Chapter 1

Shawn and Georgina had to overcome a few obstacles. Money, money, money was one. It may be the root of all evil but without it some accommodation needs to be made. Both were A students in high school, both were not rich and both missed the deadline NYU had set for financial aid. The school wanted them, they wanted the school but to start, their scholarship money would not go very far for tuition, a dorm, books, lab fees, food, clothing, err, you get the idea. There is a saying that ‘two heads are better than one’, the result of that mind merger was another old saying that, ‘two can live as cheaply as one!”

For freshman, trying to live in Manhattan the solution that presented itself was simple, pool their money, get part-time jobs, live together and tighten their belts before non-essentials like food.

“See easy G, now all we have to do is find jobs, not eat and make certain we get a little aid next month, simple, huh.”

They made it, almost were able to eat if you call cheese and peanut butter crackers with tea caddies that wrung out seven or eight cups to drink. After two weeks of this torture they discovered the magic of ‘food stamps’, the free clinic and free dentistry from NYU students wanting guinea pigs to work on.

With that now in-hand and some Federal Aid dollars their life together went on. They had an efficiency, took turns in a sleeping bag and a pullout sofa but they got through the first three years. They were eating real food now, yeah pasta, bologna sandwiches and mustard or mayo if they could afford it. Thanksgiving was a feast, two day old squid, a quart of Miso soup and a radish topped salad that even Dainobu’s(A Manhattan Japanese grocery) had not sold in three days.

You may get the idea they were poor. Their social life was just as bad. Shawn epitomized a ‘Geek’ while Georgina played for the ‘other side’. In many ways it was a perfect relationship; they were and still are ‘best buddies’. I’m not sure that made a difference in their relationship but people noticed how they were together.

It was on a trip to the Duane Reed (A drug store chain) for some ‘personal’ things for Georgina that it happened. She was not in the finest mood and Shawn wanted to cheer her up a bit. The lotto ticket was not much but he figured she could dream some about no longer worrying how much they already owed.

A few weeks later she wanted to get him something too, a new razor or cologne even. $2.99 or $5.99 was not a difficult choice to make; she did not have enough for both. She dug in that ‘survival kit’ of hers got the lotto ticket and ask for it to be checked as she took her change. History in the making, something good now, they had won more than $50 and would need to call to claim it. A new secret warfare weapon was born as she yelled and screamed at the top of her lungs when the clerk told her she had won something. She ran home.

“Shawn, Shawn, you will never guess.”

“Okay, your pregnant?”

That went over like the proverbial lead balloon. The new razor flew through the air. “Go shave, you look like that caveman on TV.”

Now with only a few cuts, one or two with pieces of tissue still on them, Shawn came back and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry Princess, I didn’t mean you looked ‘fat’. Who’s the father?”

Which got him a right where he doubled over, one where most men would know they had said the wrong thing.

The temperature in their small room took on a chill, a big chill.