Page 46 of Be My Valentine

Kate opened her mouth, without hesitation.

“But if the radiant light that once shone is now forever removed from my gaze, if nothing can make the grass renew its splendor and revive the flower, of the baleful fate we will not grieve, but even more firmly in our breasts we will enjoy what remains.’ The Ode to Immortality has something grand about it. Tennyson is also remarkable, in fact… he was named Poet Laureate right after Wordsworth, his ode ‘In memoriam’ is even more melancholy, not mournful, of course, but his friend’s death so shocked him that…” Silence had fallen.

Oh, God.

“I apologize.” Kate remained with her eyes fixed on the plate, praying for someone to speak.

“You’re a poetry fan.” Paul Arrow commented.

“Yes,” she nodded briskly, trying to make up for it, “I really like it!” She tried to keep a cheerful note in the voice.

Still silence.

“Oh, holy cow!” raised Emma’s voice “Are you going to talk or not? She’s not a poetry fan!”

Kate crossed Mark’s stern gaze.

“Emma, please, not now, we’ll have time to talk about it, we have to think about Saturday, right?” She implored her.

“You don’t have much time, as I understand it, or am I mistaken ‘Miss Donovan, the brightest student in my class’?”

Kate recognized Professor Ross’s words.

“What does that mean?” Mark asked slowly.

“It means that Kate needs to get her butt back to Columbia, possibly quickly!” Emma declared without much ado.

“Stop swearing!” Her mother scolded her.

“You’d be swearing too, Mom, if you’d met the professor she has to graduate with!”

“Graduate?” repeated Mark inebriated “Why the hell don’t I know anything about this?”

“You never asked me.” she defended herself weakly “I would have told you about it though, I can promise you, I would have told you… maybe at another time.” She finished the sentence with an edge to her voice.

“Now explain to me why the hell there’s nothing in your personnel file!” Kate jerked as Mark hurled his napkin across the table “I asked you a question!” He yelled.

“Son, try to stay calm. I’m sure Kate has an explanation.” Intervened Paul.

Kate swallowed hard.

“I was told that it was unnecessary and unneeded, that it would add nothing to my resume, on the contrary, I would be harmed, that it was not pertinent information, in fact, it would worsen my poor file already since it was a path left halfway through and I would be passed off as someone who can’t follow through on commitments. And…” she added, feeling a knot in her throat, “that I’d better not talk about it because nobody likes a smartass. She tore up my letters of reference, saying she was doing me a big favor and would keep the matter quiet. It was my fault, I shouldn’t have brought Emma with me, but I didn’t think he would react that way.” A torrential rain of words.

“Who did it?” Mark asked dryly.

“My professor at univer…”

“I don’t give a damn! Who was it that told you the crap you just reported to me! Who tore up your references? Who?” He shouted even louder.

“Try to stay calm!” His father scolded him again.

“Oh! Of course!” said Emma “That woman is diabolical!”

Kate watched as Mark stood up furiously and lunged menacingly at her. She was glad that there was the table between them.

“Tell me that name! Now!” he thundered, “I want to hear it from you!”

“Annie Carson.” Kate said softly.