‘President Horner, distinguished visitors, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor for me today to present one of Radcliffe’s most distinguished alumnae, a woman who has captured the imagination of the American people. Indeed, I know many of us believe that Radcliffe will one day have two presidents.’ Seventeen thousand guests burst into spontaneous applause. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Florentyna Kane.’
Florentyna’s throat went dry when she rose from her seat. She checked her notes as the great television lights were switched on, momentarily blinding her, so that she could see nothing but a blur of faces. She prayed Richard’s was among them.
‘President Bok, President Horner. I stand before you more nervous now than I was when I first came to Radcliffe thirty-three years ago and couldn’t find the dining room for two days because I was too frightened to ask anyone.’ The laughter eased Florentyna’s tension. ‘Now I see seated in front of me men and women and if I recall correctly from my Radcliffe rule book, men may only enter the bedrooms between the hours of three and five P.M. and must at all times keep both feet on the ground. If the rule still exists today, I am bound to ask how the poor things ever get any sleep.’
The laughter continued for several seconds before Florentyna was able to start again. ‘More than thirty years ago I was educated at this great university and it has set the standard for everything I have tried to achieve in my life. The pursuit of excellence has always been to Harvard of paramount importance and it is a relief to find in this changing world that the standards attained today by your graduates are even higher than they were in my generation. There is a tendency among the old to say that the youth of today do not compare with their forefathers. I am reminded of the words carved on the side of the tombs of the Pharaohs. Translated, it reads: The young are lazy and preoccupied with themselves and will surely cause the downfall of the world as we know it.” ’
The graduates cheered while the parents laughed. ‘Winston Churchill once said: “When I was sixteen, I thought my parents knew nothing. When I was twenty-one, I was shocked to discover how much they had picked up in the last five years.” ’ The parents applauded and the students smiled. ‘America is often looked upon as a great monolithic land mass, with a vast centralized economy. It is neither of these things. It is two hundred and forty million people who make up something more diverse, more complicated, more exciting than any other nation on earth and I envy all of you who wish to play a role in the future of our country and feel sorry for those who do not. Harvard University is famous for its tradition of service in medicine, teaching, the law, religion and the arts. It must be thought a modern tragedy that more young people do not consider politics an honorable and worthwhile profession. We must change the atmosphere in the corridors of power so that the very brightest of our youth do not dismiss, virtually without consideration, a career in public life.
‘None of us has ever doubted for a moment the integrity of Washington, Adams, Jefferson or Lincoln. Why shouldn’t we today produce another generation of statesmen who will bring back to our vocabulary the words “duty,” “pride” and “honor” without such a suggestion being greeted with sarcasm or scorn?
‘This great university produced John Kennedy, who once said when receiving an honorary degree from Yale, “And now I have the best of both worlds, a Harvard education and a Yale degree.” ’
When the laughter had died down, Florentyna continued: ‘I, Mr. President, have the best of every world, a Radcliffe education and a Radcliffe degree.’
Seventeen thousand people rose to their feet and it was a considerable time before Florentyna could continue. She smiled as she thought how proud Richard would be because he had suggested that line in the bathtub and she had not been sure that it would work.
‘As young Americans, take pride in your country’s past achievements, but strive to make them nothing more than history. Defy old myths, break new barriers, challenge the future, so that at the end of this century, people will say of us that our achievements rank alongside those of the Greeks, the Romans and the British in advancing freedom and a just society for all people on this planet. Let no barriers be unassailable and no aims too high and when the crazy whirligig of time is over, let it be possible for you to say as Franklin D. Roosevelt did, “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given, of other generations much is expected, but this generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” ’
Once again, everyone on the lawn broke into spontaneous applause. When it subsided, Florentyna lowered her voice almost to a whisper. ‘My fellow alumni, I say to you, I am bored by cynics, I despise belittlers, I loathe those who think there is something sophisticated and erudite in running our nation down, because I am convinced that this generation of our youth, who will take the United States into the twenty-first century, has another rendezvous with destiny. I pray that many of them are present today.’
When Florentyna sat down she was the only person seated. Journalists were to remark the next day that even the cameramen whistled. Florentyna looked down, aware that she had made a favorable impression on the crowd, but she still needed Richard for final confirmation. Mark Twain’s words came back to her: ‘Sorrow can take care of itself, but to get the true benefit of joy, you must share it.’ As Florentyna was led off the stage, the students cheered and waved, but her eyes searched only for Richard. Making her way out of the Tercentenary Yard, she was stopped by dozens of people, but her thoughts remained elsewhere.
Florentyna heard the words ‘Who will tell her?’ while she was trying to listen to a student who was going to Zimbabwe to teach English. She swung around to stare at the troubled face of Matina Horner, the Radcliffe president.
‘It’s Richard, isn’t it?’ said Florentyna quickly.
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. He’s been involved in a car accident.’
‘Where is he?’
‘In Newton-Wellesley Hospital, about ten miles away. You must leave immediately.’
‘How bad it it?’
‘Not good, I’m afraid.’
A police escort rushed Florentyna down the Massachusetts Turnpike to the Route 16 exit as she prayed, Let him live. Let him live.
When the police car arrived outside the main entrance of the hospital she ran up the steps. A doctor was waiting for her.
‘Senator Kane, I’m Nicholas Eyre, chief of surgery. We need your permission to operate.’
‘Why? Why do you need to operate?’
‘Your husband has severe head injuries. And it’s our only chance to save him.’
‘Can I see him?’
‘Yes, of course.’ He led her quickly to the emergency room, where Richard lay unconscious beneath a plastic sheet, a tube in his mouth, his skull encased in stained white gauze. Florentyna collapsed onto the bedside chair and stared down at the floor, unable to bear the sight of her injured husband. Would the brain damage be permanent or could he recover?
‘What happened?’ she asked the surgeon.
‘The police aren’t certain, but a witness said your husband veered across the divider on the turnpike for no apparent reason and collided with a tractor-trailer. There seems to have been no mechanical fault with the car he was driving, so they can only conclude he fell asleep at the wheel.’