The night of the Halloween party turned out not to be so exceptional for Bette.  The majority of November she spent lying to Ash about her schedule.  She claimed she was putting in extra work hours to afford a good Hanukkah gift for him; she was meeting her study group; there was always something in her life that kept them apart.  Something compelled her to spend any free time she had with Gail Sturges. 

Thanksgiving was quickly approaching and Bette was dreading going off to Philadelphia and then on to upstate New York on Saturday and Sunday.  Gail was spending Thanksgiving in Manhattan with her sister, brother-in-law, and nephews.  Bette found herself pouting that Gail seemed eager to get into New York, not caring that they wouldn’t have their lunches together, or hours of study time, or occasional dinners.  She told herself to pull it together over those upcoming days in Pennsylvania. 

* * * * *

Thanksgiving was uneventful.  In front of her father, Ashton was charming.  His quick temper that could flare with little provocation was kept in check.  Bette had reminded him to steer away from politics and Ashton behaved in Melvin Porter’s company.   Many, many months ago, Melvin had looked into his background and liked what he saw.  Ash’s parents were the right people.  Robert Schwartz was a successful internist in the Syracuse area.  Rosalie Schwartz was the head of administration at SUNY’s university hospital in Syracuse.  They lived in the right part of town, belonged to the proper organizations, and were long-time supporters of civil rights groups in New York.  Ashton Schwartz was the one Melvin would have picked for Bette if he had been the one looking for the perfect boyfriend for his daughter.  Why Kit couldn’t manage to have the taste and brains of his youngest was a question he had no answer for.  This second Thanksgiving, Ashton had sneaked away with Melvin several times over the few hours they were in Philadelphia and Bette smiled knowing that Ashton had asked Melvin if he’d give his permission for them to marry after they finished school.  Bette was equally sure that her father had given his unequivocal consent.  She knew she should be thinking about the new life she’d be leading in just a few short months.  She was finishing up the first term of her senior year and by this time next year, would be a married woman.  But somehow, her mind kept drifting to Gail Sturges.