Weymar

Weymar is a university in the family’s history and present-day arrangements: Robert’s faculty interview there preceded his meeting Auden’s mother, and his later teaching schedule became part of the couple’s effort to balance work with caring for Thisbe.

A Meeting Point in Colby

Before meeting Robert, Auden’s mother had planned to leave Colby after graduating. When her own mother became ill, she returned to Colby for the summer and waited tables at Last Chance to earn money for her move. Robert came in for lunch after an interview for a faculty position at Weymar. Because the restaurant was slow, they began talking, and their meeting set their relationship in motion. Auden’s mother eventually left for New York, but found that the move no longer felt right and that she no longer had the same hunger for it.

Robert’s Work and Family Arrangements

Later, Robert taught at Weymar while trying to sell his novel and beginning another book. After he and Heidi resumed trying to make their marriage work, he reduced his workload to one course; Heidi returned to the store part-time. The change gave each of them room to work while preserving time to care for Thisbe.

A Link to Childcare

On days when neither Robert nor Heidi could stay home, Thisbe was cared for by Karen Stock or by one of several Weymar coeds. The students’ childcare was connected to Clementine’s: they appreciated the extra benefit of receiving free clothes from the store. Weymar thus figures not only in Robert’s professional life, but also in the practical network that helped the family manage work and infant care.