Enter the Pilot Vanishing Point, which mimics the ease of a retractable pen while providing all the pluses of a fountain pen, like wet ink, smooth writing and an 18-karat gold nib—all at the ...

(At the time I didn't even know what it was called. It's a nib.) The pen was the Pilot Varsity fountain pen, and you can get a pack of six for less than $15. She probably had 20 of them in a ...