Today: Nola
"One more second!" I was throwing my clothes around haphazardly, looking for the perfect tank top. It's finally the big day and our entire science dorm is leaving for a trip to the local botanical gardens. I am running late as usual.
The Botany majors make a trek 3 hours out every year. We have a short memorial at the Botanical Gardens to honor a student that went missing a while back. Sad as it is, I have been more concerned with studying for my exams late in to the night, hence why I slept in and am now running late.
I pulled on the finishing touches to my outfit, my favorite hoodie. There is nothing like wearing a big baggy hoodie right before the crisp air of winter fully fades in to Spring. I ran out the door to join my best friends, Freya and Diego.
"Hey Eggy, hey Frey, sorry about running so late! You would not believe the amount of work Dr. Young is giving me!" I hustled out the door to my friends, throwing my arms around each of their shoulders.
"If it's half as much as this dumb theory class is, I definitely can understand." Freya said. "I have no idea where to start with my term paper."
Eggy laughed at Freya, "I haven't even turned in my topic yet"
Ash and I burst in to a giggle fit and shook our heads. His topic was due two weeks ago. Diego, otherwise known to us as Eggy, is not the dutiful scholar Frey and I attempt to be. His dad is a top scientist in Botany and has pushed Eggy in to the field. His real passion has always been music, but he has settled for being a minor.
"Guys I can't believe it, I forgot to pack the snacks." It is so disheartening that yet again; I have dropped the ball. "Sleeping in threw my entire morning off, I am SO sorry!"
"It's ok Nola, I had a feeling you wouldn't remember so I took the liberty of packing all our snacks while you were snoozing over the alarm." Freya had always been protective over me. She's been my lifelong friend and we have taken care of each other since before I can remember.
We used to walk along the railroad tracks on the edge of our city at dusk. It was fun tossing rocks in to the river, a satisfying plunk as our reward. The corner market was only a block away from my house, so we would stop for some Panda crackers and Pocky's on the way back. They always had the most eccentric snacks there.
I stopped daydreaming so the three of us could get on to the charter bus. The bus driver was his usual grumpy self, muttering under his breath about us holding the trip up. Out of breath and laughing through our gasps, we found our seats and plopped down. The bus ride is slow and boring, until Frey decides she is going to sneak in to the snack supply.
"Hey Nola guess what I snuck in to your snack list?" Freya asked me with a smirk on her face. She pulled out my favorite snack of all time.
"No way!" I exclaimed. "You didn't?! Did you? Could you have really brought me some chocolate pandas from back home?" The University we went to had a decent supply of your basic snacks and canned goods, but they didn't have what I wanted most.
"Only for my numero uno!" I knew Freya had taken a brief weekend trip back home to see her parents. I should have known she would have thought about me. You cannot believe how overjoyed I am that Frey had brought a mini treasure trove of goodies from home. My mouth was salivating as I ripped open a box, not wanting to wait any longer to dig in.
"I'm one of the luckiest people out there for sure, because there's no way anyone has a better group of friends than I do." I am so excited to receive the chocolate filled crackers. "I love the crunch, followed by my gooey, BROWN life blood. That chocolate inside is everything to my taste buds." It was the warmth of home, and of memories from our childhood.
Freya's parents split when she was young. Her mom ran off and her dad was never the same after that. He pushed himself in to work full force from that point on, and I gained a sister. She slept in my bed, shared my clothes, and we took care of each other. Her dad would send her money and give her all the credit cards, but that doesn't replace the love of a missing father. Those however, are the memories I don't want us to dwell on.
"Hey If she's numero uno, what am I, chop suey?" Eggy joked with Freya. I'd always thought he had a long-time crush on her, but I know he would never admit it.
Frey elbowed him in the ribs, "numero dos, duh." We laughed together as the bus pulled in to the busy parking lot. Although the air conditioning in the bus was heavenly, the cool, early spring breeze was even more delightful. Winter is coming to an end and the early spring weather is perfect for hoodies and chocolate filled crackers.
"I heard they had some new exhibits from your dad's research studies, Eggy." I said to him as we walked in the main gates, "Do you know how cool it is that your DAD is featured here?" As an up and coming botanist myself, I had much respect for his father and all his accomplishments.
Eggy looked lost in thought for a moment before he responded. "Yeah, I guess it's cool, but all I hear about at home is his research. Just once I would like to sit down and have a non-plant related conversation." There was a sadness in his voice as he faded off back in to his thoughts. I worry about him some days.
Freya and I know Eggy is an amazing musician, practically at the prodigy level, but his dad would never accept it as a degree and future career path. Diego had started playing violin as soon as he could hold one. It had taken a large chunk of his heart to deny his fingers their strings, and trade them for plant stems. He had a beautiful BROWN Holstein violin his mom had spared no expense buying; having an almost famous father had its perks. Although I knew he had eyes for Freya, Eggy's first love would always be his violin.
His mom may have purchased it, but it wasn't out of love and admiration for his talent. He wasn't close to his mother, and even called her by her first name. She was always ready to swipe a credit card if it meant Diego was out of her way, and ultimately out of her research. We think Diego's parents only stay together because of their research, but at least Freya's parents had the brains to split before they tore each other's throats out. Mr. and Mrs. Green are always going for the sore spots, and in public at that. I still admire their brains, but I prefer to do it from across the state at a safe distance.
My heart beat fast looking at the map of all the exhibits. We were rushed straight in to a quick tour of the facilities, as well as given the list of what was expected of us. Even though we were all college students, there would always be those who didn't mature as fast as the rest of us. Their immaturity made my eyes roll every time.
I turned to whisper to Freya, "You'd think by your twenties you wouldn't have classmates putting whoopee cushions under the professor's chairs and fart machines in the green house."
She held in a giggle in response, trying to not gain the attention of said whoopee cushion victim currently addressing the class. After the pranks had begun, Dr. Young had slowly lost her sense of humor, as well as her sanity. Although she was highly regarded as an independent, charismatic person, her thought process seemed to take a hit from all the years of teenage torture. I suppose everyone hits a breaking point after a while.
As the three of us had discussed, we would end at the new exhibit by Eggy's dad. I was eyeing the water lily posters that lined the walls of the main hall, feeling like a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately, Freya is more interested in the reforestation project, two buildings over. Whether we could believe it or not, someone is actually running an experiment in one of the greenhouses on the effect of music and how it can apply to growing a garden. I'm excited for Diego and knowing his two degrees can join in a peaceful manner. I guarantee Diego will be heading there for most of the day.
I was so lost in thought I didn't even realize someone was approaching us until a shadow passed over my face. A very large shadow, from a towering man.
"Diego Green, how is it that you have been here almost 20 minutes and I have yet to see you at my exhibit?" Diego's dad, Forest, had stopped by the Gardens unexpectedly, and definitely unannounced. I always thought it was an interesting career choice for a botanist to be named Forest. It might be a greater laughing point if his wife, who was a renown geneticist, had been named DNA. She wasn't though, her name was Mary, but that's just how my mind works.
"Hey dad, I wasn't expecting you. I thought you were going to be in New York giving lectures the rest of the week." Eggy was always polite, but I could tell his dad's sudden appearance had left him unnerved. As usual, his plans would probably be overlooked and his dad would expect him by his side. I felt bad for him, but I wasn't going to let his dad ruin my day for anything.
I pulled Freya away from the crowd of students we came with, as they were swarming Dr. Green and Diego. Crowds were not my best atmosphere and occasionally caused me severe anxiety.
"Frey can you please tell me there's a way to pull Diego out of that crowd so he can get to the greenhouse? I hate to see him miss it." She shrugged at me, knowing once his dad had him, he would never make it out.
"As much as I would love to pull him by the arm, I'd probably just end up with an arm, and his dad would buy him a new one," She loved to joke but we both know there was some truth in it, scary as it was.
I popped the last handful of my delicious panda crackers in my cheek, hamster style, as we walked out of the building. "Man, Freya, this was the best surprise."
Brown. The color of Chocolate