What They Did That Winter

by Richard Grayson

On December 21, 1972, at 11:48 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the sun entered the sign of Capricorn and winter began in the Northern Hemisphere.

On December 22, 1972, at 11:49 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Kevin Miller stopped to kiss Ronna Berkowitz on a deserted beach and told her that he loved her, a statement to which Ronna responded, "It's been awfully hard without you lately."

On December 23, 1972, Kevin Miller and Ronna Berkowitz attended a showing of the film Sunday, Bloody Sunday, a film in which the actress Glenda Jackson speaks the following lines of dialogue: "I'm sick of all this bullshit that anything is better than nothing...Sometimes nothing has to be better than just anything."

On December 24, 1972, Avis Feintuch read a letter to the editor of The Village Voice written by her friend Kevin Miller, a letter which read in part: "...Is the world so depressing a place that there's never anything good to report? Maybe we should just chuck the whole thing...."

On December 25, 1972, following Christmas dinner with her father and his wife, Ronna Berkowitz asked Kevin Miller if he ever got angry, a question to which Kevin responded, "Not as often as I would like to."

On December 26, 1972, Avis Feintuch heard a ripping sound knew and that this meant that Alan Karpoff was tearing the wrapper off a lubricated latex condom.

On December 27, 1972, Avis Feintuch told Kevin Miller that Alan Karpoff treated her so nicely she couldn't believe what was happening; "I'm so used to being shitted on" were Avis's exact words.

On December 28, 1972, Ronna Berkowitz went to the college library to do research for a term paper about bird symbolism in Yeats, only to find the library closed due to the national day of mourning for former President Harry S. Truman.

On December 29, 1972, Kevin Miller unsuccessfully attempted to write a "statement of purpose" on an application for admission to graduate study in the Department of Government at George Washington University.

On December 30, 1972, Kevin Miller and Ronna Berkowitz, on their way to dinner, encountered Scott Koestner, the former boyfriend of Avis Feintuch, who informed them that Avis was "having a nervous breakdown over her term papers and calls me three times a day," a statement which Kevin later suggested might be wishful thinking on Scott's part.

On December 31, 1972, at 11:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Ronna Berkowitz refused a marijuana cigarette which had already been smoked by Avis Feintuch, Alan Karpoff, Kevin Miller and several other persons attending a New Year's Eve party at Alan Karpoff's house.

On January 1, 1973, at 4:24 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Ronna Berkowitz asked Kevin Miller if he had ever been in love with his friend Avis Feintuch, a question to which Kevin replied, "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

On January 2, 1973, at 3:19 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Kevin Miller fell asleep while typing up a research paper comparing the Liberal Party of the United Kingdom with the Free Democratic Party of the Federal Republic of Germany.

On January 3, 1973, Avis Feintuch made the statement, "I wonder what Scott Koestner wants from my life," a statement referring to the fact that her old boyfriend Scott had sent her an empty package of Benson & Hedges cigarettes in the mail.

On January 4, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz asked Kevin Miller if they could go back to the beach again during the coming weekend, a request to which Kevin responded affirmatively.

On January 5, 1973, Scott Koestner telephoned Avis Feintuch and asked if he could see her, a request to which Avis responded negatively, telling him that she would be spending the weekend mountain-climbing with Alan Karpoff.

On January 6, 1973, Scott Koestner told Kevin Miller that Avis Feintuch had become, in his words, "a real bitch," a statement which Kevin denied in silence.

On January 7, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz, in responding to a question from Kevin Miller wondering how long it would take for them to start having quarrels, said, "God, give us a few weeks at least."

On January 8, 1973, Scott Koestner had a nocturnal emission while dreaming about Avis Feintuch.

On January 9, 1973, Scott Koestner said to Kevin Miller after they saw Ronna Berkowitz get on the B-36 bus, "Finally you've got a girl I approve of," a statement to which Kevin responded, "Yeah, but I'm waiting for the balloon to burst."

On January 10, 1973, Avis Feintuch and Alan Karpoff lay in the back seat of a 1968 Pontiac, fogging up the automobile's windows.

On January 11, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz took a short break from studying for final exams to have coffee with Scott Koestner, to whom she confessed that she had for some unknown reason become depressed lately, a statement to which Scott responded, "Do you and Kevin see much of Avis and that mountain-climbing jerk?"

On January 12, 1973, Leo Wolfson, novelist and professor of English, told Ronna Berkowitz that he found a great deal of anger hidden in the short stories that Ronna had written for his Fiction Writing course.

On January 13, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz called Kevin Miller in great distress following an argument with her mother, who had told Ronna that she was just as selfish as her father, Mrs. Berkowitz's former husband.

On January 14, 1973, Kevin Miller stayed in bed all day, feeling ill and depressed, wondering if he was doing the right thing in getting involved with Ronna Berkowitz, and wondering if he really loved her or if their relationship was a neurotic one.

On January 15, 1973, Scott Koestner asked Kevin Miller if he would accompany him on a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during their intersession vacation, a request to which Kevin responded negatively.

On January 16, 1973, Alan Karpoff asked Avis Feintuch if she would accompany him on a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, during their intersession vacation, a request to which Avis responded enthusiastically.

On January 17, 1973, Avis Feintuch's parents informed her that they would no longer continue to support her financially if she went ahead with her scheduled trip to Atlanta with Alan Karpoff.

On January 18, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz told Kevin Miller that his illness might be a way of avoiding something.

On January 19, 1973, Kevin Miller began to feel better following a session with a clinical psychologist, Dr. Ellen Porter.

On January 20, 1973, at 2:43 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Alan Karpoff, while waiting on Interstate 95 just outside Dunn, North Carolina, for representatives of the American Automobile Association to arrive to repair his broken-down car, gave Avis Feintuch a look which she would later describe to Kevin Miller as one "that could kill."

On January 21, 1973, Scott Koestner had sexual intercourse with a seventeen-year-old girl in a motel room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

On January 22, 1973, Avis Feintuch had sexual intercourse with Alan Karpoff in the bedroom of a friend's house in Atlanta, Georgia.

On January 23, 1973, Kevin Miller attempted to have sexual intercourse with Ronna Berkowitz, who protested that she was not yet ready to do so.

On January 24, 1973, Kevin Miller registered for twelve credits for his last semester as an undergraduate, "pulling" two courses for Ronna Berkowitz, who, as a lower junior, would not legally register for two days.

On January 25, 1973, Scott Koestner, noticing Alan Karpoff and Avis Feintuch walking hand in hand on the college campus, sarcastically asked Kevin Miller, "So when's their wedding?"

On January 26, 1973, Kevin Miller, while breathing hard and lying horizontally on top of Ronna Berkowitz, said jokingly, "Gee, I really appreciate your doing this, especially since I know it's not any fun for you," a statement to which Ronna replied laughingly, "Who have you been talking to?"

On January 27, 1973, a cease-fire of all hostilities in the Viet Nam conflict went into effect as provided by an agreement signed in Paris by Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho.

On January 28, 1973, Scott Koestner phoned Avis Feintuch, who had earlier in the week told them that they could do something together that weekend provided Alan Karpoff went mountain-climbing; Scott said, "So Prince Charming's away?" -- a statement to which Avis responded, "Look, do you want to do something or not?"

On January 29, 1973, Avis Feintuch was called a "slut" by her mother.

On January 30, 1973, Avis Feintuch asked Kevin Miller about the criminal penalties for matricide.

On January 31, 1973, Kevin Miller told Avis Feintuch that he could be happy seeing Ronna Berkowitz "twenty-four hours a day."

On February 1, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz dreamed that Kevin Miller left her to sleep with Avis Feintuch.

On February 2, 1973, a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, almost saw its own shadow.

On February 3, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz came down with influenza.

On February 4, 1973, Alan Karpoff climbed to the summit of a mountain just outside New Paltz, New York, while Avis Feintuch had sexual intercourse with her old boyfriend Scott Koestner, regretting the act even as it was happening.

On February 5, 1973, Avis Feintuch fell asleep during a Classics class, an 8 a.m. lecture course entitled Women in Antiquity.

On February 6, 1973, Kevin Miller felt uncomfortable as he noticed the great tension between Scott Koestner and Alan Karpoff, who were sitting on the either side of him in the lobby of Hamilton Hall.

On February 7, 1973, the United States Senate voted 70-0 to establish a special committee headed by Senator Sam J. Ervin of North Carolina to investigate what had become known as the Watergate affair.

On February 8, 1973, Kevin Miller told Ronna Berkowitz that he had never seen Avis Karpoff looking happier than she did in Alan Karpoff's presence that afternoon at lunch at The Golden Roost.

On February 9, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz opened a note which she had received from Kevin Miller in that morning's mail, a note which told Ronna that Kevin loved her even though she was paranoid.

On February 10, 1973, Avis Feintuch told her father to tell Scott Koestner, who was on the telephone, that she was not at home.

On February 11, 1973, Scott Koestner got into a fistfight with another student over a parking space, a fight which resulted in a cut lip on Scott's part and no injury whatsoever to the other student.

On February 12, 1973, Kevin Miller asked Ronna Berkowitz if she would mind if Scott Koestner, who had been very depressed of late, came over to Ronna's house with Kevin, a request to which Ronna acceded, though rather reluctantly.

On February 13, 1973, at 1:41 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Ronna Berkowitz kissed Kevin Miller at the door of her apartment and said, referring to Scott Koestner, "Next time please leave him home."

On February 14, 1973, Avis Feintuch gave Alan Karpoff a Valentine while they were sitting on a Castro convertible couch, eating navel oranges and watching the Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera on television.

On February 15, 1973, Alan Karpoff gave Avis Feintuch a Valentine, apologizing for not getting one earlier and stating that he had not realized "those kinds of things" were important to her.

On February 16, 1973, Scott Koestner asked Kevin Miller why Avis Feintuch was ignoring him.

On February 17, 1973, Kevin Miller asked Avis Feintuch why she was ignoring Scott Koestner.

On February 18, 1973, Alan Karpoff had lunch at The Golden Roost with Ronna Berkowitz because there was no one else around, a lunch during the course of which Alan wondered several times what Kevin Miller or anybody else could see in someone like Ronna.

On February 19, 1973, Scott Koestner received a letter notifying him that he had been accepted for admission to the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania.

On February 20, 1973, Scott Koestner received birthday cards from several people, among them Kevin Miller and Ronna Berkowitz; he did not receive one from Avis Feintuch.

On February 21, 1973, Avis Feintuch wondered why she had missed her menstrual period.

On February 22, 1973, Scott Koestner was fired from his part-time job as an assistant manager of a store owned by the CVS pharmacy chain because he had been trying to organize the store's employees into a union.

On February 23, 1973, Kevin Miller was awakened following a disturbing dream in which he had enjoyed sexual relations with Alan Karpoff.

On February 24, 1973, Kevin Miller found Avis Feintuch sitting on a bench outside Hamilton Hall, looking upset because she had been waiting twenty-eight minutes for Alan Karpoff, who was apparently not going to appear as scheduled.

On February 25, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz returned from her kitchen with two cups of rose hips tea to find Kevin Miller asleep on the floor in front of the television set, which was broadcasting the third episode of the Public Broadcasting System's cinema-verite documentary series, An American Family, dealing with the day-to-day lives of William and Patricia Loud of Santa Barbara, California, and their four children.

On February 26, 1973, a sonogram would have shown a fetus in the uterus of Avis Feintuch.

On February 27, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz told Kevin Miller that she was thinking of spending the summer traveling in Europe with two girlfriends, a statement which upset Kevin a great deal, though he successfully attempted to hide it.

On February 28, 1973, Scott Koestner wondered if Kevin Miller and Ronna Berkowitz actually had sexual relations together.

On March 1, 1973, Kevin Miller told the clinical psychologist Dr. Ellen Porter that "sex makes a person defenseless and vulnerable" and alluded to various hurtful experiences he had had in his past.

On March 2, 1973, Avis Feintuch consulted Dr. Steven Polk, gynecologist and obstetrician.

On March 3, 1973, Scott Koestner told Kevin Miller, while they were drinking from a pitcher of dark beer in The Golden Roost, that "Life sucks," a statement with which Kevin did not agree or disagree.

On March 4, 1973, Avis Feintuch, while smoking a marijuana cigarette, told Kevin Miller that she felt all of her neuroses were coming back because she was so busy with her Classics homework and her part-time job in a lingerie store, and because Alan Karpoff was always so busy with his mountain-climbing that they rarely saw each other anymore.

On March 5, 1973, Avis Feintuch cried continuously for fifty-one minutes.

On March 6, 1973, Avis Feintuch saw Scott Koestner during a crowded passing between classes and smiled and waved to him, gestures which Scott did not respond to or acknowledge.

On March 7, 1973, at 3:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, while spreading Deaf Smith peanut butter across a slice of whole wheat bread, Ronna Berkowitz told Kevin Miller for the first time, "You know I love you, don't you?" -- a statement to which Kevin responded with a smile and a nod of his head.

On March 8, 1973, Avis Feintuch told Kevin Miller a secret.

On March 9, 1973, Kevin Miller told Ronna Berkowitz a secret.

On March 10, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz, Kevin Miller and Avis Feintuch sat in chairs in Ronna's kitchen debating whether they would tell the secret to Alan Karpoff and/or Scott Koestner.

On March 11, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz took Kevin Miller's hand as they witnessed Ronna's cousin step on a wine glass under a wedding canopy, thus confirming the sacrament of marriage in the Jewish religion.

On March 12, 1973, Scott Koestner had sexual relations with two different women, neither of whom was Avis Feintuch.

On March 13, 1973, Alan Karpoff failed a geology midterm.

On March 14, 1973, Alan Karpoff and Ronna Berkowitz joined others in a debate about the merits of various films and performers nominated for Academy Awards.

On March 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, in a policy statement on the use of executive privilege, barred staff members and former staff members from testifying before Congressional committees.

On March 16, 1973, Avis Feintuch slept over at Ronna Berkowitz's house following a dilation and curettage performed at a clinic in downtown Brooklyn.

On March 17, 1973, Alan Karpoff could not understand why Avis Feintuch's mother had told him Avis was spending the night at Ronna Berkowitz's house since Avis and Ronna were not particularly close friends.

On March 18, 1973, Scott Koestner, after a 10 a.m. Political Theory course, told Kevin Miller that Kevin's lifestyle was "self-satisfiedly neurotic," a statement to which Kevin did not respond.

On March 19, 1973, Ronna Berkowitz began writing a short story featuring fictional characters that were based upon herself, Kevin Miller, Avis Feintuch, Alan Karpoff and Scott Koestner, already contemplating the reaction to the story by Professor Leo Wolfson, novelist and professor of English, and her fellow students in the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop course.

On March 20, 1973, at 7:07 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the sun entered the sign of Aries, thus ending the season of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Author

Richard Grayson is the author of several books of short stories, including The Silicon Valley Diet, I Survived Caracas Traffic, and Lincoln's Doctor's Dog. He has worked as a college professor, an attorney, a computer programming teacher, a newspaper columnist, and a messenger for The Village Voice.