Dan and Ricky's Future Pact

The Door into Summer

The camp meeting becomes a carefully negotiated promise that turns separation into a shared destination and makes Ricky an active author of the reunion.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Childhood Bond A Childhood Bond from "The Door into Summer". A Childhood Bond A friendship formed at Sandia Ricky, also known as Frederica, grows up around Dan and Pete while her stepfather Miles is his friend and…

A Childhood Bond from "The Door into Summer". A Childhood Bond A friendship formed at Sandia Ricky, also known as Frederica, grows up around Dan and Pete while her stepfather Miles is his friend and…

A Childhood Bond A friendship formed at Sandia Ricky, also known as Frederica, grows up around Dan and Pete while her stepfather Miles is his friend and business partner. Dan treats her seriously rather than dismissing her as a child, and she comes to regard him as family. A warning ignored Ricky dislikes Belle and recognizes that something is wrong between them. Dan's love for Belle blinds him to the judgment of the child whose loyalty to him is already strong.

A New Name in the Record A New Name in the Record from "The Door into Summer". A New Name in the Record Search without a person Dan looks for the child he remembers but cannot locate her under the name Gentry.

A New Name in the Record from "The Door into Summer". A New Name in the Record Search without a person Dan looks for the child he remembers but cannot locate her under the name Gentry.

A New Name in the Record Search without a person Dan looks for the child he remembers but cannot locate her under the name Gentry. School records and bank inquiries suggest that his original attempt to protect her stock never succeeded. A possibility reappears The name Heinicke in a withdrawal notice links Ricky to her grandmother's family. Dan learns that the girl may have entered cold sleep and turns his search toward the Riverside sanctuary.

The Reunion in Brawley The Reunion in Brawley from "The Door into Summer". The Reunion in Brawley The child grown up Dan finds Ricky alive and awake, but she is now an adult with a history of her own.

The Reunion in Brawley from "The Door into Summer". The Reunion in Brawley The child grown up Dan finds Ricky alive and awake, but she is now an adult with a history of her own.

The Reunion in Brawley The child grown up Dan finds Ricky alive and awake, but she is now an adult with a history of her own. Her marriage shocks him and makes clear that the person he seeks cannot simply be returned to the role she held in his childhood. A changed bond Dan must respect Ricky's adult identity while acknowledging the promise that has drawn him to her. Their relationship now requires mutual choice, not the automatic affection of their earlier years.

A Promise of Reunion A Promise of Reunion from "The Door into Summer". A Promise of Reunion Separation explained Dan returns to the camp and tells Ricky that he and Pete must enter cold sleep.

A Promise of Reunion from "The Door into Summer". A Promise of Reunion Separation explained Dan returns to the camp and tells Ricky that he and Pete must enter cold sleep.

A Promise of Reunion Separation explained Dan returns to the camp and tells Ricky that he and Pete must enter cold sleep. He gives her the company shares and explains how their value may enable her to join them in the future. Her question changes the plan Ricky asks whether Dan will marry her if she chooses to come. Dan answers yes and gives her precise instructions for a later awakening, making the decision her own rather than leaving her with an uncertain promise.

A Chosen Reunion A Chosen Reunion from "The Door into Summer". A Chosen Reunion Ricky sets the condition Ricky arranges her sleep so that the sanctuary will not wake her until Dan arrives.

A Chosen Reunion from "The Door into Summer". A Chosen Reunion Ricky sets the condition Ricky arranges her sleep so that the sanctuary will not wake her until Dan arrives.

A Chosen Reunion Ricky sets the condition Ricky arranges her sleep so that the sanctuary will not wake her until Dan arrives. Her action answers the earlier promise with a decision made independently and carried across time. A shared life begins She wakes to Dan and Pete, leaves the sanctuary with them, and marries Dan in Yuma. The reunion resolves a childhood attachment by allowing both characters to meet as adults and choose a future together.

From Ricky's childhood through 1970

After Dan wakes in 2000

May 2001, after Dan finds Ricky

December 1970, at the Girl Scout camp

1 May 2001 and the days that follow