Alma Mater (17 page)

robe since he'd never seen the robe. But even if he had, he would have
assumed they were girlfriends sharing clothes. Women were close in a
way that men were not.

Vic returned and handed him the keys. "Take care of my baby."
He kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, you're my baby." He winked at Chris and sailed out the door. "Bye. Nice to meet you."

"Bye," Vic called after him. "He cracks me up," she said as she
closed the door.

"God, Vic, he's gorgeous. To-die-for gorgeous." Chris wished she hadn't met him.

"And he is the best guy. The more you know him, the more you'll
love him."

"I'm not sure I want to know him." Chris had suddenly lost her
appetite.

"Don't worry about him. You'll like him."

"I feel like the world will push you into his arms."

"Don't underestimate me." Vic's jaw set and then relaxed. "Okay, it's
a little awkward. I mean, I've been dating him for a year and I love him, I love him for the person he is, but it's not the same. My life would probably be easier if it were, but it's not. If I hadn't met you, I would
have never known. But I'm glad I met you now and not ten years later."

Chris smiled, lowering her eyes and then raising them. "I thought
it would be simple. Guess not."

"Don't worry."

"It's all happened so fast. It scares me."

"Why?"

"Well, what if this doesn't work? What if we blow up or you decide
you will stick with Charly or people find out and you hate me?"

Vic took a deep breath. "I could never hate you. And no, I don't
know if you and I are going to, well, whatever women do—ride off
into the sunset together. I don't know anything. But I know I am alive
and I'm strong. And maybe whatever happens is supposed to happen. I'll learn from it. I'll be a better person for it. Fear isn't an option."

As Charly drove to Richmond, he envied how close women's friendships were. He didn’t think he’d ever be as close to a man as Vic

was with Jinx or this new friend. It seemed they could tell one another
anything.

He wasn't really looking forward to seeing his father. Thomas Har
rison ran a large brokerage firm in Richmond. Sometimes he'd drive
home for a night, but usually he only came home on weekends. The
arrangement suited both his parents.

Charly respected his father and he supposed he loved him. One
had to love one's father. But he felt no special closeness to Thomas.
Demanding, critical but fair, the older Harrison pushed his brood to be
better, to be good sports, but to play to win. He'd say, Who remem
bers the runner-up in the Kentucky Derby in 1960?"

One way of winning was to make more money than the other guy.
As a young man Charly understood that money meant winning
_;
it was important, and a man without resources wasn't much of a man by Ameri
can standards. Even if he thought it was emotionally and spiritually stu
pid, money mattered. You couldn't support a family on love alone. A clean conscience wasn't going to pay the bills. Money mattered.

He'd thought about a career in pro ball. He knew his stats were
good, even though William and Mary was not a hot spot on any team's
recruit list. But he averaged
4.9
yards a carry last season and could run
the forty-yard dash in
4.3
seconds. And not only could he run, he
could block, too. There was a slim chance for him. But he'd destroy his knees—a running back's lifespan was slightly longer than the mayfly in
professional football. Even if he did get drafted, he wanted a profes
sion when that career was over.

Externally affable and good-natured, Charly possessed a keen
mind. He'd turn problems over in his mind, speaking to no one about
them, not even to Vic, although he felt he could tell her anything. He
didn't like talking about something until he had figured out a solution.

By the time he pulled into the parking lot of Bishop and Harrison,
confidence surged through him. He felt he knew how to approach his
father.

His appointment was at nine-thirty. Thomas didn't like to be sur
prised, so Charly couldn't drop in. He had made the appointment with
his dad's secretary yesterday but then forgot to ask Vic for her car.

One of the strings attached to having his college education paid

for by his father, was that Charly couldn't own a car while in school.
Thomas believed students without cars made better grades than stu
dents with cars. He was probably right.

Since he was early, Charly walked around downtown for a half
hour. The temperature would climb so that it still felt like summer, but
the light told another story. Fall was on the way. Charly knew one
morning soon he'd awaken to smell the leaves and the odor of the
earth. The ensuing weeks would bring crystal-clear days and nights,
extraordinary color, and a quickening of pace.

Charly strode into his father's office at precisely nine-thirty.
Thomas admired punctuality.

"Son." The tall man shook hands with his boy. "Sit down. Can I get
you anything to drink? Are you hungry?"

"No, Dad. Thank you."

"How's school?"

"Fine."

"Grades?"

"So far so good. I ought to graduate with a three-point-six at the
lowest."

"Good. You don't know any of those Alpha Tau boys involved in
this pledge hazing, do you?"

"Well, I know who they are, but I don't really know them."

"Binkie Marshall is on the board of trustees. He called me last
night and said the administration is going to crack down on this kind
of foolishness. It's in today's papers."

"I haven't read the papers."

"Even in the
Richmond Times
-
Dispatch.
Well, public relations will take a nose dive. I don't know what people expect. Young men often lack
judgment. What is the old saying? 'Good judgment comes from experi
ence and experience comes from bad judgment.' " The corner of his
mouth turned up slightly. "Binkie was taking my temperature, of course.
I'll still be making my contribution as an alumnus." Thomas smiled, the
light overhead catching the silver beginning to weave throughout his
own blond hair. "Well, Charles, what can I do for you?"

"Dad, do you remember how you felt when you graduated from
college?"

Thomas, a wild man during his own days at William and Mary
smirked. "Sick as a dog, that's how I felt."

"Besides that."

"Naturally I told myself I'd conquer the world. And I knew I was
lucky. I just missed the Big One. Korea, too. But I knew I'd have to
compete against those men. I don't recall anything else. Why?"

"I thought if I knew how you felt, it might give me perspective on
how I feel."

"Which is?" Thomas linked his fingers together, placing his hands
behind his head.

"Excitement. I can't wait, Dad. I feel like anything is possible unless
something beyond our control happens, you know, like war with the
Russians."

"Mideast, more likely," Thomas tersely responded.

"Right. But if there aren't those--eruptions, I think were poised,
my generation and all of us, really, on the brink of incredible financial
opportunities. I want to be part of it. If I don't try for pro ball, I want to
go straight into business, your business." He knew he had his father's
total interest. I don't want to work for your firm, though. I want to get a job with Merrill Lynch or Dean Witter. I want to work my way up."

Thomas brought his hands down to his desk. What father doesn't want a son in the business? "And how did you arrive at this decision?"

"A lawyer has a ceiling on earnings. Even the best. Same with a
doctor. I want unlimited opportunities to create wealth—for myself
and my clients. I want the challenge of it. I think if you've seen one
gallbladder, you've seen them all." He paused while his father listened. "And the same with law. The repetition of it isn't appealing. And no
criminal law, either. I'm not representing pimps, drug dealers, and
rapists."

Intensely pleased, Thomas said quietly, "Have you spoken to your
mother about this?"

"No, sir. I needed to talk to you first. I think Mother will be okay.
Don't you?"

"Yes. Her only concern is that you be happy."

"Do you understand why I can't work for you?"

"I do. But that doesn't mean I can't hire you, say, six or seven

years from now when you're making your mark." Thomas smiled
broadly.

One other thing." He paused and then spoke deliberately. "I want to marry Vic after graduation."

"I
see." Thomas liked Vic, as did his wife. She was well bred and
would fit into the world they envisioned for their son. A pity about her
father's lack of financial acumen, but that was no reflection on the girl.

"I love her."

"The early years of establishing yourself can be punishing. You
won't have much time for a home life . . not if you want to be the
best. And what about relocating? There may be a point in your career trajectory when you'll need to work in New York or London. Can she adjust to this?" He turned his hands upward. "I'm not criticizing, son. I
think she's a lovely girl, a beautiful girl, and
I
think she will make a
great life partner. But you're both very young, and she's never been out
of Virginia in any significant fashion."

"She's flexible. She'll do it."

"You also have to be clear with her about her wishes. Does she
want a career? You know this has altered your mother's and my rela
tionship. She gave up her ballet career to marry me. At first she seemed
comfortable, but over the years, especially when she approached middle age, she became very resentful of me. I wouldn't want that to hap
pen to you."

"Yes, sir, I understand. I will be clear, I'll talk to her. She won't say
something just because I want to hear it. She's a very honest person."

"That she is. Understand, I'm not throwing cold water on your
plan. I was young once." He smiled wanly. "I'm thinking ahead, that's
all. Divorce ruins careers. Once married, stay married, no matter what.
In the best of all possible worlds, you'll stay in love, you'll remain faith
ful, but should you" —he cleared his throat— "stray off the reservation,
the bond must be strong enough to endure. Believe me, son, divorce
derails careers, especially in our profession. You must be above re
proach, which means if you can't fulfill your marriage vows to the letter, you must be discreet."

Charly hadn't expected this advice. "With a wife
like
Victoria, why
would I even look at another woman?"

Thomas laughed. "You've got a point there, son."

"One other thing. What if she strays off the reservation?"

A cloud, a fleeting shift, passed over the older man's rugged fea
tures. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander? I don't think
women . . well . . I don't know. I was going to say they don't fall vic
tim to such behavior as often as men, but perhaps they don't have as
many opportunities. It's not for me to say."

"I intend to speak to Mr. Savedge before Christmas. I still have
things I want to sort out, and you've given me a lot to think over.
I
do
want to talk to Vic."

"Have you asked her to marry you?"

"No. I had to speak to you first, Dad. And I need to speak to her fa
ther. I hope she'll say yes when I do ask her. I don't know what I'd do if
she said no."

Thomas waved his hand, batting away the notion of a refusal.
"Charly, I don't think you will meet too many women who would say
no to you. You know, sex will get you together but won't Ispep you to
gether. Marriage is a partnership. And when the children come, you
are truly bound for life. Your blood and hers. Don't misunderstand me.
I'm not hurrying you along to have children, but a man isn't a man un
til he's a father. You children have brought me the greatest happiness
of my life."

Stunned, for his father so rarely opened his heart, Charly stam
mered, "Dad, I'll try to live up to your example."

Thomas, recovering from his outburst, laughed. "Might have to
live some things down, too." He glanced over his son's blond head at
the huge wall clock opposite his office. "I hate to cut this short, but
Howard Nantes has an appointment with me. I should have scheduled
more time."

Charly stood up, as did his father, who walked around from behind
his desk, clasping his son by the shoulders. "Your mother and I are
driving to the game. We'll take Victoria if you like."

"Thanks, Dad. She's going home. She's trying to help her mother out because Mr. Savedge has lost all their money again."

"I see." Thomas shook his head. "Well, I am sorry.
R. J.
is a won
derful, wonderful woman, and she doesn't deserve such problems." He