College, Chapter 2
#3 of An Alternate Path
Dinners, parties, movies and buying way overpriced books occupied Welcome Week. In addition to unpacking over the weekend, Chuck, Mark and I spent time together at the bookstore, meals over that first weekend, and an open house at the HUB to check out different clubs and organizations. We spent time apart for our classes and the Deans' Lunches for our different schools.
I woke early on Monday, and snuck into the bathroom to the sounds of snoring coming from Chuck's and Mark's rooms. I don't know how long I spent in the shower exactly. Back home, my dad had a habit of timing showers, so I learned some efficiencies. Still, when I emerged from the shower, a cute skunk was eyeing me. At five foot eleven, I was the tallest in our room, though Mark and Chuck were not much shorter than me. "Is there hot water left?" Mark asked somewhat gruffly, probably due to just early morning fatigue.
"I hope so," I answered, tightening up my robe as I headed into my room to dress. "It's 64 degrees," the meterologist reported on the radio as I buttoned up my shirt and opened the curtains, "and foggy in State College today. Today's high will be near 80 degrees with thunderstorms possible in the afternoon." I brushed some hair mostly into place as some popular song came out of the radio. It may have been popular generally, but I did not care for it and switched off the radio, picking up my shoes and walking into the common room.
"Morning," Chuck mumbled, staring at our television to watch Good Morning, America.
"Morning. Shower yet?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Nah. I'll do that tonight," he answered. "So what's your major?" he asked to make conversation.
"Cinema. Yours?"
"Materials engineering." I noticed he had 2 pens and 4 mechanical pencils in his shirt pocket. Are those required for engineers, I wondered. I briefly pondered where he might keep his slide rule. I learned later he did not have one.
"I thought about engineering, well, architecture," I yawned, tying my shoes. "Maybe as a backup?"
Mark's door opened and he stepped out wearing a light blue shirt that complimented his eyes nicely. I don't know quite why I noticed this, but it might be the gay in me. It's something I've known for rather a while, even before puberty to be honest. I knew it, but did not know what it was. I dated two girls in high school, one in my class and one I knew through church. I thought about settling down with one or the other, but this notion held me back. It also did not help my cause that my girlfriend in high school decided to become a nun. Such are the problems you run into at a Catholic high school.
And just as an aside: I'm not Catholic myself. I just wanted a religious based education. Growing up in a predominantly Italian city, there was only one option for Christian education.
"How about you, Mark?" I asked, picking up my video camera.
"Huh?" he yawned.
"What's your major?"
"Music," he smiled, brightening up to talk about it. "I play piano, and organ in my family's church back in Montana. I might want to take some courses in composition, but definitely I want to study performance."
"I just play piano as a hobby," I nodded. "Bought a portable electronic keyboard with me, but you'll probably get better use out of it."
"Thanks!"
"But, there's a catch."
He looked curious as we walked down to the commons for breakfast.
"I'm studying cinema. Just after I graduated high school, I shot a short movie that's missing something, and certainly does not have a musical score. Keyboard in exchange for music?" I asked.
"Well, I can at least see it and try something," he grinned. "Thanks!"
"Thank you," I said an the same time. This was followed by "Jinx!" from both of us at the same time, and a rather silent breakfast. Chuck just shook his head.
"Rules?" Mark asked later when we stood in line at the bookstore with class lists in hand or paw.
"Well, keep the common room clean, and your room organized," Chuck suggested. This would be one of the few times he ever actually asserted himself. Most of our remaining years in school together he would quietly retire to his room.
"That will at least keep housing services off our backs," Mark and I agreed.
"First come, first served on the TV," I proposed. It was my TV, something my dad wanted me to have. Honestly, most TV was junk, I felt. Movies were the same way. A desire to produce TV and movies worth watching motivated me to study cinema in the first place.
"First come, first served on the shower too," Mark stated.
"I like to shower every day," I pointed out.
"Doesn't work well for me," Mark said. "Takes too long for my fur to dry out."
Chuck agreed with this, "Though my fur, especially my tail, is not as bad as yours."
At that point, we reached the head of the line and squeezed into the crowded bookstore. "Meet back at our dorm before our lunches?" I said. They nodded. My hundred pound weight set made my wallet much lighter, though it was nothing compared to Chuck's. Mark had the lightest set of weights, but his study consisted mostly of performing music. Consequently, he had many small pieces in his weight set.
"After lunch," I proposed as we left the dorm for our meetings, "let's get to the HUB and check out the clubs?" "Sounds good," Mark grinned.
Chuck nodded agreement, "OK."
We headed out.