“Therese, can you get Professor Dugan the C12 forms? Human Resources asked her to fill them out,” said Maryann, the secretary seated behind her.

Therese moved carefully and began looking for the papers, never completely turning her back, fearing the woman would disappear. Her hair looked like it should have been on a doll’s head instead of a person with curls of yellow satin ribbon too perfect to be real.

It took longer than it should have to locate the papers, partially because she could not take her eyes off their visitor. When she finally handed them over, she gave in to her curiosity and used her other hand to tug hard on a tendril that looked especially flawless.

“Ouch!” Professor Dugan shouted, rubbing her scalp with the pad of her thumb.

“Sorry. Just making sure you’re real.”

“Maybe next time you could ask?” Professor Dugan continued to rub the back of her neck, but this time she smiled.

“There is just something about you . . .”

The woman was silent.

“We’re going to be good friends,” Therese said as mild sparks danced up and down her forearms.

“We are?”

“Yes,” nodded Therese, finally certain of herself. “Very good friends.”

The woman’s eyes lit up. “Then you should probably know my name. It’s Leah. Leah Dugan.” She turned to leave and as she did, she winked and waved her pen in the air as if it were a magic wand.

Therese replayed the scene over and over in her mind. That day she forgot to answer the phone, open the mail, or lock her desk drawer when it was time to go home. Hours later, after agonizing over every detail of the exchange, Therese still wasn’t sure if the woman, who had fallen in such a jolting way into her life, was really only just a figment of her imagination.

She began taking her breaks at 2:15 in the afternoon because that was when Leah finished teaching. They got mugs of steaming hot tea from the faculty lounge and found a spot to sit. Their favorite place was a small room off the main entrance that had once been used as a library. It was still surrounded by bookshelves and had a fireplace on one end that the janitor always remembered to light. The desks were replaced with large leather easy chairs and, on most afternoons, she and Therese had the place to themselves.