Chapter 2 Chapter two

The All-State Football Fest took place in a town called Flometton, which Coach Fellers described as a "switch."We got on a bus to the town -- there were five or six people in our area who won awards.The bus was scheduled for an hour or two, and there was no toilet on board, and I had two more drinks, so by the time we got to Frometon, I couldn't hold it anymore. The meeting was held in the "Frometon High School" auditorium, and after we entered, me and a few other guys found the toilet.Somehow, though, when I try to pull the zipper down, the zipper catches my shirttail and won't move.I was pulling my ass off for a while, and a nice guy from the rival school went out to get Coach Fellers, and he came in with two goons trying to pull my pants down.One thug said the only way to do it was to simply tear it open.The coach listened, put his hands on his hips and said, "You want me to let this kid open the Shimen Reservoir, hang that thing outside, and just go out like this? Hey, what kind of impression do you think it will create?" After finishing speaking, he turned his head Said to me, "Gump, you've got to hold on until the party's over and we'll get you out of it—okay?" waited.

There were thousands of people sitting in the auditorium. As soon as we entered, they all smiled and clapped their hands.We were seated behind a huge long table on stage, facing everyone, and my worst fears happened, and the night turned out to be endless.It was as if everyone in the auditorium was on stage to speak—even the bellhop and porter.I wish my mother was there because she'd be there for me, but she's lying home with the flu.Finally it was time to present the awards; the trophy was a small gold football.As a rule, when your name is called, you have to go to the microphone to accept the award and say "thank you," they said, and if anyone wants to say something else, keep it short, because we want to get out of there before the end of the twentieth century.

Almost everyone has accepted the award and said 'thank you', and then it's my turn. Someone on the microphone called: "Forrest Gump," and by the way, I probably haven't told you that Gump is my last name. I Got up and walked over and they handed me the award. I leaned into the mic and said "thank you" and everyone cheered and gave a standing ovation. I guess someone told them beforehand what an idiot I was, so they were especially nice to me. But these reactions were completely beyond my expectations. I was at a loss as to what to do, so I just stood there like that. After a while, the audience fell silent, and the person in front of the microphone asked me if I had anything to say. I just said." I need to pee. "

For a long time, the audience was silent, they just looked at me and I looked at you funnyly, and then they began to whisper to each other like thunder.Coach Fellers came on stage and grabbed my arm and dragged me back to my seat.He stared at me all night after that, but after the party the coach and the two goons did take me to the loo again and ripped my pants and I literally pissed in a big tub. I finished peeing, and the coach said, "Gump, you can really talk." Well, the next year, there wasn't much of a big deal, except someone dropped word that some idiot made the "All State Football All-Star Team," and it turned out to be a bunch of letters Start sending from all over the country.Mom kept them all, and began to paste newspaper clippings on the notebook.One day, a package arrived from New York City with an official game baseball signed by all the players of the New York Yankees baseball team. That was the best thing in my life!I cherished that ball like a gold nugget until one day I was tossing it in the yard and a big dog came and snatched it from mid-air and chewed it up.It happens to me all the time.

One day, Coach Fellers called me in, and he took me to the principal's office, and there was a guy from college in the office, and he shook my hand and asked me if I was thinking about going to college.He said they had been "watching" me.I shook my head because I hadn't thought about it. Everyone seemed to be in awe of the man, bowing and calling him "Mr. Brian."But he said he wanted me to call him "Big Bear," which I thought was a weird name, but he did look like a bear in some ways.Coach Ferrache made it clear that I wasn't very bright, but "Bear" said most of his players were, and he was thinking of getting someone special to do my homework.A week later, they asked me to take a test with all kinds of weird questions that I wasn't familiar with.After answering for a while, I felt boring and refused to answer any more.

Two days later "Big Bear" came again, and Coach Fellers dragged me into the principal's office. "Big Bear" looked upset, but he was still very polite, and he asked me if I did my best on the test.I nodded, but the principal rolled his eyes, and Big Bear said, "Well, that's unfortunate, because the grades show the kid's an idiot." The Headmaster nodded now, and Coach Fellers stood with his hands in his pockets, sullen and sullen.My prospects of playing college ball seemed to be over. The fact that I was too dumb to play on a college team didn't seem to affect the thinking of the US Army at all.It was my last year of high school, and by the spring all the other students had graduated.They let me sit on stage, though; I was even given a black robe to wear, and when my turn came, the principal announced that they were going to issue me a "special" diploma.I got up and went to the mic, and the two thugs got up and wanted me to walk over with them—I guess I was afraid I would say something like I was saying at the "All State Football Star Party" again.

My mother was sitting in the front row of the night stage, crying and wringing her hands. I felt so happy, as if I had really achieved something. But it wasn't until we got home that I realized why she kept howling—the Army came to tell me to report to the local draft board or something.I don't know what it's for, but my mother does—it's 1968, and all sorts of shit is waiting to happen. Mom gave me a letter from the headmaster to give to the recruiting board, but somehow I lost it on the way.The check-in scene was like a madhouse.There was a big black guy in an Army uniform yelling at everyone to put them in piles.We were all standing there, and he came out and ordered: "Okay, I want half of you to stand there, half to this side, and the other half to stand where you are!" Everyone crowded there looked confused, even me. We all know this guy is an idiot.

They took me into a room, lined us up, and ordered us to take off our clothes.I didn't like it, but everyone did it, so I did it.They examine every part of us—eyes, nose, mouth, ears—even our private parts.They also ordered me: "Bend over;" I did, and immediately someone stuck his finger in my ass.enough!I turned around and grabbed the bastard and rammed his head.Suddenly there was a commotion, and a group of people ran over and threw themselves on me.However, I am used to this trick.I shrugged them off and rushed out the gate.When I got home and told my mother what had happened, she was clearly in a hurry, but she said, "Don't worry, Forrest Gump—it'll be fine."

It turned out otherwise.The next week, a station wagon was parked outside my house overnight, and several men in Army uniforms and shiny black helmets knocked on my door looking for me.I hid in my room, but Mom said they were only here to send me to the draft board.All the way, they stared at me like I was some kind of madman. There was a door inside the conscription committee, which led to a large office. In the office sat an old man in a bright uniform, and he also watched me cautiously.They sat me down, took a quiz and shoved it in front of me, and while it was a lot easier than the college team quiz, it was still not easy.

After the quiz, they took me to another room where there were four or five guys sitting behind a long table, asking me questions and passing around a quiz that looked like I had done it.Then they huddled together and whispered, and when they were done, one of them signed a piece of paper and handed it to me.When I got home with it, my mother grabbed the piece of paper and immediately scratched her hair, crying and praising God, because it said that I was "temporarily suspended" because of my dementia. Another event that happened that week was a big event in my life.There was a female tenant in our house who worked as an operator for the telephone company.Her name was Miss French, and she was an amiable lady, very quiet and withdrawn.However, one night, the weather was hot and thundery.As I walked past her door, she poked her head out and said, "Gump, I just got a box of fudge this afternoon--would you like a piece?"

I said: "yes".She took me into her room, and the box of fudge was on the dressing table.She gave me one piece, asked me if I wanted another piece, and pointed to the bed and asked me to sit down.I ate at least a dozen pieces of fudge when there was a flash of lightning outside and a bang of thunder and the curtains were blown up, and then Miss Flambine sort of gave me a push and I lay in bed.She started touching me in an intimate motion. "Just keep your eyes shut," she said, "and don't worry about anything." Then something happened that never happened before.I can't tell what it is, because I keep my eyes closed, and because my mom would kill me, but I'll tell you, friend: it gave me a whole new perspective on the future. The thing is, Miss Framban is a sweet lady, but what she did to me I'd rather do to Jenny Curran.However, I don't think that's the case, because I'm too virtuous to ask anyone out on a date.This statement is considered polite. However, because of this new experience, I found the courage to ask my mother what to do with Jenny, and of course I never mentioned anything about Miss French.Mom said she'd take care of it for me, and she called Jenny Curran's mom and explained the situation.The next night, man, Jenny Curran showed up at my front door!She was so beautifully dressed, in a white dress, with a pink flower in her hair, I never dreamed she was so beautiful.When she came in, my mother took her to the living room, gave her a glass of ice soda, and called me downstairs, because as soon as I saw Jenny Curran come up the hallway of our house, I ran upstairs and locked her up. bedroom.I'd rather have 5,000 people chasing me than go out of the room, but Mom went upstairs and took me by the hand and came downstairs and gave me an ice cream pop too.My nervousness is better. Mom said we could go to a movie, and she gave Jenny three dollars when we went out.Jenny was so sweet, talking and laughing, and I kept nodding and grinning like an idiot.The movie theater was only four or five blocks away from our house. Jenny went to buy tickets, and we entered the theater and sat down together.She asked me if I wanted some popcorn, and when she got back, the movie had just started. It was a story about a man and a woman robbing a bank, the woman named Bonnie, the man named Clay, and other interesting characters.But there are also a lot of murders and gun battles in the film.I thought it was funny how people would shoot at each other like that, so I laughed when it happened, but whenever I laughed, Jenny seemed to sink back in her seat. Halfway through the movie, she almost crouched on the ground.I suddenly saw her huddled on the ground and thought she had somehow fallen off the seat, so I reached out and grabbed her shoulders to pull her up. As soon as I pulled it, I heard something split, and I looked down, and Jenny Curran's dress was completely torn, and everything was hanging out.I put my other hand out to cover her, but she started groaning and flailing her arms like crazy; and me, I kept trying to hold her so she wouldn't fall to the floor or her clothes would come apart, and we People around looked back to see what was going on with the commotion.All of a sudden, a guy came down the aisle and shone a harsh flashlight on Jenny and me, and because of the exposure and all, Jenny started screaming and sobbing, and eventually she jumped up and ran out of the theater. The next thing I know, two men come up and tell me to stand up, and I follow them into an office.After a few minutes, four policemen arrived and asked me to go with them.They took me into a police car, two in the front and two in the back with me, sandwiching me one left and one right like Coach Fellers' two thugs, only this time they did "go into town" "So they took me into a room, fingerprinted me, photographed me, and put me in jail.It was a horrible experience.I was always worried about Jenny, but when my mother showed up after a while and she wiped her tears with a handkerchief and wringed her fingers, I knew I was in trouble again. A few days later, some kind of ceremony was held in the court.My mom put me in a suit, took me there, and we met a nice guy with a beard and a big leather bag, and he talked to the judge—a lot, and then some people, including my mom, also Talked some shit and finally it was my turn. The bearded man grabbed my arm and helped me up, and the judge asked me how it happened?I couldn't think of what to say so I shrugged and he asked me if I had anything else to add and I said, "I need to pee," Because we've been sitting there for almost half a day and I'm bursting with urgency!The judge leaned forward behind that big desk and looked at me like I was a Martian or something.Then the bearded man spoke, and the judge waited for him to finish speaking and told him to take me to the bathroom, and he took me there.As we left the courthouse I looked back and saw poor mother holding her head and wiping her tears with her handkerchief. Anyway, when I got back to court, the judge scratched his chin and said it was a "very odd" thing, but he thought I should go into the army or something, and maybe fix me.My mom told him the U.S. Army didn't want me because I was an idiot, but the college sent me a letter this morning saying I could go to college for free if I wanted to play for the college. The judge said it was a strange thing too, but he had no objection as long as I got the hell out of town. The next morning, I packed my bags and my mother took me to the bus stop to see me off.I looked out the window, and my mother wiped her tears again with a handkerchief.This scene is all too familiar to me.It's etched in my memory forever.Anyway, the bus started and I was on my way.