Bill Haskell isn’t my typical leading man. He’s in his mid forties, making him a little older than most of my leading men. The one exception being Ian Palmer, in The Reunion. But unlike Ian, Bill began his career as a blue collar worker. He later became a part-time art professor and a successful sculptor. He’s also a widowed single dad who lost his wife in a car crash. His entire world turned upside down the day she died, and he never fully recovered from the loss. While tragic, her death was also a mixed blessing. She left behind a generous insurance polity which allowed him to attend graduate school, as well as put their son through college.
Bill taught beginning drawing while he was in grad school. One of his students was a young woman named Jenna Winters. He was drawn to her the moment her first saw her, but because of the teacher student relationship she was strictly off limits. He graduated the following semester, and they went their separate ways.
Ten years later Bill is a part-time professor at a community college. His life is going well, but he still thinks of Jenna. One fateful day he hears from her. She’s now an interior designer with an architectural firm. She needs a custom sculpture for a hotel lobby she’s designing, and she wants to know if he does private commissions. He quickly responds to her message and invites her to his home so they can discuss the project.
Bill is a purely fictitious character. While not based on any one individual I’ve known, his inspiration comes some of the male friends I’ve had over the years.
Marina Martindale
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