While I was thinking, I must have been wandering between the guests because I am startled when one of my father’s professor friends slaps me on the back of the shoulder as I walk by him. The slap on the back is one of those stupid things men do to each other. Women hug each other, and a man and a woman will kiss each other on the cheek. But men slap each other on the back. I’ve often thought that a simple nod of the head would accomplish the same thing and be a lot less trouble. Of course, if one is lost in thought in the middle of a room full of people, one is not likely to notice the nod. So, there may be a point to the backslapping after all.
My father puts his arm out for me as I approach him. All the while he keeps talking to a pretty brown-haired girl who looks familiar. She’s just
