Fog

June decided to go to graduate school for library science in 1986, six years after graduating from college, because she remembered that she enjoyed working in the library as a work study. Her school was the state college in New Haven, Connecticut because it wasn't too far from New York City where she had been living for seven years. The last two years in New York were spent in a small apartment in the East Village with a boyfriend named Clay. When June went to grad school, Clay had to move to an even smaller subleased apartment above a Japanese restaurant with bugs. His first night in the new apartment he called her crying because he had to clean the tub with a butter knife.
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The apartment was subleased from a friend of his who didn't clean and couldn't throw out tea cans. He left for New York for California with a new wife and Ph.D in Psychology. June's boyfriend was preparing to go to graduate school for psychology the following year.

June rented an attic apartment near her school from an Orthodox Jewish family. The Mom was three years older than June and already and already had five children. Although she was too busy to babysit, and not that interested, June liked the presence of the family. Their voices underneath her attic apartment made June feel secure. When they invited her for a holiday dinner, June experienced a solid warmth as though the members of the family were not being blown like leaves in the wind of life. She didn't mind not being able to do her laundry on Saturday just because she shared the same heritage. June's boyfriend was furious that, according to the rules of the Orthodox family, he was not permitted to visit her in her attic.

June visited Clay in New York one weekend when his father was visiting to help him decide on graduate schools. When she arrived, cockroaches the size of mice were brazenly visible on the kitchen cabinets as a result of the Japanese restaurant using an exterminator. Clay's father got to play the hero and rescue June from whimpering while standing on a chair. He paid for the three of them to stay in a clean hotel and took Clay and June to an upscale Italian restaurant where they served pasta in large ceramic bowls. He laughed when June accidentally spilled red wine on his white shirt and ordered another round of red wine. After they were full of starch, a little tipsy and sharing Italian desserts, he leaned into the table and explained why Clay must go to Duke because they were giving him the most money and it was a good school. Clay nodded at his father and winked at June.

Later, after Clay's father left, June and Clay planned a trip to the University of Victoria, Canada. Victoria was giving Clay the least amount of money but he liked the program better than the program at Duke.

Several weeks after Clay's father returned to his home in Ohio the Orthodox Jewish family served June dinner in their Sukkah*, June and Clay then left for a five day trip to Victoria, Canada. After landing in Seattle, they rented a car to drive to a ferry called The Victoria Clipper. On the way to the ferry June noticed landscape that was open like the roof on the Sukkah majestically surrounded by much larger than east coast mountains. As they drove closer to The Victoria Clipper, they approached a thick fog that first caused the sides of the road to disappear eventually swallowing June's visibility.

“I can't drive.”

“Try pulling over to the side so no one smashes into our rear.”

“What's the difference,” June raised her voice in panic. “I can't see the side and neither can a large truck.”

“Give me the wheel.”

“You're Ohio license is expired.”

“We can't sit here in the middle of the road.”

With a lump in her throat and moist eyes, June took her hands off the wheel. Clay steered the car to what he perceived to be side of the road.

While continuing to envision trucks and cars gone chaotic in the fog, June opened the door, ran around the front of the car and got into the passenger seat. She stared straight out the window while Clay drove with the headlights low claiming he could see just enough until The Victoria Clipper became visible.

The fog burned away as they approached the shores of Victoria where it was sunny and covered with well maintained gardens. Clay walked out from his psychology department interview beaming. People seemed friendly. Cars stopped for them whenever they looked like they might be thinking about crossing the street.

In the end, Clay listened to his father because he could not use a U.S. Government grant for $10,000. in Canada. He complained about the Duke graduate school until he transferred to Georgia Tech. June finished library school in Connecticut. They broke up over the phone.

Completing her graduate degree in December and saying good-bye to the Orthodox Jewish family, June drove to New Hampshire to spend some time with her parents and apply for jobs. On the way, swirling snow became a blinding white out. June couldn't see the sides of the road or anything. She knew the wind would eventually die down, visibility would clear and that she was on her own.