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refrigerator again.
    “Yes, Mother?”
    “Now, Ellen, remember to eat these sandwiches in the car while you’re driving,” she said in a pleasant, breathless voice loud enough to reach across the house. “You don’t want to pull off I-75 and risk getting abducted by some stranger at a backwoods gas station.”
    “Yes, Mother,” Ellen said obediently, raising her voice so her mother could hear her.
    “And whatever you do, be sure to fill that car of yours withgasoline before you leave Petoskey You should probably stop at Mr. Gardner’s station, right on the way out of town. You remember Mr. Gardner’s station, don’t you, dear?”
    “Yes, Mother.”
    “He’s been asking about you because he wants to send his son, Travis, to U of M next year. He’d love to see you, maybe hear a little bit about campus life and all. Could you do that for me, dear?”
    “Yes, Mother.”
    “You know, that Travis of his is certainly a smart one. He won’t have any trouble getting into U of M if you ask me. Of course Travis always did have a secret crush on you, Ellen. He was always…”
    She continued on. Ellen and her father exchanged a conspiratorial grin and he hugged her once more.
    “Go get ’em, honey. You want to know something?”
    “What?”
    “You’re going to be a great writer one day.”
    Ellen nodded, too choked up to speak.
    Her mother rounded the corner with the lunch sack and presented it to Ellen as she caught her breath.
    “Don’t forget what I said, dear.” She leaned over and pecked Ellen quickly on the cheek. “Drive safely and don’t take any chances in those small towns along the way. And that sports department is bound to be full of men. I guess there’s nothing we can do about that. But don’t you let them corrupt you. You’re a good girl, Ellen. I understand that this is an important break for you but, I’m concerned all the same. I don’t care what the modern school thinks of such things. A sports department is no place for a young lady, so watch yourself and be careful.”
    “Okay, Diane, okay,” Ellen’s father said gently. He placed his arm around his wife and pulled her toward him. “Let the poor girl get on the road or she’ll never make it back before dark.”
    Five minutes later Ellen was on her way. Her first night shift at the
Gazette
was two days later and suddenly she wasbusier than she’d ever been in her life. Her hours were filled with senior level courses, labs and lectures and on-campus reporting. She would finish her course work, grab an apple and a bagel, and fly out the door for the
Gazette
. The days became weeks, and before Ellen realized it the semester was half over.
    Once in a while she was allowed to forgo phone duty and cover a high school game in person. But most games were played on the weekend and Ellen’s Friday and Saturday nights were spent at the
Gazette
, manning the phones in the sports department. The paper had a system whereby coaches would call in their scores when the games were finished. Ellen took scores from dozens of coaches of sports ranging from track to T-ball, bowling to baseball.
    The paper received hundreds of calls each weekend and interns worked the phones until midnight. No exceptions. Ellen was thankful for the work because it left her little time to think of Jake.
    “
Gazette
Sports, what team are you reporting?” Ellen would say as she answered the phone and prepared her fingers for action. Then she would cradle the receiver against her shoulder while her fingers flew across the keyboard, transferring the details as accurately as possible into the computer. When the call was finished she would organize the information and file it to the sports desk.
    “
Gazette
Sports, what team are you reporting?” The calls continued through the night.
    The questions became part of a formula. Who was the winner, what was the score, where was the contest played, why was the game important, when would the teams play again, and how did the