America 1982-Chapter 89 - 9: Recruitment Night_2
Secondly, one should always walk through Greek Avenue from one end to the other first to have a general idea of the fraternities’ locations before slowly making a choice. After all, when shopping at a mall, you also take a complete round before carefully selecting products.
After spending nearly half an hour to complete the tour, the guide had finished introducing the basic information of seventeen fraternities and announced that everyone was now free to disperse. Those not interested could return to their dormitories directly, while those interested were welcome to visit the fraternity of their choice, and he would be waiting nearby, ready to assist should anyone have any questions.
As he announced the dismissal, dozens of girls led by another instructor arrived in the distance, each one dressed up in their most beautiful outfits, completely outshining the unkempt boys.
"Tommy, where should we go first?" Jason asked Tommy after the teacher announced the dismissal.
Tommy headed straight for Phoenix Society, "Phoenix Society, I have a friend there. No matter where I end up, my first visit has to be there, to give him the respect he deserves."
When the two reached the Phoenix Society fraternity house, although Jason had only taken a brief glimpse from the outside before, upon stepping into the hall, he couldn’t help but curse, "Damn, this place is almost big enough to fit the whole state of Sicily!"
At least forty or fifty people were gathered in the living room on the first floor, yet it didn’t feel crowded at all. The living room was divided into two areas: one was the screening area, where an exceptionally large TV was showing a documentary on Phoenix Society’s past glories, interviews with notable alumni, and the like; the other was the discussion area, where a dozen members, dressed in suits and sporting the Phoenix badge, greeted each newcomer with smiles and patiently answered any questions they had about the fraternity. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Jason’s yuppie attire certainly stood out; as soon as he entered the hall, at least four members of Phoenix Society looked at him with appreciative eyes. One of them, carrying two glasses of juice, came over and handed one to Jason:
"Hi, can I help you with anything? You can leave your umbrella at the stand by the entrance."
"Did you guys buy this house? Sir, it’s really big. How many rooms does it have?" Jason asked as he took the juice.
Tommy, who thought his roommate’s outfit could hold up for five minutes, knew from Jason’s first question that this guy had no chance with Phoenix Society in this lifetime, so he turned and walked towards a nearby couch.
Indeed, as Jason’s question hung in the air, the smile on the frat brother’s face turned awkward, and he simply responded with a faint smile, "Sorry, no comment. Feel free to look around."
Tonight, as the freshmen were choosing fraternities, the fraternities were also selecting freshmen. Due to time constraints, most freshmen wouldn’t have much opportunity for in-depth interaction with the fraternity members. If the conversation ends right after the first question with an invitation to look around without further discussion, it meant the freshman wasn’t the type of person they were looking for.
Jason’s serious attire made him look like a yuppie to Tommy. As to what a yuppie is, the concept emerged in the 1980s from an American magazine, not necessarily a term of praise. It described young middle-class professionals who were neither impoverished nor truly wealthy. These individuals were well-educated with a decent world view, aspiring to high society, but because their wealth wasn’t yet sufficient to support the upper-class lifestyle they sought, they strove within their means to craft an image that appeared artistic, gentlemanly, and fashionable, mirroring the essence of the elite.
Yuppies were keen on social clubs, creating various business networks with high-sounding names, but to Tommy, this was utterly inconceivable. A bunch of people needing to put the designer suits on their credit card installments, and their so-called network was hardly different from a pen pal club, where they exchanged opinions, shared trends they couldn’t afford and passed around classical music records among themselves.
If Tommy were to summarize, American yuppies were essentially pretentious American men masquerading as socialites.
Such attire was indeed likely to catch the attention of fraternities, who might view you as a young elite. But once Jason spoke, they’d realize their mistake and see that he was just a country bumpkin with no real-world experience.
"Hello, is Stephen Binns here?" Tommy approached a member of Phoenix Society sitting on a couch and asked.
The society member looked at him and then asked, "Who are you?"
"His friend," Tommy responded with a smile, "I’m here to congratulate him on his imminent induction into Phoenix Society."
"How about you, pauper, how did the guys at the White Robe Society treat you?" Before the other could respond, Stephen stepped out from what looked like a bathroom door and spoke to Tommy.
"I haven’t been there yet; I wanted to congratulate you first and then... What the fuck... May I use that bathroom? I mean, can I enjoy the same bathroom service?" Tommy was just exchanging a high-five and a hug with Stephen when he saw a hot blonde, adjusting her straps and clothes, stepping out of the restroom, prompting him to ask Stephen on the spot.
Stephen glanced at the girl and said to Tommy with a smile, "Well, I didn’t need to engage in so-called focused talks with the president or vice president, had nothing to do, so our revered president simply arranged for me to have an early cordial interaction with a prospective Betty Society member, to deepen our mutual impressions."
