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e-mail at least ten times, she switched off the computer and got up to begin her day.

January 9
     
    Nysa completed her morning routine, walked to her supervisor’s office, and softly knocked on the door. From within, she could hear Dr. Judith Larson tapping away on her keyboard.
    “Come in,” she called.
    Nysa opened the door, stepped into the office, and gently closed the door behind her.
    Dr. Larson stopped typing and looked up at Nysa. Her salt and pepper hair was held up in a tidy bun on the back of her head and she was, as always, wearing a lab coat over a stark white blouse and black pants. There was speculation in the office about whether she owned only one outfit or had an entire closet of white shirts and black pants. The aging process had been gentle on her with only the faintest of wrinkles beginning to show.
    “I need to speak to you privately. Do you have a few minutes?” Nysa fidgeted with her hands
    “Of course, what’s on your mind Nysa?” Dr. Larson replied as she pushed back from her overly tidy desk and turned to face Nysa.
    Nysa blurted out, “I just wanted to let you know I will be resigning effective January twenty-seventh. I’ve been offered another opportunity and have accepted it. I want to let you know I’ve really enjoyed working with you and appreciate your guidance. I’ll have a formal letter for you by the end of the day.”
    Dr. Larson leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands on her desk. “Well, I must say we will be sorry to see you go. You’ve contributed so much to our department. Is there any way I can convince you to stay?”
    “I’m sorry, but I’ve already made my decision.” Nysa told herself not to feel guilty, but Judith had always played an important role in her education and career. They had first met when Nysa was still in school, taking a course in Integrative and Comparative Physiology. They had stayed in touch, and upon graduation Nysa had been hired by UCLA as a result of the glowing letter of recommendation written by her former professor. Now Nysa would be going out on her own, making her own way.
    “Whoever takes over my research shouldn’t have any problems. If you go into my desk you will find all of my notes typed, labeled, and filed. Thank you again for everything. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t have made it this far without your help.”
    Dr. Larson nodded her understanding. “Thank you for your hard work, Nysa, and good luck. If you ever need anything, feel free to call. You’re not off my Christmas list just because you no longer work for me.” Dr. Larson smiled and extended her hand.
    Nysa shook hands with her mentor and turned to leave the office.
    “And Nysa,” Dr. Larson continued. Nysa stopped and turned to face her boss. “Don’t kid yourself. You’d be a great research scientist even without my influence. Don’t sell yourself short.”
    Nysa smiled, thanked her mentor, and left the office.
    “Well,” she thought, “it’s official now. No going back.”
    Although anxious, excitement overwhelmed her and the rest of the day passed in a blur of test tubes, micro-pipettes, Petri dishes, and calcium chelating agents.
    I traveled with Gottschalk and the German army north along the Rhine in a quest to relieve my boredom and increase my fortune. I am traveling with roughly 10,000 troops in an effort to purge our homeland of Jews. Cologne fell fairly easily and I was able to acquire quite a bit of property in the process. How ironic that the Jews are being slaughtered for their role in the crucifixion and here I am profiting from it.

January 10-29
     
    The next few weeks were spent preparing for Nysa’s departure. Nysa and Alastair spent as much time together as they could afford, opting out of all dinner invitations, couples nights, and parties. They didn’t make big plans, deciding instead to spend their time inside together, laughing playing games, making love. A couple of times they went out to