Dark Like Me 2: Game of Desire

Chapter 10: Fate

Campus at night, is a lot different from the daytime. Students that love the dark are out socializing with friends, reading dark poetry, or playing some historical music. I and Shiriki walk by a radio playing some low romantic music while a couple making out on a blanket. I cringe and groan in disgust and jealousy, we continue to walk on behind the Art building to see a few other students smoking weed.

"You seemed a little distracted tonight during dinner or whatever you want to call it," Shiriki speaks up grabbing a small branch from the tree above them before moving on.

"Yeah, I kind of was." I look to the side, not sure if I wanted to talk about what was really bothering me. I mean, I do not know him and he does not know me. But. . .I know having someone to talk to certain things about is always a good thing. I remember one of my first semester college professors telling me, "it's always good to have someone to talk to. Even loners need someone."

"Do you want to talk about it? Or is it too much, too personal? Because I know, you do not know me very well. But, I can try to help out." He offers snapping a twig in half.

Classic line, I think. It is always nice to have someone to talk to.

 "It's my boyfriend." I go ahead.

"Boyfriend?" Shiriki hummed.

"Yeah, since he's been to Florida he has not returned any of my calls or letters. Then he misses our one year anniversary." I spill out.

"Damn. I hope he has a good explanation for missing it." Shiriki gawked at the nerve of this person.

"Work, he says. He came by earlier today without telling me, took me out to a nice restaurant, and began to badger me about how he doesn't want me to be mad at him!" I hollered out.

Shiriki continues to listen.

"He kept it up and I did not want to speak of it in a public place, but for some reason he did. So, he pressed and I got annoyed and left him at the restaurant." I croaked back tears. I did not want to cry about a very annoyed matter. But the frustration of it, was starting to really eat at me. I most certainly did not want to cry in front of Shiriki, either. That would be total nonsense.

"Wow. Well, I am not too sure what to say about any of that. What I am going to say may sound a little cliche," He warns me and continues, "From knowing you just from last night and a little bit of today, I do know you are too good of a person for someone like him. Especially if he is just going to treat you bad and ignore you. I am sure he made a promise to make sure you two keep the relationship up and from what you have told me. He isn't doing his part and you are doing all of the work." Shiriki hits the needle right on the head. He throws the branch away.

I think about what Shiriki is telling me. I always knew that I am a good to great person even after all, I have been through. However, just like Andy, something had changed in Cole and he was not as attentive as he was before the trial. I could not help but see a pattern; I could only hope that my new friends did not fall into that pattern as well.

The rest of the night was spent with me and Shiriki getting to know each other. I even told him about Alchemy, Andy, my sister, and the trail back in High school. 

I found out about that Shiriki comes from a broken home and lived with his father until the age of 18. He has three other siblings with him being the middle boy. That is when Shiriki started college, he is studying to be a Nuclear Engineer from a Bachelor Degree and later a Masters. He is also 23 years old and on his last year as well. He is Cuban like I expected; Cuba, Trinidad

 What Shiriki found out about me is: I am a military child and loves to write. When I started getting picked on about my skin color and what I did about it. To Shiriki it was heartbreaking how people treated me because of my skin tone, which Shiriki secretly found extremely sexy. He let it slip when he thought I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying.