“Twenty-one, twenty- one…” I wheezed while scanning the numbers on the wooden doors. Finally, I gripped the handle and nudged open the entrance to my new living quarters.
The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of four-post beds made of swirling light and dark brown wood. Blue-colored bed sets looked so soft that I knew I’d never be able to sleep without them again. My life would be forever changed after tonight’s rest.
The three large windows along the far wall were open, letting the breeze through rich brown curtains that hung from intricately designed golden rods.
Then, I saw my new roommate sitting at the desk next to her bed.
“It’s all original from the fifteen hundreds, except the mattresses and bedding. Because that would have been gross. You must be my roommate. I’m Remy,” said the dark-skinned woman with little afro buns on both sides of her head. Shewaved and then refocused her attention on the laptop and two computer screens on the desk before her.
“That’s me. I’m Temperance. Hope you don’t mind the smell of pizza. I was starved but didn’t feel like doing major people-ing.” I tossed my duffle bag onto the bed and watched it sink into the soft mattress.
Oh yes, sleeping here was going to be amazing.
“Pizza is good.” She grabbed a blue squishy ball from her nightstand, fidgeting, while I plopped onto the bed with the to-go box on my lap.
A groan rolled out of my chest after finally getting off my feet. The softness of the mattress soothed the ache in my thighs and feet as I allowed myself to fully relax for the first time since the plane landed.
“Sorry. It was a long flight,” I rambled over a mouthful of the savory pizza. “This whole experience is overwhelming. I’m probably going to end up showering and passing out shortly. My daughter says I don’t snore, so hopefully she wasn’t lying.”
“How old is your daughter?” Remy squeezed her ball off and on as the rest of her sat still, waiting patiently for my answer.
“Eighteen. She just left for college before I came here. Do you have kids?”
If she didn’t, I’d need to learn how to have a conversation with an adult that didn’t revolve around parenting.
“Me, with crotch vermin? No, I’m vermin-less. No offense.” She grinned, and I couldn’t hate her verbiage. Kids were absolutely crotch vermin, or demons, or little Satan spawns sometimes. People used to say that Piper acted like such an angel. Which sounded nice, but then I remembered that the devil was an angel too.
“None taken. Kids are shits sometimes. It was nice being a mom but I’m looking forward to focusing on me.”
I hoped if I said those words enough, that they’d be true. I didn’t know if I was excited to make myself a priority. It felt wrong despite knowing I should. Therapists around the world would smack me upside the head if I said that aloud.
“Perfect timing to go back to school. A magical school for adults at that.” Remy eyed the third slice of pizza in my box, and I lifted it in her direction. She gratefully grabbed the slice, and a sense of peace settled over me. If we could bond over pizza, then hopefully that would set a precedent of how this school year could go.
“I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t be like high school.” I mentally crossed my fingers, but Remy’s scoff made me wince.
She swallowed a bite and slouched into her chair as she spoke. “Yeah. Adults are worse. Some never left high school in their mind, so being back might give them the chance to relive the highlights of their life.”
I tried to have a positive outlook, but I knew people like that back home. They’d do anything to go back to the people they were in high school. The popular girl, the revered football star. Since my high school years involved getting unexpectedly pregnant, I wasn’t looking to go back.
I set my food down and groaned while unbuttoning my shorts to relieve the pressure against my gut. A yawn rudely slipped out of me and the exhaustion from the trip finally caught me in its snare. I wasn’t sure I’d even make it through a shower. “Not me. I’m ready for newness.”
Remy nodded slowly. “This school is an opportunity for growth in many ways. I’m glad to have a roommate who is interested in growth. I think we’ll get along.”
A big smile grew on my face as I stood to stretch. “I think so too, Remy.”
“All right. I’m gonna shower and try to sleep. You can help yourself to the food box if you’re still hungry.” I bent over totouch my toes to soothe the burn in the back of my thighs while looking for a bathroom door. I hoped what I found wouldn’t be original like the other furnishings.
Thankfully after grabbing my toiletries bag and a nightshirt from the top of my clothes in my duffel bag, I discovered the bathroom had been updated.
A sigh of relief flooded my chest when a glass shower and claw foot tub greeted me. The stairs were one thing, but I’d start a revolution for twenty-first century plumbing if I had to.
The water was hot, and the pressure soothed the ache in my muscles. The yawns continued, and after sucking in more water than I was proud of, I hopped out of the shower.
My skin felt soft after I dried off and slid into my old sleep shirt. I was so ready for bed.
But, as I walked into the bedroom, my tiredness took a back seat as Piper’s ringtone blared from my phone.
I rushed over and answered immediately. “Baby P!”
