I was very disturbed, furthermore, to see that you “liked” Tad Tucker on Facebook. When I was having such a difficult time at the beginning of the first session, I was ready to pack up and leave. I missed my husband and my home, and frankly Genesis Ranch was not exactly what I expected. But you were kind to me, you sat with me in your office and told me that if I didn’t tell my story, who would? You encouraged me to stay, and I was glad that I did.

What am I supposed to think now?

The phone rang, startling Marianne. It was Regina, who had heard somehow about the protesters.

“How many?” she wanted to know.

Marianne turned on the window unit and peeked through the blinds. “Five at first. Now eight?”

“Call me back if it gets out of hand,” said Regina, who sounded almost pleased that they had attracted this attention, like a needy girl who’d just been called a name by a boy. “We can always send counterprotesters.”

“No,” said Marianne. “I am trying to get work done. The students arrive in two weeks, and they will not like—”

“This is part of the growth process at many of our campuses,” Regina said. “It’s a sign of health and vitality, of engagement with the community. What you should do is make a nice gesture. Perhaps you could take them some lemonade?”

Marianne did not respond.

“Marianne,” Regina said, in her maddeningly soothing way, “you have to get used to thinking of every obstacle, every stone in your path, as an opportunity. Having protesters on our campus means that we are connecting with the public, it means people are paying attention to our goals and our mission, even if they do not agree with them yet. Listen, did you get my notes about the online learning modules?”

Regina had sent Marianne a “profitability matrix” that suggested that their best next step was offering a degree entirely online, even though they were not even accredited—not yet, she always said (not yet was Regina’s favorite phrase). She wanted to move half of their coursework online as an experiment, and Marianne was not sure how to explain that the “coursework” or “curriculum” her teachers offered depended heavily on in-person participation.

“I looked at it,” Marianne said. “Have you spoken with Eric?”

“With Eric?” Regina was puzzled. “Of course! Why?”

“I thought he was coming back today.”

“Hmm,” said Regina. “I’ll tell him to call you.”

The next time Marianne went to see the protesters, they had been out there for two hours and were somewhat less congenial. They looked a little wilted, sweat darkening their T-shirts and beading the tops of their lips, but they did not stop their chanting this time.