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Tim always viewed himself as an outsider.* He felt everyone viewed him as a bastard in school for not having a father and wanted nothing to do with him.* In truth, except for one day in school when he was about seven, no one ever thought about that at all.*That day was when the children were asked to say what their fathers did.* When it came to Tim?s turn, he blurted out that he didn?t know as he did not have a father.* The children giggled some, and at the break, one boy did ask Tim if he was a bastard.* Which caused another avalanche of laughing.* By the next day, as is in primary school, someone else was the target for ridicule for the day.But Tim always felt that his classmates were always judging him about his illegitimacy.* And in the same way that Tim viewed himself as friendless often, he had a group of close friends since secondary school who cared for him and included him in things.Tim?s mates started as a small group of guys and now include their wives or girlfriends. He has been a part of their lives for twenty years now. The group has been friends since their beginning at secondary school.* Tim felt they were just individuals who tolerated him for what he offered them when he was fourteen, but over the years, Tim came to accept that they did like him.In many ways, Tim was surprised that they still were friends and included him in things almost twenty years later.* Though over the years, except for special events like weddings or children's christenings, Tim only met them at the sports pub on Friday nights to watch their team play.Since meeting Abbie in April, Tim has not seen them or been to the sports pub for the last five months.* Most of the group have called him to join them for the game or just drinks on several Friday nights, but Tim declined.* This week they insisted he stop ?avoiding them? and join them to watch the game on Friday night.Tim realizes he does want to see them all and have them meet Abbie, so he promised they would be there.oOoBut back to the start.Altogether, besides Tim, there were five guys in the group that*developed in school. It started when one of them sat behind Tim in math class their first year of secondary school. *Mark, the football captain, who was chosen for that role more for his aggressiveness on the field kaçak iddaa and his muscular build than any real skill or intelligence.* Mark was far from being a good student, barely passing a test, if even that.Tim had known who Mark was for a few years but had never interacted with him until they were in the class together.*During the first test that autumn, Tim could feel Mark trying to see his answers.* Math always was easy for Tim, along with most other subjects.* Knowing Mark was trying to cheat off him, Tim didn?t care.* If that was what Mark needed to succeed, whatever.* Tim did not try to hide his paper, and actually, when he had finished the test, he pushed it to one side so Mark could have a clear view of the answers.Mark did have enough sense not to use all of Tim?s answers, so it wouldn't be apparent he was cheating.* Tim always aced the tests, so Mark knew he was the right person to copy from.* When the graded tests were returned, Mark managed to get a B.*For the next few weeks, Tim did the same thing for their weekly tests.* Mark?s math grades were improving, even if he did not know how to do the math.* Mark was surprised and pleased that Tim so readily allowed him to cheat off him.By October, Tim grasped that he was not helping Mark at all and took a big chance.* After class, Tim asked Mark if he could talk to him for a minute.* Mark agreed, thinking, ?I should have known, the little shit is going to want money to keep helping him cheat.?* But he was surprised by what Tim suggested.?Mark, just copying my answers is not helping you learn or prepare you for work down the road.* Football for you is not going to last, and eventually, you will need to be able to perform well in the job you chose,? Tim said with more confidence than he felt.* Tim was sure Mark was about to punch him out for his comments.Breathing deeply, Tim continued, ?How about after your football practice, we spend an hour of me tutoring you in math so you can understand it?* We could meet at the library, or wherever is good for you.?Mark was amazed at what he was hearing.* No one had ever offered to help him before.* For someone to be willing to spend their time to try to get him to understand was beyond Mark?s expectations of people.* When Mark asked Tim how much he would kaçak bahis charge for tutoring, and Tim replied nothing, Mark was overwhelmed.Mark readily agreed but suggested they meet in the equipment room after practice.* Mark did not want to damage his image by being seen in a library.And so it began.* Tim helped Mark, first with his math, but then with other subjects.* Within a month, Mark asked if Tim would mind assisting a couple of his buddies in the same way.* Tim agreed, and first, two more, and a few weeks later, another two joined the tutoring sessions.All five of the guys were on the varsity football team.* They were grateful for Tim helping them.* So afternoons, Tim spent an hour or so in the gym equipment room helping them understand what went over their heads in the classroom.* Tim did have a way of carefully explaining things using analogies that the five could understand.Soon they were all improving in every subject and actually started enjoying what they were learning. When football ended, the tutoring continued.* Now they met for a couple of hours each afternoon to cover all the subjects the five had questions about.The five were well known around the school and were considered part of the elite. Suddenly when passing Tim in the hall, they would say hello.* If they noticed Tim in the lunch line, they had him join their table to eat.* None of the other students knew about the tutoring sessions. Instead just surmised that the jocks had made Tim their mascot.For the most part, Tim still kept to himself and was sure all were judging him for being a bastard.* During the tutoring sessions, Tim relaxed and felt more confident.* The guys all were getting better grades, on their own now, without cheating.* After passing a test, the five would come into the equipment room cheering about the grades they just got.Early on in these tutoring sessions, the school coach became aware of them in the equipment room each afternoon.* He was worried at first about what they might be doing, especially having Tim with them.* Were they doing something to Tim which he should be concerned about?* But after eavesdropping on the group and realizing that Tim was tutoring his team, the coach made sure they were never disturbed during their time in the supply room.The coach illegal bahis never told anyone, but after that, he would go easy on Tim when he was not always successful in gym class? physical activities.* He would listen in from time to time.* Hearing Tim explain concepts and formulas in a way that the jocks could comprehend, the coach thought Tim would make an excellent teacher one day.But to back up a little.* Why did Mark even agree to Tim?s suggestion from the start?*The truth lay*in his family life.* Mark had two sisters ten years older than him.* His mother and sisters did coddle him, but his father was a different story.* So pleased to have an heir when Mark was born, he rode Mark hard with high expectations for him.* He never finished school and felt that held him back from advancing at his job on the railroad.Mark?s father?s measure of success for his son was first athletic prowess, second, being attractive to the ladies and sexually active, and third having good enough grades to improve Mark?s chances of getting a decent job.* He did not expect an all-A student. Bs and Cs were acceptable.* Though when Mark brought home Ds or a failing grade, his father did not waste any time escorting Mark to the shed for some attention from his belt.In reality, Mark?s father led him to the shed somewhat regularly for one indiscretion or another.* His theory was that such discipline made Mark stronger and built his character.This led to Mark learning the skill of cheating.* Tim's offer to help Mark was readily accepted as Mark knew deep down, cheating through school was not accomplishing anything. *Mark was afraid of what his father would do to him if he ever learned about Mark cheating.* Mark knew that his days of cheating without being caught would probably come to an unwelcomed end soon.* It was only a question of how long his luck held out.* Underneath, Mark did want to learn to be able to get passing grades on his own.With Tim?s help all through their time at secondary school, Mark did improve.* Mark actually came to enjoy history and literature, and even math to a degree.* Mark?s father, seeing his grades*at first, wondered what racket Mark was playing.* Over time, with Mark spilling out things he had learned over dinner to his mother and sisters, his father?s view changed.* Maybe Mark wasn?t the dummy he had thought. *As the years went by, the dinner conversations would often be over Mark?s father?s head. Then he would just nod off and on during the meal.