Chapter 1: Bewildered

Bill Pierce was sopping as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. The rain would clear the last remaining drifts from the winter’s previous snow storm. He’d been in the Chicago area long enough to not call it the “last” snow until May -- at least. Still, it had come down hard and from one direction after another. His umbrella had kept his hat dry, but not his trousers.

Carolyn’s welcome-home kiss, on the other hand, was rather dry. What had he done wrong now? Well, he’d change his clothes before asking. He noticed that the clothes she’d been wearing were draped over most available surfaces in their bedroom. Even her bra had got soaked! Carolyn was allergic to real umbrellas. He came back in a flannel shirt, khakis, and loafers. He set the table while she kept silence.

“What’s wrong?” he finally asked when they’d sat down.

“Remember that bastard, Walther? When he assigned us a paper late in the semester? I decided blow him off -- submitted a trifling paper that fit his public criteria. The other papers were more important, and I figured I could take the C.”

“Yeah.” At least it wasn’t anything that he had done. Indeed, she sounded more puzzled than angry.

“I got the paper back today.”

“Is it going to cause you problems, hold back the degree?”

“No. That’s not it.” She got up. When she came back, she handed him the paper. It was a little damp, but graded A+.

“He said it was the best paper that had come out of the class. I got an A in the course, too.”

“Well, that’s wonderful. I’d been worried.” Second-guessing her in her career was idiocy, but she’d been so insistent that she’d show that professor how unimportant he was that he’d really feared the consequences.

“I got an A- on my paper for Kindle. He told me he knew I could analyze more deeply than I had done. Still got an A in the course, though. Money and Banking was a B in the course. I haven’t got the paper back yet.”

“That’s wonderful. Is there something else you’re not telling me -- something for which all this is merely compensation?”

“Nope. That’s my news.”

“But you don’t seem pleased.”

“I’m pleased, but I’m more bewildered. It was a shallow paper on a shallow idea. It was scantily sourced. I can’t understand it.”

“Well, the grades call for a celebration. I wouldn’t recommend going out in this weather, though.”

“Trust Bill. We need to celebrate, but we can’t go out. We really must celebrate in here. I wonder what we could do to celebrate. Maybe hold the celebration in bed?” She was wronging him. If it had been his victory, he’d propose a celebration in bed. It was her victory, and she deserved something she would enjoy.

“I could go out for some ice cream or something.”

“I’m only teasing you. I -- in case you haven’t noticed -- enjoy our celebrations in bed, too. And, whatever your other faults, you make sure that I do.” His other faults! She wasn’t perfect, either. Still... “I have some stuff to do, though.” Well, he hadn’t proposed an in-bed celebration right then -- hadn’t really proposed an in-bed celebration at all. That had been her idea.