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The little town where I was raised is located in the beautiful hills and valleys of western Pennsylvania. The scenery is gorgeous, especially in autumn when colors burst from the trees before the onset of winter's chill. It was Amish country. A few decades ago it wasn't uncommon to see them in their horse and buggy taking fresh corn and other vegetables to the open market. Since then, the little town has grown up. Instead of an open market there are fast-food restaurants and small businesses. People still generally get along with each other and no one is a stranger.

My circle of friends rebelled, of course, back in our teenage years. We listened to rock and roll, preferred bongs to joints, drove the few miles across the state line to Ohio (the legal drinking age in Ohio was 18 back in those years) to get beer and bourbon, and in general spent most of our evenings trying to outdo the buzz we got the previous night. We had our secret spot, way out in the country, where we'd build a small campfire, break out a couple acoustic guitars, pass the bong, crack open some beers, laugh and sing along to some Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynrd, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin. It was how we coped with the sheer boredom of our given birthplace.

We graduated from high school and went our separate ways. I tried college and it didn't like me more than I didn't like it. I didn't study much but got good grades in high school, which helped my pursuit of a higher education. College started off good, but then it was over for me, seemingly as quickly as it began. The school I attended was 90 miles from home. None of my high school friends joined me at that college, but I was raised in that no one was a stranger, so I made friends there easily.

Now I'm don't have model-quality good looks but I'm handsome enough. I stand 6'2', 190, sandy brown hair, blue eyes, always smiling. I was and still am in good shape. Enjoyed working out in the yard and fields. I'm a simple man. I like the instant gratification of accomplishing something of a physical nature. Mowing the yard, weeding the garden, repairing the shed. I'm not a great carpenter or a master landscaper but when I finish the work I can glance at what I accomplished, nod my head and say good job, amigo. So, I'm average. I wasn't blessed with a whopper of a package either. Just average there too.

I had a girlfriend in high school. We made out like crazy every chance we got. She let me get to 2nd base and 3rd base but never would let me penetrate home plate. She used her hands to take me to completion and I did the same for her. But nothing oral and certainly nothing better than that. I didn't mind much. We got along great and made puppy love plans for a forever life together. Until I left for college. She stayed in our hometown and almost immediately got knocked up by some kid in a neighboring town. The way I found out was a little cruel. She mailed me a letter that included the promise ring I gave to her in our senior year. I was devastated. Thankfully, college girls helped me get over her. Not that I was promiscuous in my brief stint at school, because I wasn't, but I was surrounded by pretty girls that provided the distractions I needed to emotionally move forward. A drunken evening with one of those pretty girls ended up in losing my virginity. The next morning together was awkward, so much so that we didn't pursue anything more than our one night of passion.

I had only been with the one girl when school and I parted paths. However, I had made several good friends there and we stayed in touch. A couple months later one of my buddies invited me back up to the school for a big party. I was working as an outside salesman for the local auto parts store in my hometown and lived in a small apartment on my own. I was bored out of my mind and jumped at the chance to see my buddies, and especially to mingle with some college gals again. It's here that this story really begins.

After helping with retail in the store till mid-afternoon, I quickly showered and hit the highway for Erie. It's a gorgeous drive through hills and valleys for a couple hours. The volume was cranked on my car stereo. Blue Oyster Cult, UFO, Judas Priest and AC/DC cassettes were strewn on the passenger seat of my little stick-shift Toyota. I packed a couple peanut butter