Chapter 10: Outside, in the Fresh Air

Sam carefully transferred from his chair into the van’s front passenger seat. “I’m excited for today’s picnic, Shari. I love being outside in nature.”

“Great! I made ham and cheese sandwiches, and there’s a cooler with some drinks. We’re going out to the regional park where they have a day use area with paved walkways.”

After eating, Shari and Sam arranged their chairs side by side under an oak tree, with a view of the hills and the lake.

“What a beautiful day. Thank you, Shari.”

“Sam, I think it’s time you told me about Lila. How did you meet?”

“I had finished my MBA and was hooked up with a business college for my first teaching job doing an evening class. Lila was a student and she did really well.”

“At the end of the class, I gave her an ‘A’ and she said, ‘So now our student/teacher relationship is ended, you can ethically take me out to dinner tomorrow night. Here’s my address, meet me there at six. Make reservations at the Parkside Grille at 6:30.’”

“Lila wasn’t shy, not then, not ever. And so gorgeous in my eyes. I showed up for dinner as instructed, and it was love, and lust, at first bite. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I was more self-confident than I had been in high school, but with Lila I never got over the feeling of how lucky I was to be her man.”

“On our third date, we were in bed together. Two months later, we were married. My parents attended the wedding but were indifferent to Lila. ‘What’s the rush?’ they said. Lila’s parents argued against me to her. ‘He’s only a part-time instructor at a third-rate night school. You could do so much better for yourself!’”

“As you might expect, the denigration from our parents only made us more determined to marry right away. Which we did. Money was tight, so we only had a three-day honeymoon.”

“Lila got in on the ground floor in a big corporation. She worked there like a galley slave. And got noticed for it. Soon she was being promoted up the ladder, mastering more and more responsibilities and out-shining her competition. With commensurate salary increases, we were comfortable enough for me to complete my Ph.D. and get appointed to the faculty at Stilten College. She became a senior executive at the corporate office, for HR and employee relations.”

“We were trying for children. But Lila had three miscarriages. Each one more horrible than the last. I was worried, honestly, about her mental health.”

Shari put her hand over Sam’s. Her eyes were soft and sympathetic. “How awful for her!”

Sam continued, “After a lot of discussion and meetings with her doctors, we decided to stop trying. I had a vasectomy. We were sad about it, but it turned out we focused even more on each other. We had a terrific second honeymoon at a luxury resort on a tropical beach.