The next day I had coffee with Keshondra. Our spring breaks didn't coincide, so we were still restricted to weekends. Like me, she was getting a lot out of classes even if she felt overwhelmed sometimes, and I thought that the length of semesters might make it easier for that to happen. Quarters seemed to cut me off right when feelings of inadequacy and incompetence threatened to overwhelm me. She was going back to Duke's Crossing for the summer, working retail and we were both simultaneously dreading it and welcoming it.
"Independence is great, and it's going to be curtailed some when I go back to my family," she said. "But at the same time, it's family and I can't wait to see them again." I nodded.
"I miss my Grandpa and the kitties a lot. Even Stan, which is kind of a surprise." She nodded. "But I think maybe next summer I'll take the summer quarter if there are classes I want to take. Either get a bit of a jump on requirements--and there are a lot of them before I can really get into my major--or take classes that will help me be better rounded."
"You're such an overachiever, sweetie," she said, making me smile.
"I don't have the same home life as you do, and Grandpa is always urging me to take advantage of every opportunity. I mean, I know that I can go back to the nest any time I want, but he really wants me to fly. I dunno, though. That's a whole other year in the future, and right now I'm kind of looking forward to going back and let my brain relax." She laughed.
"So how's John? Is he doing any better?" she asked. And because she knew John and was also his friend, I told her about our skating and what it meant to him, the progress he was making in therapy. And our conversation. "He really said that he's not asking for forever--yet?" she asked, fanning herself. "Wow. That boy has hidden depths. My mom will be thrilled that you listened," she teased me. "She thinks I never do."
"It was good advice," I said. "I feel more secure now. I can go and have experiences and grow, and I'd say that the odds are pretty good that John and I will at least try a more mature relationship down the road. But that's also kind of risky because I don't know what I'd do without his friendship. I honestly don't know if it can survive if the romantic aspect goes boom."
"Life is risk, Delia, all you can do is your best," she said logically. And then we talked about her new boyfriend. She'd met him in a psych class she was taking for general studies and they clicked really well.
"Bring him to coffee next time," I ordered her, and she smiled. After a couple hours and a few coffees, she had to get back to her studies and I decided to check out the Getty. I'd never been, and after all the fun of the week, I felt the need to do something improving. It was the best museum I'd ever been to and I knew I'd be coming back a lot. There was so much to see, and I bet I could go often and see new things each time, even revisiting parts of the collection I'd seen. I went back to campus after dinner, and Serafina had an invitation to an off-campus party, which would be the first one that I'd been to.
After we talked about what we'd done that day, we prettied up and set off. I went into the house first and reported that she should stay outside since I'd seen some people smoking out in the kitchen. Fortunately, the yard of the house was big and the keg was in the back yard. There was music, not terribly loud, and a good number of people. I got asked out a few times and asked out a cute sophomore. Finally, having had a little too much to drink (not hard, I wasn't much of a drinker), we went back to our room and I guzzled a big bottle of water before going to bed.
The next morning I woke up with just a trace of a headache, which was good. Both Serafina and I had dates for that night; she'd met a handsome freshman double majoring in political science and Chicano studies who also wanted to go to law school. I'd met him briefly; he was intense but nice. My date was the guy I'd asked out, as sophomore in computer science It was fun to get ready for the date, and Serafina, examining her hair and makeup carefully in the mirror, grinned. "We are just too fine to be sitting in at home on a Saturday night."
Brad and I went to dinner and a movie. He was a nice guy, but he was so into his studies that he looked at everything through the lens of how something interfaced with computers or could be made to. By the time we got to the movie, I was getting the unnerving feeling that he was seeing the world exclusively in binary and wasn't sure he knew what to do with a woman on a more private basis. We ended the night on a cordial basis with no discussion of a second date, and I scarpered off home. Serafina wasn't back yet and I hoped her date went better than mine.
The next day we'd just gotten back from brunch and still were talking about her date--it had gone really well-- and there was a tap on the door it was our RA. "So you're ok, Serafina?" he asked, and she said yes. We talked a little about the incident and he sighed.
"Oh, damn," I said.
'Yeah," he said. "Sorry to do this to you guys, but there's an open bed..." Serafina looked oppressed. "Now look. I've had a good talk with the girl and she seems much nicer. She's a junior and her prior roommates are sloppy and loud and there were personality conflicts, but you guys are neat and nice, so I really think this will be better. She's an aerospace engineering student and spends a lot of time at the engineering labs. I wanted to break the news to you first before I brought her down here." When he left to go retrieve this mystery woman, Serafina and I shot each other downtrodden looks.
The RA and our new roommate were back in short order. She was handsome more than pretty, and right away she had one up on Gail. She held out her hand and said "Johanna Drake. It's nice to meet you."
I stood up and took her hand. "Delia Knight." Serafina also introduced herself and shook hands. We helped her bring her things in--a more reasonable amount than Gail had had--and the RA left to get the Roommate Contract.
"I've learned my lesson from our last roommate," Serafina said ruefully. "I'm really allergic to marijuana; I have anaphylaxis. So I really need to know if you smoke. And sorry if it's a bit abrupt, but the last week's been kind of a nightmare."
"The RA told me," Johanna said briskly. "And no, I don't smoke. I barely have time to sleep, what with my classes. I appreciate you telling me, though. If I do ever get the opportunity to go out, I'll be careful if I encounter any smoke." She said that with good humor, and I felt my spirits begin to lift. And when we started filling out the roommate contract, it went much better. Serafina and I didn't really party in our room, the most we might do was have some people in for popcorn and chatting; movies with more than us and a couple of people were watched in the lounge. Johanna looked relieved and was happy to agree to keeping our room neat, beds made, laundry done or put out of sight, overhead lights out when somebody was trying to sleep, desk lamps and headphones in use at that time. No overnight guests, and if we wanted the room to ourselves for an extended period of time, roommates had to check it off.
"I do have one request," she said a little bashfully. "I don't have a tv, but I'm a huge fan of figure skating and there's one more big competition this year. I'd like to watch it, if that's ok." I started to laugh.
"I'll be watching at least the men's and pairs programs myself," I said, chuckling. "My brother and one of my high school friends are competing." Her eyes got big as she sorted names.
"Your brother's Starry Knight?" she asked, a little breathlessly, and I smiled.
"None other." She got excited and flapped her hands a bit.
"Sorry, this is just so cool. He's amazing."
"He is, and he's not a bad brother. He'll be happy to learn he has a fan." Serafina and the RA were amused, and we finished the contract quickly. It'll be nice not to fight about watching the programs, and Serafina helped her unpack as she asked a few questions about Stan and Todd.
"It's too bad John Tang retired," she said wistfully. "He was so amazing."
"He's my best friend," I said, lining up her textbooks on a bookshelf. "He's actually here at UCLA, he wants to be a doctor. You'll meet him sometime, he comes by every so often."
"Wow," she said. "That would be amazing. Does he have his medals with him?"
"No, he left them at home. It's been a little difficult for him to adjust to life after skating."
"I can see that," she said, thinking about it. "But at least he has something that he can funnel all that focus into." Then she apologized about monopolizing the conversation. "It's just about the only hobby I have right now. So Delia's from north California, where are you from, Serafina?" We chatted as she settled in, introduced her to the neighbors going by who were returning from break, then she offered to take us to dinner. "I'm just so relieved you guys seem so rational," she said. "I was kind of worried about freshmen roommates, but I think we'll do ok." So we went to dinner and when we went back, we all settled in. Serafina read, I texted my brother about his fan and group-texted my friends that I seemed to have another sane roommate. And texted John specifically, so when he met her he'd be prepared. Then I looked over my textbooks, getting a basic acquaintance for what we'd be covering. Johanna saw the calculus text and offered to help if I got stuck, which was much appreciated.
I started my classes with a really good feeling. I checked in with my faculty mentor who was really pleased with my progress, and I dove into my classes with a vengeance. They were interesting and I was getting the hang of college, I felt. Johanna and I watched the figure skating together and she took my analysis seriously, using it to enhance her enjoyment of the sport. I was gratified by that; it was rare that people didn't think of it as some kind of party trick. And I got notifications of scholarships that I'd applied for, both in and out of the university. I got another waiver for my tuition and was in really good shape with my financial aid package for next year. It was a big load off my mind. As it got warmer, I started surfing again on Saturday mornings at dawn, and saved dates for the weekends too. I wasn't seeing anybody exclusively, but I was have fun dating. I missed Keshondra when she went back home after another successful semester, but I was just a month behind her.
We were getting along so well that we all requested the same room and roommates for next year. We really didn't see Johanna very often, but she was always nice when we did. And at the end of the quarter, my brother flew down to help move me out--I'd acquired more than I'd thought, when it came time to box everything up--and Johanna was thrilled to meet him, just like she'd been thrilled to meet John, but with Stan she didn't have to dial it back, she could just let her fandom fly. For his part, Stan was pleased to meet her and Serafina both. They both liked him, and in general the females who were still around were also a bit atwitter. Well, Stan was pretty good looking, even if he was my brother. Even better, they offered to help take my stuff out to my car just so they could flirt with him a bit. I'd taken him on a campus tour, showing him where most of my classes were, and we ate in one of the restaurants. "I could cry," he said. "I can't cook nearly this well, and I can't eat at Grandpa's every night."
"Why don't you ask him for lessons?" I said, then considered this. "That's actually a pretty good idea. I won't be in the dorms forever. I should have him teach me too." Stan was also pretty enthusiastic.
The drive back to Grandpa's was nice, I drove for the first couple hours, getting us out of the awful LA traffic, then he took over and I took a nap until we stopped for gas and a snack. It was surprisingly nice just to have the opportunity to talk with no interruptions, and he thought that a second Olympics was a possibility, even if was a long shot, but after that, he wanted to go to college. "I think I'd like to be a physio myself. I can't see myself sitting behind a desk all day, and it sounds like you're having a lot of adventures with your education. You're really going places, Delia, and I'm the one who's afraid of being left behind now. I've talked to the community college and they're willing to enroll me. I can take a class a semester, just basic things that will transfer anywhere, but I need to amp up; well, you're the one who told me that. So I'm doing an English class first this summer. So in two or three years, I should be able to apply for college. I see that there are so many possibilities here."
"Get good grades, UCLA might be for you too," I said. "A lot of Olympians have gone to school there. Even if you choose to go somewhere else, you have a lot of amazing experiences in front of you. I'm proud that you're thinking ahead. And if you need any help with your class, I'll be available to tutor."
"I don't really want to go through the identity crisis that John is," he said. "And from what I've read, it'll be a lot easier if I have a plan and I've done groundwork on it. And I'm still working up at the rink. It'll be fun to see you there. I'd like to actually do things with you this summer. I've missed you."
"Aw," I said, genuinely touched. "That would be nice." And I was glad to be home when we pulled up to Grandpa's and saw him sitting out on the porch, waiting for us.