A soap opera

She'd put off laundry too long. She was wearing her last pair of clean underwear. As she headed downstairs in jeans and a plain green sweater, she did not feel particularly attractive.

He'd put off laundry too long. He was wearing his last pair of clean underwear. As he folded his whites in the basement laundry room, wearing cutoffs and a purple T-shirt that said, "Surf or die," he did not feel particularly attractive.

But when she walked into the hot room with her dirty clothes, they found each other particuarly attractive.

Oh, but that wasn't something you'd come right out and say. Instead they made small talk and she—starving and pressed for time between classes—asked, "Would you watch my laundry while I run upstairs for lunch?" And he said he was almost finished but agreed to guard her laundry till he was.

She raced upstairs to 432, her Tide in hand, her mind on spin cycle, hoping to meet him again. "There's this really cute guy in the laundry room," she said as she hurriedly fired up some Spaghettios.

His last shirt folded, he waited for what seemed like an Era. And when she did not return, he had a Bold idea, carried it out and then headed up to his apartment with his Purex, his clean clothes and a business law book.

She Wisked back downstairs, composed herself upon reaching the bottom, and walked hopefully into the laundry room. Alas. Her heart felt drained.

But lo: a note on her washer! "Stop by sometime," it said. "Gerry Fellows, Apt. 313." What Cheer! It was as if a large load had been lifted from her.

The whole day, she could not rinse him from her mind, nor could he wringer from his. That evening, she summoned All her courage and walked down to 313 with a couple of beers.

This is how Ronnda Simpson of Clinton Township and Gerry Fellows of Ludington met last year at Cedar Village, a huge off-campus apartment complex at Michigan State University. Like underwear and socks, they now regard themselves a pair.

Fellows, 21, is entering law school this fall at DePaul University and Simpson, 22, is going with him to Chicago to find a job in social work. The relationship so far, they say, has been just Fab.

This story originally appeared in The Detroit Free Press and has been published here for portfolio purposes only. The photo is not the original photo.