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girls, and it s only been a day.
44
Cherry Grove
What are you doing in New York? Gina asked.
Some research. The New York Public Library has some great
resources on Harlem.
Are you in history, too?
Yeah. I specialize in American History, unlike our friend here, who
studies people who predate Jesus.
I like history, too, Gina said, and now I could feel her body grow
tense when Dana gave her a doubting look.
Gina s a fan of Italian history, I said, somewhat defensively. My
guys were dead for hundreds of years before her guys were born. But
we re gonna compare and see if we have any favorite books in common.
I don t think Hayden and I have ever read the same book, Dana said
while smiling at me. We didn t have any of the same tastes. I guess
opposites attract.
Similarities can attract, too, Gina said. She didn t look defensive or
seem tense, but there was a certain challenge to her statement. I m really
looking forward to talking about some of my favorite Romans. As soon as
I get some time off, we re gonna have a good, long chat. Her hand
covered my shoulder, and she squeezed gently. Suddenly, I felt as if they
were politely fighting over me! This stunned me since Dana had no damn
right even to have an opinion on whom I slept with, and I didn t know
Gina well enough for her to think I was her property.
Where d you study history, Gina? Maybe you went to a school where
they didn t know how to hook you on the interesting stuff.
Now I was getting mad. I was certain& fairly certain& that I d told
Dana that Gina hadn t gone to college. And if she was trying to show her
up, I was gonna do more than kick her under the table.
I went to Bay Shore High, Gina said, her chin tilting up as I was
learning it did when she felt challenged. They didn t know how to hook
me on anything. I study history on my own cause I like it. I ve never
needed anyone to tell me what I should read or what I should think about
it. So, college didn t interest me. She gave me a sidelong look. But if I
could have had a teacher like Hayden, I might have actually applied to
some schools.
45
Susan X Meagher
You didn t even apply? What in the fuck was Dana doing? I d
never& ever& seen her acting so oddly. How d you do on your SATs?
Gina pulled her arm away from me, and I could feel her straighten up.
Didn t take em. I wasn t gonna go to college, so why waste the money?
Didn t your parents give you a hard time? Didn t they want you to
To what? Gina asked. Her eyes were sparking with anger, and I was
afraid she might& well, I didn t know what she might do, but I didn t
want to find out.
Dana looked at her earnestly. My parents didn t go to college, but
from the time I was a kid, they saved and planned and worked to make
sure I could. It was important to them that I didn t have to work as hard
as they d had to just to keep the family going.
Oh, now I got it. Dana was identifying with Gina in some weird way.
Both from blue-collar families and all of that. But she was in over her
head if she thought she and Gina were simpatico on the topic of higher
education.
My parents didn t go to college, either, Gina said. But my dad
never had to leave my mom so he could get a better job. You can work too
hard or too little at any job. She put her arm around me again, and this
time, she pulled me close. I didn t like being used to make a point, but I
made an exception this time. Gina had Dana dead to rights, and I have to
admit I was proud of her. Not many people blew Dr. Little out of the
water so easily.
I wasn t& I wasn t equating our situations, Dana said. I just assume
most parents want a better life for their children.
Gina gave her a sardonic smile. I think good parents do. But having a
title or a fancy job doesn t mean you have a better life. Besides, if
everybody had a degree, it d be just like graduating from high school.
She chuckled, a quiet sound that seemed to my ears very close to
mockery.
A college degree is like a high school diploma now, Dana said. A
kick that should have made her cry didn t stop her from continuing. To
stand out in the crowd, you need an advanced degree.
Laughing softly, Gina said, You ve been hanging around with the
wrong crowd, Dana. Most people don t have degrees.
46
Cherry Grove
I bet that 25 percent of people do.
In the whole country? Gina s eyes were sparkling now, and it was
clear she was having some fun. You think 25 percent of the whole
country has a college degree?
At least. Dana s eyes had narrowed, and I knew she d bet her
mortgage payment if Gina would take her up on it.
Fifty bucks, Gina said. She reached into her jeans and took out her
wallet. Extracting two twenties and a ten, she handed them to me.
Hayden looks up the answer and pays off.
I could actually see the hitch in Dana s breathing. She hated, truly
hated, to waste money. She didn t usually bet, not even the departmental
football pool, but when pressed, she forgot how much she hated to lose
money. Fine, she growled. She took out an equivalent amount and
pushed it in my direction. I knew it was probably most of her cash, since
she never carried much.
Guys, I said, don t do this. It s not worth losing fifty dollars over.
Yes, it is, they said in unison.
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