Summer before Season 5
Tony sat at the kitchen table examining the fall schedule of classes for Ridgemont College. Orientation was the next day, and he wanted to have some idea of what classes he should take. Unlike most of the incoming freshman class, he had a full-time job and family to worry about. His schedule couldn't be spread over all hours of the day.
When Angela walked in and saw the scraps of notebook paper, highlighters, and pencil markings on the list of courses, she knew immediately Tony was in over his head.
"Everything okay?" she began tentatively.
Tony glanced up and exhaled a resigned sigh. "What do you think?" he asked rhetorically, holding up a worksheet that said "Course Schedule" on which every entry he'd made had been scratched out.
Knowing how frustrating it could be to make a college schedule, Angela sympathized with his frustration. "Do you want some help? I have done this a few times, you know."
They shared a smile, and he dragged a chair next to his so they could look at the course booklet together.
"So," she began, "it's best to start with the parameters, the givens, that all other decisions will be made around. For instance, what courses are you required to take as a first-time student?"
Tony nodded as the first step in Angela's system made sense to him. "According to the orientation pamphlet, new students are advised to take composition, speech, and survey of math in either their first or second semester."
"That makes sense. We should start there. Then we can build some gen ed courses around the core courses that are offered during the times you want to take class," she explained.
Suddenly, the extensive list of course offerings, time slots, and multiple subjects didn't seem so intimidating. But they still needed to tackle how he would fit five classes into his work schedule.
"Okay, Boss," he began with a familiar glance in her direction, "what are your thoughts on when I can take time away from the house for my classes?"
Angela gave him a droll look and deadpanned, "I love the way you act as though I have any idea how you run this house and make this part of my life stress- and worry-free."
"Aww shucks, ma'am, it's all just part of the service," he quipped with a deep drawl. Their eyes held for a few tender moments in that way that once felt so overwhelming but now was a shared indulgence.
Eventually, Tony turned back to the schedule and considered his responsibilities during the week, which of course brought on a new wave of uncertainty. "Angela, are you sure I can do this?"
Grasping his hand, she said forcefully, "I am one hundred and ten percent certain you can do this. You have to do this, Tony. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't."
"But what if I can't get everything done around here?"
"Then the rest of us will pick up the slack," she said simply.
He looked at her in abject adoration and amazement. "Do you even hear yourself, Angela? You're offering to help me do my job so I can go to school, which could end up leaving you without a housekeeper in a few years."
She didn't even flinch. "Damn right, I am. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you can get your degree. That's what you do for people you … care about," she finished quietly, realizing at the last second how precariously close she'd come to saying more than they were ready for.
"How did I get so lucky?" he asked softly, his eyes fixed on hers.
"You deserve this, Tony," she said emphatically, determined to make him see himself as she did. He had so much potential to do anything he wanted. He had to understand that. "You're an amazing housekeeper, and my life would certainly be easier if you never left this house, but you can do so much more – whatever you decide you want."
He nodded, "Thank you, Angela. I'm happy right here with you ... and Mona, Sam, and Jonathan, but I appreciate you making this possible for me."
She squeezed his hand one more time in support and looked back at the course booklet wondering what combination of courses he would assemble over the next four years. There were so many possibilities.
An hour later, though, he at least had a schedule for his first semester that he could work with – assuming all of the courses were still available when he met with his adviser to register. To break up his days, he would take morning classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays so he could go straight to campus when everyone else left in the morning. He'd be home by 1:30 and have the afternoon to get his work done. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he would be gone from 1 to 4 in the afternoon and be home in time to make dinner. He'd have to rework his laundry and grocery shopping schedule, and Angela might have to run a few more errands like picking up dry cleaning or stopping at the post office, but it was a small price to pay to see Tony embark on this new adventure.
It was nearing 11 p.m. when Tony circled his final, ideal schedule, which consisted of Intro to Public Speaking, Composition and Research, Survey of American Literature, Astronomy, and World History I.
"That's about as perfect a freshman schedule as I've ever seen," Angela declared.
"Let's just hope I can still get into all of these classes," Tony replied as he closed up the booklet and made a neat pile he could scoop up on his way out the door in the morning.
"You will," she assured him, "And in three weeks, your new adventure begins."
"Our adventure," he clarified with a mixture of rueful skepticism and hopeful optimism.
"Our adventure," she agreed readily, scarcely allowing herself to think of where it might one day lead.