“Hello?” I said softly, giving a gentle knock on the wooden door. The person, a young woman, looked up from the desk. At first she was surprised but then her visage melted into friendliness. She didn’t look much older than me. Her long hair, framing her face, was very dark brown, almost black, her face was pale with a light smattering of freckles near her eyes though she certainly wasn’t as freckled as me, and her eyes were a murky blue.
“Come in,” she said, beckoning me with her hand. She pushed her keyboard away from her, moved some paperwork around, and generally tidied up her desk to make me feel welcome. “Have a seat,” she said.
“My name’s Natasha Blake,” I said, moving into the small office and lowering myself in the seat in front of the desk. “I’m a freshman.”
“I’m Hosannah,” she said with a bright smile. “I’m — uh — a junior!”
Hosannah. I meditated on her name for a moment. It was so beautiful and it fit her perfectly. I could already tell that her personality was luminous, her eyes and lips telling that story. There was something special about Hosannah and I was eager to find out more.
“I like your name,” I blurted out and then felt embarrassed. I felt my face redden and I looked down. Hosannah just laughed.
“You can thank my grandmother,” she said. “Or, rather, my great-grandmother who named my grandmother.”
“It’s lovely,” I remarked.
“Thanks Natasha,” she said. “So what can I do for you?”
“Do you work for ALOHA?” I asked, looking around the office. It wasn’t much of an office really. There were a couple of small windows near the ceiling, as we were in a basement after all. Two wicker chairs hung off in the corner opposite Hosannah’s desk. There was a framed poster that outlined all the degree paths in the Arts & Letters department on one wall, and a poster advertising an ALOHA end of year party from a few years prior, also framed, on another. An overstuffed bookshelf sat behind Hosannah.
“Yep,” said Hosannah. “I’ve been in ALOHA since I was a freshman. But I work for the office part time and I’m also Anna Sacco’s assistant.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“It’s a thing,” said Hosannah with a knowing grin. I suddenly felt quite anxious in my seat. There was a weird quality to Hosannah that I just couldn’t place. She made me feel excited.
“How come I haven’t seen you at the ALOHA weekly class?” I asked. Every Monday at 8AM, the ALOHA freshmen met for an hour to discuss the program, to listen to various scheduled speakers, and to work on group projects. I’d only been at college for a couple weeks, but with Hosannah working for the program I figured I would have seen her around by now.
“Dude,” said Hosannah, smiling, leveling with me. “I did my time. Monday at 8AM? Once you’re a junior — hell, once you’re a sophomore — you learn to not take any classes before 10:20.” She laughed, which inspired me to laugh softly with her.
“I mean, you’re the ALOHA assistant though,” I said. “You don’t have to go?”
“No,” she said frankly. “They know I did my time as well.”
“I see,” I said quietly.
“Not to keep beating the same drum…” said Hosannah trailing off and widening her eyes with a hint of sarcasm.
“Oh!” I said. “Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m here to pay my dues for the Shakespeare trip.”
“Terrific,” said Hosannah, pulling the keyboard back out. She looked into the computer monitor and clicked around a bit with the mouse. “So it’s $180 for the tickets and the hotel. Do you know which shows you want to see?”
“I have my slip right here,” I said, reaching down into my jeans and pulling out a folded piece of paper. Between the paper was also my check for the cost. I slid them together across the desk toward Hosannah.
“Thanks,” she said, looking down at the slip on which I marked which plays I wanted to see. “King Lear and West Side Story,” said Hosannah, raising her eyes to me and offering up a glint of joy. “That’s what I’m seeing, too.” In Stratford for the Shakespeare festival, between a handful of theaters, they not only did actual Shakespeare shows but also various musicals and other productions. ALOHA advised us to see one of the Shakespeare plays, which were always high quality, as well as something lighter because those shows were always fun.
“Really?” I said. “I love both plays. I’m excited.”
“Likewise, Natasha,” said Hosannah, typing my information into a spreadsheet on her computer. She affixed my slip and check with a paperclip and slid them into her desk drawer. “Have you ever been to Stratford before?”
“No,” I said.
“It’s awesome,” said Hosannah. “We’re going during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is super cool, and there’s this really neat toy store there. Like, even if you don’t care about toys, it’s just a really fun experience.”
“Do all the juniors like you go?” I asked.
“Nah,” said Hosannah. “It’s usually mostly freshmen. But I’ve gone the last two years with the program. I love theater and Shakespeare. I’m an English major.”
“I’m an English major, too,” I beamed. I was thrilled that I was connecting with Hosannah though I still couldn’t tell what she thought of me yet.
“We have a lot in common,” smiled Hosannah.
“Do we?” I said, letting my excitement show. Hosannah let out an amused giggle.
“What English class are you in right now?” she asked with interest.
“I’m in 201H,” I said.
“Honors,” she said, putting on an impressed face. “Is that taught by McGregor?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m enjoying it so far.”
“I was in that very same class,” said Hosannah.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s really cool. If I have questions, can I ask you about them?”
“Totally,” she said, her smile warm and inviting. I could tell she was a good person.
“Maybe we could hang out in Stratford, too,” I said, not sure if I was overstepping my bounds but too excited about meeting Hosannah that I couldn’t help myself.
“Maybe,” she said, grinning with a hint of mystery.
“Oh, that reminds me,” I said. “I had another question about the trip.”
“Shoot,” she said.
“What’s the hotel situation like?” I said. “I mean, who do we share rooms with?”
“The rooms we get are all two full beds,” she said. “You can share a room with whomever you like, though not with the opposite sex,” said Hosannah. “I mean, we’re all technically adults here but some of the parents might flip if we allowed coed sleeping arrangements.” She rolled her eyes.
“So just, like, my roommate?” I asked.
“Yeah,” said Hosannah. “Most people just share with their current roommate.”
“All right,” I said.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” asked Hosannah. Her face revealed a charming glow, like she was there to serve me, like I wasn’t an annoying freshman asking silly questions.
“No,” I said, pushing my chair back and beginning to stand.
“It’s was really great meeting you, Natasha,” she said, sticking out her head toward me. I took it in my own and we shook.
“It was nice meeting you, too,” I said.
“I’m in room 326 upstairs if you want to stop by sometime,” she said. “I don’t hang out in the lobby much anymore.”
“Is that just a freshmen thing?” I asked sheepishly.
“Yeah, kinda,” said Hosannah, grinning.
“Room 326,” I reiterated. “Thanks Hosannah. I’ll talk to you soon!”
“Bye Natasha,” she said with a single wave.
I smiled at her and turned from her desk, walking out of the ALOHA office and trying to steady my frantically beating heart. I was anxious and excited, ecstatic to have met Hosannah and the possibility of making a friend that seemed so much like m
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