Hitting Reset

Chapter Two

I can't believe I forgot that today's my birthday, what is wrong with me? I pondered to myself.

"I can't believe you forgot your OWN birthday!!!" Aska repeated my thoughts.

"I mean, who does that? Are you okay? What could possibly make you forget such an important day, Dime? She interrogated me.

"I don't know Aska, I just forgot, totally slipped my mind," I answered shrugging my shoulders.

The truth is, you wouldn't understand Aska and I don't want you worrying about me, I'm sorry.

"But you're twenty-four now! That's a milestone!"

"A milestone? What about being twenty-four is a milestone? I'm almost a quarter-century old." I retorted.

"Geezus! Girl, you really are getting old." She laughed at me.

"Huh? You're a year older than me," I remarked.

She paused momentarily in her tracks.

"Whatever, heffa, happy birthday!" Aska said again and tip-toeing to place a small peck on my forehead.

"Must you always have so shout? But thanks, anyway, friend,"

"Alright, I have a ten o'clock class this morning, so I'll see you this evening," I said but as I'm about to walk out the door Aska stops me.

"Wait! What about the plantains?!" She calls me.

I gave her a questioning look.

"Fine, I'll eat them myself," she whined.

"You do that, hun and I'll stop and get something on my way," I said.

"Ack! Nope, I'm giving these to Berkely." I heard her after she recovers from her assault with a charred piece of plantain.

"Don't you dare give that to the landlord's dog!" I hollered over my shoulder to her.

~~~

Wow, it seems as though I had a birthday just yesterday, I thought.

"Time really waits for no one," I said speaking to myself again.

Although I'm only twenty-four, I feel as though I should be a lot more accomplished than I am now or at least know what I want to do when I leave university.

I know I'm still young but I can't help it...

I'm also aware and I agree that I'm not old enough to have all of my ducks in a row but it just feels like I should.

Especially, when I see people like Marsai Martin, H.E.R, Kylie and Billie Eilish who are younger than me doing such great and outstanding work and it only makes me worry about my own miserable existence.

Yes, I know you're not supposed to compare your journey with others and that your own fortunes will come in due time but I sometimes which I knew what those fortunes were and how soon they'll get here. Sometimes, I wish I could start over.

Oh, the changes I'll make and the mistakes I'll avoid. If only I could get a new start in life I could do a lot better.

I laugh at my silly imagination, there's no way for me to start over; this is the hand that I've been dealt and this is the game I have to play.

Besides the turmoil I have going on in my head, my academic and social world is pretty good for the most part, I have a pretty nice 3.5 GPA, I'm part of the student guild, I'm in a writer's group, I'm cool with most of my family, well some of them, okay I'm close with my mom and my little sister, Elodie and I have my best friend Aska. What else can I ask for? What more could I want?