Both Liam and Isabella both made it home for long visits for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. At Christmas, I was introduced to Ryan. I, too, thought he was quite handsome, and I was happy for Isabella. He mentioned that he was up for associate and three members from the firm would be given the title on January 5th. He felt good about his chances.

The holidays came and went too fast. Liam wanted a telescope for Christmas, which I thought was an excellent gift. He would spend many a nite looking at the Northern Sky and other constellations and planets. Isabella needed a new desktop with double screens. Her research was getting harder and harder, as the small but profitable biotechnology companies kept their information tightly close to the company coffers.

Both gifts I was able to acquire and both were happy.

It was back to work as usual when the New Year came and went. Isabella phoned late in the evening on the 5th. They were at a nice steakhouse in Baltimore, and Ryan had been awarded the title Associate at the firm. They celebrated only until 10:30 PM at the restaurant, and then went on their own to one of Ryan's favourite wine bars in Charlotte to finish out the evening. He had done it!

I was slated to go to Middlebury in March. February came and went. I made the fourteen hour-plus drive in one day on a Friday. I left at 5:00 AM and arrived late that nite around 8:00 PM. The following day, I would follow Liam across campus, as he led prospective students on a tour of Middlebury.

During the tour, I met someone interesting. He was a professor at Frostburg State University in Maryland. In addition to teaching English and Italian Literature, he was a writer himself. Brad had a certain arrogance about him, but I could see his goodness and kindness of heart from behind his glasses. He was specifically educated in Roman Literature and studied at both Yale and Dartmouth. At any rate, he was no dummy.

He paid for lunch for me with a black American Express, so I knew that money was not an issue. He was a New York Times best-selling author ten times over. This was a surprise, but not shocking. He was younger than me by nearly ten years at a cool fifty-eight, and had had a thirty-year teaching career and a fifteen year career as a writer.

He was a good listener and easy on the eyes. I loved the shapes and contours of his face, and it matched his well-built body and his gentlemanly look. Obviously confident, he talked about himself as well, but not too much.

He had started having children late in life, as he had traveled thru Europe studying literature. Somehow I knew; if we made a connection, I would never get an errant sentence or spelling by him, but that in-and-of-itself might challenge me to be a better writer.

At the halfway point in the tour, we managed to get lost and meet back up with Liam at the beginning point. We decided to stay in touch, and would develop a friendship first. He lived at nearly the halfway point to Vermont; so being aggressive, I promised to make the first visit in April.