Seneca The Younger

As Jeremy walked out of the lecture area, he had forgotten his commitment to ambiguity. His hoodie was down, and the sunglasses had somehow found their way into his backpack. Although his eyes were no longer on the cracks on the pavement in front of him but travelled from the faces of people to the features of buildings and the forms of nature, he still did not see anyone. It was like he was looking but not seeing, his legs simply leading him by instinct. His mind was way too occupied for him to notice things or people, for that matter.

He thought about Ava and her sticking up for him, especially to the professor. He was really amazed. He contemplated what all this could mean as he walked absent-mindedly through the walkways of Westbridge.

"Hello, good morning, and welcome to the shack. What can I do you for?" A blonde, bubbly waiter with an apron and face cap said. Jeremy's legs had instinctively carried him to the coffee shop. This was his regular routine before the incident happened. It was classes, coffee, the library, then the dorm. Today, however, he really needed the caffeine. After two weeks of feeling like a wet German shepherd, it was high time he got his mind back. And what better way to do this than with some good old Joe? 

"I will have one large cup of coffee and three bagels." Jeremy replied. He had skipped breakfast that morning for fear of running into some dumb bully.

"Okie dokie." Said the waiter as she scribbled his order into her little flip book. 

As he waited for his order to get ready, Jeremy took out his notepad from his bag. He was going through his jottings from the networking lecture. As he read through his notes on network topology and network models, he chuckled a little to himself. He found it interesting that even computers, non-living, inanimate objects, need communication. 

Even laptops have a better relationship life than me. He thought to himself. 

Jeremy was so engrossed in his notes that he did not notice when someone came and stood over him.

"If it isn't the runaway."

At the sound of that voice, he was jolted back to reality. He looked, and standing right in front of him was no other person but Ava.

"Ava." He said, shocked, standing up from his seat.

"Hello, Jer. Where have you been? I thought you fell off the earth or something."

"Hi. Eh… I am good." It felt as though he had seen a ghost. This morning, he had a plan. He had thought hard about the things he would say when he saw her. But right, she had taken him by surprise, and all the words he had arranged at the tip of his tongue evaporated at the sight of her. She was even more regal than he remembers. She had her hair done in Bantu twists with the edges controlled. Her skin shone as the rays of light from behind the see-through window of the shop hit its surface. For some crazy reason, she had on pinstripe pants with a matching waistcoat. The way the clothes clung to the crevices of her body accentuated her waist and hips. Jeremy was dumbfounded.

"I will have that ginger tea, please." Ava told the waiter as she sat down.

"What … What are you doing here?" He finally spluttered out. 

"I work on this campus." She said with a tinge of confusion in her voice.

"I told you, Jeremy. I am a tea girly, and this is the only spot that actually serves the kind of tea I like, the way I like it."

"Oh…cool. Cool." He said, nodding. An awkward silence fell between them.

"I like your hair." He said that as an attempt to break the ice.

"Why, thank you." She chuckled, tilting her head in a mock bow.

She was so bubbly, and her smile was the cutest thing he had seen in days.

"How do they get it all rolled up like that?"

"Ouuu. Look at you. Interested in the complexities of African-American hair."

"I meant no harm. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Oh my God. Would you stop already? You don't have to always walk on eggshells around me, Jeremy. It was a joke. I was cracking a joke." She said, laughing.

"Oh." He laughed too. He was still a little uncomfortable. He was a young white man. Anything he said could be easily misinterpreted as racism or ignorance fuelled by privilege.

"We can talk about my hair. Just don't touch it without permission. That's just asking for trouble."

"Ok. Gotcha."

"These beauties you see here are called Bantu twists."

"Bantu twist." He repeated after her like a child in kindergarten.

"Exactly. This style is more than just a fashion statement, though. This is culture. This is history. A relic from ancient times. The times of my ancestors going far back to ancient Ghana. The Ashanti Kingdom. I hope you understand; Black hair speaks. It's more than just style."

"I totally get you. Besides, isn't all fashion political?"

"Okayyyy. Look at you being all smart, Virgil Abloh." She said with a smirk.

"Here's your order. One large cup with three bagels. And for the lady, a cup of ginger tea." The waiter said.

"Thank you." Chorused Jeremy and Ava.

"Three whole bagels. Someone must be hungry."

"I didn't really have breakfast today." He said, smiling shyly.

"That's not good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"I know, I know. I am trying to change my ways."

She took a sip of her tea, looking right into his eyes as she did so. Who was this person sitting opposite him? This was the person he met at the library, but she's definitely not the one that showed up that night. 

"Enough about me and my hair. What's up with you, Jer? You didn't show up for classes. You left the professor's emails hanging. Shoot, you left me hanging too. What was that all about?" She asked, raising her brows. 

"I am so sorry. I really should have replied to both of you. I take the blame. I spoke to Prof. earlier today. He was not as mad as I expected he would be. He told me you spoke with him. Thank you so much for that."

"I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. I mean, this was a first-time offence, and you've actually been carrying out your duties well. So, what really happened? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Jeremy took a deep breath. He turned his face away from her and looked out the window. He took a sip of his coffee and sighed.

"I went to a party, and some dumb frat guys pulled a prank on me. It was really crazy, and it took a toll on my mental health."

"Damn. I am so sorry about that. It's college. Everyone is bound to have a scruff with those guys. Don't let that weigh you down. I am so sorry you had to go through that. How are you doing right now?"

"Well, I am better than last week. Last week was crazy."

 "Cheer up, Jer. Everything is gonna be fine in the end. And if it's not, then it isn't the end."

"Wait. Is that… Is that from Rick and Morty?" Jeremy said with so much excitement on his face.

"Oh shoot. You don caught me." She said, laughing.

"Oh my God. You really just dropped a Rick and Morty quote on me."

"Come on. But you can't deny the wisdom of Grandpa Rick."

"I can't believe you actually watch Rick and Morty."

"What did you think? I sit up all night watching psychology videos?"

"Well, you said it, not me."

"Oh, it's like that, huh."

"I just never expected that from you. I thought you'd be more of a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. watcher."

"Oh my God, how old do you think I am?" 

 "My lips are sealed. I know better than to comment on a woman's age."

"Smart man."

"I try."

"So, Rick and Morty, huh?"

"Rick and Morty, Family Guy, Robo-Chicken, you name it. I am there."

"That's so cool." Jeremy said, like a little star-struck teen in the presence of their idol.

"Where are you headed to from here?" Ava asked, sipping from her cup.

"The library." Jeremy said in resignation.

"You little shit. So much for skimming through, huh?"

Jeremy laughed and then asked,

"What about you? Where are you headed?"

"You won't believe it."

"The library." They both chorused and burst out laughing.

If you just happened to pass by the window of the shack, you might think these two were dating. The ease of conversation, the smiles, and the laughter—all of it, signs of the romantically involved. 

"What are you going to do there?" She asked.

"I got a project I am working on. Looking for some inspiration. How about you?"

"Thesis stuff."

"Cool, cool."

"I will take this to go, please." Jeremy said to the waiter.

"Alrighty."

While the waiter packed up his bagels, Jeremy kept stealing glances at Ava. The way she lifted her cup, the way her lips touched the rim. It was all so beautiful. There was a subtle elegance in everything she did. Each movement was a work of art to him. 

"All packed up and ready to go." Thank you so much.

Jeremy reached for his wallet to pay, but Ava said,

"I already took care of it."

"Thank you very much."

It was this sort of thing she did that deepened his interest. Small, seemingly inconsequential acts that add up to something precious. Something cherished.

As they walked out of the shack, Jeremy saw a poster on the wall. For some weird reason, he had never noticed it. Perhaps because he was always on his phone or staring at the ground. The words pretty much summed up the reality of the past few days. Written there boldly was a quote from Seneca the Younger, which says,

"We suffer more in our imagination than in reality."