CHAPTER 7: GLENWORTH UNIVERSITY
My mom introduces me to my new bedroom. It closely resembles my old bedroom back in Virginia. These bookshelves are similar to the ones I had mounted onto my wall. Stuffed animals are placed on top of my dresser, and miniature airplanes are suspended above my bed. I notice some minor differences like the room size.
This room is much larger. I push my wheels to move forward and park myself in front of my bedroom window. The view outside is different also.
Back in Virginia, my room was located on the second floor of our house. From there I had a clear view of the entire neighborhood, but now I can only see the house across the street. We have no trees in our new front yard, which gives me a great view of the moon.
“This was my old room when I was a little girl. Do you like how he decorated it?” my mom asks. “We tried to make it look more like home.”
“It’s nice,” I reply while gazing up at the moon.
“I want to take you somewhere tomorrow morning.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” she says with enthusiasm.
“Is Uncle Frank coming?”
“No, it will be just us girls. As always.”
The visit from my uncle was lovely and disappointing at the same time. The disappointment is from the little bit of time I had to spend with him. Nevertheless, my mother and I always find a way to have fun by ourselves. I never liked surprises but I know she’s trying to her best as a mother to keep me sane.
“Okay,” I reply.
Shortly after, my mother helps me to bed. Before leaving my room, she kisses me on the forehead and wishes me a good night. I stare at my model airplanes hanging over my bed until I fall asleep...
It’s now ten o'clock in the morning. I’m driving alongside my mom on the highway. Where to exactly? That’s still unknown to me. Twenty minutes later, my mom takes an exit ramp that leads us onto a narrow road shaded by deep woods.
We continue straight for a couple of minutes until we reach a strip of various restaurants and stores. We proceed pass Main Street and loop around a circular intersection in the middle of the town. In the center of this loop, I see a bronze statue of a roaring black lion. The words “Home of Mane” is engraved underneath the lion. She exits onto University Street and continues straight until a wide field appears on our left.
A brick building with large white pillars can be seen from afar. The entire field is busy with various activities. Some people are tossing Frisbees back and forth, some are relaxing under the sun, and others are merely walking to and fro.
"This is it," my mom informs me with a bright smile.
She turns into the school parking lot, drives near the main building, and parks at a handicap spot.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“This is your surprise.”
I stare into her eyes, completely straight-faced. I’m not as enthusiastic as her. I can’t stand crowds of people.
“Mom, you’ve could’ve at least gave me a heads up. I could’ve chosen a better outfit to wear.”
“I did last night, remember?” she says.
I exaggerate my sigh, so she can hear my frustration towards her.
“I guess I have no choice now,” I reply. “Oh my God, I didn’t even do my hair.”
“We are going to be in and out. Nobody will even notice you.”
After rolling me out and locking up the van, we begin to make our way towards the main doors. I try my best to ignore all of the eyes around me.
"Are you okay?" she asks me.
She’s reading me like a book, as usual.
"It’s a lot of people here," I state while nibbling at my bottom lip.
"Sweetheart, I know. Just breathe," she replies in a low voice.
Her advice helps me to an extent. We reach a set of constantly opening and closing double doors. A student walking out is kind enough to hold the door open for us.
"Thank you," my mom responds nicely to his thoughtfulness.
"No problem," he replies.
I’m pushed into a busy hallway filled with parents and students.
"Excuse me," my mom calls out to a student that’s passing by in a hurry. "Which way is the admissions office?"
"Down this hallway, make a left, first door," he replies without stopping.
We continue down the hallway and turn left, just as directed. We reach a large office crowded with students, parents, and faculty members. There’s a hysterical man, exploding with rage, escorting a boy toward us by the collar like a dog. We stop in the doorway as they march closer. They’re both tall athletic-built males with vivid blue eyes and short blonde hair.
The man has a sheet of paper in his hand, waving it around in the boy's face. I assume, because of their close resemblance, this angry man must be the boy’s father. The man appears to be ranting about the boy's low test scores. It’s very humiliating to watch. Even the other parents’ faces are destroyed by shock.
“This is the last damn time you're failing this class. Understand?” the angry man says this in a high volume in the boy’s ear. “I only invest in this piece of shit school because you’re too fucking dumb to go to anywhere else!”
His anger is so dominating that it makes me feel uncomfortable. The boy is wearing a white Polo shirt, which is being stretched as the man tows him toward us. The man is wearing a black shirt, tucked into a pair of gray slacks, and glossy black dress shoes. My nervousness increases the closer they get to us. The man is so busy ranting to the boy that he nearly bumps into my mother.
He stops in the doorway and directs his aggression towards my mother as if she’s the rude one in this situation.
"You’re excused," the man fires at my mother in a nasty tone.
He then looks down at me. My heart rate increases automatically. His rage is weighing down my eyes, so I swiftly gaze downward to ease the burden of his fiery stare. He then shoves the boy out of the office and follows behind him.
"Wow. That was rude,” my mom states a moment later.
I can hear her frustration towards the man. It’s hard to get my mom irritated, and he succeeded without a doubt. Before we proceed into the office, my mom takes a second to breathe and give herself an uplifting chant…
“Don’t cuss anyone out today, don't cuss anyone out today,” she whispers to herself.
We then proceed into the office, still feeling a little awestruck at what just happened.
“People like that is the reason I drink,” she admits.
We spot an old woman with glasses sitting at a desk covered with various mounds of paper.
"Hello," my mother greets her.
"Welcome," the elderly woman responds.
“We’re just checking out the campus. Do you have a list of courses?"
"Yes we do," the elderly woman replies politely.
The woman licks her finger and collects a sheet of paper from each pile.
"It's very busy here," my mom states.
"It’s always crowded around this time," the elderly receptionist replies.
For some unknown reason, the receptionist shakes her head and sighs. I can see bitterness forming on her elderly face.
"And I’m sorry about that whole thing," she apologizes as she hands my mom the papers. “That man was Cornelius Blaire and his son Kendrick. They're not the nicest people around here," she says and then sighs louder.
"No worries,” my mom replies. "So, when do fall courses start?"
"September 4th.”
"How long is the application process?"
"Fill everything out as soon as possible. She should make the deadline.”
"Okay. Thank you so much," my mom says gratefully.
"You’re welcome.”
"Is it fine if we take a small tour around the...?"
"Help yourself," the elderly lady butts in.
We take an hour long tour around the campus. Most of our time is spent looking inside the classrooms. Some rooms are flat, some rooms have monitors, some rooms have black counters and faucets, and some are like miniature stadiums. We also visit the student lounge and library area. I can easily picture myself in the student lounge reading my favorite novels in between classes.
At first, I was feeling a little weary about this trip, but now I’m excited by the idea of attending college. Soon, our tour is over, and we’re heading back to our van.
"What do you think?" my mother asks as she pushes me down the walkway.
"It was interesting," I tell her with a sincere smile.
“I knew you would like it.”
My mother was right. The trip was rather enjoyable. I haven’t had an honest smile in such a long time that it feels misplaced. As my mom pushes me down the walkway and next to the van, I hear a faint clutter of voices next to me, so I look over at a tree that rests on the lawn.
A group of students is sitting underneath the tree. The group consists of three males and two females. One of the girls, who have a brown complexion, is sitting furthest to the right. Everything she has on is dark, even her lipstick. She’s wearing a long black dress with fishnet stockings, black gloves with the fingertips removed, and black high-heeled shoes.
Her hair is trimmed short with blue highlights that compliment her grim choice of fashion. I gaze at her blank face, and she catches me looking and then smiles brightly. I return the favor and smile back. The other girl is a long-haired brunette.
She looks rough and tough around the edges but with big round innocent eyes. I have mixed feelings about her. She is sitting on the far left; arguing with a boy next to her. Both of their features are identical, except the boy has short hair. He’s wearing a sky-blue shirt, a pair of jeans with the knees cut, and a pair of red Nikes on his feet and a gold chain.
His lookalike, the brunette girl, is wearing a similar outfit but without the jewelry. An Italian boy is sitting beside them. He has dark hair, beautiful baby-blue eyes, and short hair that's neatly combed back. For some strange reason, I can’t help but stare at him. It feels nearly impossible to turn away.
He’s wearing a tight white shirt, a pair of denim jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. A modeling agency from the 1950s could've easily hired him as a billboard model. The last boy is centered between them. He's resting on his elbow and chewing on a red apple. He’s wearing a black hooded shirt with the sleeves removed, dark denim jeans, and loose leather boots.
He’s undeniably bigger than the other two males. He’s not bigger in height; instead, he's a lot wider due to his muscle size. His hair is big just like his body. He has a light-skinned complexion. I assume he’s Spanish or at least part Spanish because of his tan skin. He looks up and catches me staring at him. He stares back at me with this hard look as if I'm his worst enemy.
His stare is so harsh that it forces me to look away from him. In the corner of my eye, I can still see all of them looking at us. Meanwhile, my mom attempts to pull the ramp from the van, but she can’t seem to get the lever moving. She pulls harder, but the ramp doesn't move an inch.
My mom takes a break from tugging to examine the ramp.
"I think it’s jammed," my mom says with anger. “This thing is such a pain in my...booty.”
“Pain in your booty? No one says that mom,” I whisper to her, hoping the kids next to us didn't hear her ridiculous remark.
I hate awkward moments like this when people stare directly in your face. I hope they don’t notice my cheeks turning pink. I look out the corner of my eye and see the brown-skinned girl nudging the muscular boy’s shoulder.
I hear them having a secretive argument about something unclear. He stands slowly to his feet and sighs. He then tosses the remaining apple carelessly to the side with no remorse, not caring where it lands, and makes his way toward us.
He approaches my mom, but she has no idea he's standing behind her. She's too busy trying to figure out why the ramp isn’t working. He clears his throat to gather her attention.
She turns to him and flinches mildly.
“Oh, hello, I didn't see you there,” my mom states.
"Done embarrassing yourself?" he asks tonelessly.
I start to consider that sternness on his face is permanent.
“Pardon me?” my mom replies.
“Do you need help or what?” the guy asks.
"Thank you, but I can handle it," she says and tugs on the ramp several more times.
My mom finally stops to catch her breath. The bulky guy glances over his shoulder at his snickering friends and shifts back to my mom. She finally surrenders and turns to him, grinning with pressed lips.
"Yes, I do need help.”
“Are you sure? I couldn’t tell,” he replies with sarcasm.
My mom snickers at his remark, but I know he didn’t mean to sound funny.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she says while catching her breath.
He walks over, leans into the van, and studies the ramp.
"Be careful,” my mom tells him. “I think something is stuck in there somewhere...oh, that was fast.”
He pulls out the ramp, places it on the pavement, and then brushes his hands clean.
“Well, thanks a lot for…” my mom attempts to thank him, but he cuts her off.
"Yup," he replies and quickly walks away.
“...your help,” my mom finishes awkwardly. “Well, at least the people are nice here,” she tells me.
“If you say so,” I reply.
As he walks back to his friends, they all give him a round-of-applause.
“Oh, how sweet of you...,” the brown-skinned girl says, but he quickly cuts her off as well.
“Shut-up,” he fires back as he sits down in the grass.
Soon, I’m secured into the van. As she brings the engine to life, I look outside my window at the students underneath the tree. The black girl waves at me with a smile. I smile, somewhat, and wave back as we pull off…