Paulie’s mother, Doreen, was the granddaughter of a wealthy surgeon. She had been a noticeably quiet girl. Her parents died in a boating accident when she was six. Her grandmother had died by that time, and her grandfather raised her. He was a wealthy surgeon. He worked long hours, so he hired a nanny to take care of her. Her grandfather had decided to have her tutored. When she turned eighteen, she went to college. She was awkward in social settings because she had been so isolated growing up. There was another student, Thomas, who was awkward with people, and they had gravitated to each other. When they completed college, they decided to get married. He was an engineer, and she was a botanist. Both were quiet people, so they had little interaction with others. Doreen’s grandfather died w
