Ever since her husband had informed her one month ago that they would be permanently settling in northern Indiana, she'd tried her best to put the news out of her mind. Of course, she understood that this was an ideal home base for Verne's Cycle Circus – he'd grown up in the area and had good contacts, particularly his high school friend, Larry Johnson. Even though Sandi felt an instinctive and no doubt unreasonable distrust for her husband's darkly handsome manager, she had to admit that the Cycle Circus of which Verne had dreamed for so long probably would never have gotten off the ground if it hadn't been for Johnson's business expertise. It had been he, too, who'd insisted on this winter circuit of tours in the South and Midwest – it would give them extra capital, and enable the permanent cycle stunt riding show to open in style next summer.

I just want you to stay home with me – I don't care about new clothes, Sandi wanted to say. Instead, biting her lip to hold back her frustration as he dumped the packages on the kitchen table, she replied, "Thank you, Verne."

This time the handsome young husband could not fail to catch the lack of enthusiasm in his wife's voice, and he felt a spark of anger ignite in his chest.

"Well, you sure don't sound too pleased," he retorted. "Let me tell you one thing, baby – I picked up these things myself 'cause I want to be damn sure you're not parading around in something like you've got on right now. If you don't like me making remarks about it, how come you're wearing it? For some other man, maybe?"

"Oh, Verne!" Sandi cried out, exasperated by his unreasonable jealousy. For the entire year in which they'd been married, she'd never once given him a single reason to distrust her, but he was nevertheless obsessed by the idea that she might be unfaithful to him. Suddenly the unhappy nineteen year old felt very tired of being treated like a stupid schoolgirl with no control over herself.