A Possible New Adventure

 November 17, 2019 - Entry 2

Wow, the entire summer has passed me by and I still haven't written a word. Wild. 

Hello sweethearts, it's Kai again. And no, I'm not dead. I've been going on my own adventures here and there. From jumping out of moving vehicles to crying about losing my keys among my own sanity, this year has been eventful...and yet, sounder than last year.

This entry is no different. Instead of my own interests though, I'll be detailing my adventures that I might possible or still presently embark on. It's a little crazy here and there. Reckless? 1000%. And my impulsivity knows no bounds. But it's alright, the craziest and reckless decisions make for better stories. So here you are, another crazy story introducing what might be a possible new adventure...or the start of a terrible decision.

So my friend, Landon and I were shopping at the mall two weeks ago. You know, I hate shopping and all, but winter is creeping in on Chicago and if I can help it, I'd prefer to not freeze. Anyways he was going one way in the store and I, the other, and I happen to bump into this girl who comments on my pierced ears. She mentioned casually how she really liked them and asked where I got them from.

Frankly, I was surprised, because it's one thing to comment and compliment someone. It's a whole different route for them to strike up a conversation. I'm not gonna lie either, when it comes to talking with people, I slip comfortably in them, reading their moods and saying all the words they wish to hear. It's kind of a subtle way of mimicking their body language and making them comfortable and at ease. Anyways, where was I? Yes, she asked me where I got my earrings. I touched them briefly with my fingertips, almost forgetting that I even had them on.

When Landon had texted me earlier and asked me to join him to go shopping, it was a last minute decision to pop them on. In fact, I was gonna go without them. How random it was that this split decision ended with a conversation? I studied her more before answering. She wore round framed glasses and her brunette hair was buzzed short. She didn't actually look like how you'd imagine a girl, or as I would at least, kind of the socially constructed girly girl or feminine in a sense. Still, her features indicated that she was, but I figured that if I was wrong, I wouldn't hold it against her either. Nowadays, it's so easy to accidentally misgender someone. I have done that before, by accident of course, and the people I've done it to thankfully didn't hold it against me.

The earrings that she was referring to were gold - the dangling kind. I don't favor studs that much because they don't really show off aesthetics as the ones that swish around when you turn your head. Where did I get them? I listed off a random store that I thought I got them from. Even if I didn't, the aesthetics there were close enough to the style of the earrings. She'd have no problem.

"Oh. From Chicago?" She asked, clarifying the store I got it from. "Um, no. The ones from the suburbs. But I'm sure if you looked at the stores in Chicago, they'd have the same style of earrings there too." It was such an odd question. My first thought was that she lived here, but it still was a bizarre question. If I said, for instance, I got my shirt from Abercrombie and she questioned if it was the store in Chicago, you'd think it too, that she would ask something so strange. I mean, does it matter if the store is from here or from another place? It's the same store, selling the same products, just in different locations. I'm sure my curious stare made her clarify her point.

"Oh I was just asking." She laughed nervously. "I just moved here from Boston, so I haven't really checked out the stores here. That's kind of what I'm doing now." It fell into place and clicked for me. Of course that would make sense. She's new around here, probably getting a feel for the area. "Wow, really?" I asked. "That's so cool, where'd you come from before?"

Somehow in our awkward exchange, we hit it off pretty well. She told me she graduated from university in Boston and that she majored in literature. She was actually a couple years older than me; I would have never guessed it from her size. She was comparatively shorter than me. We asked each other about our interests. In between our exchange, I vaguely forgot mine, so I stammered some answer about going on crazy adventures and exploring. Among that, perhaps reading. That's the only thing that'll stay consistent with me, I'll read anything and everything in my time and hopefully, that'll educate me for what I need to know. Maybe.

She also told me her name - Zadian. It's such a unique and badass name, I remarked on it a couple of times to her, expressing on how cool it was that her name was that. I've never heard of a Zadian before. It's a name, I've mentally noted, that I might use if I ever write a novel. 

She asked about my interests too - I had way too many questions to begin with and momentarily forgot to share information about myself too. I told her I was changing my major from undeclared to a criminal law and justice major and how I wanted to be a lawyer. Last year, when I was a freshman, I was so convinced that I was going to be a doctor. I took two chemistry classes in the two semesters of that year, so convinced that my major was biology. And then, General Chemistry 1 hit, and I realized I really hated sciences. So, I switched out of it into something that I found easier - becoming a lawyer.

Because growing up with immigrant parents, they kind of stress the big three. Doctor, lawyer, and engineer. I suck at math and sciences which removed both being a doctor and an engineer. My only option? To go into law. It's not as bad though. Somehow, my teachers think my writing is pretty decent, at least suffice enough for their requirements, so that settles getting anything less than an A unlike my grades for chemistry and math. 

On the related note of switching majors, we talked about internships and careers. Zadian told me that when she was studying in university, she was conflicted with choosing a major that truly interested her and one that would give her a job in the future, but wouldn't really satisfy the happiness requirement. To my surprise and also not surprise, she chose the former. She was really in the creative arts, think an actor in several plays and creative writing kind of interesting. In my high school, she'd be one of the theatre kids, but seemingly, that suited her quirky self. It was interesting to know that about her.

She would also get kind of embarrassed every so often that I'd say remarks like "Wow, you're an actor? That's so cool!" or "You write in your free time? Me too!" or even something simple like "I really like that your name is Zadian. It's such a pretty name." These compliments weren't just because I just wanted to flatter her. I just sincerely thought she was an awesome person and getting to know her little by little intrigued me.

The other note I wanted to mention, I love giving out positive affirmations because it's so easy. Especially when you take into consideration that not many people give it out, but it's the one thing you can implement in your lifestyle that'll make others easily attracted to you. It's simple really. Feeding someone compliments will make them feel good about themselves and they'll associate that good with your presence. I remember reading about this phenomenon. I think it was called trait transfer? Where certain behaviors or words you say around others affect the way they think about you subconsciously? Anyways, it's something I recommend everyone to try in their free time or in their life at least once. It also gives you some time to think about your next response. Almost like speech disfluencies or filler words except in a more positive aspect.

At any rate, she asked if I needed help getting an internship for law. Let me be honest, any college student would say yes in this situation. The job market is scarce and the internship market is scarcer and more competitive. Only an idiot would say no. I wish I did.

She hesitated and said, "Well, it's not a guaranteed thing. I'm kind of working under this couple - they run a business and they've helped me out a ton, so maybe they can find some connections for you. But, before I recommend them to you, we kind of hardly know each other and have met, so maybe we can grab a cup of coffee."

I know what you guys are thinking. She meant it as a friend, nothing more, nothing less. I plastered on a bright smile and replied "Of course!" and then we exchanged numbers and went off our merry way. I met with Landon shortly after that and told him that I might get an internship based off that conversation, but I felt iffy with hanging with someone I just met at the mall. My phone buzzed with a text. It was her. "Should I even go?" I asked hesitantly. 

Listen, I hit it off pretty well, but she's asking I go to the Starbucks near Millennium Park. I've never travelled on a train near downtown Chicago alone. It just sounds really odd to do this. I mean I've done this before where I've exchanged contact info with someone I met like once and maybe rarely ever hang out with them after the conversation. It's odd for someone to be as straightforward as I am with them. 

"Yes bitch, go." He replied. "This kind of thing never happens. Just go and see what happens."

Reluctantly, I hit her up with a reply and said I was free, a week later on Monday.

So it's present day now. I scheduled to hang out with her and get some coffee tomorrow. I spoke to my other friend, Noah about it. We were literally conversing in the dining hall and I told him about Zadian. He grabbed a plate and rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're actually going." Dead silence. His exasperation grew. "This sounds like she's gonna offer you some kind of job or internship and then scam you the hell out of it." You could hear a pin drop as I looked away. "How'd you guess?" I spoke loudly. "Are you serious?" He exclaimed. "There's no way. It sounds like it's too good to be true. Please tell me you're not going."

"Aha, and if I said that I am?" 

He shook his head again and muttered something about why he even asks at this point. "Come on, Noah. I just want to see how this is all going to go down. Maybe it's not even real or maybe it is. All we're doing is grabbing some coffee."

"Yeah, but it's like a thirty minute train ride from campus to there. If you were in trouble, there would be no way we'd ever know."

"But what if it's real? I got to check it out to be sure. And besides, it's just coffee. At Starbucks. It's a public place. I doubt anything is gonna happen. I know this is Chicago and all, but this is hardly a time to worry. And besides, if I do happened to get kidnapped or scammed, I won't have to go to classes the next day. So it's a win-win for both of us." I insisted, holding up two fingers in a peace sign. "Whatever you say man. If you want, I can come with."

"Nah, I'll be good."

5pm on Monday, November 18th, here we go.

I really don't want to go out tomorrow; I'm helping a friend with a paper. But I don't want to live a mundane life, so we'll just add in some odd reckless decisions in the mix.

I'm going to leave it off here, sweethearts. The next day, or Tuesday even, I'll detail if it was even a good idea to begin with. 

And as always, imagine valiantly, sweethearts.