"Dad, I was so nervous yesterday," Emma's voice bounced back in his memory. She was sitting in the passenger seat, her eyes sparkling with excitement, even after their hospital visit.
Alexander glanced over at her. "It's totally normal to feel nervous about your first day in grad school."
"Right, but then I met Ayla," Emma went on, her face lighting up just like it always did when she talked about something exciting. "She was sitting all by herself in the lecture hall. She looked a bit lost, you know? So I decided to sit next to her."
Alexander remembered keeping his face neutral, showing some interest but not too much. "That was really nice of you."
"She's super friendly, Dad. And quiet, but not in a weird way, just in a chill way. Peaceful. And innocent, you know what I mean?" Emma laughed. "We just hit it off right away. We started chatting even before the orientation kicked off."
"And then?" Alexander asked, though he kind of didn't want to know what came next.
