Caught Between Two Worlds

~ 9: Exploring - Part 1 ~

There was such a flood that one would say the cars are swimming. That made us reach our destination an hour and a half later than the estimated arrival time.

In that span of time, I had dozed off and woken up multiple times in fear of missing my stop. For some reason, my concerns for that woman haunted me, as though there was something incomplete to it. For starters, I didn't even know her name, and yet, I had cared for her.

'You are one damn, stupid person, you know,' my brain remarked. 'That's the first thing a person asks when they meet them.'

'Excuse me, but we were in a life or death situation,' I snapped back. 'That was most unmistakably not the time to get to know each other. For all I know, she may be dead by now, even with the necklace.'

When we had reached the terminus, I had to take a second bus to reach the hostel, which took another half an hour. So by the time I reached my new residence, with all the touring around the hostel, it was nearly evening, and I was worn out from the long journey. The only lunch I had was a small sandwich and some fruits which were extinguished. Burdened with a hungry stomach and a weary body to replenish, I made my way to the canteen to get my share of food.

Most hostels, as I had heard my friends say, turned out to be rather shabby. They had nothing to offer except food mixed with 80% water, which was not very satisfying to feed our stomachs. One would either suffer from diarrhoea or die from lack of nutrition.

However, this place was quite the opposite. Students who rank high get many amenities in the hostel that was closest to the university for free. Others came from rich families and got those amenities with their abundant finances. So one could tell that this place was colossal and antique as the university itself.

The canteen was simple and classy, with a little vintage look to it. One could taste a variety of dishes every day from various part of the world. It's not something a rich person could afford at any hotel anywhere.

I could hardly taste three of the dishes before I was full. I was a tiny bit disappointed because I was promising myself that I would take a grain-sized portion so that I was able to taste all of the two hundred varieties of dishes. Either way, I was happy to have enough food to eat and more than enough to be energized again, unlike how I lived in our town.

After eating three spoons of a most delicious dessert, I went back to my room to unpack my things and stow them away. I had enough freedom to use my room as my to-be-roommate hadn't arrived yet, as per the receptionist. I used the time to get the best places to put my things and arrange them in whichever way I wished.

My few things took up very little space, leaving much of it for my fellow pal. I just hoped that it didn't have to be a guy as it would be most uncomfortable, and probably very annoying.

I had two hours at most in hand, so I made up my mind to visit Harlem University. I wanted to collect any of the important items I needed beforehand and tour the community at least. I needed to familiarise myself with the shops and restaurants if I need anything, including a part-time job. I hated bad surprises. They ruin my day.

The city air was rather stale when compared to the shore but that was natural with all the moving vehicles. It was nice to see people from different walks of life walking down the same path to either go home or travel to work. It gave the feel of doing something on my own too.

The university was a minute from the university residence, at most. There must be evening classes for students kept going in and out of the colossal building. The entrance to the lobby was composed of a pediment with carved intricate designs, and eight greek equally spaced columns holding it. Before the doors were two sculptures of ancient Roman warriors on either side and right above the door was an inscription in Latin.