Story - Volume 2

Story

Volume 2

By Earvin Phillip Eugene

New Chapter

Friends always introduce you to new aspects of life. Their hobbies become your interests. Bonding through shared experiences is a great topic of discussion. One friend “Ray” has the habit of entertaining ladies of the night. He takes pleasure in searching through a catalog of women and starting a fun chat. Let’s say slim women are his taste; all other characteristics seem to be secondary. They send back and forth reassuring messages to set a time and place. The whole process seems efficient. Myself being naïve to the whole experience for the most part, he was the teacher and I was the student. It can be strange since “Ray” was my junior. It always seems like all walks of life introduced me to something extreme rather than vice versa. As I had a sheltered upbringing. I provided a good ear and funny commentary in many relationships. Always making light of a situation.

“Ray” is Chinese and during conversations with him he described the ease and commonplace of this type of courting in China. Applications like WeChat and TanTan seem to be the proper channels of communication. He is funny and polite but can brag about his “accomplishments”. There is a sense of organization and order against this madness. He digitally records and files his encounters with his partners. I joke that he is the Chinese version of “American Psycho”. He would continue this habit in America, this was a new frontier to him. It is weird that he has a sleek physique with little to no facial or body hair, yet he acts on this vulgar tradition. You would not picture him as the culprit of this manly act. He is very skinny and has the routine of eating three big meals a day. It is safe to say he has a grand appetite. He works out in the evening before dinner with no gain in muscle. In the morning he applies many Asian products like facial cleansers to prevent acne and lighten his skin. He is always concerned about the emotions and thoughts of his girlfriend yet he really doesn’t understand girls. We all have succumbed to his issue. Overall, he’s a swell guy.

More to Come

Trying to ease tensions of studies I spent time with friends, “Daniel” and “Justin”. The two live together but do not have a transparent relationship. They have a strong friendship on the surface but independently disclose contrasting information about each other to me. Nonetheless, they are good people to shoot the shit. The one thing the two have in common are a pseudo sense of integrity and prowess as expected of people with political ambitions.

“Daniel” is the president of the student body government and has a military family background. He spent his adolescence in a Japanese naval base and has a cultural tattoo to show for it. He is fit and has an average level of intelligence. I will admit his glasses and confidence create a façade of knowledgeability. He enjoys going to hip-hop concerts and partakes in nicotine. Something we agree as good leisure. “Daniel” tends to lecture me in illicit prescriptions. It seems that anyone of a scientific background nowadays has tested drugs to prove its efficacy. He disclosed to me that he used to sell sorts of things to fund his ventures and school. The latter is respectable, but the former seemed to consume most of the expenses. The account appeared with a sense of privilege, yet some may argue that dealers are essential. “Justin” could not be aware of the actions of his beloved idol, “Daniel”.

“Justin” is a fake social justice warrior. A follower of Bernie Sanders hoping to make his stand of today’s civil rights movement for income inequality. He comes from an upper middle-class household, but at least he wants to spread the wealth. “Justin” follows all the latest trends like high socks, cardigan sweaters, and owning a vintage disk player. His time is spent at coffee shops, ambitious studying, and dating his long-term girlfriend. I have to admit “Justin” is more driven than “Daniel” but his personality is less appealing. He can be bland and strange, but at times persuasive. “Justin” shared to me his issues with health. He presented with some level of kyphosis and mentions his struggles with mental health. For about a year we were close and I supported him through times of trouble.

Relationships

“Bella” was the girl next door who was looking to come out of her shell. She was the first girlfriend I truly cared for. “Bella” had long dark brown hair and light brown eyes. She possessed an amazing complexion and a bright smile. She had a sweet Italian mom and a fun Irish dad. Her mom has multiple sclerosis but was very vibrant and optimistic. “Bella” always told me her mom thought I was suitable for her. I was a hopeless romantic and, in my youth, I carried my heart on my sleeve. We both had an interest in music. She played for the school band and I had an upbringing in piano lessons. We had an innocent relationship of listening to music, playing Wii sports video games, watching movies, and walking through town. We would spend hours at my house bonding over every topic. My family supported that I developed a promising relationship with a good girl.

“Angel” was a lively and flirtatious girl. Her appearance was fit with strongly attractive features. “Angel” had a tan tone especially during the summer and small enough to truly grasp. She was the life of the party. She was up to my speed in the moment during ravishing times. Our relationship was private except amongst our friends. We would bring our friends together to party but on every occasion, we would escape to each other. We were inseparable at gatherings. Friends would joke on how attached we were to one another. So many inside jokes and private remarks we had of others. Our love was passionate and expressed at every moment. We were both in relationships with significant others at the time, so our meetings had to be concise. We would rendezvous at her place or my house with never a dull moment. Her room was interesting with mostly girly apparel. She was the type of girl to keep mementos of all the boys she loved before. Till’ this day I hope I have a place in her heart. A sacred moment I hold dear to me is our late-night excursions in my family’s pool. We always found a way to escape the responsibilities of the real world with one another.

Family Ties

My cousin “John” is my closest confidant. He is tall and slim, hovering at 6 feet 4 inches. In his formative years he idolized Obama. He even went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California to start a productive life. “John” started as a political science major and has always been well read on current topics. We always connected on business and news. I trust his opinions and I must mention he is one of the more intelligent figures in my life. He seeks guidance from me on pharmaceutical science and is the type of person that relies on plenty information before reaching a decision on many matters. However, he is stubborn at times and lacks true grit.

“John” started a college relationship with “Kate”, which took him off his self-proclaimed path to success. By his accounts she was unruly and indifferent to many aspects of life. I can tell he cared for her during most parts of their relationship. It seemed that she troubled with drugs and addiction but concealed her dismay. He wanted to bring order to her life, but she wanted to be free. One day I met her at my cousin’s house with my girlfriend at the time. She was quiet and timid. From what I have been told she is artistic studying film. I have no real opinion of her from our meeting. She was a girl of small stature with red hair. “Kate” possessed bright eyes and pale skin. I recall on that day we all shared of few drinks, played ping-pong, and pool. It was a short-lived night, but splendid. I appreciate the company of family and friends on most occasions.

My cousin would continue to graduate from Occidental College with a Bachelor’s in Economics. We would celebrate with cigars at the harbor. We shared college experiences and discussed goals for the future. Our moments together fluctuate yet our connection never wavers. Blood is thicker than water.