Having finished her tea and chatting with Athena, Julesa excuses herself from the table. The time is going on 11:00 am and she has documents to print before classes start. Athena wishes her a fun time in class; Carson shakes her hand and says he will see her later.
Athena takes another bite of yogurt: her food is halfway gone and she is feeling full. If she were not feeling sick, she would have polished off the yogurt within minutes. Small adjustments now will help her body recover in the long run.
Carson's coffee has gone cold and his oatmeal is gone. He watches Athena as she swallows her bite. Once it is clear Athena has swallowed her bite, Carson checks in with her.
"Is the yogurt fighting back at you?" Carson is asking Athena if her stomach can digest the Greek yogurt. Athena responds accordingly.
"No, the yogurt is easy for me to handle. I am not feeling nauseous or the urge to faint. It goes down smoothly." In other words, Greek yogurt is not hard for Athena's digest track to handle, it tastes good and is chock full of nutrients her body needs. Carson continues distracting Athena with more questions.
"Tell me about you and Julesa. See seems nice in her own way." While Carson is used to Luis's blunt personality and Athena's direct communication style, Julesa's unapologetic flare caught him off guard. He is starting to see how Athena is growing more comfortable with her sarcasm: Julesa.
Athena shoves a loaded scoop of yogurt into her mouth and swallows. She answers Carson after sipping from her water. "We met during summer orientation of freshman year: we were sitting across from each other in a lecture hall. An isle separated us by ten feet. We turned towards each other and started chatting..."
Carson closes his eyes, rests his left hand on his left cheek, and finishes his coffee He is listening to Athena.
"Somewhere during our conversation, I find out Julesa moved to Settle from Canada. She left her parents and two younger sisters behind. The opposite of my family: they moved to Berkely from Seattle and left me here." Athena stops talking and starts laughing. She laughs at how life's simple pleasures can spark a friendship: family sparked her friendship with Julesa.
While laughing and reflecting on her connection with Julesa, another thought comes to mind. "In addition to our family situations, Julesa and I spent a lot of time together our first year of Nursing school. We parted ways after orientation and kept running into each other during classes. At one point we had the same class schedule, with a few exceptions here and there."
"What was your first impression of Julesa?"
"I thought she was mean."
The couple laughs at Athena's confession.
"And why did you think she was mean, At?"
Athena takes a few more seconds to finish laughing.
"Julesa is the most candid, unfiltered, honest, and blunt person I have met. She is also caring and loyal. When we first met, I felt our personalities mixed well."
There have been a few instances where Athena has experienced bullying: Julesa told the bullies off and encourages Athena to be assertive. Athena is working on being assertive and uses sarcasm to get her points across in a clever way. She continues talking with Carson.
"I know Julesa can be uncanny with her words. But, trust her and will be keeping her as a confidant." Julesa will be staying by Athena's side for the long haul.
Carson has opened his eyes and smirks at Athena. Finding a friend is difficult as an adult: finding a friend who keeps it real and shows up for their friend counterpart is rare. In his mind, Carson can see how Julesa will support Athena.
Athena finishes the las of her yogurt: she took her time and does not feel the need to vomit. The time is going on at 11:45 am. Getting another walk-in before the afternoon hits prompts Carson to buy a coffee refill. His blood may as well be made of coffee, Athena thinks to herself.
Carson goes back into Cherry Street Market in search of fresh coffee and another caffeine fix. Athena busts the table and tosses the compostable cutlery into the green bin. As she places the dirty dishes on the rack return above the trash cans, four singles tear crawl down her right cheek. Sadness is starting to creep in like a surprise party Athena did not ask for.
Athena collects herself and meets Carson by the cashier stand. The sudden onslaught of tears reminds Athena she is not invisible and has the right to feel her emotions. Jumping from feeling happy and present to sad could be her new normal for the next few months. She comments on Carson's coffee.
"Were you able to fix your coffee to your liking this go around?" She noticed the disgusted look on Carson's face as he drank his first cup of Pike Place roast with skim milk: when they first started dating, he had the same reaction when she surprised him with coffee mixed with skim milk.
"Yes, this time, the two percent milk was fresh and cold. I created the perfect ratio of coffee to milk." For Carson, the perfect ratio of coffee to milk is three parts coffee to one part milk. One of the many quirks Athena has picked up on over the years that make her fall in love with Carson over and over again.
"I am glad your coffee is to your liking. May we head back to my house? I am starting to feel under the weather and would like to rest." Athena uses the phrase 'under the weather as a pseudonym for 'I am not feeling well emotionally.' Carson responds to Athena with empathy.
"Of course At, we can go home after I finish paying. What is going through your mind?"
He looks at Athena with a gentle smile. She smiles back and does not verbally respond. Some messages are better conveyed through non-verbal cues: Athen tells Carson I don't want to discuss what is going through my mind, by smiling.