Princeton, N.J.
Karen made me give the speech! She didn’t even tell me until right before the program started. I tried to freak out, but she wasn’t having it, so I had to get up and do it. Once I got started, it was pretty cool. I believe in what we’re doing, so I talked about how important it was and how much they would get out of it. People seemed pretty responsive and came up after to thank us for coming and take our brochures.
When we got ready to walk across campus for dinner, the whole group of us were together, but I started talking to this guy from Trenton. He said his name was Zaron Burnett and he was a conscientious objector leaving the next day for two years of alternative service in a state mental hospital! There was snow and ice on the ground and while we were walking, he offered me his arm. It was nice. Old-fashioned and kind of courtly. We ended up sitting together and kept talking all through dinner. I really liked him. It almost felt like we were picking up a conversation in progress. He walked with us back to our car and it was really cold and very clear. Dark sky and lots of stars. I wished him luck, but he didn’t seem worried about going. Like it was another adventure and he was ready for it. It seemed like a movie scene. Little snowflakes swirling around us. A brief moment before returning to the struggle. I felt like I should kiss him, but Karen was standing right there, so I didn’t.
Home tomorrow!