Fortunately, Astrid did not wake up to her bedroom flooded with rain water.
She switched off her alarm clock and stretched, careful not to wake the sleeping cat at her side as she crawled out of bed. She doesn't have class until 11 am, so she had plenty of time to have a good breakfast and possibly get in a decent work-out. She would much rather have a long lie in than be up at eight in the morning, but she's desperately trying to avoid getting the "freshman fifteen" that everyone was talking about.
Changing into a tank top and some joggers, Astrid grabbed her iPod and headed outside. Astrid paused, taking a big breath. This was always the hardest part for her; actually willing herself into her run. This isn't worth it, she thought. Look, it might rain.
It was true; it was a groggy day. But it was better than running in the sweltering heat.
I mean, what's wrong with a couple more hours of sleep? I'm just delaying the inevitable.
Astrid shook it off, trying to rid all those thoughts out of her head. Just do it! And with that, she put in her earbuds, and ran.
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Thirty minutes later she was back in her flat. Sweaty, tired, sore, but happy it was all over.
Martha greeted her with a meow, perched on top of the key table by the door. Astrid trailed a hand down her back as she walked into the kitchen, putting some bread in the toaster and grabbing a jar of marmite and an avocado. Once the toast was done, she smeared the marmite and avocado on top – her favorite breakfast food. Astrid had just taken a bite when her phone started ringing.
She propped her phone between her shoulder and her cheek as she answered, mouth still full. "Hello?"
"Astrid darling, it's your mother."
Astrid sighed, flopping down on her couch. "Hi mum. How are you?"
Astrid's mother was a kind woman. She used to always volunteer at all of Astrid's school programs, setting up charity events and student fairs. Astrid knew that her mother was taking the separation hard; Astrid was an only child, and she was everything to her mother. Astrid grew up in a small town where everything was conveniently close, so of course the distance between them now seemed like the other side of the world.
"Why haven't you called us? You said you were going call once you were settled in."
"Well," Astrid said, surveying her apartment thoughtfully. "I haven't really."
Her mother sighed. "And what classifies as 'being settled', then?"
"When I feel like I finally belong here. When this place feels like home." Astrid took another bite out of her breakfast. "Martha misses you, by the way."
"Oh, well tell Martha that I miss her very much, and that she's welcome to visit anytime she wants."
Astrid smirked knowingly. "I'll tell her. One second," Astrid paused, before bringing her phone to her ear again. "She said she'll think about it, but she'll only come if you promise to make banana cream pie as a welcome home offering."
