The Flash Point, Chapter 0.3, Another Brick in the Wall

Meet Carena Brittel; wife of Jack Brittel and 4^th grade teacher at John Dewey Elementary School. Jack was her high school sweetheart. They both attended different high schools in different states. They met each other at spring break and hit it off instantly. Those were the days long before Twitter and FaceBook. So… they would write letters to each other at least 3 times a week. Their parents thought this long distance relationship would never work. However, despite the doubters, Jack and Carena prevailed, and married ten years later.

Many of Carena friends still can’t believe she married the greasy rocker form her high school days. Carena always says, she doesn’t look back, loves her kids, loves her husband. However, there was a time, there was another man. After Jack’s mom died, he travelled the world for three years to find himself. During this time he visited India, Germany, Russia, London, and Africa. He was part of a special college program which had aspiring musicians study each semester in a different part of the world during which they studied music under a professional in the business. This experience was great for Jack as it gave him a broader perspective of the music world at large.

However, the travel years were very difficult for Carena. Subsequently, during Jack’s third semester she ended their relationship. A few months later, she met James Weber. James was 5 years her senior, working on his educational doctorate, and was conducting fascinating research on how technology could be used to aid autistic children. Needless to say, Carena was quite taken by James. However, in due time, Carena would learn about the difficulties of dating the eccentric genius. At the same time, Jack was in the process of finding himself. In finding himself, Jack flew across the Atlantic to reclaim Carena.

And so it was. Jack would marry Carena, have 2 children, purchase a three bedroom house, and vest their time in their respective careers. However, many of Carena’s friends wonder if she was being fair to James. What if Carena had been more patient with James? Would things have turned out differently? One can only wonder…