Chapter Eighteen: Coming through in waves
Halloween passed by with jocks dressed as hookers, hippies dressed as nuns, and more than more guy wearing a rubber Freddy Kruger mask. The parties were constant and I saw Elyssa and she saw me. The week when the first major papers were due leapt out and Thanksgiving break was ready to pounce. Most people buckled down and did serious work including me but with a few pick me ups I finished early. Half of the school’s population was in the Library and I was twitching with anxious energy so I wandered the dorms basement to roof top deck. Had to see where Tom tossed himself away. As I looked over the brick ledge, my back began to ache, my muscles tightened and my hands went numb. I rubbed them together all the way back to my room.
As I opened my door, I peered down the hall to see George turn the corner and head into his room. George’s hand, sans rings, crept around the edge of his door and he yanked it shut with a blank thud like dead wood being crushed by a stone.
As I started to tap on the door, I stopped and thought if he doesn’t want to hang out then I can find someone else. I proceeded with five rhythmic taps. He opened the door with a smile and said, “What’s up brother come on in you gotta listen to this.”
We shook hands, this took me back, and I sunk into his couch. The cushions dislodged.
“Listen to this shit,” George said.
“Okay,” I replied.
He walked over to his pile of papers on his desk and gripped the top folded piece. He held it up besides his head, waved it side to side and cleared his throat with a two part grunt.
“I just received notification from the head of the Communications Department that my project proposal was accepted. This means I get to design and produce a news program covering this campus. The best part is that it won’t just be played on the Buzz channel but gets to go on the local news twice a month. I even get a floating budget. This is totally going to help me get that internship this summer. I told you that I wanted to write and produce television, didn’t I?”
“Cool. Can I ask you a question? What is the Buzz channel and is TV production why you came to this school?” I asked.
He put the paper down and sat at the foot of his bed. He pulled a pack of smokes out of his red and blue flannel shirt pocket and offered me one by raising the pack towards me. I declined with a waving hand and then pointed to the pack in my pocket.
The cigarette spewed fumes while he lit it. He rummaged in a pile of clothes and raised a remote control. Pearl Jam began playing in the background. He squeezed his nostril together with his finger and thumb and then sniffed twice so that his nostrils closed.
“Uh the Buzz channel is the school’s closed TV channel. You know the Wasp is our mascot. But to answer the second no, but I took AV classes, yes I know it’s dorky, but we went to a local TV station and missed school for a day. Came here for communications and took a class where I had to work for the Buzz channel and first afternoon changed my life and knew I wanted to be a TV producer.”
I envied his passion as mine had leeched out and evaporated.
“Cool. Have you heard anything about that dude Tom? Is he all right?” I asked.
He stared into my eyes and said, “Is he all right? He fell three stories and is in a hospital bed. Is he all right?”
“You know what I mean. Just wanted to know if you heard anything else,” I blurted out in a breath.
He ashed his butt and said, “I heard he probably won’t be paralyzed. That girl Jen told me that he broke an amazing amount of bones including his skull. He had internal bleeding too. Bet he doesn’t come back here.”
My nod of agreement was stout and my back began to ache.
“George, speaking about not coming back to school, how are you getting home to Medford for Thanksgiving?” I asked.
“My sister’s picking me up on her way back from school in Florida,” he said and looked at me.
“You think maybe I could get a ride to your house? I can truck it home from there?” I asked.
He laughed like I asked a stupid question and responded, “I’ll call my sister tonight and see. It’s probably better that you try and get a ride all the way but if you need to, we’ll squeeze you in.”
“Thanks bro. Listen, in high school my friends had older brothers or sisters to get beer for them and I have no idea who is going to be home. How do you get it at home?” I asked.
“I have a sister and my mom buys it for me. I don’t know what to tell you,” he said.
“What I meant to ask was do you have a fake ID? And, do you know anyone who could hook me up?” I asked.
“No, I don’t have one. Ask Tim,” he answered.
“Cool. I will,” I replied.
James tumbled through the door and plunged down next to me. I had to hold on to the arm rests so I wouldn’t be pulled in my James’ gravity.
“I was talking to that chick Dawn today. She wouldn’t shut up about you Walk,” James said with some spit.
“What the fuck did she say?” I asked.
“Like you and your friends would have outrageous parties at the beach and your band would play them,” he answered.
“We had parties but they are tame compared to this place. My band played a few parties but we sucked. James, do not listen to her,” I said.
“It's just what she said man, don’t be so touchy,” James replied.
“Sorry man, a little off today. Fucking back hurts. George tell James the good news,” I said while being preoccupied with how I was going to get an ID and George began his tale.
James was falling asleep next to me. His enormous weight was pulling me deeper and deeper into the couch’s rift valley. I needed to get George to end his newly improved story so I said, “George, if you are going to start this next semester do you have any ideas or are you just going to wing it when it happens?”
He raised his eyebrows and responded, “I have an idea bouncing around.”
He straightened up and dusted off the front of his sweat-shirt. He looked like he was going to deliver a speech to the UN.
“So what is this important issue that concerns us?” I asked. “Population.”
George leaned into us, pressured out personal space, and looked through us.
“Over-population to be precise. There are more people living on this Earth now than ever. There’s not enough food unless we develop more lands but this destroys rain forest and we suffocate. The excess population drags down Third World countries and they can’t develop. They don’t grow up fast enough and other developed countries must support them, and that means dragging us down with them.”
My head jerked back.
“Uh, maybe a little too general? There are ways to feed the planet other than developing,” I said.
He looked at me with one closing eye.
“This country would have to stop wasting fuel and food. That ain’t going to happen. This is the land of the short attention span and people aren’t going to spend money on inconvenience when they can ignore what’s happening in the world,” he said.
“Maybe you should inform people about waste? Maybe get people to help out and that could be the show’s focus?” I asked and crossed my arms.
“I would but face it, the only way to really help would be to transform the whole culture and that’s not likely. It’s a throw away society. Shave once and toss a razor, open a bottle once and get rid of it. It’s too easy and people are lazy,” he said.
James yawned a big bear yawn and Pearl Jam stopped playing.
“Think about it. This country is all about profit. If we wanted to feed the world, we could make a dent but the government tells farmers to grow only certain crops to artificially inflate prices.
Thing is, we wouldn’t have to feed them if they weren’t alive. When we were agrarian families needed ten kids. The mortality rates were high. Now, people don’t need to have so many children but keep on fucking spawning like rabbits, even with all the kids that need to be adopted. And Joaquin, contrary to Tim’
s beliefs, I’m not Roman Catholic so birth control is something I would like to focus on in my show.”
“Be careful. We are in the South. But good luck,” I said and knew then he was coked up.
With that, James rolled out of the couch, turned to me and asked, “Golf?”
“Sure. Hit the computer links.”
I rocked out of the sinkhole James left behind and shook George’s hand as I left.
“I will get you when we leave. See you in about two hours. Adios,” I said.
James had already clogged his size fourteen work boots down to his room at the end of the hall near the window. I got a drink of stiff water and tapped my toes down the hall.
I hoped James’ roommate Henry, or Tie-Dye as Tim called him, wasn’t there because he smelled like sandalwood incense and patchouli. To my luck, only James sat in his room, but the earthy musk clung to everything. Henry stayed at his girlfriend’s place off campus. She was a hippie chic and they were going to live together after some earth bonding ceremony. At least, that’s what George told me.
James beat me in a game that I played in reality. That frustrated me to no end, but it was near dinner and I wanted to find Tim. It was a serendipitous day because when I thought it who should walk by but the infamous fellow himself.
“James, I must go now after being humiliated by your superior ability. I must talk some business with Tim so in half then,” I said and James never glanced off the screen as he popped a thumbs up.
I knocked on the door. Flakes of paint fell to the tile. Ten seconds passed before the door lurched open. He peered around the door’s edge, eyes glazed vermilion, with a candied apple stare. Tim was holding his breath as he snagged my collar and ripped me from the hall. Before three steps could be taken, the door slammed and exhaled a vortex of pungent blue smoke. I didn’t recognize the smell.
“Yo, what is up?” I asked and stood.
He fell back and melted into the clutter of pillows and blankets spread on his couch. A thick silence filled the corners of the room as his eyes closed and then struggled to open.
“I am just rolling with the clouds. What are you up to?”
“Playing golf on James’ machine otherwise sitting in my room and a disturbing thought broke through,” I said.
Rising like a drawbridge, he put his hands up for me to slow down.
“Do you know anyone who could get me a fake ID and if so could I get it before the break?”
A pale hand went to cover his forehead and he nudged the air with his chin.
“I can get you one for fifty bucks. Have it tomorrow,” he said while his eyelids drooped.
“I got fifty man. Get me it and I will owe you one,” I said.
“You already owe me more than one buddy, and don’t forget it,” he said. The comment made my ears hot but I let it go because he looked like he fell out of his tree. I figured it was Base.
“Man, what is it with you? You seemed so out of it before, cranky,” I said.
“I’m burnt from all of this paper writing and studying. The computer screen is giving me headaches and bud won’t even get them to go away. So I upped the dosage. Thinking of bagging it and cheating. I’m slick. They won’t catch me,” he said.
“Man, if you get caught cheating you are gone and your parent’s money, gone. Dude why come to college to cheat? This is higher education, not high school. If you came here just for a degree you should have gone to a cheap state school,” I said.
He held his belly and laughed.
“Okay mom, I won’t cheat. Jesus! Higher education, funny. You know most of the people here cheat right?” he asked and looked off into the distance.
“Really? Why? Not like it is Harvard hard,” I said.
“For some it is. Dude no more Base for me today. Fucken overload, Percocet ain’t helping either. Next time I’m just drinking coffee even though it gives me the runs,” Tim said as drool leaked from the corners of his mouth.
“Try and get me a good ID, please. People card hard where I live and the police bust you. I do not want a record,” I said.
“You mean you haven’t ever been busted for anything?” Tim asked as astonishment flowered on his face.
“No man, just got beer poured out by the pigs and pulled over once.”
“Shit, that’s nothing and by the way usually they just take the ID away and rip it. It’s no big deal, but it’ll be good.”
“Thanks man. I am going to get the guys for dinner. Are you coming?” I asked.
“Nah, too tweaked. See you later. Come by for a binger later and maybe I will tell you about the girl who makes the fakes. Take off chump, wait,” he said and pulled a baggie out from under his bed and tossed it.
“Cool. I can use this. I will come by later and for God’s sake no more pizza dude. Starting to look like you are getting the sophomore sixty instead of the freshman fifteen,” I said.
The bird flew from both of his hands.
James was out in the hall tossing a wet tennis ball against the blank white wall. It left spots behind. George stuck his head out from behind James’ door and pushed himself out into the hallway on a swivel chair. He spun. He looked like a toddler that found a new toy, a gargantuan toddler.
“Yo!” I yelled, “Where did you get the ball from James?”
No reply. A duplicitous dog like grin grew. He wound up and launched the ball at me. It ricocheted off the doorframe of the bathroom and took an unexpected turn. The wet ball compressed on my head and landed in a large garbage can next to the bathroom door. My forehead ripped with tennis ball juice.
“Damn. Sorry. Didn’t mean it,” James’ voice echoed through the empty hall.
I raised my hand, waved it off and went into the bathroom to get some paper towels.
“Let’s go and eat before all of the good pieces are gone,” James said while poking his head into the bathroom.
The crunched up paper towel bounced off the rim of the trash and fell as I pulled the door open.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“He’s talking about steaks. A grandiose gesture to break the monotony of study week,” George said as he leaned against the wall.
James gestured three times with his head to the stairs and swung his arms back and forth as if he was running. I motioned to George and he took the lead.
It was a warmer day than usual even if it was technically the South. This was not the Deep South but for me it was odd to see so many people wearing shorts in November. The wind was being pushy and the sun’s orange yellow embrace was receding behind the mountains. You could tell it was going to get cold soon. The leaves were curling and scent of water vapor had vanished. The brisk autumn I was accustomed to, felt a lifetime away and I was stuck in a state of reminiscing over the scent of dying leaves. James was practically running and George was keeping up as I fell behind on the path around Collin’s field.
I was not hungry, not even for a good steak. The rib eyes the cafeteria worker served, while donning hair nets and plastic gloves, was a rare thing. I hadn’t had a good steak in months and I should have been salivating. Tea and fruit played nice on my tray and I was in no rush to watch them get intoxicated at a trough of bloody bovine flesh. Nausea rose and bubbled. Steak was one of my favorite things and the repulsion worried me.
At the long table, they ate with the intention to eat more. Nibbling on my apple, I found my throat began to seize.
The nausea took a choke hold of my esophagus and I made my retreat to the lavatory. Bile blended with the toilet water. Sitting in a heap, I took a firm grip to the porcelain altar and waited for the heaves. It passed with only a few dry runs. No cramps just a salty sour taste on my tongue.
The guys understood my plight and I walked out with weak knees around the field as the wind carried the yellowing leaves across my path. The temperature seemed warmer than before and the sun was almost down as the low clouds were swept off in the horizon. I got to Tim’s room. The door was
open. A pizza box sat square in the middle of the floor.
He signaled me to come in with his slice of pizza drooping in his left hand. He opened his mouth and spits a few chunks out so he could speak. I watched him chew as he wiped his hands on his t-shirt.
“I got your ID already and for twenty bucks cheaper. So, I took the liberty to reinvest it for you. You’ll be happy with the purchase when exams are over,” Tim said with two nods and a quick pulse of smile.
He gulped and smacked his lips.
“I hope it is worth it because I could use that money,” I said as I slumped into the couch.
I was not sure why, but the cushions felt rough and hard like the foam inside had dried. He pulled the ID out of his wallet and flung it to me like a Frisbee. It flew right through my hand into a crease.
The quality was good. The person in the picture had the same hair and eye color as me, but his face was rounder. He also was two inches taller, which I thought would not be so bad if I wore boots. It could work for what I was going to use it for but not bars or renting a car. After I thanked Tim, he raised a fist and shook it in reply and slipped over to the TV. It rocked on the tower of crates as he pressed the on button. Local news came on.
Tim finished and lit up a smoke as he looked at me with a gypsy gaze. He flicked me a smoke at me. This time I caught it. A question had come to mind, but I felt I had imposed on Tim’s prowess of acquisition enough that day. I considered not stressing the situation further but I asked, “Tim is there anyway I can get some product before going home or could we meet up, since you are only two hours away. I could make a day trip and we could hang out if possible?”
He shrugged and said, “We can get as much as we want before you go but give me an extra ten bucks and I’ll send some. All I have to do is buy one of those meat and cheese gift baskets, core out a sausage and put it in there. The smell will be masked by the food. Intercept the package and no one’s the wiser.”
“Can we talk about that later? I am going to go lie down,” I said. Tim waved as he stared at the TV screen.
The hallway was dark. The lights had not been turned on by the custodian yet, and the sounds of the furnace rattled and projected through the registers. A hint of diesel glossed the air and my room was pitch-black. I turned on my fan on to drown out the silence and set the alarm. The thin blanket was the only other thing I needed. Sleep couldn’t be denied.
Red numbers glowed from the floor. Some somnambulist fit must have dashed it to the ground. Only a few hours had gone by since I set the alarm and I had an hour to go. Then, I noticed the sun through the blinds and didn’t feel that tired anymore. A realization fell from the sky. It was eight in the morning. Class loomed in two hours but this gave me some mellow time, unhurried time, to take a super long hot shower and maybe get breakfast.
That day, all we did was hand in papers and were released to study. The others were playing catch up and my appetite returned. All I needed was to rest and not go out until after exams. I would take a break from the palace of excess so I could start on the path of wisdom. All was calm until the first day of exams.