33.
Sebastian
Things with my college applications weren't going so great. I wasn't exactly a model student and my criminal record wasn't helping. Some colleges rejected me from the start in favor of giving young applicants a chance, that's what they said anyway, but it was probably the criminal record. Drug dealing was not taken lightly in colleges. I was even considering broadening my horizons, looking for space in colleges out of the country. I'd heard Arts University London had a great graphic design program. But of course being an international student, my criminal record would be more heavily scrutinized than internally.
At one point I thought of giving up, but Nasir's fighting spirit kept me trying just one more time. He encouraged me not only by his words, but his attitude towards life despite terminal illness.
=
The rays of the sun streaming into the room told me it was morning. It was such a rare occurrence given that it had been raining again for the past three days. My eyes fluttered slightly when my brain regained consciousness to the world around it. I was lying on the bed in my room and the sun's rays were piercing through my uncovered balcony doors.
I patted the part of the bed next to me, returning with the feel of the bed and nothing else. I could remember not going to bed alone. It was unacceptable I had to wake up alone. Ross had run off the bed like a thief in the night. It was too early for him to have even woken up. He had been acting strange of late, or maybe he realized sleeping on my bed throughout the night trampled over casual sex rules.
It wasn't like there was more to the act. Orgasm was taxing on the body. Afterwards I just wanted to lie with a warm body next to me. He always seemed happy to sleep next to me throughout the night. He even loved harassing me in the morning. Why was he suddenly running off like we were sneaking around? Neither of us was attached and Nasir knew what was going on.
If Nasir didn't approve, he wasn't complaining. It was not like we were exposing it to him. His health had deteriorated quickly in the last month. He looked yellow, was on strong pain medication and could barely move around the house. He always looked exhausted, didn't eat much and his breathing always seemed difficult. One thing that hadn't changed though was his spirit. He loved talking and took it upon himself to tease Ross and I. His physical health was failing him but his mental health amidst it all was admirable.
Even though I was still groggy, I forced myself to get out of bed. I was stretching my limbs when my phone rang on the nightstand. Since it was my phone and not my summoning device I deduced my mom was calling. I composed myself and grabbed the phone. The number displayed on it was unknown.
"Hello?" I said uncertainly after accepting the call and placing the phone to my ear.
"Hello. Am I speaking to Sebastian Adler?" A woman's voice sounded from the phone.
I frowned. "Yeah"
"Sebastian you are speaking to Allison Mcallister from Savanna Island School of Design. I am calling with regards to your application for a place in our BFA in graphic design degree," the woman said.
My heart rate increased immediately when I learned what the call was about. She was going to tell me I'd been rejected. SISD wasn't the only college I'd applied to but it was my second choice. I couldn't believe they too were slamming their door in my face. I'd gotten a couple of rejections already.
"Mr. Adler, are you still there?" she asked.
"Yeah...I mean, yes," I replied.
"You have been shortlisted. We would like you to come in for an interview on Wednesday the 20th at twelve pm, on the campus. Further details about the interview and venue will be sent to you via email shortly," she said.
My heart rate increased even more when I learned what the call was really about. For a moment I couldn't say anything. I was being given a chance. They weren't accepting me, but they weren't rejecting me either. I had a chance.
"Mr. Adler?" she said impatiently.
"I'm sorry, I'm still here. I will await the email," I replied.
"Looking forward to seeing you. Have a good day," she said.
"Thank you. You too," I said and the call went dead shortly.
I stood in the room clutching my phone in my hand. Things were finally happening. I had a mind to run out of the room and share the news with Nasir. I knew he would be happy. I dismissed the idea when I realized I was still naked. I'd run to Nasir, just not at that moment.
=
"Last question, do you have any experience taking care of a crazy, spontaneous man with psychopathic tendencies?"
The woman just stared at me. I could see her eyes grow into large saucers before me. I'd asked her questions she hadn't expected before but I could tell this one took the cake. She didn't know what to say.
Nina was her name. She was in her mid-thirties with stocky build that made her look shorter than she was. Her hair was dirty blond. She had honest eyes with rich brown irises. For most of the interview she'd been cheery, recounting her experiences. She seemingly didn't like talking about herself, but her experiences were rich and entertaining. She was a qualified nurse with experience in hospice care.
We were sitting in Ross's office. She sat on the chair on the other side of the desk, facing me. Throughout the morning the day before and that day I'd held interviews for someone to replace me. The job description specifically wanted someone with experience taking care of terminally- ill patients with additional experience as a household helper. Needless to say that combination was rare. Nina had both.
"I...no," she said slowly after I stared at her back with a blank expression.
"Would you be okay with that?" I asked.
She bit her lip with a thoughtful expression. "I'm willing to try anything at least once."
I chuckled. I saw her take a quick deep breath.
"Hopefully you don't have to worry about that," I said.
She smiled slightly.
"I know I said that was the last question, but I have another question. Have you ever injured your employer in any way?"
"No," she was quick to reply.
"Embarrassed them?"
"No."
I narrowed my eyes. "Really?"
"I have never hurt nor embarrassed my employer in any way," she said clearly.
"Too perfect," a new voice entered the scene. I looked up to see that the door was open. Nina looked behind her. Ross had just walked in.
"This is Nina," I said pointing to the woman. "Nina, meet Mr. Mitchell."
"Nice to meet you sir," the woman said.
Ross acknowledged her with a nod. "So you've really never embarrassed your employer?" he asked.
Nina looked down abruptly and then looked up at me. "There was this other time I uh...I was taking laxatives for some...discomfort and I accidentally gave the pill to my employer for a headache. It was one of those times where the kids were unruly and I was stressed and...uh, my boss had some really embarrassing bowel movements at work," she said. "Uh, but I'm not that careless. I..."
Ross chuckled. "That's a really funny story. Maybe you're not so perfect after all."
I couldn't believe the story Nina told. It was so familiar I wanted to laugh out loud. I tried so hard to suppress a laugh I ended up with a bit of a headache. If only Nina knew she wasn't the only one. Ross still didn't know about the laxatives.
"It was a mistake," Nina said hurriedly. "The caplets looked similar to Tylenol. I was pushed for time and...."
Oh my god the woman was reading from a script about my life!
Ross cut into her words. "You're hired!"
That stunned both Nina and me. Could she get any more like me?
"I...uh...thank you. I can start immediately," she shrieked.
"Nina, will you excuse us please?" I said politely. "You can wait in the entryway."
"Of course," she said standing up. The smile on her face looked like it had been plastered on. The door closed slowly after she walked out.
I looked at Ross. "What's that?"
He crossed his arms. "You're taking so long."
"For a reason," I said with emphasis. "This is the person who is going to take care of you and Nasir. Now, I don't really care about you but I care about Nasir."
He pouted and sat on the chair Nina had just vacated.
"You said I can conduct the interviews and narrow the list down. Let me do it," I said firmly.
"I only gave you the job because human interaction makes me uncomfortable. The choice is ultimately mine. You won't be here anyway," he said.
I crossed my arms too. "Why did you hire Nina?"
"She's not perfect," he said simply.
I raised a brow.
"I don't want perfect people in my life. I do odd things, things people call crazy. I don't want some sort of moral compass. She's flawed. I like her," he said.
"You got all that from one question?"
He nodded.
"You do realize she could have just lied because you called her too perfect, right?" I said.
"Do you see anyone offering that kind of information in any interview?"
He was right. All the answers I'd gotten from all the other candidates were perfect. They spoke highly of their bosses and glossed their records. Nina was the only candidate I felt some genuineness in. She had the required experience, was qualified to take care of Nasir and was willing to try taking care of the psycho that was Ross. He'd made the right call but I felt reluctant in telling him that.
"You have really weird hiring criteria," I said.
"Are you surprised?"
"I wasn't done talking. Why did you hire me? The first time, why did you think I'd be a good person assistant?" I asked.
"You had the potential to burn me twice and elbow me in the throat," he said with a serious expression. "You even gave me a lot of hickeys."
I just glared at him.
He groaned. "It's not the same reason I hired...whatever her name is, trust me."
"I'll trust you when I know what the reason is," I said.
"You have abs," he said with a shrug and stood up. He started walking towards the door. When the door was open he turned to me. "Should I tell Nina she's fired?"
"It's your call," I replied.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"You care what I think?"
"No, but what do you think?"
I smiled slightly. "She's the only one who seems capable of dealing with you."
He smiled and walked out.
=
The call came in the early hours of the morning. It was on one of those days I decided to jog before the sun made an appearance in the sky. The morning air was fresh and cool. There was a slight wind which rustled the leaves of the many bright green trees in the garden. As was with many of my jogs and the reason I loved them, my body was calm and so was my mind.
I loved the sound of my heart beating a little faster than normal and the scent of different flowers growing in the garden.
I was on the beginning of the driveway when I noticed the front door of the house was open. Ross was standing there waving his hands furiously. The last time I'd seen him was the previous night when we'd all decided to call it a night after watching a horror movie. My heart skipped a beat. I could only think something was wrong with Nasir. Ross rarely woke up that early in the morning. I picked up speed and ran along the driveway to the front.
"What's up? How's Nasir?" I said breathlessly.
"I don't know, you had a phone call," he said handing me my phone. I hadn't even realized the phone in his hand.
I narrowed my eyes and took the phone slowly. "You came out here to give me a phone?"
"Yeah. I noticed the number is out of state. It might be important," he said brushing his hair backwards. The hair refused to lay flat and bounced back onto his phone.
I looked at the missed call. It was definitely out of state. There could only be one person who'd call me from that state. My breath hitched slightly. Savanna Island School of Design had been trying to reach me.
I'd gone to an interview on the scheduled date. According to my perception, the interview had gone well. I'd been able to reply to most of their questions, with the keyword being: most. There were some questions I tripped on, especially the first ones where I was still nervous and had butterflies running rampant in my tummy.
After the interview they said they'd let me know of their decision. Since they'd called I deduced it had to be to tell me of their decision. Familiar butterflies resurfaced from wherever they were hiding to play in my stomach.
I looked at Ross to distract myself. He looked all sorts of tired and I had nothing to do with it. It seemed he wasn't getting much sleep. His presence that early in the morning was surprising.
"Why are you up?" I enquired.
He bit his lip. "Just"
"And the phone?"
"Heard it ringing," his reply was curt.
"All the way from your room?"
"Yes"
"I'm supposed to believe that?"
"You may"
I simpered. "What were you doing in my room?"
"What could I possibly do in your room?"
"Were you looking for me?"
"Not necessarily," he replied with a coquettish grin.
"Maybe you should have been," I said putting an arm around his waist.
Just then the phone in my hand ran. A quick look at the number told me it was the same one that had called me a few minutes prior. I took a deep breath and accepted the call, putting the phone to my ear.
"Sebastian," I said in a composed voice.
"Hi Mr. Adler, you are speaking with Allison McAllister from Savanna Island School of Design. I am calling with regard to your application for a BFA in graphic design. I am pleased to inform you that we are offering you a place at our school...," the woman on the other side said clearly.
I couldn't believe my ears. They'd accepted me! I couldn't help the grin that took over my face. My heart was beating faster and my breath hurried. Happiness was swimming in my veins.
I realized the woman was still talking.
"A formal offer letter will be emailed to you. The college requires that you accept or reject the offer in writing within fifteen days. Failure to do so will mean automatic rejection and your place will be offered to someone else."
"Thank you! Thank you so much," I managed to say.
"We hope to see you at SISD Mr. Adler. Enjoy the rest of your day," she said.
When the call ended I launched myself at Ross, putting my arms around him and squeezing the life out of him. I didn't manage to do the latter but I think I came close.
He coughed.
I loosened my arms but didn't take them off him.
"I guess it's good news?" he struggled to say.
"It's the best news!" I said, kissing him on the cheek. "They accepted me!"
"I guessed as much," he said slowly and pushed his way out of the hug.
"So you're really leaving huh? Nasir will be really proud," he said.
"I have...a month to make sure I'm ready! Oh my god that is so short, but this is exciting!" I squealed. "I have to look for a place and buy things and...this is an opportunity of a lifetime."
"It sure is. Congratulations Sebastian. I'm going back to bed," he said and turned towards the house.
"We should go out tonight! Nina can take care of Nasir without us. She's been doing a good job so far."
"Yeah sure," Ross said and disappeared inside the house.
I watched the door he'd walked through for a bit. Maybe I was mistaken but Ross didn't seem enthusiastic about my news. He'd congratulated me but the words had felt robotic, lifeless. It was almost as if he wasn't happy for me, but then again it was really early in the morning and he looked tired. I dismissed the thought he wasn't happy for me. He had no reason to not be happy. There was no animosity between us and being accepted at college meant I'd finally stop leeching off him.
As I stood at the door I thought of my mother. I couldn't tell her the news because she didn't even know where I was or what I did for a living, but once I was settled in college I'd tell her the truth. It would be a load off telling her the truth, but I would feel even lighter knowing I was telling her without expecting her to rescue me. With the money Nasir offered me I'd be fine without any help. Mom wouldn't be sad or burdened by the knowledge.
Getting the call was a great start to the day. But not all days that start well end well.
-
A/N: I do know the time between college applications and feedback is grossly reduced, but...eh, this is a fictional country, whose currency is US dollars. Haha