Rosemary detaches herself from the group around Sue and wanders over.  She says, “So, you're headed to the big city.”

“Yeah, I quit my job at the computer shop here, to take a job at a computer shop in the big city.    Mr. Gray, down at the computer shop, was a good guy to work for and I learned a lot there.  However, there's no real future for me, here in town.  So, I'm off to the big city.”

Rosemary says, “Some people say that Janice is going with you.  Some say not.”

I tell Rosemary, “I'm waiting for Janice.  She has one hell of a big decision to make.  I hope that she'll go with me.”

Rosemary laughs and says, “I know Janice pretty well.  She and I talked, from time to time, through school.  All we could see here was a wedding with some local loser boy and then a life of raising more little loser boys and girls.  Then Janice met you.  You seem to offer some hope for the future.”

I laugh and tell Rosemary, “I want something more than a nothing job, here in town.  Janice wants the same.  Janice is a very talented lady.  She'll do well in the big city.  Hell, she may do better than I will.”

Rosemary says, “What do you two plan to do?”

“I have a job at a computer shop in the big city, same kinda thing I've been doing here.  I'll also take classes at night, mostly via computer.  Janice will go to a junior college or find a job as maybe an administrative assistant.  Whatever she does, she'll make a success of.”

Rosemary asks, “Then, you're not afraid that she'll leave you behind?”

I tell Rosemary, “Janice and I both want the same kind of thing.  We want success, a little prosperity and we're willing to work for that success.  I know computers.  Janice has a solid background in business.  We trained for success and we'll by damn get it, hopefully together.”

Rosemary laughs and then says, “Yeah, I trained in fine arts.  Do you know what I'm gonna do?”

“Not really.  Some say that you're headed for the big city.  But I have no idea what you're intending to do there.”

Rosemary says, “Well, either I step off the bus and fall into the arms of my dream man, or I get a job as a dancer at some place in the big city.”

“The girls down at Shiftys say that the life of a dancer in the big city is a little rough.”

Rosemary looks me in the eyes and says, “A lot rough is more like it.  However, I can make enough money dancing in the big city to maybe plan a decent life, instead of marrying some factory drudge here.”

I tell Rosemary, “Yeah, in the big city, you can do what a dancer does there and then find some guy in another part of the city or another city, a guy who has no idea what you did.  Not so here.”

Rosemary nods and then asks me, “You're not gonna get married to Janice, before you leave?”

“I'm not totally certain that Janice is even gonna go with me.”  (Okay, it's a lie.  However, if Janice and I got married here, it would be just Janice, Janice' folks, me and the preacher.  Janice old man is a hard worker, but he's a factory worker and he makes just about enough to keep their financial ship afloat.  Her mother has some sort of medical condition and can't earn money to help out.  Her parents can't afford a fancy, or even a decent, wedding and neither can we, at least not without using up all of our survival money.   Janice doesn't want to embarrass or hurt her parents, but she wants to wait and have a fancy wedding, with all the trimmings.  That last will have to wait until we get some money together.  However, Janice and I are married to each other, just not officially.)

Rosemary says, “Well I wish you all the best.  If had known then what I know now, I would have taken some classes, like maybe what Janice took.  Something that I could use to earn a living.”

With that, I wish her good luck and Rosemary is off.