Chapter 1

Going into our junior year I had hoped that I could get an internship in or near New York City so that Bill and I could spend our last summer before graduation together, as a couple. I became obsessed with what a special time this was to be. Never again would we have the opportunity to be free and on our own before crossing the threshold into adulthood, a career, marriage, and hopefully parenthood.

Beyond that, things seemed to be great all around as my relationship with my roommates Maria and Henny could not be any better. This was our third year together and we had bonded nicely. My dearest friends from high school, Megan, Kim, and Jennifer were still dear to my heart, but actually living with and sharing thoughts with these 2 young women had drawn us close together.

We were advised early on in our first year that finding and keeping a good roommate would be hard, yet the 3 of us clicked pretty well the first year. Maria was never a problem, and Henny was more a worry than anything. While we got along, she had a habit of bringing home guys she barely knew to spend the night. Although they were gone in the morning, Maria always worried and was wary for Henny and us. We were both much more comfortable when her "friend" Nick came around. They both acted like a real couple in love, but Henny made a point of saying that he was just a friend she slept with, and without fail, on the day Nick left, she brought home a new lover for that night, as if to make an exclamation point to her "friend only" status. Nick was handsome beyond words, and looked like an Italian movie star. He didn't play down his looks, as he should have. Without the jewelry or the tight pants and the perfect hair, Nick would have been beautiful. Maria and I called him Dreamboat, and he actually was the only guy who really made me sweat, besides Bill, but Nick always exuded a certain sleaziness because of the wrong "trim". Between her bad "boy" habits and her warnings from school, it didn't seem that she would be asked to return the following year. Then, that freshman year, when we all came back from Presidents Day holiday weekend, Henny returned a changed woman. There was some sort of epiphany in her life. Part was due to a change in her relationship with Nick.

Bill and I had arranged to pick Maria up at the airport in Syracuse. She was flying in from seeing her guy, Jack, who had bought her the ticket for her visit. So, we were all together when we walked in the dorm that day in our freshmen year.

Hen and Nick were curled up on the community sofa. Nick was in a pocket Tee and jeans with no jewelry and cut dry hair. No big waves, no gels, just "au natural." (God, he wasn't a dreamboat anymore, he was a stone fox!) Henny, who had a habit of talking before thinking, and doing a lot of talking, looked at Nick. "You tell them, they'll never believe me." She said.

I was afraid that something had happened. I knew Nick had lots of family problems. If not for the frat he lived at and Hen's Mom, he would have no place to sleep or eat.

"We got each other to admit that," Nick said pausing, "We're in love, and have been for a long time. We always thought of ourselves as brother and sister, best pals and never gave ourselves the chance that we could really be compatible as a couple. We always abused each other's feeling as some kind of way to try and shoo the other away. We had a breakthrough this weekend. I can't go into a lot of it, but... "

"Just like that," I said, "Over the weekend, you figured all this out?"

Henny sat up and had a tear forming in her eyes and for the first time her stone exterior melted away. "I've always known it, well for the last 4 or 5 years. I was afraid to say it to him, thinking I would lose him. This weekend I quit being an asshole, but only for a few minutes - don't get your hopes up, and had to admit it to Nick, as well as coming to a lot of other crossroads in my life. Ummm, Nick's reaction was positive... and told me that he couldn't stand it any longer either. He was on the verge of telling me the same thing too. I feel like a new person and have lost a big weight off my shoulders. I'm going to declare a major tomorrow, and make the deans list every semester the rest of my time here. I promise that to myself."

"Henny," said Maria, "you can't just turn it off and on like that. I know your GPA, and you have a lot of work to do just to get asked back. I love you and will help you all I can, but it will take a lot of work. Just reciting the words won't do, let's face it, doing school work has not been your priority."

Henny looked at both of us, then at Nick and put a stern look on her face. "Just watch me! But, I need you guys to believe in me, though. Can I depend on you?"

Maria and I both agreed to do what we could to get her in better study habits. Whatever happened at her home that weekend had a profound lasting effect because; she did just what she said she would do. Now, midway though our junior year she had the 4.0 GPA, still had Nick, who turned out to be an awesome guy for her, a perfect match. They met as infants in daycare and have basically never really been apart. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I had put my student advisor hot of the trail of a New York City internship and she came to me with 3. She had assured me that these would not be posted anywhere until I had followed up on her initial contacts with them. The only problem was, there were 2 other girls on campus vying for the same positions. Two were for television networks and consisted of 20-25 hours of unpaid intern work and 30 hours of paid secretarial type of work. They included living stipends that could be used at a set of double occupancy flats that the networks held for interns. The third was with an international publisher of financial, travel, and health newsletters. My advisor pushed me towards this one because of the requirements list. "Must have an interest in marketing, writing, editing, advertising, human resources, or graphic design. Must be energetic, analytical, work well under deadlines, and are able to juggle many projects." She thought it sounded like me and this firm was just opening up in New York, expanding from their Baltimore base. I had become interested in the travel industry, actually trying to set up my own agency, ever since I had taken a cruise last summer with Megan and Kim to the Caribbean. While there, I was scouting places for a possible honeymoon spot for Bill and I. I asked a lot of questions, got to know a lot of people, and before I knew it, I was intrigued by it all. I had expressed that to my SA and she added it to my resume. This juncture was the first piece of fate that I encountered that advanced and decided my career. The contact for the publisher was someone I had met and heavily questioned while in St. Thomas. We had shared a drink and later met at her hotels private beach with Meg and Kim, treating us to a roast and party her company sponsored on the beach. I never knew the name of her firm and assumed that when I never contacted her back, it was the last I would hear from her.

Maria ended up being one of the other 2 applicants for the network positions. It happened that one of the internships fell through, a victim of Nielsen ratings. The other did end up going to Maria. I always thought the fact she lived in the city was the deciding factor, and who could blame them. We had found that TV production staffs pinched pennies on help, because they were so extravagant with everything else, I guess.

I stayed in daily contact with my advisor about the final internship in New York that I wanted. There might be others available later, but I wanted this one to be nailed down right away to ease my mind about being near Bill for the summer. Plus, this position would earn me college credits that I could turn in towards tuition or keep, should I decide to continue my education. In the end I got the position, but my connection at the firm, the woman I had met in St Thomas, Miranda Fond, wanted me in Baltimore, not New York. (Later their expansion to NYC was scuttled anyway) Although normally they worked only with Maryland colleges for these positions, she really wanted me on their staff. I was actually mad at myself for being so damn likeable and personable. While my student advisor, my family and Bill were so happy and supportive about getting this plum position, I hid the fact that I hated everything about it. It would ruin my dream summer with my love, Bill Wilson.

I will tell you now of the other twist of fate concerning this job, this firm and my life's direction. At the end of that summer's internship I was asked to do work during my senior year for the firm. I could get a retainer for services and extend my internship. It was apparent they really wanted to hire me after graduation. During that summer I was given a project of a mock advertising newsletter. Using photos from my vacation and information I had, as well as adding their required elements, I supervised a mock team of 2 other interns in producing the piece. (FATE) Somewhere along the line my mock project was sent to a client resort in the Caribbean chain, (probably sent by another intern) which the resort accepted as a prospectus. Later, they were notified that the mailing was an error. However, they were expanding their resorts and were going to start their own in-house agency. Long story short, after graduation I became a big part of the roll out of that string of resorts and their agency. Since then, I have run my own agency and later free lanced and done retainer work for different resorts and magazines. All started by a secretaries mailing gaff. I do not deny that my looks have also opened a lot of doors for me. I enjoy working on photo shoots outside at different resorts and like seeing my picture in my work. (William loved me in azure blue swimwear, my blonde hair and complexion lend well to it. It's the only color I appear in.) I have done some bathing suit modeling for a connected company of one of our clients, and even considered a career in that, should I want to stop the traveling I HAVE to do. (I fly a lot, but do not enjoy it) Although the modeling is legit and above board, it seems sleazy to me, even though William was quite OK with it.

Armed with this bit of background, on with the story...

Getting back to classes after an Easter weekend break, a break that only students who live close enough to commute can fully take advantage of, was hard on me. I had spent the break with Bill and our families, plus we had plenty of alone time. Although I was there with Bill, part of me was in a far off place. I was just coming to grips with what was shaping up for our summers. On the surface I was supposed to be happy for Bill and myself with the internships we had earned, but inside I was being selfish, wanting to wrap Bill in my arms and whisk him away for only me to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - I was the first of the three of us to arrive back inside our dorm room. Bill was close behind with my overnighter and boxes of items from home for the, hopefully, upcoming warmer weather. The cloth bags of clothes slung over my shoulder rested at my feet as I fumbled with the keys.

"Right behind you, move it Care. This is getting heavier by the minute. Remember, you're not marrying an athlete," Bill said as he was stumbling the last few steps with his over burdened arms.

"Hey, if I don't get the key in the hole the door doesn't open. Besides, no one told you to bring it all in one trip," I chided Bill as the key finally went in the hole and I got the door opened.