Member-only story
Catalog Girl — A Short Story
I had narrowed down my college search to the public university in town or the technical school 30 minutes away, and I decided on one factor and one factor alone: the long-haired, smiling brunette with dimples and beautiful eyes on the cover of the university catalog. After I revealed the reason for my decision to my older brother, however, I realized quickly that I couldn’t admit this truth to anyone else.
“Are you insane?” He laughed when I explained my reasoning. He was about to enter his senior year at that same university, and he said he knew for a fact that this particular girl did not attend our local institution of higher education. “She’s just a pretty face from one of those stock photo companies,” he added. “She’s probably on the cover of ten college catalogs nationwide.”
“But she’s wearing the school’s sweatshirt,” I argued. “She must go there.”
“Have you ever heard of Photoshop, you moron?”
Despite my brother’s skepticism and criticism, I committed myself to the quest. I would find this girl, and I would ask her out, and I would eventually marry her and spend the rest of my life with her.
Four months later, during the two-day summer orientation for freshmen, I looked everywhere for her. I assumed, of course, that she would be a hotshot on campus, so she might lead a tour, conduct a…
