"Gee, Grandma, you mean you really knew Senator Gretchen Rider when you were in high school?"

"Yep, sonny, I sure did. Right nice girl, that Gretch. In fact, she was one of the best‑loved senior girls; never had an enemy.

"She was a rosy‑cheeked gal. Wore her dark hair short. . . and every once in a while she would wear a brown burlap skirt that got her a lot of kidding. . . awarded a brotherhood citation her sophomore year; she was president of the society her senior year. Yep, right nice girl."

"Ah, tell me more, Granny"

"Well, in those days, she was a busy gal. I remember her saying, "I have to go now," whenever I'd talk to her. Always chasing around ‑ running errands . . . she was a twirler, she was. Of course, she did drop her baton a few times, and I bet those white boots of hers were caked with a couple of inches: of mud after some of those football games. . . and she was smart too. . . I wonder if she still swims. Used to swim a lot in those days. One of her favorite pastimes was goofing up the routines for the Aquiana water shows. Took up a lot of her time though . . . really ambitious, that kid. She used to get up at six o'clock on Saturday mornings just to do homework. . . But Gretchen wasn't any angel. She and her friends had some wild parties, they did. . . as I remember, her nickname was D.G., and she was always collecting a lot of brownie points from her Biology II class and calling a certain boy "Rodent"

Gee, she sure used to get red whenever someone asked her how she liked miniature golf."

"You know, she probably got all those high political ideas from Student Council. She was on council four years, and Gretch is the only chairman I know of who served two consecutive terms. Public Relations was her committee. . . handled all those Dial Tones, memory records, things like that. Did a darn good job, too. . . She was in V‑show almost every year ‑ a baton act, of course. . . and she was a gym leader and the class treasurer her sophomore year and ‑ oh, yes, she was honored with the D A R award her senior year for her leadership and service. Now enough about Senator Rider. You get to bed."

"Ah, Grams . .

"Go on now. . . Ah, yes, Gretch Rider. A mixed‑up kid, but a good friend and one of the sweetest, hardest‑working young ladies around Maine West. I'll have to look her up when I'm back home. Yes, that's just. what I'll do.

"Ho, ho, ho, and a Merry Christmas to you little girl, and what do you want for Christmas?" asked Santa Claus.

"I want that new, popular 5 foot 8 inch blond‑haired, blue-eyed boy that lights up when the word "Rodent" happens to be mentioned?"

"Yeah, Santa, that's the mechanical boy I want for Christmas. I've also heard that Al is on the swimming team, Student Council, secretary of the "M" club, and chairman of the service corps".

"Al also enjoys sailing, water skiing, double dates (8‑11:30, and 11:30‑2), coloring with colored pencils, and staring into space."

"Oh sure, Santa, I also know that the Rodent favors biology over his other subjects, and has been known to repeat "skeba chevy" several times a day. Even though Al has many activities he is still able to keep a good grade average."

"Another thing about this mechanical boy is that he loves shrimp and dislikes people that downgrade Student Council without knowing anything about it. Even though Al has many memories of his high school days, one in particular stands out in his mind. This is the time the Weasel (Rick Warnicke), the Squirrel (John Montonaro), and the Rodent took a trip to Wabash college in Indiana. The Rodent plans to attend this college with the Weasel when he graduates."

"Santa, now that I know just about everything about Al, will you please bring him to me for Christmas?"

Oh, I'm terribly sorry but Al has already been taken by a cute little freshman cheerleader. Merry Christmas to you anyway, little girl."