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realized the phone that had awoken me at the worst possible moment ― and in some ways just in time ― was still ringing, and reached out toward my night stand, groping for and finally hitting the switch on my bedside lamp before picking up the phone.
    “Hello?” I inquired, my voice still layered with sleep.
    “Honey, were you already in bed? It’s only nine o’clock! Classes must be really exhausting for you to have gone to bed already, hmm? How are the classes? And the professors are they nice? Did you make any friends yet?”, my mom trilled into the phone, keeping up a steady monologue of questions without giving me the chance to actually answer any of them, and making my ears ring and my head hurt in under a minute.
    That’s got to be a personal best , I thought.
    “It’s all fine, mom! No need to worry and grill me about everything, okay?”
    “Oh sweetie, come on. Don’t be like that. I just want to know what you’re up to. It’s got to be so exciting, going to college and meeting all sorts of different people! I’m your mom, I’ve a right to know how you’re doing, you know,” she ended her sentence on a sulking note.
    Grrrr, I thought, of all the moments you could have chosen to call me! I so don’t have the patience to deal with a million questions right now!!!
    “Okay, fine. Don’t be mad, I just don’t have a lot to tell yet. I’ve only been here two days, remember?”
    “So you didn’t make any friends yet? This is so typical of you!”
    “Sure I did, that is, I met this girl in class this morning. She’s really nice and fun to hang out with,” I lied through my teeth, hating the necessity of having to lie to her, but knowing beyond a doubt that I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t produce a friend to make my mom happy. And judging by the way my past attempts at friendship had gone, I would have to make do with a lie.
    “Really? Oh, I’m so happy for you, baby! That’s great! What’s her name? Where’s she from? Is she blonde, or brunette?”
    That’s what you get for making up a friend, I thought, sighing inwardly and making a mental note to write down all of the characteristics of my ‘friend’ so that my mom ― who had an amazing memory when it suited her ― wouldn’t get suspicious.
    “Um, her name’s … Candy. She’s tall, thin and has long blond hair and long legs.”
    Great, stick her in a cheerleader outfit and find her a running back- boyfriend named Brad!
    “As for where she’s from, I just met her, and it hasn’t come up yet, so why don’t you just give me a couple of weeks to settle in here, get to know Candy better, and I’ll give you a call then and fill you in on the blanks, okay?”
    “Are you blowing me off?” my mom persisted on the other end of the line.
    “Yeah … I’m sorry, but it’s just a really bad time right now. I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m really exhausted. We’ll talk in a little while, alright?”
    “Okay, honey. Take care, and don’t forget to call me! Love you!”
    “Love you, too, mom! Say hi to dad for me. Bye.”
    “Bye, bye.”
    After my mom hung up, I put the phone back on its cradle and let out the frustrated breath I’d been holding.
    Finally some peace and quiet, I thought, relaxing into the pillows behind my back.
    With no other thoughts to occupy my mind now that my mother was no longer on the phone, my thoughts wandered back to the images and sensations of my dream, and I almost wished I hadn’t cut the phone call short.
    I didn’t want to think about the dream, but the pictures came rushing back at me, the emotions so vivid they made my head spin with weakness and desire. I could feel the heat of the fire on my body, taste his lips on mine, even though the dream had been interrupted before he had managed to kiss me.
    I got up, opened the refrigerator, and got out the sandwich I had bought earlier. The sandwich looked delicious, but I put it back after one short glance at it, suddenly no longer