snowy campus to the old frat house before I went to see Professor Collin.
The frat house was not in disuse as Corbin had said, but I felt certain he knew that. Otherwise he wouldn’t have worried about his little envelope getting found. The frat house just wasn’t officially open. Somehow, someone had gotten hold of keys and it became a sort of unofficial commons for the campus elite. This made it a perfect spot to drop an envelope since many people came and went and no one would notice me particularly, even if it was being watched.
I cleared a spot for myself on the snowy steps and glanced around, wondering what sort of alibi I could give myself in this weather. Lacking anything better to do, I asked a passing student for a cigarette and got what I wanted.
I am not a smoker.
Taking the cigarette in hand I asked the contributor for a light and once again got what I wanted. I sat there, holding the cigarette for a while, occasionally putting it up to my face, but never to my lips. The last thing I wanted was to start hacking away and blow my cover.
As I sat this way, I considered how to get the envelope from under the stairs without drawing attention to myself. My bag lay next to me on the step and people passed me on the other side. This seemed as reasonable an excuse as any, so with the next passing body, I scooted over on the steps and pushed the bag off into the garden. Swearing loudly I flicked the cigarette away and stepped off the landing, down into the snow and mud. Bending down, I snagged the envelope and shoved it in my pocket, then began beating the snow off my bag. Inwardly I thanked my unlucky stars that my new laptop wasn’t in the thing. After I finished with my bag, I tossed it back on my shoulder and sat back down on the steps, hesitant to make my break too quickly. A few more people came and went and I got another cigarette from them. When this had burned down to ash I tossed the butt away and got up, heading to Professor Collin and another delightfully tension-fraught ten minutes.
By this time the snow had begun to accumulate even faster. Walking down the sidewalk next to the road, I watched as cars crept by, sliding and fishtailing at the slightest braking.
I arrived at his office at 5:30, finding the entire floor vacated except for the light under his door. Knocking, I braced myself for anything. My imagination had a tendency of running away and now was no exception. Alternate thoughts had crossed my mind all day, ranging from him tossing my paper across his office and telling me I was an imbecile to him ravishing me on his desk.
If either happened, I was hoping for the latter.
“Come in.”
I entered the office to find him staring out the window at the parking lot below. He smiled at me quickly then went back to the sight that seemed so absorbing.
“What is it?” I asked, having entered the building from the other side. “Did someone get in a wreck?”
“Snow.”
“Yeah? What about it?” I flopped down in a chair and dropped my bag on the floor. My paper sat in the middle of his desk, as if he had waited particularly for me. Next to it sat his bag, packed and ready to go. “Did you wait for me? Sorry I’m so late. I got stuck on something and couldn’t get away.” Something for your alter ego, I thought wryly. He couldn’t very well hold my tardiness against me if it was in the service of his other self, now could he?
“You’re fine,” he said with a sigh, turning away from the window to face me. “It was just as bad at 5:00 as it is now. Actually I hoped the plows would come by, but I haven’t seen them.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not afraid of snow, are you?”
He grimaced. “I’m from Texas. I’ve never even seen this much snow, let alone driven in it.”
“Oh.” In the back of my mind I filed away that bit of information for the next time I felt like Googling him. “Well, then you have about four options.”
“Really? I’d love to hear
The frat house was not in disuse as Corbin had said, but I felt certain he knew that. Otherwise he wouldn’t have worried about his little envelope getting found. The frat house just wasn’t officially open. Somehow, someone had gotten hold of keys and it became a sort of unofficial commons for the campus elite. This made it a perfect spot to drop an envelope since many people came and went and no one would notice me particularly, even if it was being watched.
I cleared a spot for myself on the snowy steps and glanced around, wondering what sort of alibi I could give myself in this weather. Lacking anything better to do, I asked a passing student for a cigarette and got what I wanted.
I am not a smoker.
Taking the cigarette in hand I asked the contributor for a light and once again got what I wanted. I sat there, holding the cigarette for a while, occasionally putting it up to my face, but never to my lips. The last thing I wanted was to start hacking away and blow my cover.
As I sat this way, I considered how to get the envelope from under the stairs without drawing attention to myself. My bag lay next to me on the step and people passed me on the other side. This seemed as reasonable an excuse as any, so with the next passing body, I scooted over on the steps and pushed the bag off into the garden. Swearing loudly I flicked the cigarette away and stepped off the landing, down into the snow and mud. Bending down, I snagged the envelope and shoved it in my pocket, then began beating the snow off my bag. Inwardly I thanked my unlucky stars that my new laptop wasn’t in the thing. After I finished with my bag, I tossed it back on my shoulder and sat back down on the steps, hesitant to make my break too quickly. A few more people came and went and I got another cigarette from them. When this had burned down to ash I tossed the butt away and got up, heading to Professor Collin and another delightfully tension-fraught ten minutes.
By this time the snow had begun to accumulate even faster. Walking down the sidewalk next to the road, I watched as cars crept by, sliding and fishtailing at the slightest braking.
I arrived at his office at 5:30, finding the entire floor vacated except for the light under his door. Knocking, I braced myself for anything. My imagination had a tendency of running away and now was no exception. Alternate thoughts had crossed my mind all day, ranging from him tossing my paper across his office and telling me I was an imbecile to him ravishing me on his desk.
If either happened, I was hoping for the latter.
“Come in.”
I entered the office to find him staring out the window at the parking lot below. He smiled at me quickly then went back to the sight that seemed so absorbing.
“What is it?” I asked, having entered the building from the other side. “Did someone get in a wreck?”
“Snow.”
“Yeah? What about it?” I flopped down in a chair and dropped my bag on the floor. My paper sat in the middle of his desk, as if he had waited particularly for me. Next to it sat his bag, packed and ready to go. “Did you wait for me? Sorry I’m so late. I got stuck on something and couldn’t get away.” Something for your alter ego, I thought wryly. He couldn’t very well hold my tardiness against me if it was in the service of his other self, now could he?
“You’re fine,” he said with a sigh, turning away from the window to face me. “It was just as bad at 5:00 as it is now. Actually I hoped the plows would come by, but I haven’t seen them.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not afraid of snow, are you?”
He grimaced. “I’m from Texas. I’ve never even seen this much snow, let alone driven in it.”
“Oh.” In the back of my mind I filed away that bit of information for the next time I felt like Googling him. “Well, then you have about four options.”
“Really? I’d love to hear
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