By the time Dottie reached Chicago to pick up her father, she and the U'Haul had developed an understanding.

Unlike the dissertation, which had taken on a life of its own, steering dear Dottie down unwelcoming alleys against her will, the truck was something she could control. Fully in command, temporary empress of the interstate, little Dottie tamed that truck with the bravado of a seasoned driver. No meandering side trips down the Lane of Unfinished Drafts, no unexpected swerves into the Dissertator's Pit of Despair tolerated on this journey. The only pitstops between here and New York, she determined, would be for the $3.95 Breakfast Special.

Now Dottie's father, a shrink by profession and nature, was the perfect road companion. Driving through Indiana, he reassured his daughter that she was Doing the Right Thing. In Pennsylvania, he encouraged her to Believe in Herself. In New Jersey, he told her how Proud He Was of Her. And as together they crossed the George Washington Bridge, he promised her that The Path Would Unfold.

Taking in the Manhattan skyline against the Hudson River like a badly needed fix, Dottie felt her adventure was about to begin.

Stay tuned to see what happens as Dottie starts to "network" . . .