“I throw my hands up in the air sometimes saying ay-oh, gotta let go...” played through Elisabeth’s ear buds as she unpacked her picture frames from the UPS moving boxes and hung them above her bed frame. Her brown curls fell below her shoulders swaying back and forth like a pendulum on an old grandfather clock as she hopped on and off her bed to reach the upper part of the wall. Elisabeth had dreamed of this day forever, but wasn’t ready for the reality of it all. Her roommate hadn’t arrived yet, so she freely chose the bed by the window. Elisabeth had always loved the sunshine, and sleeping by the window would remind her of the childhood memories she never wanted to forget. Shoes, hair bands, and books were sprawled all about the floor of her dorm room as she worked to organize everything. Books were Elizabeth’s favorite. Growing up, her mother continually nagged about how great reading was, “It opens up the creativity in your mind,” she would frequently say. When Elisabeth reached her sophomore year in high school she finally became an avid reader. She was an exceptional student, star yearbook editor, and she would never fail to remember her times in cross country where she set her record of a 10.15 minute 2 miles distance. But now, the past behind her and a fresh start of the unknown was laid out in front of her.

Elisabeth was caught off guard when she heard a knock and a friendly,

“Hello is anyone in here yet?” at the door. Elisabeth set down the purple fitted sheet she was about to position onto her bed and straightened out her t-shirt as she opened the door.

“Oh hey, Heather, I’m so glad you are here now. I’ve just been unpacking all my stuff,” Heather’s face shone so cheerful with her bleach blonde hair up in a messy bun and her black nine west sunglasses placed right above her hairline. Heather and Elisabeth had met through Facebook and chatted about how to decorate their dorm room a few months back. Thankfully each girl loved pictures, and so they decided their room was going to be lined all out with picture collages of each of their lives back at home. Heather from Tampa, Florida and Elisabeth from the outskirts of Tennessee became friends quite quickly, despite how different their backgrounds were. Heather grew up as an only child with overprotective parents and she was more than ready to be free from their grasp, like a bug caught in a spider’s web. On the other hand Elisabeth felt the most comforted back at home and still wasn’t too sure about this big change happening before her eyes.

Elisabeth helped Heather bring in her luggage, and set it all on her bed, explained to her where everything was and which desk would be hers. Heather spoke once they had carried in all her boxes and pillows,

“My, my, once you have all your stuff in here, the dorm room appears even smaller than it actually is.”

“Yeah, I know right?” Elisabeth replied to her roommate’s comment with a slight chuckle. She then resumed making her bed.

“Hey Elisabeth, I’m gonna walk over to the Starbucks across campus. I’m dying for a non-fat latte. Want to come with?” Heather stared at her friend’s piercing blue eyes awaiting an answer.

“What about all your stuff? Weren’t you goin’ to unpack?”

“Yeah, but I don’t feel up to it just yet. I mean, also, just look at you, you look like a person whose been staring at the computer screen too long. You need to get out and have a break from all this unpacking.” Heather was a charmer, and charmed she did. Elisabeth, thought to herself, no she was not stressed, but yes Heather’s right. She did need a break and some sunshine would knock her out of this trance she was in from being in the dorm room for nearly three hours already.

“Alright, alright you win. Let me throw on my Sperry’s.” Hearing Elisabeth’s reply, Heather smiled and her straight white teeth were clearly seen.

The girls reached the doors that opened out onto the beautiful Kenyon campus. The sun seemed to shine quite bright, but the heat wasn’t as bad today and the weather seemed perfect for the day of a new beginning, even for an August day. There seemed to be hustle and bustle everywhere, parents with their freshman’s luggage, hauling it to wherever their child’s dorm room was located. Heather chatted on and on about her drive to Kenyon. Meanwhile, Elisabeth acted the most interested as always, like a cat stalking a dead fly, but in reality she wasn’t the least bit fascinated. All she could think about were the last words with her parents early that morning before they drove away, leaving her standing on the curb with pondering thoughts of a new life in her mind.

“I love you honey, so much. Don’t ever forget Proverbs 16:9, and always remember no matter how drastic the change in life, God is by your side along for the ride.” Elisabeth liked to think she had the best relationship with her mother more than any other daughter in the whole world. Growing up with two older brothers, she and her mom treasured their friendship. When she still lived at home, she did all her shopping with her mom, talked to her about her first crush and everything. She never wanted that to change.

But now, here she was walking alongside her college roommate, majoring in Sociology. She didn’t understand how or why things worked out the way they did. She missed her life at home and how secure she felt in her own little world. “But God probably has a really big plan for my life and that is why I am in this present moment. I know God will use me,” she thought to herself. After a while she let her thoughts disappear like sand does in a soft breeze. She began noticing the full grown luscious trees around her and began to observe Heather’s wardrobe. Elisabeth wasn’t too interested in fashion, but she’d like to think she had at least some sort of fashion sense. But now, looking at Heather, she knew she was hopeless when it came to wearing “what’s in”. Elisabeth was yet again interrupted by her daydreaming and looked at Heather, who appeared to be gazing at someone in the distance and pointing, then giggling like she was back in junior high.

“Look Lissy! Look! Oh man, isn’t he cute? College is gonna be so awesome with all these guys who are finally starting to mature.” Heather exclaimed into Elisabeth’s face. Elisabeth thought to herself, Lissy, a nickname, oh great. I’ve always hated nicknames. I thought my name was pretty enough, why do people need to call me anything different? She looked into the direction of her friend’s pointer finger and noted the stranger. Sure he is attractive, but please when you play football outside with your “buds”, wear a shirt. The two young adults carried on their walk to the Starbucks with Heather going on and on about every good-looking guy they passed. She sounded like a broken record that would never shut up. Elisabeth hoped Heather wouldn’t be like this all the time; or at least wished Heather would find another friend or two to hang out with so she wouldn’t have to listen to her high-pitched voice gab all day long.