Published: 4 Jun 2026

Chapter 32– An Interesting First Few Weeks

When we woke up on Monday, we got ready to go to the dining hall for breakfast before we went to the dog park. It had snowed overnight, so there was a fresh coating of the white stuff on the ground, and it was also the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. When we were at the dining hall, we were surprised when we ran into the guys that we were going to watch the final game of the college football playoff game with. After all, there were no classes and they could have slept in late this morning, but here they were at their normal time.

“We thought you guys would sleep in today,” Devin said in greeting.

“Nah, we felt we had to get in the habit of getting up early for breakfast, since we have early classes this semester. How about you?”

“We normally get up early, so this is just part of our normal routine,” I responded. “Do you want us to bring anything with us when we come to your dorm later to watch the football game?”

“Not unless you want to bring some snacks.”

“Do you think there will be a lot of other guys watching the game with us?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Ok, then we’ll bring enough potato chips and Cheetos so we can share with the other guys too.”

“Ok, that sounds good and it will probably end up making you even more welcome to be there.”

As soon as we finished eating, we hurriedly walked back to the house, got in the SUV, and headed to the dog park. When we arrived there, Bailey and Finn were watching for us at the gate as we drove in, with their tails wagging energetically.

“Yesterday they were pleasantly surprised when you showed up, but today they’ve been watching for you,” Preston greeted me.

“They must have recognized the sound of the SUV.”

“I think it was more than that, because they seemed to be anticipating your arrival and probably would have been very disappointed if you hadn’t shown up.”

After Bear, Bailey, and Finn finished sniffing each other, they decided to race around in the snow for a while, with Bailey and Finn frequently pushing their noses through the snow. When they got tired of doing that, Preston and I took turns throwing a tennis ball and the Frisbee for them to fetch. Preston threw the tennis ball first, and when they brought it back to him, I tossed the Frisbee for them to retrieve next.

Bear was a real gentleman, or is that gentledog, and allowed Bailey and Finn to fetch those items and bring them back to us. However, after Bailey and Finn had retrieved both items a couple of times each, Bear gave up all pretense of being courteous. This time when I threw the Frisbee, it was like Bear was shot out of a cannon as he bolted after it, leaped, and caught it in the air. The best Bailey and Finn could do was to chase after him and then follow him back as he returned the Frisbee to me.

The same thing happened when Preston threw the tennis ball again, and then Bear pranced back proudly with the ball in his mouth and dropped it at Preston’s feet. After we threw the Frisbee and tennis ball a few more times, Bailey and Flinn began losing interest in these games, so Bear had to bring both of those items back to us, since Bailey and Finn were already heading toward the doggie obstacle course.

After Bear went to join them, Preston and I began to chat. “I can’t believe I’ve known you and Bear for nearly three full years now and this is the final semester that you’ll be here with us like this.”

“I know what you mean. The previous two years went by quickly and this one is already half over as well. I know Devin and I are going to be fairly busy after we graduate, applying for jobs and hopefully being invited for interviews as well, and then trying to fit in wherever we get hired. No matter where we end up. I’m going to miss bringing Bear here and seeing you, Bailey, and Finn.”

“It’s going to be hard on me and Bailey as well, and to a limited extent with Finn, because you and Bear, and to a lesser extent Devin, have become like our family.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, and it’s going to make Bear’s and my last visit here before I graduate very emotional, because it’s never easy saying goodbye to friends.”

“It’s difficult enough for me at the end of each semester when I may never have the students I’m most fond of in one of my classes again, and some I only have for one semester. I never get to know them for six consecutive semesters, like I’ve gotten to know you. If I’m lucky, I may have them in one of my classes for two, and possibly even three semesters, but I’ve seen you almost daily for the past six semesters. That means it’s going to be much more difficult to say goodbye to you and Bear for the final time.”

“That’s still weeks away, so let’s just enjoy this time together and not think about our final parting until we have to. There’s no sense in ruining the time we still have left by dwelling on the inevitability of what will happen in May.”

“Yes, you’re correct, so let’s just enjoy each day as it comes.”

We all ended up staying at the dog park longer than we normally would, since it was a holiday and we didn’t have any classes to attend or to teach, but eventually we decided to call it a day.

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Preston said once we’d agreed to leave.

“Tomorrow will be Devin’s day, because I have an early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he’s going to cover for me.”

“That’s right, then I’ll look forward to chatting with him tomorrow.”

I called Bear, and he raced toward me knowing it was time to leave, and Bailey and Finn followed him all the way back. He and I then walked out to the parking lot to get in the SUV, while Preston was trying to chase the other two around so he could attach their leashes to their collars. I was pulling out of the parking lot before Preston got them to the gate.

It was clear that Devin wasn’t going to transition and get dressed this time, since we were going to the hunting camp for a while next, so after I parked, I let him out of the back. He stayed outside and stayed alert for intruders while I went into the hunting cabin to undress. When I came back outside a minute later, I hid the key before I hurriedly transitioned, since it was cold out and I was in a hurry to have Buck’s furry coat wrapped around me. Once I quit shivering from the cold, we raced down the trail and made our way toward the meadow.

We didn’t have to worry about deer hunters any longer, since all of the various deer seasons were over by the end of November, so we broke into the meadow without any worries. Even though there was a fresh covering of snow on the ground, some of the vegetation was sticking up through the white coating at various locations, but we were also able to see numerous animal tracks. This indicated that other animals had already been out and about, and we noticed rabbit, deer, raccoon, and skunk tracks in the snow, along with those from a few birds. We didn’t see any of those animals still around as we began racing back and forth across the field, before heading toward the woods.

Devin hesitated slightly before we penetrated the tree line and it took me a second to figure out why, but then I realized he was probably having a flashback to when the tree limb fell and broke his collarbone. However, there wasn’t enough snow on the branches to cause that to happen, and besides, when the tree limb fell on him it was due to ice, not snow. Once he relaxed, we chased one another in, out, and around the vast assortment of trees as we wound our way deeper into the forest.

After racing around through the trees for a half hour, we reemerged into the field again, but we still didn’t see any of the animals whose tracks we’d spotted in the snow earlier. The deer had probably fed earlier and then returned to a safe place to rest for a while, and although skunks and raccoons don’t hibernate, they do enter a period of dormancy to conserve energy during the winter. Since we’d seen their tracks in the snow, it was obvious that they’d awakened to look for food before returning to their warm dens. The rabbits, however, are active all year long, so they had most likely returned to their burrow to seek warmth.

Since there was nothing to chase, Bear barked to get my attention, and then he looked down the trail leading back to the cabin to let me know that he was ready to leave, and then we raced down the trail. It was pretty much a tie by the time we reached the cabin, and Bear stayed outside as I transitioned, got the key from where I’d hidden it, and unlocked the padlock. Then, I hurried inside to get dressed.

When I came out again a couple of minutes later, I locked the cabin, let Bear into the back of the SUV, and then I got in the driver’s seat and returned the key to the ashtray. As Bear was transitioning and getting dressed, I started the engine and pulled out of the hunting camp and onto the road so we could return to the house.

I turned the heat on full blast as soon as it began blowing warm air, and Devin leaned between the front seats seeking its warmth, since it wasn’t reaching the backseat yet. The SUV was becoming nice and toasty by the time we reached the house, and once I turned off the engine, we left the warmth of the SUV and walked to the dining hall for lunch.

“Did Preston mention anything about hearing a news report about the thieves on the TV or radio?”

“No, he didn’t mention anything about that, so maybe the authorities didn’t get around to picking up the thieves until either late Saturday or early Sunday. And since today is a holiday, possibly it didn’t get on the news yet, or possibly it’s due to the fact that the thieves haven’t been arraigned yet, since I doubt the courts would be in session yesterday or today.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s possible, so he’ll just have to tell me tomorrow, since you’ll be pretending to be me.”

“Speaking of that, which of your clothes do you want me to wear?”

“It doesn’t make any difference, since whatever you wear, I’ll just wear the same thing once you’ve changed out of it. I’ll just wear what I wore today during the ride to and from the dog park and then we’ll both change after we get back to the house.”

“If you don’t mind doing it that way, then we’ll do the same thing every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the semester.”

“As long as you don’t get any dog shit on my clothes while you’re wearing them.”

“And when we get back to the house, let’s make a quick run to the grocery store to pick up the snacks for later.”

“Ok, but that reminds me of something. We won’t be able to carry that stuff to the dining hall when we go to eat supper, so we’ll have to walk back to the house to pick that stuff up after we eat and then walk back to campus to get to their dorm.”

“Yeah, so I guess you’ll be getting a good workout today with all of the running you did at the dog park and hunting camp, as well as three round trips to the dining hall, and then a round trip to the dorm.”

“Yeah, so I hope I don’t fall asleep during the game.”

“I’m sure it will be exciting enough and there will be plenty of noise to keep you awake.”

When we went to the grocery store after we finished eating, we picked up the chips and Cheetos, and I also pick up a package of paper plates. “Why are you buying those?” Devin asked.

“That way we can leave all of the bags of snacks on the ping pong table and the guys can take what they want, put it on a paper plate, and take it back to their seat while they watch the game. I think that will be easier than passing the bags around.”

“Good thinking. Shall we pick up drinks too?”

“Nah, we’d better not do that.”

“Don’t you think we’ll get thirsty?”

“If we do, we can just get a drink from the water fountain at halftime. I’m sure there will be enough of a mess from the snacks getting spilled on the floor, so it would probably be best if there weren’t any drinks to spill or get knocked over.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

We each carried two of the plastic grocery bags as we walked to the dorm, since the cashier had put each bag of chips and Cheetos into separate bags. She also put the paper plates into one of the bags with the Cheetos, so there were only four bags in total. When we arrived at the dorm, we went directly to the common room and a couple of our friends were already there.

“We came early to claim the best seats for the game,” they informed us.

“Great, and we brought the snacks, so we’ll put them on the ping pong table, along with the stack of plates, and that way everyone can place their snacks on a plate and take them back to their seat. We thought it would be easier than passing the bags around.”

“Smart move, and we’ll let the others know that you guys purchased the snacks for all of us to share. That way they might not bitch as much about you getting two of the best seats for the game.”

As soon as they explained about the snacks to the others as they entered the common room, we all sat down with our plate of snacks and waited for the game to begin. Just as we expected, it was an exciting first half, and during halftime Devin and I went to empty our bladders and get a drink of water. When we returned, we got a fresh plate of snacks and chatted with our friends as we waited for the second half to get underway. Every now and then one of the other guys came over to thank us for bringing the snacks, and eventually they all sat down again to watch the rest of the game.

The second half was just as exciting as the first half and the lead kept changing hands. It was a toss up as to which team was going to win, but since CSU wasn’t playing, none of us had a horse in this race. Sure, we each had a team we were rooting for, but it wasn’t the same as if our school was playing in this contest. And when it ended, we all agreed it had been a great playoff final game, even though not all of us were cheering for the team that won.

Shortly after the game ended, our friends told us to take the snacks that were left back with us, but we soon discovered there wasn’t very much that remained. After talking it over, we told our friends that they could have what was left and take it back to their rooms, otherwise we’d just leave it there for the vultures to eat later.

Classes started on Tuesday, so we had to get used to following our new schedule. It meant that after we woke up, we had to eat breakfast at the dining hall, since they wouldn’t still be serving by the time we returned from the dog park. Breakfast was followed by a quick trip to the dog park, and today Devin was taking Bear there, since I would be wearing Devin’s clothes. I transition into Devin before we left the house, and he transitioned into me, and when we went outside, I got in the driver’s seat as Devin walked around to the other side of the SUV and got in the back.

As usual, he undressed and transitioned into Bear before we got to the dog park, and then I led him over to the gate as Preston walked over to greet us.

“It’s nice to see you again, Devin, and it’s very thoughtful of you to cover for Michael two days a week during this semester.”

“We cover for each other whenever it’s needed,” I replied, and then we carried on with a little small talk for a while. Eventually, I decided to change the subject. “Michael said that he talked to you about the thieves that broke into some of the dorms over Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, he said the two of you were working with a group of others to keep an eye on the campus after dark to see if they returned. Did you two happen to spot anything.”

“No, so either the thieves haven’t shown up again or they’re more clever than we thought.”

“Hopefully, they’re too smart to return to the scene of their earlier crime.”

“Yes, that would probably be their best move.”

“Did Michael also tell you that I brought a tennis ball and a Frisbee so we could play fetch with the dogs?”

“Yes, he did say something about that.”

“Good, so do you want to join me as I do that again.”

“Do you have those things with you?”

“Yes, their sitting on the picnic table, so which would you prefer to use.”

“You brought them, so I’ll let you have the choice.”

“Ok, and seeing I’m not very good with a Frisbee, I’ll let you use that and I’ll throw the tennis ball for them to fetch.”

We did that until Bailey and Finn got bored with it, and then they went over to the obstacle course while Preston and I resumed chatting. “What are your courses like this semester?” Preston asked.

“I’m getting to take some of the more interesting classes this semester, such as mechatronics, robotics, aerospace systems design, and testing aerospace prototypes.” I was grateful that Devin and I had previously talked about our schedules and I could recall what he’d told me. If I’d screwed this up, I’m certain Preston would have picked up on my mistake.

“They don’t sound like courses I would be interested in, but I’m glad you’re excited about taking them.”

“I am. I’m very excited about taking them.”

We chatted about other things until it was time to leave, and then we called Bear, Bailey, and Finn to join us. Bear and I were able to leave first, since Preston had two dogs to hook up to their leashes and they were still trying to follow Bear, and I waved at them as we pulled out of the parking lot.

When we got back to the house, I reminded Devin to transition into me again, because it might make people suspicious if they noticed two Devins getting out of the SUV. As soon as we got inside, he asked a question.

“Did Preston say if he’d heard anything about the thieves being on the news?”

“No, and we even talked about them, so I guess the sheriff’s department either didn’t take the tip as being credible or it’s just that the TV and radio stations haven’t gotten the news yet.”

“Hopefully that will change tomorrow.”

We then went about the rest of our day as we normally would, and we ended up spending the night going over the first assignments in each of our classes before we turned in.

When we woke up in the morning, we made a quick run to the dining hall for breakfast before heading over to the dog park. When we arrived there, Preston seemed more excited than normal.

“After I left the dog park yesterday, I ran into a couple of my professor friends and they were talking about a report that the thieves had struck again on Friday. And then as I was watching the news last night, there was a story about the Larimer Sheriff’s Department and the CSP (Colorado State Patrol) making a joint raid on a farmhouse in a rural area. The news anchor said the raid was in response to an anonymous tip that had been received by Campus Security.”

“Did it say much about the suspects?”

“It reported that two of the suspects who’d been arraigned earlier in the day had previously been CSU students who’d dropped out of college. The anchor also reported that the other two guys had long rap sheets that included convictions ranging from petty theft to grand larceny.”

“It makes me wonder if they were friends before they started doing this, and if not, I wonder how they happened to come together.”

“It didn’t say, but something obviously brought them together.”

“It just doesn’t sound like they would have been running in the same circles. Two of them went to college for a while and the other two sound like experienced criminals, but at least they’ve been caught and we don’t have to worry about them any longer”

“Yes, that was the desired outcome, but it’s not all that I learned from that broadcast. It was also reported that most, if not all of the items that had been reported stolen on Friday had been recovered during the raid.”

“That’s great, because it sounds like most of the students will get their possessions back.”

“Yes, at least once they’re no longer needed as evidence.”

“Damn, that sucks, so I’m not sure if it will be much of a consolation to the victims, since they’ll have to go without those things until after the trial.”

“That’s true, but unfortunately it’s how the system operates.”

Throughout the upcoming weeks, Preston kept us informed about any new information he’d heard on the news. During that time, Devin and I also started going to some of the home basketball games. We were going with the same guys that we’d gone to the football games with, but the basketball team played a lot more home games than the football team. They also didn’t play all of their home games on the weekend, so sometimes the games would conflict with our studies, so we’d skip those games. We still saw quite a few of them, even though the team wasn’t doing very well.

A couple of days after the latest game, I received a call from a phone number that I didn’t recognize, so I put it on speaker so Devin could also hear what was said once I answered. “Good evening. My name is Dexter Schnabel and I hope I’m not disturbing you by calling this late at night.”

“No, this is fine, because we haven’t turned in yet, but I’m curious as to why you’re calling.”

“I work for Professional Sports Authenticator and I’ve currently been involved with grading some of the baseball cards that you sent in. I’m calling because I’m interested in purchasing some of those cards, since I’m also a collector, and I was wondering if you’d contact me when you’re ready to sell the cards that I’m interested in.”

“Yes, I don’t have a problem with doing that,” I replied after I saw Devin nodding vigorously.

I quickly opened a document on my laptop so I could take notes, and he told me his name again, and he spelled his surname this time, and he also gave me his cell phone number. He then went on to tell me which cards he was interested in, and then he made one final comment.

“I don’t know when you intend to sell the cards, or how you’re going to do it, but may I ask you for a favor?”

“I suppose that would be ok, but we won’t agree to anything until we know all the facts.”

“That’s fine, and all I’m asking is that before you make a final decision about who you’re planning to sell the cards to, please call me first and allow me an opportunity to beat the best offer you’ve received.”

“That probably won’t be possible if we put those cards up for auction.”

“Then at least promise that you’ll tell me where and when those cards will be going up for sale. I want to participate in that auction and possibly purchase the cards I’m interested in, as long as the bidding doesn’t go higher than I’m able to afford.”

“I don’t have a problem about calling you with that information, especially if it might result in us getting the best price for them.”

“You keep saying we and us. Are you part of a group.”

“No, it’s just me and my fiancé, and we’re definitely in this together.”

“Ok, I just wanted to make sure that you aren’t involved with a large investment group.”

“No, we just happened to stumble upon these cards quite by accident, although we immediately recognized that we’d found something quite valuable.”

“That is very true and you should do quite well, because I’ve seen many of the cards you sent here. And thank you for taking my call and agreeing to provide me with information about how and when these cards will go on sale.”

“Do you know when we’ll be getting them back?”

“Not precisely, because we’re still in the very early stages of grading them, but I’ve seen many of your cards and my first reaction is that not only are some of them quite rare, but they’ve also been well taken care of. Several of us will be grading each of the cards separately, and then we’ll see if there’s a consensus, so you should probably receive all of them back by March or April.”

“That’s good to know and I look forward to talking to you again.”

Once the call ended, I had to admit that I was more than a little excited. “I don’t think it was unethical to agree that I’d inform him where and when the cards might be auctioned off.”

“Fuck no, because you’ll be informing a lot of other people about that as well, or else there won’t be many people bidding on the cards.”

“That’s true, but if it’s not a public auction and we just tell people to send in their best bid and the highest bidder will get the card, would it be unethical to tell him what the highest bid is, to see if he can beat it?”

“That might be questionable, so if we do that, then you’ll have to let him know that he’d have to substantially exceed the highest offer, and not just by a few dollars.”

“What if he asks what we mean by substantially.”

“Depending on what the best offer is, it could be between one and ten percent.”

“That makes sense, so the higher the bidding, the lower the percent, because one percent of hundreds of thousands of dollars will amount to him having to beat the highest bid by at least $1,000. And if the highest bid is only hundreds of dollars, possibly even a few thousand dollars, then we may ask him to beat it by ten percent.”

“That sounds about right, Mr. Mathematician.”

“This could turn out even more profitable than we first thought.”

“Damn, I wish that kid was still around so we could thank him.”

“Me too, but since we can’t, we’ll make sure to do something special in his memory and maybe even give some money to his family as well.”

Devin nodded in agreement with my last comment, because no matter how much we spend to honor his memory or give to his family, it would only be fair. After all, he was the one who collected the cards and took such good care of them, which helped to make them so valuable.

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