Extraordinary Mistakes II - Blood Ties

Safe space

April 2018

Sofie got the results of her application, she got in her first choice, her mother's alma matter, and would start her freshman year in a few months. Marianne congratulated her but left right away. Not that Sofie expected a party of the sort. She drove off to meet her father at the cemetery, parked the car, walked all the way to his grave, and stayed there for over an hour.

Telling him how she got in and that she didn't know what to expect. This is her first time interacting with fellow students and meeting new people. How different would they be from her? She showed him her red shoes and asked if her black hair suited her.

A shadow lurks in a corner. Hiding from her. It's not the first time that Sofie notices it. A movement that follows her around now and then.

M, stop hiding. Sofie turns around quickly and sees the shadow leaving. The person's face is hidden with a hoodie. Not one of her father's.

When she gets home, surprisingly, Marianne is there, waiting for her.

"Let's go. Grab a coat, Sofie, it's chilly," she says in Norwegian and hands her the coat.

"Where are we going?" Sofie replies in English and Marianne doesn't answer.

They drive all the way to the center, pass by the campus that Sofie will start studying soon and then Marianne parks on the road. A merely fifteen-minute walk.

"Before buying the house, me and your father lived on this street. We chose it because we could walk to the university. Moving out of our parents' house for college in Oslo, back when we were 18, was the best thing for us both. The independence. Deciding how and when we did our things. That's an invaluable experience." Marianne says in Norwegian.

"Meaning, Marianne?" Sofie scoffs and replies in English.

"Meaning, Sofie..." Marianne sighs and replies in English, switching after to Norwegian, "we are here to see an apartment for you."

Sofie looks down and a shy smile appears on her lips. Marianne notices it and looks away, takes a few steps in the direction of the building.

***

Sofie moves into her apartment a few weeks before the classes start. She's getting used to being on her own. Marianne transfers her the money each month and Sofie has to manage it. On her first day in the new apartment, she orders online a package of dark brown contact lenses. They arrive on the next day. Sofie puts them on and sees the blue in her eyes disappear completely.

I'm Sophie Myers. You? She practices a smile.

She couldn't have imagined how chaotic the first day of classes would be. People are everywhere. She's using her earphones trying to avoid all the noise. People chatter and scream and it's easy to spot the new students in comparison with the older ones that are just getting to their classrooms.

Some older students race to meet her and hand her a flyer about a party they are having later today. They all smile and hope to see her there.

"Sophie, I'll remember you and I'll know if you aren't there tonight!" One says with a huge smile.

Such an interaction doesn't evoke any feeling in her. She doesn't understand why he'd remember her if they just met and how he'd know if she didn't show up. Would he check every face at the party?

After her first day, in which a lot of her classmates tried to make small talk with her and she just plain ignored them, she goes to Marianne's office.

"I'm sorry, Sofie. I was just leaving. Did you have a good first day?" Marianne asks in Norwegian while grabbing her laptop and closing the door.