One Billion Seconds One Billion Seconds There’s Still Time to Discover Love NewL Edition Poppy and Geoff Spencer CPC We dedicate this book—our legacy of love—to our children: Kimmy, Kelly, Jonathon, George, and Molly; our parents: Valerie and George, and Jean and George. Although our fathers are no longer with us, their gentle and loving souls are in our hearts every day. Copyright © 2017 Poppy and Geoff Spencer CPC Legacy Publishing All rights reserved. ISBN: 0692910751 ISBN 13: 9780692910757 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017909798 Legacy Publishing, Sarasota, FL Prologue Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi. “The face is a picture of the mindL as the eyes are its interpreter.” —Cicero, 106–43 BC I HAVE THE ABILITY TO look at someone and, in a matter of seconds, know what they’re like. I’m that good. I embrace the old proverb: “The eyes are the window to the soul.” All cultures say it. The French say the eyes are the mirror of the soul: Les yeux sont le miroir de l’âme. I’m a student of eyes. Their color. Shape. Eyebrows and lashes. Their sparkle. Their emptiness. And their ability to spill emotion. Eyes show a life of belonging and connection. Or a life of loneliness and exile. My first instinct is to search someone’s eyes. Whether they’re the eyes of my colleagues, or the eyes of the individuals assigned to me. My name is Jesse Rader. My role in the organization: to choreograph relationships. Selected out of a few hundred for this position, I’m best described as a relationship observer—present with the people whom we choreograph, yet they’re unable to see or hear us. I watch people. Look for good fits—compatibility. When they’re stuck, I offer them a little nudge. An inspiration. A shove in the right direction. My psychological profile revealed that I excelled in assessing people— that I had the ability to identify and understand their unique strengths and talents. The report also showed giftedness in many areas. I received a ten on positivism—always upbeat. I shined in relational studies. Passionate about my work. Ambitious. The remark I enjoyed the most? My exceptional skill with timing. vii Poppy and Geoff Spencer CPC My supervisor had told me I connected people faster and more often PART I than anyone else. He’d said that of all the candidates, I’d shown mastery in the art of timing—I always gave a gentle nudge at just the right moment. When I place two people together, I help them step back to view their First Love behaviors—to see what actions impeded their progress. So the relationship has a chance to flourish on its own. In my two-year internship, I directed a dozen romantic journeys. My goal was always the same: to connect people to each other. And, of course, L to have success. This is the story of my first assignment after I graduated. My first real job. Two upper-class college students, Poppy and Geoff, appeared to be a perfect match for each other. Assigned to choreograph these two, I did not have the option to create their initial matchup. Too bad, because I know I’m really good at it. My supervisor, Phillip—whom I have never met face-to-face—had predetermined my couple. As a newbie, I’d received one assignment, al- ready established. My couple attended a college in central Florida—Rollins College. Phillip had given me a scroll with the necessary information; the scroll was how he communicated with me. Its thin aluminum case looked like rolled parchment. Quite efficient. Genius, really. If I wanted a detail, some background info on my couple, I pulled the scroll from the top and the bot- tom, and the information appeared. Instantly. My two perfectly matched. The only difference was a few months of age. I looked at the personality assessments of Poppy and Geoff. These two aligned as an exact fit. I probably won’t need the scroll much, I thought. Or our old manual. It’s the same stuff we covered in my internship. Maybe other choreographers need extra time with the scroll. Not me. I’ll learn a lot more from people’s eyes than from the scroll. viii CHAPTER 1 Just a Glance 1977 L I DECIDED TO JUMP-START MY work, go to Rollins right away. I can peek at the scroll anytime, I thought. On September 7, 1977, I arrived to begin my career as a choreographer. Just after Labor Day, a Wednesday. Before I got to the campus, I glanced at my scroll. I wanted some background information on Florida. I assumed it flat. With orange groves and beaches. Low-rise condos. Tourists and retirees. The town of Winter Park revealed nothing of the sort. The homes—a mix of pastels—sky blue, pale green, and light pink. Styled like Key West. And colonials with wraparound porches, shaded by huge oaks. Brick-lined streets with Park Avenue as the main artery. Charming boutiques. Five-star restaurants. A museum that held Tiffany-stained glass. At the end of Park Avenue was the town’s crown jewel, Rollins College. The private, co-ed liberal arts college looked like an oasis. Lake Virginia bordered the back of the campus, its shoreline shaped like a parenthesis. Blue-green water. Azure. Under a cloudless sky. The center of campus featured a massive grass square—Mills Lawn—the Green. Around the lawn, a walkway led to various buildings and included some historical stones with names on them. The stones apparently signi- fied the birthplace of each person. Aristotle, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington. Hundreds more. I imagined my name here someday. I need to get the lay of the land. Look for some good spots to bring my couple together. Nudgeable locations. Lush foliage covered the hundred-year-old campus, and stucco build- ings connected by arched breezeways—loggias—led students to classrooms and dorms. Garnet roof tiles sat on top of the Spanish-style buildings. The sun looked like it was playing an endless game of hide-and-seek with the oaks and palms. Definitely a B&B setting. Breathtaking and beautiful. It looked more like a resort than an institution of higher learning. I sat on the grass at the edge of Lake Virginia, near the pool. 3 Poppy and Geoff Spencer CPC One Billion Seconds I checked my scroll for some background on my couple. Where they Scot sailboat, Misty, and a Glastron ski boat floated nearby. Geoff honed lived, what classes they had. Their schedule, interests. Where and when I’d his water-skiing skills on Chautauqua to prepare himself for the Rollins have the opportunity to nudge them together. water-ski team. Poppy and Geoff had returned as upperclassmen at Rollins. In my re- He was a Phi Delta Theta fraternity member—Phi Delt for short. He, view of Poppy, I discovered her roots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She’d fol- too, was well-liked. Very social. Easygoing. lowed in her mother’s footsteps, both as a Rollins student and as a Kappa I scored him with all plus marks as well. This project is too simple. Ironically, Alpha Theta sorority member. I felt nonplussed. Last month, she’d traveled to Europe with her grandfather. A two-and- Phillip will not be impressed with me—not with this couple. Not when they’ve a-half-week trip. They’d flown over on the Concorde, which was faster than scored all plus marks. I won’t receive any credit or recognition. No awards. Not when the speed of sound. They’d visited Paris, London, Rome, and Athens. On they’re already so secure and happy. I’m sure Phillip wants to see evidence that I’ve the final leg, they’d sailed home from Cherbourg, France. First-class on the done something. Serious nudges. Obvious changes. Big improvement. luxury ocean liner the Queen Elizabeth II. What is that requirement in the manual? Here it is. I read. Prior to her Europe jaunt, she’d finished a successful summer intern- “Blah, blah, blah,” I murmured. The relationship must self-sustain for at ship at an ad agency in Milwaukee. She’d been promised the position of least three months. I scrolled further. Assistant Creative Art Director upon her graduation. “Okay, here,” I muttered. “In order to acquire new relationships . blah, Well-liked by her peers, Poppy had a lot of dating experience with guys, blah, blah . supervisor signs off . and only then are new projects assigned.” both at home and at college, yet none of them were guys I would’ve picked I looked up and let my thoughts wander across the lake, where man- for a fine art major with a passion for psychology. sions dotted the shoreline. Phillip should sign off on Poppy and Geoff before I continued reading. the winter break. I’ll add a new project then. If all goes well, I’ll still be the top Poppy’s file described her personality as outgoing. A big heart and a choreographer. great capacity to love. Close with her family, adored by her parents and her A quick glance at Poppy and Geoff’s schedules revealed that they shared grandfather. One of her grandfather’s qualities that resonated with her: a only one class together. Not just any class, but a class with the beloved “Doc” love for family. Unconditional. Rivers. I unrolled the scroll further to read more information on the teach- A worksheet popped up on my scroll.