1961<br />
Kate is researching a paper on Yeats at the New York Public Library and runs into Bill, who is now back in NY getting his doctorate in literature. He points her to several essential resources on Yeats, helps her check them out, and asks if she’d like to grab a cup of coffee. They get talking about art, and he spontaneously offers to show her his favorite hidden gems – famous artworks in churches rather than museums. They spend the rest of the day together and Kate is on Cloud 9. She feels certain that she and Bill are finally going to date, but he says a cheerful goodbye and she never hears from him.<br /><br />
1963<br />
Kate’s friend Ginny has a party one Friday night and invites a large crew. Bill is there, and corners Kate, drunkenly asking her what she thinks love is and sharing a poem by Rumi. Kate feels that this must be it, finally – an attempt at seduction. But Bill wanders away after a while to get another drink. As the party winds down, Ginny goes missing, and Kate is really concerned. She enlists Bill’s help, asking him to stay until they can locate her. Even in her panic she views this as an opportunity to collude in some way. Finally, with only a handful of guests left, they find her passed out under the remaining few coats. It’s light out by now – 5 in the morning. Bill says, “I’m glad Ginny’s fine, I’ll go now.” Kate is disappointed – what is his problem? <br /><br />
Kate decides to do something that feels very aggressive. She has never initiated contact with a man before. Heart pounding, on Sunday she calls Bill to thank him for helping out with Ginny. She mentions that after the weekend bender, she’s desperate for some fresh air, and plans to go for an afternoon drive. He asks if she wants some company, and even offers to do the driving. This is fortuitous, as Kate has never learned how to drive and doesn’t have a license.
Bill and Kate meander around, finally stopping for martinis and talking well into the night. Bill kisses Kate good night.
Monday comes and goes without a word, but on Tuesday Bill comes over to see Kate and to tell her this is it. They never spend another day without seeing one another, and marry the following year.<br /><br />
Hearing this story, I was curious to know whether Bill was clueless, a brooding loner, just not very attracted to Kate, or what. I grilled him, demanding an explanation for these weak moves.
First, Bill never even noticed Kate in Advanced Theology. He was completely focused on his studies. As a working class kid paying his way through college, he had little time for girls and partying.<br /><br />
Second, Bill enjoyed meeting Kate at the theater, but did not think in terms of starting a relationship with her. He was away at school in DC and not looking for any kind of obligation at home.<br />
Third, while Bill was surprised and pleased to be invited to Kate’s party, he was mortified when her mother yelled at him. He was especially disappointed by these events because he had just told a friend that Kate was his idea of “the perfect woman, a Renaissance ideal, both physically and intellectually.”<br /><br />
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