After arriving in New York, they checked into the Pierre. The men shared a room, and Gayle had her own. After unpacking, they met on the terrace for lunch and a bottle of Crystal.
The terrace was a beautiful oasis in the city that was so quiet that the water fountain could be heard.
They discussed their itinerary and decided the guys could visit people they knew while Gayle went to the spa. They’d hear some jazz, go shopping, visit Brooklyn Heights, Noho, Soho. They would only walk about a mile or two. Also, they’d take the Circle line around Manhattan and ride the Staten Island Ferry.
They hugged and laughed, enjoying the trip in only the way good friends can enjoy each other. Gayle was 62, but felt so young when she was with them.
At the end of seven days, Gayle said, “Before you can go to law school, you will have to go to some college. Let’s go to my alma mater and you can get an idea of college life.”
The men agreed it was a good idea.
They checked out the next day and headed for Gayle’s college. They took the bus since it was the most convenient way to get there.
On arrival, they registered at the Lion’s Inn, the college-owned hotel. It was beautiful and had been recently rebuilt after years of wear. It was plush and had a lifeguard-attended pool.
Gayle’s purpose for being there was to give a check to the alumni office to help fund emergency loans for students. Later, they had an early dinner and then toured the campus. They walked around the lower campus and took a shuttle around the upper campus. The upper campus was new to Gayle. Summer school students sparsely dotted the terrain.
Plans for the next day consisted of the young men going off on their own for a while, and Gayle delivering the check. Later, they’d see the nightlife, and pack and leave the following day. They’d take a bus to a nearby city, and then catch a flight to LA. The guys looked forward to seeing a little more about college life.
Gayle went to the alumni office as planned, giving the check to a grateful officer. She had a great sense of fulfillment, knowing that her act would help some students. She left the office on the lower campus and started to cross the street, near the hotel. Just then she saw a prominent graduate that she had not really liked when they were there. She seemed to frown with her haughty nose in the air was, rush past Gayle, and enter the alumni office.
At the Rathskellar that night people seemed to watch them. Because of his age, John could not drink, so they decided to leave and get some dinner.
Finally, the time came to check-out and take the bus. They were hardly seated when John started to talk animatedly and nervously. A cop had stopped them, grilled them, asked for ID, asked if they were foreigners, and if so, if they were legal. They wanted to know about Gayle, too.
Paul explained that a professor had been arrested and was awaiting trial on pedafile charges that had the whole community in shock. It had put a blight on the name of the school, and already a professor and the college president had been forced to retire. Rumors were everywhere. It appeared the the discrepancy in Gayle and the young men’s ages had caused the police to be notified in fear that the problem there was an epidemic. John’s ID confirmed that he was grown.
The plane descended and eventually the three stepped out to get their taxies. The men took one headed toward the eastern part of the city, and Gayle’s was going to the Baldwin Hills area. Inside the cab, the bright sun made Gayle feel hot and sweaty. It was a typical LA summer, and she thought, the smog had never looked better.
