Dick still went by the name Dick. He was the only person under 50 who actually went by that name.

Dick was twirling a pencil in the study lounge. Trying to memorize the periodic table. But all he could think about was summer. Damn it was only October. And here he was dreaming about summer.

Lsat summer he had floated the thought. Dick had said it as a 

joker

so that he could take it back if uncle Kev thought it was a stupid idea.

"Say maybe I drop out of school and come work on the motel full time with you and aunt Jane?"

Uncle Kev had stopped his drill. Looked square into his eyes. "Dick. Don't even joke about that."

To his uncle, Dick was a wunderkind. 4.0 

GPA

at a university was enough for such a perception. Uncle Kev had never left his town save to go up north to shoot deer. He'd even use Dick as an example for his cousin. Try to say that if Sammy were to study hard like Dick, then he too could go to college and get a good job. Dick tried to downplay the importance of college. Dick didn't see himself as the smart wunderkind that uncle Kev made him out to be. In fact, he felt like he'd be better off doing something with his hands.

That's why he was itching to get out of the study lounges and the libraries and the lecture halls. And back to that motel in the middle of nowhere.