Student, Father, Former Drug Dealer

It’s dark when we leave — it’s almost always dark when we leave because I have an evening class and am not available for giving rides until at least seven p.m. John[i] doesn’t mind, because I’m his only ride, and he’s not going to complain when I’m taking two hours out of my day to help him out. He always offers to pay for the gas, and I’m a broke college student so I can never refuse.

In the winter, we have to sit in the parking lot defrosting the windows for ten minutes before easing onto 99W. I’ve only known John since September, but we’ve gone to parties together, have been on high late night Wal-Mart runs for munchies, and I’ve patched him up after various accidents, and he’s an easy guy to like, and he’s been a better friend in three months than some of my high school buddies were in four years.

From dorm to UC

When I made the arduous trek from my dorm to the Bistro for a candy bar, I realized it's hard to eavesdrop on conversations nowadays, because most conversations happen over text. Regardless, I buckled up and tried to sneak behind a curly-haired jock and his friend as they walked in front of me.

The first thing I could clearly hear from either of them was "RON! RONNIE! DID YOU GO SWIMMING?" as they walked past the open windows of Clark. There was no responding shout, so I took it to mean their friend was not home. The shouts stopped.

Until they saw Charles.

A stranger for my hamster

I smuggled a hamster into the dorms. I was rather crafty about it. I snuck her in in a plastic bin, lined with sheets, so it looked like I was transporting bedding.

But alas, she was discovered during a fire drill, and I she and I had to part company.

I posted on craigslist, not asking a lot of money for her, just a good home with the promise they would take good care of her.

I was contacted by a woman who said she would love to have Lady Calliope of Sockshire as a present for her daughter's birthday. We agreed on a price, and a day and time and place to meet.

It was kind of awkward, looking for her on a rare sunny day. We triangulated positions based on what house she was at, and I ran into her behind the Masters of Fine Arts building. She had her daughters with her. For a second it reminded me of my mom, my sister and I, how we probably look when we're out anywhere together. Her two daughters were most definitely hers, and looked like they were the same number of years apart that me and my sister were.

"Willa?"