May We Meet Again.

one.

"Mom, I'm fine.  I have everything I need, and if not I'll just have you send it to me."

"Oh, I know, I know. You can't ever be too sure, home is a long ways away.  Do you have your computer?"

"Of course."

"Textbooks?"

"Yes."

"Pencils?

"Mom! I have it all!" I laugh, grabbing and shaking her by the shoulders in assurance.

"Oh, alright.  Well, I guess I should leave you to it then." She sighs. I can tell this is going to be way harder on her than it will for me.  I lean in to give her a big hug, letting her decide when to let go.

"I love you, Oakley.  Please don't forget to call after the first day of classes, you know how I am with updates." She releases, looking me dead in the eyes, a glimmer of sadness lying behind her own.

"I love you too, Mom.  Don't worry about a thing, I've got this." I respond sincerely.

With one last tearful hug and a kiss on my cheek, my mom turns away, leaving me to myself in this new city I now call home.

I hop into my new bed, pulling out my laptop to decide on a movie to watch so I can kill some time while waiting on my new roommate.  It's interesting that she hasn't gotten here yet. I've been hearing people running around the halls all day, so clearly everyone got here as soon as possible. All except for whoever this girl is. 

I knew that as I've been preparing for this day, the day we all dream of from the time that we are small, I was ready to get out as soon as my parents would allow me.  Don't get me wrong, I love my home and family more than anything, but I needed something new.  I've spent the last 18 years in Raleigh, North Carolina, upholding my "good girl" reputation from the time I started grade school. 

There's nothing wrong with that, but I want to be a mom someday.  How lame would I be if the stories I told my kids revolved around brownosing my professors all throughout college? Pretty lame.  That's why I packed my bags and headed off to Portland State University.  Completely across the country and a clean slate for opportunity. 

About thirty minutes into my movie, I hear keys jingling outside the door, indicating that my new roommate must be here.  I sit up, putting my laptop to the side as she walks in.

"Hi, I'm Oakley. It's so nice to finally meet you!" I eagerly stand up to greet the girl.  She's small, much smaller than me and I completely tower her.

"I'm Charlotte." She responds with a shy smile and a quick glance in my direction.

"Alright, well I can head out while you get settled in. I've been meaning to explore campus anyways." I say, taking it in that she is clearly not one to talk much.

She acknowledges me with another small smile and I take that at my queue to head out.

"Okay, cool.  I'll see you in a bit." I say with a smile, grabbing my bag and shutting the door behind me.

I step outside into the humid air that surrounds Portland, especially this time of year. Luckily, having grown up on the East coast, I sure am accustomed to this kind of environment. I will admit, I thought it was going to be significantly cooler and I am definitely regretting my choice to wear jeans today.

I need to take the time to explore campus and figure out where all of my classes are. My mom insisted that she helped me out, but I told her if I'm gonna do this whole "independence" thing, she's gonna have to let me figure things out on my own. Hesitantly, she agreed. I feel bad, but everything I said was true. My entire life, my mom has hovered over me, particularly in my school work. I can't recall a single paper I wrote in high school that my mom didn't make it her personal responsibility to revise. And by revise, I mean rewrite the entire thing. She of course had good intentions, but it's time for me to actually live my own life.

As I arrive on campus, I see a large building just ahead of me labeled "Smith Memorial Student Union." which seemed like it would probably be a good place for me to start. I'm sure they have plenty of information here and maybe I could check out the bookstore.

Stepping inside, I'm welcomed by an open seating area, a few people sitting at tables with their attention directed entirely towards their computers. I turn to my right, hoping to see a map or something that can help me figure out where I'm going. To my luck, a huge sign saying "Viking Shop" lights up before me.

The shelves are aligned with clothing and other random products of all types, sporting the school's logo. I don't have any Portland State shirts at the moment, and part of me is saying not to get one just because of how cliché that is. Ignoring my inner thoughts, I pick up a forest green sweatshirt, with a Viking printed on the front and "Portland State" in bold lettering just above it.

I head up to purchase the sweatshirt, in hopes that the girl working could also help me find out where my classes are. She is glued to her phone, not even acknowledging my presence and I cough in attempt to get her attention. Her head snaps up and she rolls her eyes as she takes the sweatshirt from my hand.

"Is this all for you?" She murmurs, clearly unamused.

"Um, yeah. But do you think you could tell me where I can find a campus map or something?"

"Sure, there's a poster of one just outside and to the left. Cash or card?"

"Oh, card please. And thank you." She gives me my new sweatshirt, and I head out of the store, looking for this campus map. Thank God this girl wasn't just messing with me because true to her word, the map lies directly to the left of the bookstore. I pull my phone out to take a picture for future reference and exit the building in search of my classes.

This campus is absolutely beautiful. The sidewalks are lined with tall trees, greener than the ones back home. It gives off a very "earthy" vibe, with the bountiful greenery as well as the architecture surrounding it. While most of the buildings are newer and have more of a modern structure, the ones built with old brick are what make me feel most at home.

After about an hour of wandering and getting a feel for my new surroundings, I'm finally comfortable with where I'm at and ready to take on the first day of classes tomorrow. I begin to walk back to the dorms, figuring Charlotte should be done unpacking by now. I've been gone for almost 2 hours and it didn't take me nearly that long to unpack myself. Then again, all I really felt like I needed was clothes, my phone, computer, and a few school supplies.

I walk into my bedroom, and as I expected, all of Charlotte's things are put away, and pictures of her and who I'm assuming to be her friends scatter her side of the room, but she is no where to be found. I turn to my boring half and sit back on my bed, pulling my laptop out to continue the movie I started earlier. I'll just sit here and wait and maybe we could go get some dinner together and get to know each other a little bit more. I don't exactly want to be complete strangers with the girl I'll be living with for the next nine months.

Movie after movie, I wait and time continues to pass. After nine o'clock, I decide to just order some takeout to my room and head to bed. Hopefully she'll be here when I wake up in the morning but as of right now, I can't guarantee anything.