Jen Barkman

Jen Barkman was a grad student at UC Berkeley, working on her dissertation on Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia between the World Wars. She was 29 years old, and had been divorced for three years. While doing her dissertation, she was housesitting for friends in Oakland, living with her dog, Clio.

One day, while on her way to deliver the second chapter of her dissertation to Professor Teske, she got a little lost in the history building, and wound up meeting and talking to Steve Whortleberry, who was teaching several medieval history courses. After discussing the hard life of the grad student, Whortleberry asked Jen for her phone number.

That evening, he called her and arranged an elaborate date for the next night. However, the following evening, Jen called and asked to change their plans because Clio had begun to limp and she wanted to be close by. Jen cooked a pleasant meal for them, they discussed their respective lives (Steve was also divorced), and, feeling comfortable with each other, made love, then went to a movie. After returning Jen to her residence, they briefly discussed what would happen next, and decided to go wherever their relationship led.