Chapter 30: A Problem with an Unfortunate Solution

Tuesday, January 2, 1962 12pm

Jesse was surprised that Candice had not appeared in the cafeteria as he had expected. He wondered if she had been delayed coming back from Cranbrook after the Christmas break. He had worried about how he would move forward with Kirsten without hurting Candice, but it seemed inevitable that one would cause the other. However, at this point, he had no idea if he had any chance to have a close relationship with Kirsten. It was still too soon to know if there was a future for them.

He’d talked to her over the break about many different things, but he avoided asking her if there was a boyfriend. She’d made no mention of one and he began to believe she wasn’t attached to anyone. He reminded himself that the definition of boyfriend had changed over the half-century. Today, it meant a friendly relationship, more often with some kissing and fondling, but less often with intimacy. In the twenty-first century, it implied that it was much more likely there would be intimacy. He recalled the phrase “friends with benefits” as an apt description of the kind of relationship he had with Candice. With Kirsten, he wanted more ... much more, and not just the physical part.

He was pondering how to deal with the situation when he was startled by Kirsten appearing at the lunch table and sitting across from him.

“Hi,” he managed as she smiled at him.

“Hi,” she said. “Waiting for someone?” she probed.

“Well ... to tell the truth, Candice usually has lunch with me. But ... she hasn’t shown up. I guess she was delayed getting back from Cranbrook. Maybe the roads were bad and she didn’t want to risk it.”

“Is it okay if I sit with you today?” she asked without guile.

“Of course,” he said immediately. “I’m always delighted to have someone to talk to ... especially you.”

“Especially me?” she wondered.

He nodded, suddenly feeling brave. “Yes. Kirsten, I’ve been wondering ... do you have a boyfriend?”

She smiled a knowing smile. “It took you a long time to ask that, didn’t it?”

“Yes ... well ... we were just getting to know each other and I didn’t want to ... well ... I mean ... I didn’t know if there was someone else,” he stumbled, finally getting it out.

She laughed. “No, Jesse. There is no one besides my friend, Jesse Peterson. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes ... good, but that’s a surprise too. I would ask you why, but I don’t want to embarrass you. Uhhm ... this is awkward. I am dating Candice, but she intends to go back to Cranbrook when she’s finished here and so it’s just sort of a temporary thing. You aren’t planning to go back to Sweden, are you?”

Again, Kirsten laughed. “No, Jesse, I’m staying here. I like it here. It’s not like Sweden in the winter and much nicer here in the summer too. But there is a big question to be answered. What will Candice think about you wanting to be friends with me?”

Jesse was shaking his head. “I have no idea. I happen to know she has a crush on a fellow who’s studying medicine with her brother. I think I’m just someone who can be with her while she’s in Vancouver. I’m pretty sure she wants to be with this fellow when he becomes a doctor.”

“How do you know this?” Kirsten wondered.

Jesse shrugged. “She’s hinted at it more than once. Her brother and this fellow are both intending to open a practice in Cranbrook when they are finished with their internships. Candice wants to be able to work in her parents’ business in Cranbrook, so I’m just putting two and two together.”

“What about your future?” she asked.

“I was going to study journalism, but I’ve changed my mind. I see a huge growth and opportunities in computers and that’s what I want to get involved with. I hope I’m smart enough to learn what I have to know to be successful.”

Kirsten quizzed him about computers and why he thought they were the way of the future. She was surprised at how much he knew about them and what he believed they could become in the future. She was impressed. He wasn’t sure yet if he was intelligent enough to understand what he would have to know to reach his goal, but she got the impression he was going to try very hard to make it possible. Yes, she liked Jesse, and it was obvious he liked her. But there was the obstacle that had to be addressed: Candice Tanner.

If Jesse broke up with Candice, Kirsten wouldn’t hesitate to date Jesse. But for now, he was not available. She thought she could try to be patient to see what developed. There was no one else that she was interested in, despite a dozen or more young men approaching her. She politely told them that she wasn’t available and that there was someone she was waiting for. At first, it was only the barest truth, since Jesse Peterson had not appeared on the horizon.

To begin with, she had no intention of seeking out a boyfriend. Now, something pulled her toward Jesse. There was no doubt he was handsome and had a likeable personality, but it was more than that. What that “more” was defied description. There were some men on campus who were even more handsome and possibly wealthy, but Jesse had a certain aura about him that made him particularly attractive. In addition, he was thoughtful, polite, and thinking about his future in concrete terms. So many young men at the university were simply looking for a degree, and then a job ... any job that would pay a nice salary. Jesse had an ambition, but knew he would have to work hard to realize it. She liked that about him. She also respected him for not just dumping Candice in favour of her. It was his sense of honour that she admired.

Wednesday, January 3, 1962 12pm

Candice reappeared the next day and sat in her usual spot across from Jesse. He smiled and welcomed her.

“Hi, I missed you yesterday. Did you have a problem getting back here?” he wondered.

“Yes. We had a big snowfall on Sunday and the roads weren’t in very good condition until late Monday, so I decided missing a day wouldn’t kill me,” she explained simply.

“Good thinking. I’d hate for you to have an accident and end up in hospital ... especially on those mountain passes.” Jesse still had vivid memories of her accident on that same highway and the serious injuries she sustained. But this time, no such accident occurred.

She smiled and nodded, concentrating on her lunch.

“How was your Christmas?” he asked.

“It was nice. All the family was there, with Dave getting some time off too. I didn’t expect that. Pete’s at the Cranbrook Hospital and managed to visit between shifts. There are times when I think interns are slaves to be used until they drop,” she snorted.

“I didn’t know that,” Jesse admitted. “Do they really work them that hard?”

“Oh, yeah. They can often be on 24 hour shifts. Crazy, huh? You’d think that kind of work load would lead to mistakes, but Dave and Pete just shrug and say it’s the way it is. Anyway, I was just glad Dave got a couple of days off to be with Mom and Dad at Christmas.”

“Yeah, that’s nice,” Jesse agreed. “What did you do on New Year’s?”

“Nothing, really,” she shrugged. “With Dave and Pete back to work, I just hung out with a couple of my old girlfriends and caught up on the local gossip. We got together at my parents’ place and had some fun, but nothing crazy. It ended up with a slumber party when the snow got so heavy the girls decided not to go home. I haven’t had one of those in eons.”

“Good, I’m glad you had a good time with your family. I had a nice Christmas too, and I got to talk to my sister in Toronto for a while. I’m trying to see if we can be friends ... get along better than when she was home. I think I helped get that started,” he said with a slight smile.

“Good for you, Jesse. That’s the right thing to do. How did your sister respond?”

“Pretty good. It was fairly positive. I apologized for all the times she could have been with her friends but had to look after me. I think that went a long way with her. I’m glad I made the effort, anyway.”

Candice smiled and nodded. She obviously approved. They exchanged further small talk about the gifts they received and other family things. He told her about skiing during the holiday, but didn’t mention Kirsten. He wasn’t ready to broach that subject quite yet. Of course, the best plans go out the window when a certain blonde arrived at the table and sat beside Candice.

“Hi, Jesse,” she smiled. “Hello Candice,” she said, turning to her.

The look on Candice’s face was oddly calm and having examined Kirsten quickly, she turned to Jesse. She was about to ask the obvious question when Kirsten filled in the blank.

“I’m Kirsten. I met Jesse when we were skiing recently,” she explained.

“Ohhhh?” Candice managed, dragging the exclamation out with a raised eyebrow.