Soooo, I dug through some old, old papers and I found it!

The first fiction story I ever wrote in sophomore year in high school for my favorite class…English, with Mr. Sargeant.

Check out the comments my favorite teacher wrote on my paper!  I love that teacher!  Even back then, he knew…I was destined to write!

I’m putting this story on my blog more for me than for you…it’s part of my past…my history…a story I actually completed!  Ha!

And it will give my son a laugh…

It’s such a sweet story…I’m going to leave in all the innocent nuances.  Remember, it was written a long time ago…

Is it the same now-a-days?

I substitute in high school now, so I think not!

So here you go…my title page…read on…

ENGLISH II – PERIOD  5 –  November 18, 1964

JEANETTE DISCOVERS AMERICA

This teen fiction short story is dedicated to my favorite English teacher, Mr,
Sargeant, for his pleasure and enjoyment.

Please note:  The conversation spoken by Jeanette must be read with a strong
French accent in order to get the full enjoyment that it is meant to give.

Mr. Sargeant’s Comments:

“Very, very well done!!  The best in the class!

Good detail!  Good dialogue!  Good organization!

98%

I’m sorry, but I don’t have a strong French accent.

How about an Irish one?”

Don’t you just love that???  Thanks, Mr. Sargeant…wherever you are…this is still dedicated to you!!  For inspiring me & apprecaiting my story!!

They were finally on their way to the United States and there was no turning back now.  Jeanette Dupont was, of course, very excited and very scared.  She was sure she would love the United States for she had heard so many wonderful things about it.  She sat on the boat looking out over the water, dreaming of her new life in America. She had tried very hard to master the language, but found it necessary to use her own language for the more difficult words.

“There you are, Jeanette!  I have been looking all over for you.  We’re almost there, aren’t you excited?” her mother said as she approached her, and interrupted her daydreaming.

“Oui mama, je suis tres agite!” Jeanette answered.

“Now Jeanette, you know what I told you. You are to speak English now, or no one will understand you.  I had a terrible time telling people what I wanted the last time I was in the United States. If you want to come here to live, you cannot speak French all the time,” Jeanette’s mother said firmly.

She kissed her mother on the cheek and answered apologetically, “I…am…sorry, I…weel…try…harder.”

“Now hurry and get cleaned up, we’re almost ready to land,” her mother said happily.

The trip across the Atlantic on the big ocean liner had been very pleasant-and thrilling for Jeanette, yet she still couldn’t wait to get to the United States.  Jeanette, a “petite” 17-year-old, with long blond hair and blue eyes, was really something to look at. She was
always bubbling over with some sort of exciting news.  Although she had been a little hesitant when her mother had discussed plans to live in America, her mother knew that Jeanette would have no trouble at all making friends in her new surroundings.  She and her mother had become great companions since her father’s death five years before.  Now that most of the grief was gone, Mrs. Dupont felt that coming to the United States was the best opportunity for her to become a successful writer.

Jeanette sat in her room just thinking before getting  ready to leave the ship.  She was very pleased with her mother’s decision to move to the states and she loved her dearly for it.  She knew that her mother’s main reason was to secure a future for Jeanette.  Her only fear was that her new classmates would not accept her, even though her mother constantly assured her that she would fit in very well. She had many friends in Paris, where they lived, and she had been sad to leave them.  She would miss them greatly, especially if she did not make any friends at her new school.

She had promised to write them each a letter once a week and she desperately wanted them to visit her, but that seemed impossible.
Jeanette’s mother had purchased a small, contemporary house in one of the suburbs of New York.  Everything would be ready for them when they arrived, since they had sent all their furniture and clothes ahead.  Jeanette had been enrolled in a beautiful neighborhood high school, while Mrs. Dupont had a job in New York City that she seemed happy about.  When they finally arrived in New York, Mrs. Dupont was anxious to show Jeanette her new home.  After a short ride they pulled up in front of the house.  Jeanette took one look and gave a shout.

“Mama, eet ees beeuteeful,” she said with such glee that her mother had to laugh.

The house had natural wood siding, huge windows, and two skylights.  One in the family room and one in her bedroom.  There was a deck encircling the house which overlooked a professionally landscaped front yard.  Jeanette fell in love with it immediately.  It was autum, so the trees and bushes were golden in color giving the house a magical appearance.  As soon as her mother opened the front door, Jeanette ran through each room singing and dancing.  It pleased Mrs. Dupont to see Jeanette so elated.  Since it was Saturday, they took their time to set up everything just the way they wanted it.  They were having a great time and by Sunday evening the house was just right.  But, this gave Jeanette little opportunity to meet any friends over the weekend.

So as Monday came, she still had not met anyone to walk to school with.  School in this area had only begun about a week ago, so she hadn’t really missed much work, it was just that she wanted to have friends to go to school with.  Jeanette got ready for school that
first day with a mixture of nervousness, and also relief that the day was finally here.

“Come on Jeanette, hurry, you don’t want to be late on the first day.  I’ll drive you because I think there are more information forms for
me to fill out,” Jeanette’s mother shouted from downstairs.

Jeanette’s first thought about the school was that it was the most modern one she had ever seen. She was sure she had seen modern buildings before, but they just didn’t seem to come to her mind at this moment.

“I think you’re going to like this new school, Jeanette,” her mother whispered.

“Me too!” she answered.

They went into the office together to fill out the papers, and then the school secretary showed them where her home room was.
Her Mother left, and since she had a few minutes before the bell rang, she decided to walk arround the school by herself.  She was walking down the hall looking everything over when suddenly from around the corner someone came rushing into her.  She was so startled by this accident that she could do nothing but sit where she had fallen.  When she finally did look up, she looked up into the eyes of the cutest boy she had ever seen.  She sat there for at least two minutes just staring at him, and she later realized that he too, must have been doing the same.

Finally he spoke,”Gee, I’m awfully sorry, let me help you up.  I was in such a hurry that I didn’t watch where I was going!  Are you alright?”

Oui, , I…am…fine,” Jeanette stammered, suddenly ashamed of her strong French accent.”

“Oh, you’re the new French girl we’ve been waiting for!  Ummm, not bad,”  he exclaimed giving her his full attention now.  “Not bad at
all!”

“I…do…not…understand…when…you…say…you…have…been…waiting for…me,” she said, very confused now.

Wel,l the news got out somehow that a French girl was enrolled in our school and most of us boys have never seen a real French
girl, so we were kind of curious.  I’m glad I saw you first though.  I did didn’t I?” he asked hopefully.

“Oui, I have not met anyone else yet,” she replied sadly.

“Oh, I can take care of that, come with me,” he said leading the way down the hall. “Where’ s your home room anyway?”

“Right here, room 203,”  Jeanette was breathless, she had not expected to meet anyone so soon, and now she was being escorted by one of the cutest boys she had ever-seen.

“Well what do you know, this is my home room too!  Now I can keep a watch out for you.”

Jeanette laughed and he smiled.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the other kids.  Hey, you didn’t tell me what your name is, how can I introduce you?  Mine’s Ronnie.  Ronnie Renalls.”

“Oh , my name eez Jeanette.  Jeanette Dupont.”

“Okay Jeanette, let’s meet the other kids.”

“Hey, Ronnie, whose the doll?” a boy shouted out as they walked in the room, and Jeanette blushed.

“Kids, I want you to meet the new French girl.  Her name is Jeanette Dupont,” Ronnie announced with great pleasure.

Everyone started talking at once, saying “Hello” and asking, “Can you speak English?”

Jeanette was too confused to say anything, so she just stood there listening, but she was also very happy.  She felt that she was pretty lucky to have met such a popular and friendly boy like Ronnie.

“Boy, Ronnie, you didn’t waste any time in meeting her did you?” one girl shouted out.

“Oh I just ran into her in the hall and I mean that literally.  I collided with her while I was rushing to get here as usual.  Fortunate for me,” he laughed, and everyone laughed with him.

“So wait a minute everyone, give her a chance to breathe.  Jeanette, this is Judy, our very successful cheerleading captain, she’s going
steady with Bob here,” Ronnie said pointing to a good-looking boy sitting near Judy.

“You make it sound like hands off!” Bob answered sounding regretful.

“Well isn’t it?!” Judy replied firmly to Bob.

After Ronnie had introduced her to all the kids in her home room, it was time for classes to start.  She and Ronnie matched her schedule with everyone ‘s to see who she could walk to classes with. They found that Judy was in her next class and in her lunch period, too.   And that another girl named Darlene was in her gym class, while  Ronnie was in her study hall at the end of the day.

“I’ll see you in study hall, Jeanette,” Ronnie shouted down the hall after the bell rang.

“Fine, I weel see you then.”

When she and Judy were by themselves, Judy asked, “Well, how do you like our school? You know you’re very lucky to have made such an impression on Ronnie, there isn’t much most girls in this school wouldn’t do to get a date with him.  After all, being captain of the football and basketball teams make him pretty special, and of course he is so terribly cute and friendly;”

Jeanette wanted to tell Judy all her feelings about her new life, but there just wasn’t time. S0, all she said was, “I love this school, eet eez so beeuteeful! You are all so warm and friendly to me. I hope we can become good friends.”

“I’m sure we can,” Judy smiled.

Jeanette went through the rest of the day in a daze, meeting so many new people was very tiring.  She looked forward to seeing Ronnie in study hall, and when they met, he motioned for her come over and talk to him before the bell rang.

“How are things going? Anybody give you any trouble?” Ronnie asked.

“Non, I love za school and everyzing,” she answered happily.

“That’s  fine. How about letting me walk you home after school today, okay?  I have French this year as one of my subjects and I have
just decided that you are the one to help me with it.”

“I would reely bee happy to, if you weel help me weeth my English.  Weel you?” she shyly asked.

“Of course, I think, this will work out fine.  You’ll pass English and I get a French tutor,” he replied.

After school Jeanette met Ronnie as he walked her home, she got to know him a little better and found that even though they were from different countries they had many things in common.

As they approached her house she saw her mother drive up and she waved.

“Mama, this eez Ronnie Renalls.  He has been so friendly to me today, he introduced me to everyone.”

“Well, this is certainly a pleasure, Ronnie.  I’m very happy to meet you.  Jeanette needed someone like you today, she was so nervous
this morning,” Jeanette’s mother said greeting them.

“Oh , it was my pleasure!”  Ronnie said as he looked at Jeanette.

“Mother, Ronnie asked me to help him with hees French lessons and he ees going to help me with my English lessons.”

To Ronnie she added, “Why don’t you stop by here tonight so we can geet started?”

“It ees alright, ees it not Mama?”

“Of course it is,” her mother answered.

“Well that’s great, I will, thanks. I’ll have to get home now though if I’ll be coming back tonight.  Okay?  I’ll see you tonight then
Jeanette.  Bye!” Ronnie waved goodbye and left.

As Jeanette and her mother walked into the house, Jeanette exclaimed, ” Mama, j”aime les Americains!”

LA FIN

*For those who have not had the pleasure of studying the French language, Jeanette said, “Mother, I love the Americans!”

THE END

Bloggers…Thanks for going back on this  journey with me to my past creative endeavors!!  Hey, I remember writing another teenage fiction story…called “Careless Love.”  Now, where can that one be??