Twila and the Dude

“My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” —Song of Solomon 2:10

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Twila Marsh lives directly across from Dunbar Stadium in a small New England town. It is September 1977 and Twila is a senior cheerleader at Red Bay High School. Sitting beside her locker chatting with a girl friend, Twila is unaware of a tall figure standing directly behind her. Her friend sees the young man over Twila’s shoulder and her eyes tell Twila something is going on behind her. She quickly turns about to see the person whom she has no idea is behind her. She gasps as her eyes finally meet the boy who is the school's most popular athlete, Larry Spencer.

Larry is the senior quarterback for the Red Hornets football team. He is the talk of all the school, six-foot-five and two hundred twenty-five pounds of pure athletic abilities. Not only handsome and talented physically, but he is also remarkably bright. It seems that every girl in school has a crush on Larry. Any girl at the school would give her eyeteeth just to hear Larry say BOO to her. Twila’s face flushes a bright red as she looks up into the beautiful hazel eyes of “The Dude,” a name given him by the student body. “Oh hello, Larry,” says Twila fumbling for words.

“Just call me Dude, Twila, that’s what all my friends call me.” The bell for class suddenly rings and Larry says, “I gotta go.”

He turns and walks about three steps and then turns back and says, “By the way, Twila, how ‘bout meeting me after practice at my car around 4:30?” Shocked and puzzled, Twila blurts out, “Sure Dude! I’ll see you then.” Her girlfriend Maria says, “Wow, can you believe it, the most gorgeous guy in the world just ask you to meet him?” “

“Oh, Maria, he’s probably just got a couple of questions about Trig. You know we share a class together, and he knows that’s my strong major. Besides, what other motive could he have knowing that I’m paralyzed and wheelchair bound?” Twila sustained severe injuries in an automobile accident, in her junior year. She has endured several operations and remains paralyzed from the waist down. “I don’t know, Twiley, I saw the way he looked at you. I think he is smitten with that beautiful smile of yours!”

“Oh, come on, Maria. Let’s get to class before we get in trouble.” The cheerleaders all voted to allow Twila to finish out her senior year doing what she loves, encouraging and cheering others. Wheelchair or not, Twila is a beautiful young, wholesome Christian lady and could captivate anyone with her wonderful smile and joyful attitude.

Twila and Maria go to the corner drugstore after the three o’clock bell announces the end of the school day. They order strawberry malts and chat girl talk while waiting to meet Larry. Twila is so excited, thinking about the meeting with Larry. Maria says, “Girl, your face positively glows anticipating this meeting with The Dude. This could be the start of something big, Twiley,” she teases.

“Don’t be such a romantic matchmaker, Maria. It will be about school work.” “Sure it will.” Maria giggles. “Oh, hush, Maria, it’s four fifteen. You better push me on over to the meeting.” Maria and Twila arrive at Larry’s car ten minutes later, and right on time Larry arrives. He smiles and waves at the girls and tosses his books in the backseat of his car. He has on his quarterback jersey, number 10, sporting the school colors of red and white. His cheeks are rosy red, and he also has a bandage on a couple of fingers, obviously from football practice.

“Larry, are you okay?” asks Twila, as she notices the bandage. “Oh sure, just minor stuff.” Larry shrugs and sits down on an empty five gallon paint bucket someone left from the school’s remodeling. Larry looks at Maria and asks her could he speak to Twila alone for a few minutes. “Sure,” says Maria, “I can take a hint. After all, three is a crowd. I’ll just walk around the track until you two are finished.” That being said Maria jogs away with her brown pony tail swaying with each step she takes.

“Hope you don’t mind, Twila, but I must talk to you about something weighing down on my mind.” “Sure Larry, how can I help?” Twila’s mind races with the apprehension of Larry’s request. Their eyes meet, and Twila feels a tingle all the way down to her toes. Her heart now races as fast as her thoughts. What on earth would he want to ask me? she thinks.