Melodies of Delusion

Chapter 4: Old New Ties

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Persiflage

noun: light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter.

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"So will you come Mel?"

I picked up the bowls of malva pudding and brought it over to the dining table. I sighed, "I don't know Eva, I wouldn't know anyone there."

Eva and Mekhi, my two closest friends, who also happened to be a couple, were over for dinner to celebrate my new found freedom. We all studied together at the University of Vermont. They were clever enough to move away to the Jet City right away. Not like me. I was dumb to go back home for a year. An imbecile.

We didn't study the same thing though. Eva majored in graphic design and Mekhi financial law. I double majored in visual arts and music - with preferences to oil painting and piano as my main choices. Our friendship blossomed through one single common factor. Child prodigies.

The dean of the University of Vermont had a special programme for said prodigies. He identified children in small and surrounding towns who showed unusual or genius qualities in a specific field and worked with them in afterschool programmes to develop these skills all the more. I did not meet Eva or Mekhi until our studies commenced.

You see, they were in different towns than I and it was only until we all moved into the same dorm - for, you guessed it, special scholars, that we became best friends. The dean chose one scholar to enter into each of the programmes the university offered, with the requirement of them being some sort of special or genius. The dorm held a total of 67 students that year. I guess his little programme was more of an experiment or behavioural study as opposed to being genuine in his efforts to help those who couldn't afford to study in the first place, but it worked nonetheless. We were all able to find jobs, start our own businesses or make a living from what we specialised in.

Eva sighed as she grabbed a spoon from the table, "Mel, we haven't seen you in over a year and the first thing you do is decline an offer to spend time with us." The malva almost blended in with her caramelized honey skin when she took the first, heaped bite of pudding.

I pouted, "Attending a product launch celebration is hardly spending time with my friends."

Eva invited me to a new software design launch at her company on Thursday. I wasn't surprised at all that she managed to be the youngest employee to be the head designer of a new product this soon. She was clever and a hard worker.

Mekhi stretched his arm out and glared at me with those black orbs of him, "Oh come on Melody! Isn't this the type of courtesies that friends lend towards one another? Besides it's not true that you won't know anyone. Both Eva and I will be there." I swear Mekhi started to work out, he never had such toned and muscular arms that visible underneath a shirt.

I pursed my lips for a moment and sighed, "Okay fine, I'll show my support." I took a bite from my own pudding and swung my spoon in the air, "For a product. That I know nothing about."

"You are so dramatic! You'll know me! The designer of the product!" Eva huffed and crossed her arms. Her onyx afro bounced in a livelihood of its own as she shook her head, "I would have thought you'd be happy to spend some time with us. This is the real world now Mel. We can't spend time together by crashing each other's dorm rooms. We need to support each other's careers as well."

I could see the disappointment in her chocolate eyes as she started to play with the malva in her bowl. Perhaps she was right. I was being a bit selfish with my introverted ways. I dared to take Seattle on as an adult, the least I could do is act the part.