I didn't know that day, that my life was about to change forever.
No, instead, I just enjoyed the evening, laughed, and then drove back home as usual.
Where my reality came knocking at the door.
And the days went on, as usual.
After about 6 months, and having had a car accident droving back home, through the snow, in the middle of the night, my dad eventually agreed to rent an apartment for me in the city where my University was.
I still remember I visited a few rooms with a mix of enthusiasm and guilt, still simmering in me.
It was true, then: I was definitely abandoning my home.
My little brother would start to attend a nursery school.
The other two would take care of him, for the rest of the day.
Parents would step in, sometimes.
I would be home at weekends.
...
When I looked at myself in the mirror in my room, in my first Uni apartment, I did not recognize the person staring back at me.
What had I become?
Who was I?
I didn't know any longer.
I had been my siblings' mother for so long, that I had forgotten how to be anything else.
Whether I could even be, anything else.
....
My first roommate, was complete bonkers.
She talked to herself.
Steamed vegetables then threw them away, and drank the water.
To keep in good shape... she said.
In the meanwhile, I was severely underweight, and struggling to keep going, despite my worsening anaemia.
I didn't not care to try and cure myself, though.
I guess I was not a real doctor... not yet.
...
My second roommate, was a size 20. She loved cooking, and she loved eating.
I still remember the meals she'd cook for me.
She was a lively and cheerful person, and helped me feeling a little more at home.
...
Most days, I would spend my time at Jasmine's. She lived with her parents, since they couldn't afford to rent an apartment for her.
They lived close, by the way, and they were great; so, it wasn't too big of a deal.
I fell in love with them.
They were everything I never even dreamed parents could be: loving, funny, helpful.
Sometimes I almost resented Jasmine, for the luck she had- she loved them, but she kept complaining about living with them. I thought she was sitting on a goldmine, and she couldn't see it.
We spent our days studying, and our free time, reading and writing, original stories or fanfictions.
She kept fantasizing about how her future boyfriend would be.
She would drag me out, force me out of my pyjamas and into student's parties. Out of my comfort zone.
I wasn't intentioned in dating again, anyway. I thought that wouldn't work for me.
My favourite evenings, were studying/interrogating each other/having pizza at Max's.
There, I really felt at home.
Doing things I liked, with my close friends.
And Theo, his roommate, was always there.
Others said he was a nerd- well, we all were.
But him, particularly.
He really was kind of a little genius.
He was the best in our course. He built his own computer.
He was a nerd.
But as I eventually found out, hanging out with them, he was more than that:
He was witty, and funny.
And smart.
YOU ARE READING
Let's hope for the best
Non-Fiction... but prepare for the worst. When I was a kid, I thought that life was going to be like a Disney movie. Then, alas, life happened. And I found out, I was not ready for it.
