Part 1: Character Profile
(The following is one side of a conversation, Dan Logan's friend Sue
is having with a woman she's become friends with through work.)
"You really ought to meet Dan-he's a doll. Looks a little like Mel Gibson: tall, dark brown hair, and dark, almost sapphire-colored blue eyes. He has a look about him of vulnerability but, at the same time, he looks like he's lived through more than his share of hard times already. He's just the right age-mid 40's. When he smiles, which isn't often enough, it's enough to make you swoon.
What else can I tell you? He's quiet, funny, very intelligient-- graduated Summa Cum Laude from Carnegie Mellon University- has his Masters in Computer Science. He runs his own data warehousing consulting business. Must make decent money-lives in a really neat old Victorian house up on LeMoyne Avenue. Drives one of those sport-utility vehicles.
He has two kids, a girl and a boy. His wife died a couple of years ago. (I think it was some sort of accident.) He loves animals-has a big black Lab.
I'm fairly certain he's a Catholic but he doesn't talk much about religion. He likes old movies and jazz and cheap paperback novels. I don't know what his political affiliations are; I'd guess liberal Democrat. I think he participated in the anti-war and civil rights movements during the late 60's/ early 70's.
He's not much of a drinker, maybe a beer or two, now and then. One thing I know you're probably not going to like-he smokes, Marlboros. Other than that, he seems to be in good health (I mean, he's got a great body on him.)
He seems kind of shy sometimes, around a crowd of people. But he has this way of putting people at ease that's almost uncanny. Like I've seen him win over the strangest old coot or the most timid little kid without batting an eyelash (which are long, dark, and curly, by the way. Why is it that men always seem to have the best eyelashes when we work so hard on ours?)
The only time I ever saw him dance was when we were both at a mutual friend's wedding. This woman asked him and he politely declined but she wouldn't take no for an answer. He finally got up on the floor I don't know what he was so worried about- he moved just fine. but his face was as red as could be, like he was going to die of embarrassment right there on the dance floor.
I don't know much about his childhood. Think his family was working class. He was an only child and his parents were older when he was born. His dad died while he was in high school . The life insurance and his mother's Social Security provided enough for the two of them to live on. I think her brothers, Dan's uncles, helped out with the finances. Dan made great grades in high school , won a ton of scholarships when it was time to go to college. Dan said his mom never really recovered after his father's death. She just didn't care about living anymore. She ended up dying in a nursing home a few years later, when Dan was a senior in college. I guess losing both of his parents is why he ended up becoming so close with his in-laws, once he was married. You'd think they were his parents or at least the best friends he's ever had, the way he's kept up with them. Spends all the holidays with them and everything.
I don't know what else I can tell you. He's just a really special person, one I'd like to see find some happiness in life. I think you two might really hit it off."
