After that I saw Brenda regularly.  We went to school dances,, to concerts, and to parties.  She often came to the store to buy CDs, usually along with her girlfriends who also made purchases. We began to refer to this group as our profit margin girls.

Brenda and her apartment mates, Allie and Mindy, liked to dance and gossip.  They often threw loud, crowded parties at their apartment and went to similar affairs organized by their many friends.  They knew and commented on most of the people who circulated in these festivities.

“Oh, Ginny, your new top goes so well with your eyes and Mary, your outfit is so well coordinated!”  But then they looked at the guys with Ginny and Mary and wrinkled their collective nose.  “Oh, well, they’re men.”  “Don’t tell me she’s with him tonight.  She was all over his best friend last week.”

Of course I had to attend these parties which proved to be a wealth of information for the    “People” section of the paper: “Last weekend our star quarterback danced all evening with a sophomore business major.” and “Coeds are fluttering their lashes over the new German instructor.”  However, mostly I was having a good time and that caused Ike to comment that I was being an investigative reporter instead of a good editor who would cut all that gossip.