Sociology 114

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fair Conn

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to the ebooksbydmc@yahoo.com  with the Subject field: Attention: Permissions Coordinator. (v3)

Cover Design and Author Photo by Donna Fair Conn

Smashwords Edition

9781370087457  (ebook)

ISBN-13: 978-1545528389

ISBN-10: 1545528381

Preface

Sociology 114 focuses on the concept of cultural conditioning. The millennials’ free thinking, anything goes characteristics are challenged by their sociology professor, Dr. Dayton. The students in his class believe he is mean, old and out-of-touch. And they may be right.  He assigns partners in the class, based on personal profiles, to do a research project on ‘Differences’. Some of the topics he has chosen are gender, religion, and race. Holly Woodward is a confident, studious, and carefree junior studying Journalism. Her partner Teddy Gallagher is an intelligent, wild frat boy studying History and Pre-Law. Their topic is Race.  The students in Dr. Dayton’s class, like many millennials, are connected to a diverse group of friends and feel this class will be an easy ‘A’.  The open and frank conversations lead them all to a better understanding of themselves and others, and some learn they are connected in more ways than they can imagine.

Dedication

To everyone who takes the time to be a critical thinker.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Tamera, Will, and Jared for editing Sociology 114.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Preface

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 – Fall Semester

Chapter 2 – First Day of Classes

Chapter 3 – Hair

Chapter 4 - Differences

Chapter 5 – Party

Chapter 6 – Project Meeting

Chapter 7 – Break

Chapter 8 – Showdown

Chapter 9 – Disrespect

Chapter 10 – Another Project Meeting

Chapter 11 – Meetin’ in the Lobby

Chapter 12 – Fashion Show

Chapter 13 – Going Home

Chapter 14 – Thanksgiving Day

Chapter 15 – Teddy’s House

Chapter 16 – Pizzeria

Chapter 17 – Holly’s Place

Chapter 18 – Crunch Time

Chapter 19 – Surveys

Chapter 20 – Fatherhood

Chapter 21 - Ethan

Chapter 22 – The Police

Chapter 23 – Sunday

Chapter 24 – Communicate

Chapter 25 – Be Alright

Meet the Author

Chapter 1 – Fall Semester

Daisy prolongs breakfast as much as she can, with superfluous issues she must discuss before her son, Ethan goes back to school. While heavily sighing, his dad, Reginald wants this overly dramatic farewell to end. Ethan Duncan, now a junior in college, gets up from the table and places his dish in the stainless-steel sink. He goes back to get the orange juice, but his father insists he needs to go and get ready to leave.  Ethan recovers his North Face jacket from the closet in the foyer. He comes back to the kitchen and shakes his dad’s hand goodbye, and hugs his mother. As he turns to leave she reaches up his six-foot frame to mess with his curly high top.

Ethan opens the door to the garage and gets into his Jeep sport utility vehicle which is already packed up from the night before. He strategically left room in the car for his fraternity brother Teddy Gallagher, who he needs to pick up. Ethan’s mother doesn’t like her son hanging out with Teddy. She wants her husband to talk with Ethan, but his father is fine with it since he is how the two boys met.

Ethan and Teddy met on a golf course. Ethan’s dad, Reginald Duncan is a member of the golf club. He took his son to play, and Teddy was their caddy for the day. Ethan and Teddy have been close friends for the last two years. Freshman orientation is where the two college students really hit it off. They both are loud, mischievous, and very flirtatious with the ladies on campus. 

Ethan drives for about 20 minutes and arrives at Teddy’s house.  Teddy is standing on the porch wearing dress slacks, a thick, warm hoodie, and sneakers. Stacked up beside him are two suitcases and a trunk. The frat boys throw the three pieces of luggage in the second row of the Jeep and head out with the music blaring.  They reach the campus in just over an hour. The Jeep rolls slowly through the campus by the freshman dorms, with the music just loud enough to garner attention, but low enough to not completely annoy the parents unloading their daughters for their freshman year of college. After perusing the medium-sized campus, the two upperclassmen head out for their fraternity house with the music blaring again. Their arrival is met with thunderous yells and fist bumps from the other guys in the house.

* * *

The dark green 2007 Toyota Camry backs up into the driveway, while the cargo van with the Woodward logo displayed on the side finds a spot on the street in front of the house. The Woodward family lives on a cul-de-sac with eight houses. Harold Woodward locks up his van with all his plumbing supplies and escorts his daughter Holly into the house. Inside her mother is boxing up some snacks for her college junior to take back to school. Previously, Holly lived in the dorms at Petersburg College but decided to stay in one of the furnished apartments near campus. Her objective is to save money since her parents are weening off sending her money and forcing her to budget. Holly was never a spendthrift on clothes or shoes, but she needs the experience of managing her money as she will be on her own after college. At least that’s her mother’s goal, her father, on the other hand, wouldn’t mind Holly living with them forever.

Holly’s sister, Willow and her son Wesley have come over to the house to see Holly before she makes the hour and a half drive back to college.  In Holly’s bedroom, most of her things have been packed. There are two medium size suitcases, a garment bag, a few large bags, and three clear storage boxes filled with towels, sheets, blankets, and other items. Holly’s dad takes the two suitcases with some pretend help from his grandson Wesley. Willow carries a few of the bags, while Holly brings down one of the clear storage boxes. Holly’s mom, Dana directs the procession from the bedroom to the driveway as she is dressed for work, and doesn’t want to get dirty.  Dana Woodward has been a part-time realtor for about seven years. In college, she studied Education and taught in the county school system for 15 years before changing careers. Now she does the scheduling and billing paperwork for her husband’s plumbing business and shows houses to clients on the side.

The Camry is eventually packed and ready to go. Holly’s mother, Dana, hugs and kisses her daughters and husband, then gets a special hug from her grandson, Wesley.  Dana tosses her folder and pocketbook in the front seat of her Lexus and backs out of the driveway. She speeds down the road to meet her clients. Holly hangs around for a while playing hide-and-seek with her nephew in the yard.  Playtime is concluded when Willow announces she needs to go soon. She has her meeting with some girls she mentors at the church. Reluctantly, Holly gets her family hugs. She picks up Wesley, who abruptly looks at her and tells her to Keep Calm.  Willow and Harold laugh, as Wesley is often unpredictable in what he does and says sometimes. Holly smiles and forces a hug on Wesley anyway. Willow checks Holly’s hair which she braided two days ago, then embraces her sister.  Her dad holds Holly tight before instructing her to call when she gets to her destination. She agrees and then is on her way.

Early in the drive, Holly listens to the radio, thinking about new topics to put on her blog. Later she goes old school and switches to a CD. She made the CD for when the radio starts to have static because she is out of radio range. The easygoing college student is singing ‘Cranes in the Sky’ by Solange when she notices flashing lights in her rear-view mirror. She checks her speed and she sees the speedometer at 82. Holly pulls over on the edge of the Interstate. The officer pulls over right behind her. Holly turns the music off, and the police officer takes a moment to type on his military grade laptop in his cruiser.

Meanwhile, Holly is a bit anxious because she has never been pulled over by the police. Instinctively, she wants to be prepared with her license and registration, but instead of reaching into the glove compartment or her pocketbook, she recalls her nephew’s peculiar statement to ‘Keep Calm’. So she does and decides to be still. She waits patiently in the car looking at the side and then rearview mirrors. It feels like an eternity, but it’s only about three minutes when the police officer gets out of his patrol car and walks up to Holly.  She lets down the window.

Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over? questions the officer.

No, replies Holly.

I clocked you going 84 miles per hour and the speed limit is 70.

Initially, she thought to suggest she was only going 82 but refrains since it wouldn’t make a difference, Oh, I’m sorry; I’m on my way back to school and ...

May I see your license and the vehicle registration? interrupts the officer.

Yes, she opened the glove compartment to get the registration card. Somewhat nervous she can’t find her wallet even though it is right there on top in her pocketbook. Holly pushes her braids back behind her ear and then sees the wallet. She gets her license. Here you go officer, as she hands the two items to him.

The officer studies the license and looked at Holly’s face, and then returned both to her. I am going to let you go with just a warning this time, but you need to keep the speed down.

Thank you, officer.

The officer returns to his cruiser while Holly pauses and said, Thank you God.  She puts the registration card back in the glove compartment and the license in her wallet. She contemplates whether to call her dad, but decides to continue on. She pulls out slowly. She put the music on at a low volume. As she continues to drive, her cell phone rings and it is her roommate Laura Kaplan. She ignores it since she is driving and doesn’t want to be pulled over again.

* * *

The empty boxes sit in the middle of the room, as Laura neatly puts her toiletries in her shower caddy. She surveys each room in the furnished apartment, asserting ownership of spaces by putting her personal touch on counters, end tables, and window sills before her roommate Holly arrives. The one bedroom apartment is equipped with a nice size living room, a small kitchen with a breakfast nook that holds a small table and can seat three people uncomfortably. The bathroom is suitable for the two young ladies and the one bedroom provides plenty of space to fit the two twin size beds. Laura arrives first and selects the far side of the room away from the door.

Somewhat bored after unpacking, Laura positions herself in front of the mirror checking out her left and right profile. She stares at her nose that she inherited from her Jewish father, then moves to her dark thick reddish hair provided by her Irish mother. The college junior brushes through her locks, gives a quick smile in the mirror and goes to find her cell phone to kill some time. Laura first takes a couple of selfies and then checks her social media sites.

An hour or so later, a key sound at the front door alerts Laura that her roommate has arrived. She finishes scrolling through her Facebook page. She gets up from the couch and walks pass a photo of her cousin’s little boy on one of the end tables in the living room to meet her roommate at the door. Holly steps aside from the doorway to let a young man carrying two heavy crates pass through. Holly follows behind rolling in a huge suitcase. The young man places the crates on the floor in the middle of the living room. Much to Laura’s delight, the young man, sporting a man bun, is rather handsome and quite muscular. His Gronkowski style muscle shirt is a bit showy given it is a bit nippy outside. Laura flashes a smile his way. He politely returns a