A Love Like This (Book 1) (4 page)

Keisha responds in seconds,
 
“
Yeah I will
…
. And you dislodge the stick from your behind!
”
 

I pick up my class schedule and listen to an uneventful speech about becoming acclimated to university life.
 
There are five other students in the group.
 
All of whom have their eyes glued to the tour guide.
 
They diligently take notes and eagerly answer every question presented.
 
I try to pay attention but can
’
t prevent my eyes from glazing over with boredom.
 
I slip away from the group pick up my bags and trek across campus to find my dorm room.

I
’
m sweating through my dress
 
despite the cool breeze and
 
curls have escaped my bun and are falling around my face.
 
I reach the room and amble through the front door nearly tripping over a pile of clothes in the middle of the floor. I maneuver around the mess and sit on the bed closest to the window.
 
I look around the room and sigh.
 
It
’
s a little dusty and smaller than my bedroom back home but at least there
’
s a drafting table and two closets.
 
I can get use to sharing a bedroom but my clothes and shoes need their own space.
 

I reach into my purse and pull out the Papyrus gift bag from
 
Nickie.
 
Inside the bag is a brown leather-bound journal with the word
 
‘
Love
’
 
printed on the front.
 
I open the first page and in
 
Nickie
’
s
neat flowery writing are the words,
 
‘
This is the year you
’
ll fall in love.
’
 
 
My heart warms thinking of my kind gentle big sister but the only thing I
’
m going to fall in love with this year is the inside of the library.
 
 
“
Maybe she means that rhetorically,
”
 
I say to myself.
 
I peel off my dress, heels and stockings then slide into palates
’
 
pants, a plain blue baby-t and paint stained Chuck Taylors.
 
I spray and
wipe
 
the desk, chairs and floor with lavender scented cleaner and paper towels I brought from home.
 
I seriously consider cleaning the other side of the room but figure it might leave the wrong impression.
 
I unpack my clothes then go through the room little by little and make it my own by hanging prints of abstract architectural sketches. As I work I try to figure out how I
’
m going to learn to live with such a slob.
 
“
I mean who leaves all of their clothes right in the middle of the floor,
”
 
I say to the empty room. I decide to discuss this with my new roommate as soon as possible.
 

When the room looks and smells more like my room back home
 
I feel a little less homesick. There are certain smells that just make me feel happy: the smell of fresh cut grass, the briny smell of the ocean or the smell of concrete after a summer rain. Lavender is at the top of
 
my list of feel good smells. I sit
 
on my bed
 
thinking about home.
 
I jump up when my new roommate rushes in like a strong wind.
 
In one swift motion she hugs me--- releases
me then swirls around on her hee
l
s and looks at
the room.
 
“
Holy Moses this place is gorgeous and it smells so good.
 
We have to go shopping.
 
I want my side to be pretty to. I
’
m sorry, I didn
’
t introduce myself.
”
 
 
She places one hand on her chest,
 
“
Sarah Goldman drama major.
”
 
 
She is wearing a short tan and orange peasant dress with puffy sleeves.
 
She has long straight blond hair parted perfectly down the middle and a Pocahontas headband around her forehead.
 
Sarah is about five inches taller than me, slender with angular features and bright green wide set eyes that seem to take in everything at once.
 

I
’
m stunned by the charge of words being hurtled at me.
 
I shake my head to clear the fog and extend a hand.
 
 
“
I
’
m Leila Peterson architecture major, nice to meet you.
”

“
Architecture ooh no that will
 
never
 
do it
’
s much too sensible.
”
 
Sarah plops down on my bed and I wince.
 
 
“
Your bed
’
s so soft,
”
 
she says rubbing the pink satin duvet.
 
 
“
I never thought
a dorm bed could be so soft. Why architecture, you should be a decorator or better yet a designer so that the whole world can enjoy your creations.
”

“
An architect is a designer and it has very practical career options.
”

“
What are you mean options?
I know a shit load of people who would pay through the nose to have you make their homes look this good.
”
 
She waves her hand and motions around the room.

“
I
’
m not sure how to respond to that,
”
 
I say.

Sarah bounds to her feet.
 
 
“
We
’
ll worry about that later, tomorrows problems will take care of themselves.
 
Tonight we party!
”
 
 
She takes hold of my hand and drags me out the door.

“
Sarah, are you on medication?
”

“
No sweetie not anymore,
”
 
she says as we trudge down the hall.

“
You do realize tomorrow
’
s a school day?
”

“
What are you nuts? You
’
re in college.
 
It
’
s a well known fact that you only have to dedicate two or three hours a day to school.
 
You can spend the rest of the day sleeping and the night living.
”

We walk around the rear of
 
Dwinelle
 
Hall and approach a group of men and women standing in front of Durham studio.
 
They all look so theatrical.
 
I half expect them to start snapping their fingers and break into a scene from
 
‘
West Side Story
’
.
 
Sarah leaps over to a man in white tights posing in the first position of ballet. She grasps the back of his neck and presses her forehead to his.
 
She steps back and he lifts her hand above her head and she twirls around on
 
demi-point.
 
It
’
s like some strange
courting
ritual. The group claps and Sarah bows.

“
Everyone this is my new roommate Leila Peterson.
 
She
’
s going to be a designer and make the world beautiful.
”
 
 
They all turn and look at me with bright welcoming smiles.
 
I extend my hand to a girl about my height with thick black untamed hair and shiny brown doe eyes.
 
The girl introduces herself as
 
Kira
 
with a heavy Russian accent.
 
I wonder if the accent is real because I
’
ve never met a black woman from Russia. I marvel over how friendly everyone is but
I look down and feel
self conscious about my appearance.
 
I tug at the baby-t that reveals about an inch of my stomach and start to back away,
 
“
It was nice meeting you all,
”
 
I say with a quick wave.

“
Leila, don
’
t go we
’
re going to hang out for a while maybe head over to the city and see where the night takes us.
”
 
Natives to the Bay Area refer
to San Francisco as The City as if its surrounding areas are less significant by comparison.

“
I
’
m going to have to take a rain check.
 
It
’
s been a long day and I
’
m exhausted.
”
 

Sarah gives an exaggerated pout,
 
“
Another time then. I
’
m going to hold you to that promise,
”
 
she says pointing at me.

“
You have my word," I say.

Sarah bows and saunters off.

I
’
m walking backwards waving goodbye to Sarah and her friends.
 
I turn around and my head smashes into what feels like a brick wall.
 
I fall flat on my butt.
 
I sit there stunned for a moment with the wall I ran into and its cohort
 
starring
 
down at me looking amused.
 

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
 
he says extending a hand and effortlessly lifting me to my feet.

“
Great, first I find out my roommates insane then I run into a building.
”

“
Are you hurt?
”
 
He asks with a slight chuckle.
 

I dust myself off without looking at him.
 
 
“
No but you should really consider wearing a sign or reflectors.
”

“
I
’
ll look into that,
”
 
he says.

I walk off mumbling the words,
 
“
big lump,
”
 
and I hear him laugh and say,
 
“
I like her,
”
 
to his friend.

“
Nice ass,
”
 
his friend replies.

I will not look back at either of them.
 
I
’
d probably get knocked up by osmosis.

****

I wake up when I hear Sarah fumbling with her keys at three in the morning.
 
When she manages to get the door open
 
she trips over the pile
 
of clothes on the floor.
 
 
“
I
’
m sorry
 
shh
 
I
’
m sorry, go back to sleep.
 
I didn
’
t mean to wake you.
”
 
 
She says with a slur.