It was a perfect summer day, warm and dry and sunny, the kind you get only in July.The winds had shifted over the past few days, chasing away the heavy humid air that had recently dominated the weather. In its place a refreshing blast of dry air had blown in from the northwest. His car windows wide open to take in the pleasant breeze, Giancarlo drove up the hill that led to the center of campus and navigated his way to the Performing Arts Center. When he stepped out of his car, he turned his face for a moment to the brilliant sunshine before glancing off into the distance. There he saw the dome of the State House and the tops of the buildings in downtown Providence. It was really quite a lovely view of the city, but one of which, for some reason, Giancarlo seldom bothered to take notice. He pushed the car door shut and headed across the parking lot to his office.

“Ciao, Giancarlo!” came a familiar voice from behind him before he had traversed far.

He turned and saw someone walking after him. It took a moment for him to realize that it was Henry Sheffield. At first Giancarlo had not recognized the dean, for he was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt instead of the tie and jacket in which he was normally attired. Giancarlo waved a greeting and waited for him to catch up.

“Good to see you, Giancarlo,” said Sheffield when at last he caught up to him, and the two shook hands. “What a surprise it is to find you here. It’s so strange, but I was just thinking about you a little while ago. I had an idea that I was planning to discuss with you, but I thought for sure we wouldn’t see you on campus until you made your usual grand entrance the first day of classes. What on earth brings you here on such a beautiful day? You should be out someplace enjoying it.”

“If you want me to lie, I’ll tell you I’ve come to do some work,” said Giancarlo easily. “But the truth is—”

“Ah, please don’t tell me the truth,” protested Sheffield, playfully putting up his hands in a defensive gesture. “It’s such a pleasant day, and I’d really rather not ruin it just yet by hearing the truth about anything. I’m in a bit of a hurry at the moment, in any case, so why don’t you save it for now, and we’ll talk about it over lunch—my treat.You can catch me up on what you’ve been up to this summer, and I’ll tell you what it is I’ve been thinking about.”

A time to meet was agreed upon, and the two went on their separate ways.