“Wait, what are you talking about?” Christine asked. “We’re talking about Jack! His dad is the Associate Dean. He’s been crushing on you forever, but you’ve been too buried in your outlines to notice. Tell me you didn’t blow him off.” “Actually, we’re going to a movie tomorrow night. But wait—his dad is in the Dean’s office?”
“Yeah, and his mom is the head of the Economics department. Word is she’s even tougher than your Poly-Sci professor. If you take her class next semester, God help you.” The news gave Christine pause. She realized she’d been so focused on the future that she was missing the present. Jack was kind, well-bred, and clearly sincere. But she didn’t want to be the girl who dated the Dean’s son for a grade boost.
If she had known then how much Jack’s mother would despise her, she might have reconsidered. That woman would become the greatest obstacle Christine ever faced. A romance blossomed quickly, and Christine discovered that Jack wasn’t just a “nice guy”—he was deeply principled. He’d dealt with plenty of girls who only wanted to get close to his parents’ influence, and Christine’s blatant lack of interest in his status was exactly what won him over.
He decided then and there that she was the one. Unfortunately, his mother, Eleanor, had a very different vision for her son’s future. To Eleanor, Christine was “ambitious” in the worst way—loud, opinionated, and lacking the “refinement” she expected in a daughter-in-law. Even though Christine was the best student in Eleanor’s Econ 301 class, the professor found ways to dock points for “tone” or “lack of nuance.”
For the first time in her life, Christine was afraid she might actually fail a core requirement. It was a battle of wills that lasted the entire semester.
