I was applying aloe moisturizer on my skin when the phone rang.

"It's me, hello there."

"How goes it?" I asked. 

"Say, you hungry at all?"

"Ate a granola bar and that's it. I'm pretty hungry."

"I made too much pulled pork," she said. "Come down to my suite for a bite?"

"I'd love to," I said, switching my phone to my other ear. "Fifteen minutes sound good?"

"Great. It's been lying here in my pot crock and none of my suite can finish it. I think you can devour it, no?" she laughed. "Of course those sour patches won't fill up everything."

I laughed. 

It was just past noon. Her place was about a ten minute bus ride away, just before approaching the town that was notoriously known as the "student ghetto." During the late nights it's impossible to catch the bus back because it's always filled with drunk students. At this hour it was empty. Swirling through the path out of campus, the bus would curve towards the avenue and go straight down. Along the way the bus would pass the bank, dentists, houses, Stewart's, an elementary school, and a few other eateries. I got off the bus, and walked towards her place: an ordinary two-story dwelling. She opened the door once I knocked, and welcomed me in the dining room. Melon was wearing sweatpants with her oversized Obey sweatshirt. 

A waft of pulled pork and fresh linen filled the room. Along with that there was the faint smell of someone's perfume. An Ariana Grande album was quietly playing through the Bose speakersystem placed on the coffee table. 

"Nice to see you show up," Melon said, placing before me a glass of water. "My roommate's in her room. She's pretty shy. The others are in class."

"Right," I couldn't think of anything more to say. 

She smiled. "Pulled pork will be right up."

"I'm glad," I said. "Thanks so much. I'm sure it's delicious as ever, no doubt about it."

She gave another smile, and walked back to the kitchen to get the pork ready. I took a sip of water and breathed a sigh. Behind me was the living room where there was a long L-shaped sofa and a coffee table in front. The entrance was adjacent, and by the side was a shoe rack stacked with a wide fashion of shoes from high heels to New Balance sneakers. A few steps over and there was a hallway with three other doors that led to Melon's suitemate's rooms. The footsteps from the neighbors above pounded, almost even shaking the room. It was something I'm sure was a nuisance for Melon and her suitemates. 

"So what are you up to today," she came with a plate full of pork. 

"Well I think I'm going to get screwed over for my journalism," I said.

"Why?"

"Well I'm supposed to interview a war veteran and report it," I said. "I visited a veteran house earlier but nobody answered the door. I called and left a message. Haven't gotten a call back. And this is due tomorrow."

"Gotta make use of time," she shook her head. "Didn't that happen to you before?"

"Yeah. Getting a hold of people isn't something you could pull off that easily. People are always busy, doing their own thing."

"Wonder why I got a hold of you in an instant," she giggled. "You must have nothing to do you lazy boy you."

"Hey, I'm a busy student here," I said. "By the way this pork looks amazing."

"Oh it's nothing. Girls gotta cook. Can't take-out so much anymore."

I took a bite of the pork and another. It was delicious.

"So I heard you were performing some kind of taekwondo thing sometime this month?" she asked.

"You heard right," I said, taking a sip of water to wash down the pork. "Some solid practice and we should be good to go."

"So you're like the captain?"

"Co-captain," I corrected her. "My roommate is also captain. He usually does all the leading and handles the paperwork. I give him suggestions if things could be added. Basically I got his back."

She nodded, taking a sip of her water. "Looking forward to it."

"Please do. We're going to woo the audience and shut down the stage."

"Okay, yeah sure."


I left about an hour later and it was lightly raining. I zipped up my jacket and held the umbrella Melon lent me. Slowly I walked towards the bus stop, avoiding puddles.