Alex and Deb stared intently at me while I described the perfect opportunity of meeting husband material.
I asked, "What is it that the three of us know that many men on campus need help to learn?" After a pregnant pause, I calmly said, "Latin."
Deb and Alex both shouted, "Of course."
I continued, "All three of us studied classical Latin for three to four years with private native Italian instructors. With a little brush up, I'm sure we could tutor anyone."
Alex asked, "Would the Latin instructors agree with us tutoring their students?"
I responded, "I'd think so. The more help they could get, the more students will pass their classes and the better their reputation as instructors will become. No instructor wants their students to fail."
Deb added, "There are many thousands of Latin terms used in the courts, written opinions and in the laws written by Congress. These are much easier to understand and use if you can derive their meaning from the classical Latin language. That's how each of us learned to do it. I think you're on to something, Jackie."
I said, "Let me check with my advisor and find out who we need to approach with this idea. Since we live in apartments and not dorms or sororities, we're free to invite whoever we want to come here for tutoring. In an informal setting like this, we can learn a lot about the men who need our help. I think we'll meet some great guys."
Deb asked, "How many students at one time could we tutor?"
I replied, "Since I have an empty bedroom, let's set that up as a classroom but with comfortable recliners, a white board and computer projector. We could get three or four in there."
"How long would each class last," asked Alex.
"At least an hour. We could offer snacks and soft drinks as everyone arrives, just to set a mood that'd encourage people to visit and get to know each other. If everyone enjoys the tutoring session, it'd encourage them to hang around and visit after the class."
Deb asked, "Would we tutor women also?"
"Sure, that'd be required by the instructor so let's volunteer it up front," I said. "The more networks we can build now with both men and women, the better we can do as lawyers down the road. We all want to make a difference in this crazy world, that begins with effectively working with others who have common interests."
Deb responded, "I think we suckered ourselves into joining a sorority. I was interested in working on charitable causes and helping people in our community. My mom warned me about the rampant sex on campus and in the Greek organizations. I ignored her cautions."
Alex added, "I agree. None of us had real experience with sex, and we still don't. Jackie, you're still a virgin, aren't you?"
I replied, "Yes. And I plan to stay one until I've found the guy I'll marry."
***
After a few calls and multiple explanations, we secured an appointment with Asst. Professor Anita Austin, a Latin instructor for many years at Yale. It was two weeks later when the three muscadets arrived at her office.
After initial greetings, the conversation became very interesting.
Anita said, "It's good to meet you ladies. I did a little background checking and pulled your applications for admission to learn more about you. Your SAT scores were exceptional. You could have attended any university, anywhere. Why Yale?"
I replied, "My parents attended law school here and have fully supported Yale for many years. I came because of their experience and the success they've had."
Alex replied, "My mom graduated from here. My dad went to Harvard, so I was torn. Mom is the glue in my family that holds everything together. Dad and I pay attention to what she thinks and here I am."
Deb said, "My dad is a partner in a large firm in Boston. There're more than fifty attorneys in their firm and they handle big cases across the country. The most impressive and successful attorneys in the firm attended here and Columbia. My dad went to Stanford. I decided to come to Yale because that's where Alex and Jackie applied."
"What makes you think you can be a tutor of my students?"
"We've had three or four years of training and use of Latin by native Italian instructors while we were in grammar and high school. Both Deb and I went to summer camps where only Latin was spoken. Alex spent a year as an exchange student in Rome. She used Latin in interacting with many who worked at the Vatican. All of them helped her with speaking a language that many consider a dead language. But many Catholic priests still use Latin in their masses. It's not dead, just not as widely used as in the Roman Empire days," I replied. "And, of course, its use in law is pervasive."