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you can make the grades,
and I’ll take care of the rest.”  Her eyes filled with hope.  “Have
fun…this is college!” 
     “Yeah, it’s just a new location but nothing else has changed. 
I’m alone and I don’t know anyone.  No friends, no family, and I still
don’t measure up.  Sounds like the same old shit, different day.”
    “This is about protecting you,” she says.  “My mother didn’t approve
of my choices so she cut me off.  Trust me.  I realize it’s going to
take time for you to believe me…to trust me again.  I get it.  A day
doesn’t go by that I don’t regret that conversation.  I love you, kiddo,
more than you’ll ever know,” she says, as a single tear trickles down her
cheek.  Her voice is haunting and filled with pain.
    What the fuck is that all about?
    ***
    Aunt Patty “went to get some air” after our big blowout.  I was
thankful, really.  I need a rest from the drama of the last two
days.  While I unpack, I make a mental note of what I need to get to
decorate the room.  It’s pretty cool.  All my other schools wouldn’t
let you decorate.  In boarding school, they gave you a bulletin board but
nothing could go on the walls.  I scan the room, getting excited about the
blank space.
    A soft knock on my door shakes me out of my daydream .  “Come in.”  I call.
    A redheaded girl with Clark Kent style glasses
peaks her head in shyly.  “Hi, you must be Amber.  I don’t mean to
disturb you but I’m Karen.  I wanted to stick my head in and introduce
myself.  I live down the hall.”
    “Hi, Karen.  It’s nice to meet you. 
Would you like to come in?”  I curse inwardly at my lame
introduction.  I guess old habits die hard…my mom insisted I repeat any
new acquaintance’s name to make sure I remember it.  I am such a
dork. 
    “Sure.”  Karen walks in, plopping onto the
bed opposite mine, looking around.  “Are you settling in ok?”  She
smiles as she pushes her glasses up her nose.
    “Yeah.  I got in today.  I’m from
Chicago.  Where are you from?”
    “Ah, another Midwesterner.  Cool. 
I’m from Kansas City.”  Spying my only picture, she lifts it from the
nightstand and studies it for a moment saying, “Cool picture.  Where was
it taken?”
    Careful to keep my eyes down, I say, “It was taken at a Heart concert I
went to over the summer.  It was such a blast – they were amazing – Ann
Wilson rocks.”
    She smiles.  “Oh, I love them!”
    “Yeah me, too.  My girlfriend, Angela, got
the tickets as a surprise for my birthday.  We rode up early on her
motorcycle and spent the entire day at the festival.”  I smile sadly, my
voice quivering.  “It was a great birthday.”  Damn it. 
Don’t’ cry.   Don’t cry in front of a total stranger.
    “Are you ok?” she asks.  Her green eyes
fill with concern.  “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “No, it’s ok.  I’m fine.”  I flash my
best reassuring smile. 
    “Do you want to talk about it?  I have a
solid shoulder here,” she says, patting her shoulder with a supportive
smile. 
    “I better finish up here.  I still have to
get my clothes put away.  I’m exhausted.”
    “You sure?  My Gran always taught me to
lend a kind ear to anyone I meet.”  Her kind eyes urge me to get whatever
is bothering me off my chest. 
    But, how do I know you won’t spread it all
over the dorm?   “I guess I’m
homesick, that’s all.  I’ll shake it off.”  I smile.
    “Well, it was nice meeting you.  I’ll let
you get back to it.”  She smiles politely.  “I’ll see you
around.”  Pulling the door closed with a slight wave, leaving a soft baby
powder scent in her wake.
    Staring back down at the picture in my hands, I notice Angela’s happy
face for probably the hundredth time, her dark hair curling around her cheeks
in perfect tendrils.  Her arm tossed casually over my shoulders as she
towered over me.  Smiles lit our faces.  The