It's Bliss by Alene Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B

it did seem to take young women an inordinate amount of time to settle in: stopping to comb their hair, adjusting their clothing, searching through their backpacks for an interminable length of time to find a notebook and pencil, putting on lipstick, and finishing their visiting. His patience was getting thin. He had wanted to start the class right on time today, if not a few minutes early.
    When everyone was settled, he stood up, walked around the desk and began.
    “ Good morning, class. Today, I’m not going to give the usual lecture.
    Something important has come up.” He noted their surprise and curiosity.
    “ There is a wealthy benefactor who has been donating to Fairfield University and now he has offered something new. He’s very interested in seeing women succeed in the business world, or in whatever vocation they choose, so he has asked me to hand out a questionnaire to this class. He and a selected committee are going to review the questionnaires that you fill out, discuss them, and choose eight. Then, out of the eight, they will carefully choose four. The committee will meet with these four students and inform them that they have the opportunity to be part of a new program. If these four choose to be part of the program and fulfill all the requirements, they will receive a generous sum of money to help with their education.
    “ The benefactor regrets not being able to choose more than four. To compensate for this, he will pay each one of you for filling out the questionnaire. But it has to be filled out with careful consideration and thought, and with total honesty. One of the committee is a seasoned psychologist. He will review them, and he’ll be able to tell if the answers are not sincere.
    “ Please be sure to put your phone number in the space allotted. I will be calling four of you this week. Are there any questions, or is there anyone unwilling to fill out the questionnaire?” He stopped and waited, giving the class members time to respond. Not one hand went up; they only stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. He continued, “This is not mandatory for this class, and your grade will not be affected either way.” Again he waited. Silence followed, as the girls tried to digest the information. No one objected, but the young woman with the stringy hair and sour expression raised her hand.
    “ How much will he pay us to fill it out?” she asked in a skeptical tone.
    “ One hundred dollars each, Miss Lemmon,” he answered, pleased that he had remembered her name.
    The girls all gasped, staring at him in shock. When Lora Lemmon could find her voice, she mumbled, “Uh, thank you.”
    Unseen by Dr. Ackerman, Billie Bliss’ pensive face revealed concern. She was almost certain that she would not want to be one of the four, even though she could certainly use the money. But, she thought, she would just have to wait and see.
    By the end of the period, all questionnaires were placed on Dr. Ackerman’s desk. When the last student left, he gathered up the papers and went next door to his office to go through them.
    -
    Wednesday evening, shortly after 7:00 p.m., the DeePees, now called “the committee,” were sitting comfortably in Sheldon’s condominium reading through the questionnaires. By 8:30 they had agreed on the eight, semi-final candidates.
    Robert shook his head. “It’s very clear, after reading these, that the majority are just taking the class to fill credit hours.”
    Hal and Nettie agreed.
    Sheldon nodded, then added in a critical tone of voice, “I’m no psychologist, but it’s very plain to me that most of these girls are not serious about a career in business.”
    Nettie, a successful business woman herself, spoke up. “Or even a career, period. But there’s nothing wrong with that, Shel. After all, since there are a lot of men out there not willing to commit themselves to marriage, many young women are forced into a career whether they want it or not.”
    Sheldon thought about