out back then, and no way in hell they would have gone out with me if I had asked. There were lots of girls who would have gone out with me, but I had no interest in the ones that wanted me. I wasn't too sure that much of that had changed, but we would see. It depended a lot on who had done what, who had never left the old hometown, and so on............(cont)