I thought you were quiet
Everyone has an opinion
I thought you were quiet"
A month before move-in, I received a large white envelope enclosed with campus brochures, a list of all orientation events, shuttle bus departure to and from campus and a fancy, thick, off white page signed by the dean 'herself'. I read tediously, "Welcome Freshman 2010! I sincerely look forward to meeting all of you in person for orientation…" I then realize a small piece of paper the size of a sticky is paper-clipped neatly upon the back of the letter.The words in plain bold lettering say,
"Dormitory Assigned: Cuma Saint Lude
Roommate Assigned: Adaego Adebayo
Floor Two
Room Assigned: 210"
Toward the bottom provided personal email address of my roommate, who I discovered shortly after emailed me as follow-up. She also typed her Facebook name in assurance I direct message her. She naturally led the conversation and asked general questions about where I was from, my choice of major and phone number. By Wednesday of orientation week ( because class started on Monday) I overwhelmingly learn a few things about Adaego. And in this order. She is a biology major and lives with her mom in Silver Spring, Maryland. Originally born and raised in Nigeria her father passed when she was three years of age, which spurred her mom to move to the United States 'with some money' her father left behind as a successful engineer. She works six days a week as a retail agent in TJ Maxx and does math tutoring on Sundays to make extra money through work study. Regretfully now she works lesser hours than when she was in high school but her boss agrees to allow her leniance as she is 'full time in school'. Dare not touch her exotic caramel bar soaps (she carries home from work), clothes (she leaves scattered on her bed), braiding hair (she also leaves unattended on her desk area like a mini island), laptop or mini fridge of (home cooked meals wrapped tightly in aluminum foil as to tell whether I opened or not; which I've learned to cope with her birdlike eating habits at night. I don't even have to bother looking over my shoulder from bed because well..the loud opening of aluminum foil mean she's back. And just like clockwork she's in bed by eleven after two hours of study.) Sleep is very important to Adaego..I clumsily let go of our dormroom door handle a second too quick, and I trip over her 'work shoes' as I make my way to bed with..the.. lights.. off. "Marie?" Adaego removes her eye mask and sits up. "Wow, you went out?" I crouch relieved (to return in one piece) on the edge of my bedside, "Yes. I met a group of girls and decided to go out with them." Adaego pauses to rub her face and stares at a nearby street light from out the window. From where my bed is located, the light directly beams from the back of me providing shadow. "How was it?" (I really just want to shower and go to bed before class. Why are we talking, espiecially with her tight schedule?) "I had fun." She says, "You know you got class, right?" (I look up from removing my shoes quietly, also very thankful she's unable to see the smirk on my face.) "I know. Just wanted to try something different." She says, "Well..I wish I could go out if I didn't have to work so much. Work, work, work. That's all I do. Work. But hey, hope it was worth it because class is like a few hours away." As I discreetly remove my clothes from behind my closet door, I overhear scuffling throughout the hallway and a loud knock, "Marie!" Tanya and Khadijah fight over a bag of chips as Lala screeches "Marie! Marie! Girl you in there?" Adaego leaps to her feet and answers the door. Yet, Lala invites herself inside as Khadijah and Tanya giggle, eating aloud a bag of cheese puffs. Lala's hoarse, cigarette deprived voice echos the room, "Guuuuurrrlll.. we heard you beat Kristen..and she took Blue's car!" (I pretend to be in shock.) "Really?" " Yeah gurl, but we were worried if you made it back."( Oh, now they worry.) Adaego flickers the light switch on, "Are you crazy?! It's too late to be this loud.." Lala takes a minute to size her up, and continues to talk to me.) " Uh, yea guurl, we glad you made it back..Darrel ain't try nothin' funny wit chu' did he?" (My roommate is fuming.) "Oh, no, no. Helped me drive and that was it."
" Well. Me and Tanya will be up in Khadijah room if you want to talk..We goin' to Ibiza tonight. If you want to come. Just knock." (I nod my head and as they leave I continue to undress.) Adaego couldn't wait to say, "You hang wit' them? They're so loud, oh my goodness." (She scratches her head beneath a puffy bonnet in annoyance.)
"Yea, they're cool."
" Oh my goodness Marie. I thought you were the quiet type."
" I am quiet."
"Listen, Marie..I know girls like that. And I can tell you're not like them."
"Like what?"
"Y'know. Loud."
"What's wrong with being loud?"
"You hang wit' them any longer you'll flunk first semester."
" Adaego..Who I hang with has nothing to do with you. I'll be quiet if I ever come home late when your sleep. Please keep in mind im very considerate of you." ( I say surprised I could openly get pissed off. This is new.)
" Okay. But please be quiet next time you come back late."
" No, problem."
As I walk the hallway to shower, I wonder if Ibiza is a person or an actual place. Regardless I'll swing by Khadijah's room after class.
About the Creator
MarieMarie Urban
Thus finally a website that incorporates music and story-telling! My mind exactly on auto pilot!
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Spin The Hennessey
"Spin the Hennessey" We wait close to twenty minutes across the street from campus for a bus in route to Rhode Island Station. Which to my surprise is only a few stops away from campus. Not at all the long ride I anticipated or overheard Lala complain as "long 'lye-ke' (like) shit" to walk. (Rhode Island Station from first impression is surely as dull as the night permits.) A street light buzzes above us as we walk past a dozen brick row-houses. Niecey leads us toward an apartment complex of which two men stand outside holding indisclosed bottles of ligour. I overhear "Everybody Looking" by Gucci Mane from within an apartment ground floor. One of the men holler in an oversized hoodie, his voice similar to Lil Jon scream "What?!Okay!," "Nieeeceeyy!Baby!" the closer we approach and embraces Niecey awhile pinching her voluptuous hips. "You lookin' right t'day baby girl." He lifts down his hoodie, "Hi ladies." Before fully walking inside, I recognize a smell reminiscent from earlier in the cafeteria on Lala of earthy yet, skunk-like musk. However, more pungent as the livingroom area is full of smoke. The entire home is dimly lit of light blue lavalamps. Bob Marley posters hang delicately all throughout the apartment walls and occasionally sway from an open balcony door. (It's windy but thoroughly humid.) I sit nervously aside Tanya, who has been sharing a 'blunt' with Lala ever since we left. (Tanya sloppily explains the contents of a blunt because I was the only one who didn't know what it was throughout the busride here. Further isolating my place amongst the girls but I couldn't care less. I think weed smells awful..) Niecey disappears into one of the bedrooms as Khadijah and Sky join the other man inside the kitchen. Sky fills her water bottle with Patron and guzzles aloud until empty. "Damn girl, you take it 'beck' (back.)" The other man says. Kristen bursts through the livingroom, "Whey (where) Blue at?!" She flicks through a couple songs from off a stereo the right of me, ( I can literally hear static inbetween songs and begin to prepare my senses as she increases volume.) "Grove St. Party" by Waka Flaka Flame cracks open my sides, thrushes below my legs and aggressively whips into the livingroom like thunder. I look up to spot Kristen smoothly quiver, lifting her tube top jersey further revealing a flat tummy of a dozen tattoos. (Girl can dance better than anyone I know and can dougie to any beat.) The man from the kitchen grabs hold of Kristen' waist and grinds. Tanya and Lala walk to the balcony, I hear them chuckle in spout of Kristen' weird behavior. Minutes later two other men walk toward the kitchen and pour themselves a cup of Patron. (Please keep in mind, I have little to none social skills. Social etiquette at a party.. Or so I thought includes a hostess who attends the needs of all party attendees. We talk, possibly drink. Eat? I've seen alot of movies about college frat parties. But none begin quite like this.) One of the men who just arrived sets beside me on the couch. He stares lustfully at Khadijah as she walks toward him holding two red cups. She smiles warmly, "How've you been?" I can sense they may know eachother. The air between them is thick enough to cut a knife through. "I been good. You?" Khadijah flirtatiously flips her silky, flatiron tresses and cooly looks away. "I been good." The man deeply sucks his teeth, "Stop playin', you haven't answered my texts all week." Khadijah crosses her arms (very unbothered by the way, whether I hear them or not.) She responds, "Look.. I've been busy with class and work. Sometimes I be too tired to text anyone back at the end of the day." The man obviously looks upset. I then devert my focus on Kristen menacingly wine in place as "Beat It Up" by Gucci Mane plays in the background.) "Yeah, sure. So when you off again?" Khadijah takes a sip from her cup, calculating her next response. " Uhh.. Come by Sunday." "Aiight..bet. You act like you can't talk or somethin'." Sky turns the stereo low, plops center of the room with a bottle of Hennessey in hand. She says, "Let's play spin the Hennessey!" Kristen stops dancing and joins. A man from the kitchen scoffs of the idea. Somehow everyone is back in the livingroom, "Game is real simple. But in this case whoever spin the Hennessey asks the other person to kiss somebody in the room or to a dare." Niecey leaves one of the bedrooms wearing a thin, lime green robe as followed by the same drunk fellow with the hoodie. He says, " Well spin the gawt' (got) damn thang. Im in it." Sky spins the Hennessey twice before it lands on Tanya. Tanya seductively walks over toward the kitchen and really..I mean really plants her lips deeply on the man who scoffed of the game. He bites her bottom lip as she tugs away. The expression on his face is dumbfounded. She spins and the bottle points toward Kristen. Who jerks forward and kisses Tanya before speaking. Khadijah squirms, "Well, damn." Kristen takes a turn and to her disappointment the bottle points on the guy who spoke to Khadijah. "Uh, hell no." He kneels down from off the couch as Kristen scrinches her face and perches her lips inward. Someone in the back says, "She dont want it! Im tryin' tell you." Everyone in the room laugh. Lala tosses a few orange and blue pills onto the floor. "Anyone who spins at this point got to take a molly." Kristen dry swallows one of the pills and spins once again. The second I look away toward the stereo (which is playing "Gucci Time" by Gucci) I peer down and see Kristen seductively rub her palms. Something in me, from out of nowhere blurts, "Dare!" ( I couldn't make myself kiss Kristen.) But somehow, my response makes her too excited to sit still, "Race me!" "Kristen, I can't race you." "Yea you can..Ill take Blue's car and you take Darrels. Race me to campus." (Strange enough no one thinks this is a wild idea. Including the men whose car we might use as a joyride. Darrel is the same guy who spoke to Khadijah earlier and Blue aka 'Daddy' is Neiceys' boyfriend.) " Im sorry, I can't drive..I- don't have a driver's license." Kristen leaps up and walks outside as Darrel reaches into his jean pockets for his car keys. "I'll sit in the passenger seat. Trust me. Driving aint hard." I nod my head no several times, but I begin to realize, this may be my only way back to campus. From what I could slightly remember, the bus we rode only turned one corner. I quickly imagine myself driving straight, but the idea itself is ridiculous. Although spinning, I can't think, my armpits begin to streamline sweat as I slowly make my way outside. I hear Darrel cackle from the back of me as he talks to Blue. Blue speaks holding a cigarette, "Hey you..(I turn nervously, it's apparent my body is shaking head to toe.) You don't have to... Kristen crazy as shit. (Inhales a cigarette puff and blows into my face.) But listen..Darrel can take you back." (At this very moment. I grow chummy of the idea. Rather myself in rear view of my own consciousness. But here is where I realize my anxiety was not due to what could happen, yet, menacing. Why not? I doubt I'll have another opportunity such as this to take a chance. A dangerous chance, but a chance no less. Blindly I say, "I'll do it." Before I can further process anything, I'm inside Darrel's cramped Nissan buckling my seatbelt. I felt minuscule, merely an ant rowing a boat. The tug and pull of an object so massive, seeps drearily forward. My fingers glide the wheel numbly until I meet Kristen at an intersection. "When the light go green you go..okay?" Darrel says in awe of his own disposition at this moment. I could tell he is tipsey but mainly indifferent if not bored. Kristen dashes forward, she pokes her head out of the driver's window inspite of another upcoming red light ( where we should turn left) however, Kristen speeds straight through the red signal and Darrel uses his left arm to help me turn the wheel once the signal turns green. I felt like an infant being quided to walk for the first time. ( Mind you it's after 2:00 am on a Friday. To my surprise no one else is driving.) Darrel tells me to stop at a curbside across the street from campus. As I get out, he says "That girl prolly not comin' back till the morning wit' Blue's car. I know..once he sobers up he gonna be peah-issed (pissed) she took his BMW somewhere southeast. Tuh!.. Be easy." As he spuds off, I become overly thankful to be on campus grounds. I stare graciously toward the small driveway that leads toward the dorms and thank heaven and earth to feel wind, and to hear it brush vastly against the scattered cherry blossom trees. Oh the wind! It's a beautiful thing.
By MarieMarie Urban 4 years ago in Humans
Advantages of Carrying of Boot Knives:
Boot knives are small knives made for easy access and covert carrying. They are also known as ankle knives or hideout knives. In the past, they were frequently used as a last-ditch self-defense weapon and concealed inside a boot for covert entry. But they serve much more than just defensive functions. These knives, with their compact size and lightweight design, are useful tools for a wide range of applications and have found their place in a variety of settings.
By Zara Sophia2 days ago in Humans
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