Kickass and High School Students by Bill Stokes

Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

By Bill Stokes

Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper each weekday morning in watching the kids stroll across the parking lot on their way over to Memorial High School. They seem taller and more purposeful than the high school crowd the keeper remembers being a part of.

But that was so long ago, the keeper may be seeing actual evolutionary changes. A quick check reveals that the average North American male gained about eight centimeters in height from 1896 to 1996.

There are obviously measurements for how much smarter current HS students are, how much stronger they are, and how much higher they can jump, but the keeper is not going there. He is watching the meandering students and thinking that if they grow to have lives as interesting as his they will be fortunate indeed and it won’t matter how tall they are.

If, toward the end, they are lucky enough to end up loving someone like Phyllis, they will be giants, albeit height-shrinking giants with balance issues and aches and pains, but nonetheless giants.

The silver-tongued keeper, who was once 5 foot 10 has spoken, and like a high school sophomore in love, awaits his rewards.