Sipping my coffee, I feel it’s welcome burn all the way to my belly. Should I bother checking out social media today? A glinting shimmer in my peripheral vision catches my attention, looking to my left I see the little black bottle with the vintage lace.
“Oh, I forgot about you, my precious,” I purr to the bottle. Twisting the top, I hear a release of air, the smell of cinnamon fills my nose. Squeezing the eye-dropper plunger, blue liquid climbs up the plastic tube. Recalling Esmeralda, I hold the dropper over my mug releasing two drops. Taking my spoon, I give it a quick stir, bring it to my lips and take a big scalding gulp. “Oh, shit that’s hot,” I screech, holding my tongue out fanning it with my hand.
“Ten, are you chugging hot coffee again?” Ronnie asks, causing me to almost fall out of my comfy chair. I was so focused on the potion I didn’t hear her come in.
Scrambling to right myself, “Crap, Ron. Make some noise when you come in, you scared the bejesus out of me.”
“So, did you add the potion?” she asks, raising her eyebrows up and down at me in excitement.
“Yes, I did,” I state, sticking my chin in the air.
“Well, is it working?” she asks. My mouth opens with a response, pausing when a gust of air moves through the room smelling of roses, the wind ruffling my hair, a light jingle of bells ringing in my ears.
Turning my head back and forth, “Did you hear that?” I ask, seeking the source of the sound.
“Hear what?” she responds.
“I heard wind chimes,” I say, my eyes peering at the window, it’s closed. “I don’t think it’s supposed to work yet. I guess we should have asked,” I say distracted by the sound. Shrugging it off, hiding the jitters running under my skin, “How was your run?” I ask.
Smiling, her face glistening with sweat she chimes, “Thrilling.” Stretching her arms above her head, “Running is such a great endorphin rush and it’s the best way to clear the mind.”
“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it. If I try running, with Thing One and Thing Two on my chest, I would end up with two black eyes and bruised shoulders from the bouncing.”
Snickering, she grabs her shower caddy and disappears into the bathroom.
The average college dorm has two beds, two desks and all showers are communal. We are some of the lucky college students, or I should say I got lucky that Ronnie chose to be my guardian. Her dad pays for us to be in a suite room so we are fortunate enough to have a bathroom in our room. Meaning no group showers for me. There is nothing more horrifying than having to get naked in front of a bunch of other women.
“I’ll be back in a few, get ready and we’ll Uber across campus and get a good cup of coffee before class. You have your Human Brain class and Advanced Chemistry today, right?” she yells from the bathroom.
“Yes, I do. I get my brain learning and then a good brain scrambling before the day is done.” I love my Human Brain class but Chemistry is one of my few weaknesses. I still have a hundred percent in the class but it challenges me and I love a challenge.
Laughing, she closes the bathroom door, from inside, she shouts, “You love it and you know it.”
She’s right, I do. My class load this semester is one that would make most college grad students cringe, but I’m thrilled with it. Psychology 1201: Your Brain on Drugs, Cellular Neurobiology, Advanced Chemistry, Intro to Neuro Science, and A Clinical Approach to the Human Brain. Each class essential to my undergrad degree in Cognitive Psychology and Brain Science, the study of why we remember some things and forget others. Focusing on Alzheimer’s, speech struggles and memory problems. I want to know why the brain does what it does. Why, when certain areas are affected, we forget our whole lives, everyone we love and every piece of who we are. It’s a subject that greatly impacts my life and it’s my passion.
Ronnie’s return snaps me from my daze. I have sat at my desk doing nothing the entire forty-five minutes she was getting ready but I finished my cup of coffee. I don’t look any different. I don’t feel any different. Maybe the potion takes a little bit, or it’s a multiple dose type potion, only working once it’s had a chance to build in your system.
Grabbing my yoga pants, my warm Winnie the Pooh hoodie and grabbing my new red matching bra and underwear set, I scurry to the bathroom to finish getting ready. I slip on my Chucks and grab a scrunchie to pull my thick hair up in a messy bun. Yes, I still use scrunchies. Don’t judge me. They’re the only thing that will hold this mess of hair up off my neck, so I have a complete collection of 80’s style scrunchie’s that Ronnie makes fun of on a regular basis. I’m positive I was born in the wrong decade or maybe my love for my mom and her love for the 80’s is what fuels my love for retro clothes and songs.
“How about we walk to the coffee shop instead of taking an Uber?” I suggest.
Eye’s as big as saucers, she holds her hand to my forehead, “Are you feeling alright? You want to walk in the cold, all the way across campus?”
Pushing her hand away, “Oh, stop it. Yes, I want to walk,” I huff. I understand her concern; I never want to walk anywhere if I don’t have to. Exercise is a four-letter word in my vocabulary but today I feel like
