Page 34 - Demo

Fools%u2019 Journey28As we drove back to Kendallville, we talked about how neither of us had ever wanted to be teachers and how, after the freedom we%u2019d enjoyed on our honeymoon and the trip to Florida, we were ready to try something completely different. Although we had nothing particular in mind, we agreed that North Carolina would be an interesting place to try it in. We%u2019d seen a little of the state on our return from Florida, and liked what we saw.Our teaching contracts called for our paychecks to be spread over 12 months, rather than just the nine-month school year, so we would be paid through the entire summer. That meant we could pack up, move south, and have three months to look for jobs before our money ran out. We were excited about moving, but wanted to learn as much about North Carolina as possible before committing to relocate, so Lynn requested literature from several Chambers of Commerce. The more we read, the more enthused we became. After studying all the brochures, we settled on Greensboro. When we told our principal, Mr. Earley, he urged Lynn to continue teaching. He said no such thing to me, but I didn%u2019t expect it. Friends and family wondered about our sanity. They couldn%u2019t imagine quitting decent, respectable jobs %u2014 but we didn%u2019t ask for anyone%u2019s advice. We were young, and the idea of moving to a totally different part of the country, with no jobs awaiting us, was appealing. That spring, we spent much of our free time exploring nearby towns, hiking state parks, visiting antique shops, and going for long drives in the country. Nearby Ft. Wayne had the big-city attractions Kendallville lacked, and we went there for movies, museums, a Santana concert. One afternoon, we dropped off one of the school%u2019s power tools at a Ft. Wayne repair shop to be fixed. They said they%u2019d mail us a notice when it was ready to be picked up. A week later, as Mr. Earley, our principal, handed me the postcard, he said he realized things occasionally got a little out-of-hand around the school, but it was still a conventional educational facility. Then he pointed to the postcard %u2014 instead of the Kendallville Middle school, it was addressed to the Kendallville Mental School. We agreed it did seem like an asylum at times. As the school year wound down, we paid off the loan to Lynn%u2019s dad for her Nova, as well as the bank note my dad had co-signed for