The Girl On Campus©

By Richard A. Falb

 

Dr. Gary Donaldson, could not said to be a professor, female students fell in love with. It was not that he was homely. To the contrary, he was relatively good looking. He was not what you would call athletic looking. On the other hand, he kept himself in good physical shape. It was just that he treated all students alike, whether male or female. To Gary they were students to be treated as students. If really pressed, he would admit he was not always like that.

He was a full professor at the State University, a tenured professor. It was not a large University, but it had an excellent reputation and not just for its athletic teams. Oh they were reasonably good and even some years won their conference. It was a full University, offering both undergraduate and graduate programs. It was also a pleasant campus set on the outskirts of the city that had not yet grown to surround the campus. The city was a fairly large city, but still small enough to retain its friendly feeling.

Gary Donaldson was well liked by his students. Not, because he was easy. He definitely was not. He was a very effective teacher, one who was always willing to talk to students. He usually had students gathered around him on campus, or in the coffee shops he frequented nearby. He taught only graduate school classes, which consisted of fewer students. He tended to be better acquainted with all his students. He had little contact with undergraduate students. He was also well liked by his peers among the faculty. He had an easy, relaxed style about him.

He had been divorced ten years ago and had never remarried. It was a relatively amicable divorce. Because he had a girl walk out on him, when he was a young instructor at a different college, he had the feeling he was choosing the wrong women. Of course he had not been married to that girl. He really had not expected to marry her. It had rankled, however, that she had just left without any warning or explanation. The divorce was also without any real explanation. Oh, there was a stated reason, but he knew it wasn't the real cause. He showed no particular interest in remarrying since that time. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in women or that he didn't date. Dr. Donaldson had settled into a comfortable bachelor's existence. Over the years, he acquired a reputation as a true gentleman. His standing reply, to any questions regarding young women on campus, was that he only chased single female professors. His friends would add, and single career women over thirty.

In actuality he did not chase women. However he did not turn down opportunities to date. The women on campus considered him a prime suspect as far as dating was concerned. He was easy to talk to. Had a somewhat dry subtle humor and could be charming when he put his mind to it. Besides, when he invited a lady out to dinner it was at one of the better restaurants. As a tenured full professor he could afford them. Besides, the house he was living in was fully paid for.

One day, as he was walking across the campus, he was startled out of his thoughts. He found his attention suddenly drawn to a young woman, obviously an undergraduate student. He smiled as she walked past with several friends.

One of these friends said, "Good afternoon, Dr. Donaldson." He returned her greeting, although afterward, he couldn't recall the particular young woman who greeted him. After they had passed, he tried to figure out why seeing this young woman should startle him so. He had a feeling he should know her, but it was almost as if he was blocking something out of his memory. Almost as if for some reason he did not want to remember.

He was not in the habit of noticing young female students, unless they were graduate students from one of his classes. Because his graduate classes were not large, he was able to remember names and faces of students. He made an effort to do so and had an excellent memory for names and faces. This was not lost on his students and added to his popularity as a teacher. You were not just a face in his class, you were a definite person with a particular name. He appeared to have a definite interest in each of his students.

The face, of that young woman, bothered him throughout the rest of the afternoon. It kept impinging upon his consciousness. He wasn't able to put it from his mind until that evening. He had a meeting with several doctoral candidates. The discussions, as usual, lasted late into the night. He was always reluctant to break off discussions as long as they were interesting to most of the group. His interests ranged far beyond the subjects he taught. The next morning, however, he was startled when that face popped back into his memory. He was having breakfast at a cafe near campus.

"You really are off in your own world somewhere," a pleasant female voice impinged upon his consciousness. He looked up to see who was speaking although the voice was very familiar.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Janison, I didn't realize I was off in a dream world," he replied. "Have you eaten breakfast yet, Casey?" he asked. Dr. K. C. Janison was a very good friend. He had known her ever since he had joined the faculty here. In fact, they dated on various occasions through the years.

"No," she replied, "but I don't want to break in on your reverie."

Gary laughed, "I'd be very happy to have you join me. I just started and I would love to have your company."

"You say that so, like you really mean that. I'm surprised some young woman hasn't snapped you up,"

Gary smiled, "They are all far too intelligent to take a chance on me. I'm just an old fuddy-duddy professor."

"I think it is more that your obvious serious interests do not include women," remarked Casey. "I don't think anyone thinks of you as an old fuddy-duddy."

"Oh, I haven't given them up,"

"I didn't mean to imply that you had. Just that your interest in women doesn't run to a serious interest,"

"Is that why dates for me are few and far between?"

Casey looked up from the menu she was inspecting, "If dates are few and far between for you, it only means you haven't been asking for dates as often." Then she added with a smile, "I haven't heard any single woman I know saying she turned you down."

Gary Donaldson smiled then turned thoughtful.

"Will you keep a small secret?" Gary asked. Casey looked at him expectantly. He continued, "A young woman's face has begun popping up in my mind." Casey looked questioningly, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue. To her this was a rather startling confession for Dr. Donaldson to make. This seemed entirely out of character. He was not the type to zero in on female students no matter how attractive.

Gary went on, "I saw her walking across campus the other day. It startled me. I felt compelled to look at her. It was as if she reminded me of someone from the deep, dark reaches of my memory. The trouble is I got the feeling I was deliberately blocking something in my memory. As if I deliberately did not want to remember."

Casey looked at him rather thoughtfully. "It must have been someone who impressed you very much, or to whom you had been very close," she commented, then she hesitated and continued, "Might it be connected to some traumatic experience that makes you want to keep it shut out."

Gary had a thoughtful, but rueful smile on his face. "Well I will admit, my first few years as a young instructor will filled with a bit of turmoil. I did make a few mistakes and bad choices that I would rather forget. But what would be so traumatic to me I would want to block it out completely. But I can't remember. I can't pull up a single clue from my memory. I don't even know if it is someone I actually knew," Gary said in obvious frustration. "I can't go ask her who she is." Then he thought for a moment, "I don't even know if that would be of any help. I'm drawing a complete blank, except that her face seemed very familiar. It is starting to drive me crazy. I would have thought that something would jog my memory, because her face just jumped out at me when I saw her. It's just the face. There's no clues that go with it. No place or time. Nothing that face brings with it. It is becoming downright eerie. This has never happened to me before. "

"You mean there just may be something about her that hit a memory chord. It may not be that the person in your memory looks anything like her."

"No that is the thing. I have the feeling she may look like someone from my past. I just can't make the connection. I don't even have a clue why that face should stick in my mind. The young woman's name may not be of any help what-so-ever," Gary said rather emphatically. "Actually, I don't even know if she really reminds me of someone I knew. But her face seems so familiar and I got a vague feeling it is not really a good memory. The impression seemed too strong to be just a coincidence."

"This is obviously beginning to bother you," Casey remarked. She tipped her head at Dr. Donaldson. "Perhaps I should walk across campus with you this morning. Just on the long shot that you would see her again and point her out to me. I could make the inquiries and see if I could find out who she is, and maybe get some background on her. That might give you a clue. It might tell you if it is something you should even worry about."

Gary took a deep breath, "I really have no right to ask you to go through all of this trouble. Although I must confess, I would be happy to have your company."

Casey Janison lifted her eyebrows and smiled at him. Gary Donaldson did have a very natural way of being flattering. It seemed to just slip out.

"It's no problem," she replied. "It's starting to intrigue me."

"Maybe I'll be sorry I asked," said Gary with a smile.

"You mean we may drag up some skeletons from your closet you'd just as soon keep hidden from everyone's view?"

"You never can tell."

"I don't believe you have any skeletons in your closets," Casey said rather emphatically. That is true, she thought. Gary just didn't seem to be a person who would have something in his past that he would want to keep hidden. It would be out of character. He had always been open and above board in everything he did. He had always been a gentleman. That was especially true when it came to students. However Casey realized she did not know much about his background. She had not had any reason to dig too deeply and Gary had really not offered any information. She realized he had said little about his younger years.

Casey Janison's breakfast, came and they concentrated on eating. Afterward, they did walk across campus together, but they didn't spot the young woman. They really hadn't expected to do so. There were quite a number of students on campus and the walks were usually full between class periods. It was a very pleasant campus with mature trees lining the walkways and the roads. That they didn't spot the girl didn't really matter to either Gary or Casey. They were in interested conversation all the way across campus. It was obvious they enjoyed each other's company.

Dr. Donaldson did not see the young woman again during the following week. He was able to put it out of his mind almost entirely. He did have lunch with Dr. Janison a couple times. The conversation centered on other things. It was about a week later. Gary was having coffee with Casey at a coffeehouse just off campus. They often did this as the opportunity presented itself. It was a coffeehouse they frequented rather regularly. It was a favorite of many of the faculty and graduate students. He spotted the young woman coming in the door.

"There she is," Gary quickly but quietly said. "Just coming in the door."

Casey turned to look, as the young woman hesitated and looked around the room, obviously looking for friends. She was able to get a good look at the girl. She tried to study her without being too obvious. She wanted to be able to recall her in the future. The girl looked to be the age of a graduate student not a young undergraduate. Of course, that didn't mean anything, she could have been a little older when she started college. Then she turned to Gary.

"Let's see who her friends are. That might be helpful in finding out something about her," Casey said. They watched, as the young woman spotted her friends, and moved toward them. They were only a couple tables away. Both Casey and Gary watched to see if they might know any of the young people in the group she was joining. They were able to get a good look at the young people in the group without being obvious. The group apparently met here fairly regularly. They seemed to know the young woman and greeted her in a very friendly fashion.

"We may be in luck. I think I recognize two of the young women in that group," Casey Janison said. "Now if I can figure out a clever way of getting information from those two young women without them suspecting anything. This is really getting interesting," she continued with a little conspiratorial smile. She found she really was enjoying it. It presented a challenge. And it could possibly help a good friend.

Gary Donaldson was also looking over the group. "One of those young men is a doctoral candidate who is part of my evening discussion group."

Casey looked at him thoughtfully, "That might be a little more ticklish job for you to get information on that young woman from a young man. You are after all a bachelor professor," said Casey with a smile at him. "In spite of your well known reputation as a gentleman, any obvious interest on your part, regarding a female student would be suspect. I think you should approach that with extreme caution."

"Especially as she seems to be an undergraduate and I teach only graduate courses," Gary added.

"No," said Casey. "You couldn't say you mistook her for a student in one of your classes. Which is a flimsy excuse even under normal circumstances. For you that would be no excuse at all, under those circumstances. You have a well known reputation for knowing all your students by name."

"Of course I could say I saw him with a group of students at this coffee house and that I didn't recognize all of them as graduate students."

"You might get away with that, as long as you didn't pursue it, but let him take it from there," admitted Casey with a smile. But then she added, "I think I can be more direct in my inquiries, because I am obviously interested in female students."

"Yes, Casey, you do have a reputation for being their friend on campus. Your interest would appear natural. Not highly suspect like mine."

Casey laughed, "Yes you better not begin now to start asking around campus regarding a young woman. Everyone would start wondering about the abrupt change in character."

They began to prepare to leave. Casey said, "I'll get in touch if I find out anything. I'm going to stop by their table to greet the two women students I know."

For the next week, Dr. Donaldson did not see the young woman again. He was beginning to put her face out of his mind for the most part. However it kept creeping back into his consciousness at odd moments. It would really bug him at those times, because he still couldn't put any thing to that face. It was just the face, nothing to tie it to. The trouble was, it was now becoming a troubling experience, as it something threatening to come to him he did not want to remember.

It was a week later, as Gary was preparing to leave his office for the afternoon. Casey Janison walked in and remarked, "If you are willing to buy me a sandwich, I'll fill you in on what I have learned so far."

"I'd be happy to buy you a sandwich even if you didn't have any information."

Casey smiled at Gary, "If I didn't have a vague feeling we might be incompatible, I might be interested in you. You say such nice things so easily and so naturally." That incompatibility wasn't really true, but it made a good excuse to keep their relationship on a strictly friendly basis. So far, both of them felt most comfortable with that.

"Story of my life. All the interesting ones always turn out to be incompatible."

Dr. Janison laughed and headed out the office door. Dr. Donaldson followed, locking the door behind him.

The two walked to a restaurant near campus. It was relatively deserted at this time, although it was a favorite of faculty and graduate students. It was a little ways off campus and the prices were a little higher so fewer undergraduate students frequented it. They found a booth toward the back, where they figured they might be undisturbed, and ordered a light meal.

"You do eat rather light, don't you Dr. Janison," Gary commented.

"Have to keep my girlish figure," she replied with an impish smile. Gary reflected that Casey Janison did indeed have a girlish figure. In fact, everyone took her for at least ten years younger than she really was. Even young doctoral students sometimes tried to date her. This, of course, made it much easier for her to be friends with the co-eds.

Gary waited to hear what she had found out about the young woman.

"I have found out her name is Karlyn Sainlon. However, I'm afraid the rest of the information I have on her so far, may not do much good. You see she has spent the good share of her life in foster homes, according to my information source. I gather she was adopted as a baby, but the adoptive parents apparently got divorced and she was taken away from them. It was all very vague."

"The name means nothing to me, but under the circumstances that shouldn't be surprising," observed Gary, "If she was adopted as a baby, that means her mother gave her up for some reason. She may not even know who her mother was."

"I wonder if she has tried to find out," Casey mused. Then she looked at Gary Donaldson, "You are thinking that you might have known her mother." She thought for a moment looking seriously at Gary, "For your own mental well being, don't take that thought any further until we find out more about this young woman."

Gary smiled, "I do not intend to. For your information, as far as I remember, I did not father any child of her apparent age."

Casey laughed, "You mean there might some of another age?"

Gary Donaldson smiled at her remark, but said nothing. He had to admit to himself, he wasn't sure because he was rather wild in his younger years as a young instructor.

"Your wife had no desire to be a mother?" said Casey, as much a statement of truth, as it was a question.

"Definitely not," replied Dr. Gary. "That was one of the reasons she gave for divorcing me. She was afraid I wanted children and might put the pressure on her. I don't think that was the reason, but we won't go into that."

"I can't see you doing that."

"You didn't know me as a young man."

"That would be entirely out of character," was Dr. Janison's very definitely stated comment. Then she continued, "Do you want me to see if I can find out anymore about her?"

Gary thought for a few minutes. "Only if it doesn't entail too much time and work. At this point in time, I don't really know if it is of any importance or not. There doesn't seem to be any reason for me to feel her face is familiar and that I should know someone who looks like her." Then he hesitated, "Or perhaps it is I don't want to find the reason for that."

"But you still have that nagging feeling that is not going to go away."

"If she keeps turning up where I will see her, I suppose that could be true. There's just that nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I know it's stupid," He said thoughtfully.

Casey looked at Gary thoughtfully, then she quietly said, "I think, as a friend and in the interest of your piece of mind, I will keep on digging."

Their food came and they devoted their attention to it. Several faculty members drifted in and stopped to talk.

One woman professor commented, "If I didn't know the two of you so well, I would wonder if there wasn't something going on between you."

"But you know us both much too well for that," said Gary. The professor agreed. However, there were other faculty members and graduate students, who have wondered. This didn't bother either Casey Janison of Gary Donaldson. They had been very good friends for years.

Because of various activities going on campus, and their various responsibilities, Dr. Janison and Dr. Donaldson didn't have a chance to get together for about three weeks. By a very roundabout way, Gary had heard the young woman had attempted to get in touch with her real mother. That is all the information he had gotten. He didn't know if she actually made contact or if she even found out who her real mother was. Gary Donaldson still couldn't figure out why he felt, finding out who this young woman student was, should be important to him. Maybe because her background tended to be somewhat of a mystery, it made it more intriguing.

One Wednesday night, Dr. Donaldson got a call at his home. It was Casey Janison. "This time it will cost you a real dinner at my favorite restaurant on Saturday night," she told him when he answered the phone.

"You really want to start tongues wagging," Gary said with a laugh. "I suppose you have already made reservations."

"Yes, for that matter, I have. You can pick me up at seven o'clock," replied Casey. Gary quickly agreed. Obviously, Dr. Janison had some important information she wanted to give him. She also didn't care if tongues wagged or not. Casey Janison had always been like that. That is why he liked her as a good friend. Besides, as far as Casey was concerned, he didn't care if tongues wagged or not either. Casey Janison was an attractive, intelligent and personable woman. He couldn't figure out why some intelligent male hadn't snatched her up. There were enough, he knew, who were interested in her. She definitely didn't lack for dates or opportunities to date.

He picked her up promptly at seven and she was ready. Casey Janison had always been punctual. She was dressed to enjoy dinner at her favorite restaurant. Which meant that she would be a date that would draw attention from others. They drove to the restaurant and were shown to their table practically immediately. They were both well known at this restaurant. Casey could attract attention when she so wished. She did it naturally, but not obviously. They looked over the menu, gave their order, and Gary ordered a bottle of the best wine to go with their meal.

"I really lucked out this time. I found out the young woman felt she was in need of someone to talk to. I maneuvered two of her friends to suggest she talk to me. I've met with her several times," said Casey. Gary waited without saying a word to interrupt.

"She was able to contact her real mother, but did not get to see her. She said her mother was terminally ill and died two weeks ago." Casey continued, "Supposedly before the mother died, she wrote a letter to this young woman. She showed me the letter. The mother did not know the trauma the young woman had gone through after she was adopted. This girl had run away from two foster homes, and when she was eighteen went out on her own. She finally found her way here to this college. Apparently she had gotten a scholarship here and we were willing to work with her on other financial aid. She obviously is a very intelligent young woman. She is also a little older than the usual undergraduate, although she is an undergraduate. At the moment, I think she is feeling kind of lost. She has no family. She is reminded of this regularly by the letters and packages that some of her friends receive from their families. I think she would badly like to have someone."

"She obviously doesn't know what her mother looked like," said Gary

"Yes, she does," replied Casey, "Her mother sent her a picture with the letter. It was a picture of her mother when she was in college. It looks just like Karlyn looks now."

Gary Donaldson sat there, silent, thinking. "What did the letter tell Karlyn?" he asked. This was giving him some clues he was becoming uneasy about. He wondered if he saw the picture of her mother, if that would mean anything to him. He was beginning to feel it would not.

"Apparently, from what she wrote, her mother was at a small college. She met a young instructor there and they started dating. He talked her into moving in with him. She didn't tell her folks because he was from the wrong social circle. She knew she would have to eventually move home and marry someone from her folks' circle of acquaintances. Then she found out that she was pregnant. She left the college without telling this instructor. She had the baby and gave it up for adoption. Neither her folks nor the father even knew she had a baby. She never wrote the young instructor, so he never knew he was a father. Her mother didn't tell her what college it was, nor did she tell Karlyn what the young instructors name was," Casey told him.

"What did Karlyn want to talk to you about?" asked Gary.

"She asked me if I thought she should see if she could find her father. She also asked me if I thought he would admit to the possibility or if he would be at all interested in learning he had a daughter, especially after all of these years. She admitted that through all these years, before she learned from her mother what actually happened, she thought her father had abandoned her mother when he found out she was pregnant. She did not have a very nice picture in her mind of what her father would be like. Now she would have to rethink all her ideas. She wanted to know, if I thought it was worth looking for her father. I got the impression that she really did want to know who he was. But I think she is also afraid he might reject the idea of having a daughter he knew nothing about. I think she was very afraid of how she would feel if he rejected her. She also asked if I had any suggestions as to where she could start to look."

"And what did you tell her?" asked Gary.

"I asked her to let me think about it. I said I would get back to her. That was all I could think of to say at the moment. I didn't know if she could stand her father's rejection. I wasn't sure if I should tell her to look for him or not," Casey answered. She looked intently across at Gary Donaldson then continued after a moment, "By the look on your face as I was speaking, does that scenario, the mother described, ring a bell? Are you thinking that there may be a remote possibility that Karlyn could be your daughter. Maybe I shouldn't have delved so deeply into this," She said uneasily. Gary sat there for a long time wrestling with the feelings that were swelling up within him.

"Up until the time the mother left college in the middle of a semester, the scenario was as I would have described it. I knew she would go back eventually and marry someone her parents would feel suitable. However, I was angered and hurt she left without saying anything to me about that she was leaving. Consequently I put her completely out of my mind. I did not know she was pregnant. However, as I knew she never slept with anyone else, I am sure it was my child she would have been pregnant with," Gary replied.

"Are you now sorry I dug and found out?" Casey asked.

"Casey, at the moment I am trying to sort out my feelings. I thought she had adequately protected herself, so I am angry at her about that. However, at the same time I feel sorry for the poor girl and what she was put through. In a sense, actually I feel a sense of excitement. However I haven't the slightest idea how I will handle having a daughter," he answered. Then he thought for a moment. "Of course, I don't know if Karlyn will accept an old professor as a father. Or accept the idea that I could be her father. She still might be feeling I abandoned her in a sense that I should have suspected she might be pregnant and tried to find them."

Casey smiled, "I don't think you'd have to worry about that. After the ideas she had of who her father might be, to find out you were her father and would be willing to admit it, would be an absolutely wonderful thing to her. It would be like giving her a new life. She had no idea, who her father could be. She had no idea, if he would even admit to possibly having a daughter. At the moment she was just grabbing at straws because she wanted so badly to have someone. To have a family."

Gary took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment. "How do we best inform her that I think she is my daughter, who I never knew I had?" asked Gary.

Casey Janison looked across at him. She was very serious. "You are really determined to tell her. Are you ready to change your lifestyle to make room for a college age daughter?"

"Casey I have to take responsibility for my actions, even if I have misgivings, she deserves that. Am I so hide bound that you think I couldn't do that? Answer me truthfully Casey."

Casey smiled at him. "I never considered you hide bound. I actually think in a way you are looking forward to it. Ever since I've known you, you have loved a challenge. This will really be a challenge." Then she continued. "Let me invite her for dinner at my house next Friday night to discuss this problem of hers. You will also come for dinner. I think we can work it out there." Then Casey looked at Gary Donaldson very seriously, "Are you sure you want to go through with this. To maybe find out for sure that she really is your daughter? Are you willing to take the responsibility of having a daughter you really know nothing about? You really don't know anything about her. I will admit that in my discussion with her, she did seem to be a nice young woman, but one who has been bounced around a bit."

Gary took a deep breath, mentally gritted his teeth. "Yes," was his simple reply. "I keep thinking what she has been through. I feel at least partially responsible for it. The least I can do, if she is my daughter, to give her a chance to have perhaps a little better life than she has had. That much I could do for her. I would hope we could mutually work out any problems that might crop up."

Dr. Donaldson's house was close to campus. It was a relatively large house that contained several bedrooms he normally used for guestrooms. He now looked those over, to see what could be done to accommodate a college student daughter. That is, if she was willing to claim him as her dad and if she decided to move in with him. He decided to wait with any redecorating until she could voice her preferences. Come to think of it that might be an icebreaker. Of course, he thought about the possibilities all week long. He was now actually looking forward to Friday night. It was however, with a large amount of trepidation, as well as some excitement. He really had no idea what Karlyn's reaction would be. She might reject the idea that he could be her father. He also had no idea what she was really like.

He arrived early to Dr. Janison's house. When Karlyn arrived she was somewhat surprised to see Dr. Donaldson also there. Dr. Janison easily passed that over by explaining that Dr. Donaldson was an old friend who might have some good ideas. Karlyn seemed to accept that explanation. Dr. Janison had proved to be very understanding and very helpful. The meal passed with talk of what was going on campus. After the meal, they took their cups of coffee into the living room.

After they were seated, they began discussing Karlyn's situation. Gary asked to see the letter and the picture, which Karlyn gave to him. After he had read the letter and looked at the picture, he folded it up and turned to Karlyn. "I have a story I would like to tell you. When I was just out of graduate school, I got an instructor's position with a small college. That first year, I met and started dating an attractive student. That winter I talked her into moving in with me, although we knew she would eventually go home to her parents and marry some man her parents considered suitable. About the middle of the spring semester she suddenly left without telling me. I was angry and hurt that she just left without saying a word to me. I figured she had gone home to marry some man of her parent's choice, but I was very hurt that she never even said good-bye. I never heard from her again. I probably had the suspicion she might be pregnant. Over the years I forced myself to forget her, because I figured she had gone home to marry someone else. I blocked the memory out of my mind."

Then he looked directly at Karlyn, who had been looking intently at him all the time he was speaking. He took a deep breath, "That girl, I am sure, is the girl in this picture." He held up the picture of Karlyn's mother.

Karlyn involuntarily gasped, then she looked at Dr. Janison.

Casey Janison smiled, "That is the story he told me before he read your mother's letter."

Karlyn turned to Dr. Donaldson, "Do you mean you think you are my father?" she asked.

"At this moment, I am positive. I now realize you look just like your mother and that is why you looked familiar. I am sure the child she was pregnant with was mine," Gary told her. "I never knew I had a daughter. The question now is, do you want me for a father."

Karlyn put her hands to her face, and tears began to come to her eyes.

"Oh, yes. I had no idea what my father would be like. I never dreamed my father would turn out to be someone like you, or that you would admit I was your child."

Gary got up from his chair and held out his arms. Karlyn practically sprang out of her chair and ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her for a long time. After a few moments he rather quietly said,

"I have a big house near campus, if you'd like to move in. It comes complete with your own bedroom and separate bath. You can redecorate as you wish," Gary told Karlyn. "I have absolutely no idea how a college age daughter's room should be decorated."

"I don't know what to say. I didn't even know if I would ever find my father. I didn't know if he would even admit he was my father. Now all of a sudden I have not only found him but he wants to know if I want a home," Karlyn said still in Dr. Donaldson's arms.

"Am I going too fast for you. I am now willing to claim you as my daughter. It probably will take us a while to get used to each other, but I'm willing to work at it," Gary said giving Karlyn another hug.

"Is this really happening? I'm not dreaming it am I?" asked Karlyn not willing to let her newfound father go. She couldn't believe it. She had found the father she badly wanted, and found him to be someone she would happily claim as a father. Now, she was also being offered the home she never had, with a father she wasn't sure she would ever find.

"It is real," said Casey Janison with a smile.

"We have a lot of catching up to do. I'm not sure I can make up for all the years I wasn't around for you," Gary said.

Karlyn looked at him, "Dad," she said, " It apparently wasn't your fault. Mother said she never told you that you had a daughter. I'm just happy you are willing to be my dad."

Gary Donaldson smiled, "You know I kind of liked that," he told Karlyn.

Karlyn looked puzzled, "What did you kind of like?" she asked.

"When you called me Dad," Gary replied. Karlyn smiled happily and gave him another hug.

Then she turned to Dr. Janison. "I really appreciate your helping me find my dad," she said.

"Actually it was at your father's request. He said you looked so much like someone out of his past he wanted to find out something about you. He said it would look strange for a male professor asking questions about a young female student," Casey said with a smile.

Karlyn started to laugh. "Who would believe you Dad, if you said you wondered if that young female student was your long lost daughter. Especially when you never knew you had a daughter."

Gary started to laugh. "Yes, my reputation would really take a nose dive." Then he added with a smile, "How am I going to explain that the cute young woman who has moved in with me is really my long lost daughter." Then he turned to Casey, "You are really going to have to back me up on this one. Otherwise I will be receiving some very pointed looks around campus."

"Oh you could really get a racy reputation," Casey said laughing. "It's probably a good thing that you have tenure and your full professorship already." Then she turned to look at Karlyn, she kind of flippantly said, "Of course the two of us could move in with him, and then the rumors really would get interesting."

Gary Donaldson looked at Casey with a small smile trying to think if Casey really meant that. "That would be an interesting idea, wouldn't it," he said smiling at her.

Karlyn looked at the two of them. Casey looked at them with a smile. She might consider getting together with Karlyn now that she had made contact with her. Perhaps she would explore that idea.

Dr. Janison smiled at the two of them, tipped her head and said, "I think Karlyn and I will confer on that within the next few weeks. That is something the two of us women should thoroughly discuss." Casey figured she would wait until Gary and Karlyn began to get comfortable with each other as father and daughter. Then she might consider seeing, if Karlyn would want to share her newfound dad, with another woman. Even, if that other woman was the one who got her together with her dad. And if Gary might consider that idea.

 

 

The End