It all began the summer prior to my junior year attending Dexter High School in Dexter, Missouri. What was began then? The events that would draw me into some of the most entertaining evenings I have ever had working, which were at The Delta News newspaper office.
At that time I had befriended two guys I knew from school. Their names are Chris Martin and Joe Morlan. Well, one day Chris told me he was going to check on getting a job rolling newspapers, and I decided to check it out as well. I mean, it sounded like an easy enough gig, and it was. We both met Monty, and he hired us on the spot. He was a driver with a large route. He needed another so Joe went and talked to him as well. With all of us employed there the stage was set.The three of us got paid like ten dollars an hour for two to three hours one night each week. (It isn't like we needed anything other than a bit of spending money you know.) We worked after hours in a small room in the back of the office across from Huck's Gas Station. (The office was turned into Domino's Pizza I think after the newspaper shut down.) Monty would turn the radio on Z95, which was a classic rock station based out of Poplar Bluff, and we would talk away the hours and jam out. It was great and never really felt like work at all.
Sometime later, Joe moved in with my family, and he became somewhat of an adopted brother to me. We were always around each other and thus had several mutual friends. Aside from Chris, the closest was Angela Metz. Angela was a skinny little brunette with a great personality. I thought she was cute right away, but never really mentioned it because she and Chris were like dating at the time I think.
That is until he moved back to California, which is where he was originally from before coming to stay with his grandparents in Dexter. Angela went to talk to Monty some weeks before Chris left to see if he was looking for any more help. Though he really didn't need anymore help, he did hire her, and when Chris left she filled his spot. It was during those long late night talks that I developed a fullblown crush on Angela. Unknown to me at the time, it was also right about then that Angela developed her crush on Joe, which, although he denied it for the longest time because he knew how I felt, was mutual. As you can imagine it was a pretty interesting scene sometimes. Looking back I just would love to thank Monty for all his good advice and friendship durning those few months that we worked together. I am sure I speak for all four of us when I say that we enjoyed it immensely.