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The Child - Eight The Child-Eight movie stars and moguls. He had new friends from all over the world, he told them, and besides, the university would always be there. Nothing would make him leave, he insisted, at least not yet. Ted also wrote to Jill, for the first time since arriving in Sun Valley, and let her know of his plans. She replied imme- diately, berating Ted for not contacting her sooner with such great news. “Tf I had known you were taking this job,” she wrote, “I would have come out to Idaho with you for the summer.” Surprised by this enthusiasm, Ted wrote again, explaining how quickly the job offer had come, that he simply hadn’t had time to inform her. He said he missed her, that he cared about her as much as ever. And he pointed out how little they’d actually seen each other anyway, with the distance between the two universities they attended. Ted thought it odd that Jill would have wanted to accom- pany him to Idaho, since there had never been any romance between them, but he didn’t dwell on her letter. Instead, he looked forward to the break between seasons in which he could travel a bit and see even more of the country. All thoughts of Alabama were forgotten. A few days before his vacation started, however, there was a knock at Ted’s door. He opened it and saw Jill standing there with a smile and a suitcase. “Hi,” she said, giving him a quick hug, “I missed you. I’ve got a couple of weeks before school starts, and everything you wrote about this place just sounded fantastic, so I wanted to see it for myself. Aren’t you glad I’m here, Teddy?” “Well, sure,” he replied, once the shock of the moment passed. “But why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” “T wanted to surprise you!” she laughed. “You’re going to have a break soon, aren’t you? We can have a great time before I go back home.” She hugged him again, and Ted felt a renewal of familiar feelings of love for her. “Yeah,” he said, “we can have a wonderful time, Jill.” Ted took her on a tour of the valley, proudly introducing her to his friends, flattered that she had come so far just to be with him. He showed her around as if he owned the place. Masquerade of Angels 64 Everyone seemed to like Jill immediately. Even Bert warmed to her after a few minutes, going so far as to offer her a waitressing job if she wanted to stay on for the winter. Ted laughed at the prospect, but Jill’s prompt acceptance of the offer caught him by surprise. “What about school?” he sputtered, “and what will your family say, for heaven’s sake?” “T don’t care what they think,” Jill said. “If you can stay out here and forget about college for a while, so can I. You’re my best friend, Ted, and we’ll have a great time together.” Ted didn’t argue any more. With Jill in Sun Valley, his paradise would be perfect. The love he had felt for her since he was fourteen had never died. And when the Lodge closed down for September, Ted and Jill set off to explore the world. They traveled west through Utah, Oregon, and Washington, places they never dreamed they would see. All the restraints of their past were broken, the world was new and unlimited, and they were answerable to nobody but themselves. Somewhere along their journey, Ted and Jill crossed another boundary, moving from friends to lovers. It seemed to Ted there was nothing more he could ask from life, and he thanked the angels who had destined them for one another. They drank in everything, the new sights, new cities, and their new relationship. When the vacation ended, they rode back to Sun Valley, exhausted but exhilarated, to prepare for the winter season. It was a non-stop round of fun, punctuated only by easy stints on the job. Many of Ted’s summer friends had stayed on for the winter, and there were other new employees to meet. Camaraderie was high as they all trooped into town after work, to dance and drink and party in the local bars with the energy of youth. Jill especially loved the night life, and although she and Ted had never been exposed to such freedom, or perhaps because of that, she grabbed it recklessly. The quiet, proper young girl Ted had loved in Alabama transformed into an outgoing woman full of zest, who could drink and dance until the bar closed down. Ted’s stamina, however, soon reached its limit. At first he Masquerade of Angels 65