Chapter 1

I sat next to my husband in the Davis High School stadium bleachers with the sun beating on my face, and like almost everyone else, fanned my graduation program back and forth in a vain attempt to tease a Delta breeze out of the still air.  Scanning the crowd, I noted all the sane people had dressed for heat.  Jay had insisted on dressing for the occasion, so I followed suit and sweated in a dress that constricted my middle.  He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, swiped at a bead of sweat gathering on his brow, and then pulled on his collar.

“Take your tie off,” I whispered.

“I’m fine.”

He and I squinted as we watched a sea of blue caps and gowns flow onto the field while the school band played Pomp and Circumstance.  They all appeared so gleeful, smiling, giggling, and waving as they weaved their way to the waiting chairs.  I wondered if they were happier about shedding the tediousness of high school, or about the journey ahead—college, leaving Davis, and testing their independence.  I wondered what futures were in store for these children—yes, I still thought of them as children.  Most would be heading to college.  (The highly educated Davis community expected their children to go to college.)  Many were headed to Ivy League schools and other prestigious institutions.  Maybe, just maybe, there were a handful thinking about marriage and parenthood.