It was already 4:10 p.m., and the sun was about to set on a very interesting afternoon. Ella bid farewell to us because she still had one more class to attend, while Michelle and I headed to the parking lot.
As promised, Michelle fetched me home on her trusty red Vios. While on the way back, I heard a familiar tune on Michelle's smartphone, which also turned out to be one of her favorite songs.
Singin' don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing is gonna be alright
It was 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley. Michelle was no reggae fan but the song truly encapsulated her personality: that of a confident, optimistic, fun-loving individual.
Michelle and I sang to this song with joy and enthusiasm. Not even the gridlock prevented us from belting out our highest notes.
Another song that Michelle brought along was 'Walking on Sunshine' by Katrina and the Waves. We also sang the opening lines with gusto.
I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I'm sure
And I just can't wait till the day when you knock on my door
Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down
'Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me you're coming around
I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!)
And don't it feel good
Hey, alright now
And don't it feel good, hey
Michelle's sunny disposition made me much better. After a morning full of exasperation and despair, my afternoon with Michelle more than made up for it.
Returning to my condominium unit, I was greeted by the smell of grilled squid and chicken caldereta. The kitchen became Charissa's personal playground: proof that she had officially transitioned into a hands-on mother.
The Charissa I used to know was gone. The news anchor had naturally become a full-time housewife.
At the dinner table Charissa and I had a chat about my initial day in school.
"How was your first day?" Charissa inquired me.
Before uttering a single word, however, I hastily left the room in tears and went outside. Shortly after, Charissa followed.
"What's wrong Christine? Why did you walk out?" Charissa questioned anxiously.
"Mom, I had a terrible morning," my wobbly voice reminding Charissa what happened. "You told me that I'm already prepared to go to school on my own. But it turns out my mind was not ready. There is hellish traffic, malfunctioned public transport, even those homeless people who were trying to take advantage of me. And worse, I came in late for class."
Before continuing to talk, I turned my back on Charissa and wept openly. I was so frustrated with myself that I punched the pavement with my bare hands extremely hard it opened a small wound.
"Christine," Charissa shouted. "Calm down and listen. I used to commute from here to school back in my teenage years. It takes some time getting used to, but you will get the hang of it. However, you need to stay positive when things go rough, otherwise it will only bother you forever."
After tending to my bloodied fists with her handkerchief, Charissa touched my shoulders and gave me some more words of advice. It must be one very touching and emotional sermon.
"Listen Christine. I'm trying to help you. Please take these words to heart, okay? Now let's go back inside and finish our meal."
I turned my body back towards Charissa and she promptly wiped the tears away. After a heartfelt embrace, we went straight to the unit and resumed dinner, except there was still one more thing to unleash out of my chest.
"Mom, there is something you need to know," I announced to Charissa. "I talked to Michelle earlier and she decided to fetch me from here to school and back. Is it alright with you?"
"I'm ok with that as long as you stay safe," Charissa approved of my plan. "Now let's go back inside and finish our meal."
Just then, my mobile phone began to ring. It was Corinna, my classmate from creative writing class, who made the call.
Corinna: "Christine, will you be available tomorrow morning?"
Christine: "Corinna, my first class doesn't start until 11:20 a.m. I'm free tomorrow morning."
Corinna: "Ok then. We'll meet at the university park tomorrow. Kindly contact me if you're there, okay?"
Christine: "Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow. Farewell."
"Who was that?" Charissa wondered as I promptly took a spoon full of delicious food.
"It's my new classmate Corinna," I responded in kind. "She's my new friend."
"I see. Oh well. I hope Corinna doesn't do anything stupid to harm you," Charissa sternly warned me.
"Mother, there's nothing to worry about, I promise," I assuredly told Charissa.
"Ok then," Charissa said. "I'll defer any passing judgment for now. But if something wrong happens to you, I won't hesitate to step in."
The next morning, I came to school early because Michelle needed to attend basketball practice at 8:00 a.m. But Corinna had not shown up yet so it was off to the library for me.
The university library is six stories high and has an enormous collection of books, documents, artifacts and other literary materials inside. It also has six conference rooms per floor, a coffee shop, a computer room and even a nap room which was where Michelle and I went the other day.
The library is extremely cold which is why I always brought along my jacket for comfort's sake. Suffice to say, the library is a perfect sanctuary to not only research but also to relax at my leisure.
At around 9:00 a.m., Corinna texted me to go to the university park. I immediately obliged.
Upon meeting Corinna, I observed a woman with a rebellious and no-nonsense attitude. She sported a pixie cut, a nose ring, some goth-inspired makeup, black shirts, pants and leather shoes, and a few tattoos to boot.
But I was undeterred. After all this is the very woman I befriended yesterday morning and there is something about her that intrigued me.
Cross my heart. I am about to experience some personal enlightenment from this unusual woman.