Adaptation of the Chameleon

by Douglas A. Schmitt

  Luke noticed Enzo place his hand in midair in a motion to halt his cousin’s rambling. He took a large sip from his cold beverage, then after wiping his mouth on the top of his collar, he responded, “Luke… Luke… what did I tell you man? You need to let that go. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it… nothing. People like Marion; they have no conscience… no remorse for the shit they do to people. I think you should just forget about that cold bitch and find yourself another woman… a good woman. There sure are a lot to choose from around here man… just take your pick.”

  Luke sat, trying to hold back the tears of reality as he watched Brooke descend the staircase, finally taking a seat between him and Enzo. She rubbed the top of his left shoulder, and calmly said, “Luke… I know it hurts… but you have got to let it go. That girl deserves to have her butt kicked for what she did. She really gave women a bad name… but that is just one woman. If it makes you feel better… point her out if you see her and I will give her a piece of my mind.”

  Luke chuckled as he focuses his attention on Brooke. Brooke leaned over towards Luke, who impulsively closed his eyes anticipating Brooke’s kiss on his cheek. Brooke then jumped off the couch and while standing in the middle of the room, she yelled, “Now who is ready to party?”

  Luke followed Brooke, accompanied by Enzo, Heather, and Eric out the door, smiling as he felt a wave of relief and comfort presenting him with a sense of home.

  School started shortly after Luke’s incredible first weekend with his new friends. It was now time for him to be introduced to his new routine. Every morning he would wake to the piercing sound of his alarm clock, followed by a shower and quick shave. He would attend class until early afternoon. From there, he would spend most of the evening lifeguarding an Olympic sized pool.

  Luke learned to adjust and adapt to his new environment. But while away from his friends and even further from his courses and work, Luke would spend his free time on his online social networking site. From there, he would scan over the many people attending the university. He would often reach out and attempt to meet new people, attempting anything to keep his mind closed to thoughts of Marion.

  Shortly after the beginning of October, Luke began exiting the pool area for closing. One evening a rather attractive and intriguing woman caught his eye. Stunned and curious at the beauty of the stranger, Luke decided to approach her.

  “Hello there… what are you doing here so late… you know this place is closed, don’t you?”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry…’ the woman said. ‘I really don’t know too much about the campus… this is my first year here and I am still getting used to the scene.”

  “Well, that’s no problem,’ Luke responds, ‘I’m Luke… I’m actually the evening guard here Monday through Thursday. What is your name?”

  “That’s funny… I was just heading into the pool area… oh, and my name is Madison.”

  Luke turned his body towards the solid black metal door and smiled. He placed a large brass key into the top deadbolt lock and turned his wrist slightly to the right. He placed his keys into the front right pocket of his dark red nylon shorts. He continued speaking as he walked along beside his new friend.

  “Yeah… I know what you mean about being so lost here… I actually just transferred from a small school on the coast. I figured it was time to move on… finish these last two years here, you know…”

  “I do,’ Madison responded, ‘I’m actually from Clinton… not three hours from here. I started at a junior college… for nursing… but my dad thought it would be better if I went for the four year degree… and this place seems to have a really good program.”

  “Well, look…’ Luke blusheed as he continued, ‘I’m actually heading back to my dorm, and it’s just five minutes from here… ‘William Dormitory’ … I wouldn’t mind walking with you if you want the company?”

  “Sure,’ Madison responded, ‘I’m actually across the parking lot from there… at the ‘Keegen Dormitory.’

  They exited through the tall, dual pane glass doors and instantly became embraced by the cool October air. They continued walking down the large, wide stretch of grey sidewalk as it led to a newly tarred parking area. They slowly approached an area between the two dormitories.

  Madison turned towards her building for a moment before redirecting her attention to Luke. She smiled and said,

  “Well… it was nice meeting you Luke… maybe I will see you around?”

  “Yeah… that would be great.”

  Luke quickly turned around and walked towards his dorm, but as he entered the front lawn of the building, he stopped and turned around and said, while rushing towards Madison, “Madison… wait a moment…”

  Luke approached the startled woman. Attempting to catch his breath, he said, “Would you like to go out… maybe to a movie or something tomorrow night?”

  Madison stood with her arms wrapped around her torso. She tilted her head to her left and responded, “Luke… I would love to, but… I am kind of seeing someone… I’m sorry…”

  Luke shivered, feeling the shame of rejection rush down his spine. He politely said to Madison as he slowly turned around, “Yeah… of course you are… you know… it’s cool. Uh… I’ll see you around.”

  Luke walked back to his dorm and decides to call it a night.

  He entered his room and watched Andy open a can of beer. Luke took a seat at his desk and logged into his social networking site. He continued searching through profiles of other students at the university when Andy began to speak.

  “So man… met anybody yet?”

  Luke rotated his chair toward Andy’s side of the room and while slightly raising his left eyebrow, he responded, “Dude… I don’t get it. I meet like… a ton of women every night I go out with my friends… and each one of them always asks, ‘what fraternity are you in?’ I’m like… what the hell? Do I really need to be in a frat to buy you a drink? However, I respond by saying every time though… ‘baby… I don’t need to buy friends… I got my own.’

  “Yeah,’ Andy continues, ‘what do they usually say after that?”

  Luke looked up at his roommate and chuckled as he responded, “Nothing… they just walk away. Good riddance, I suppose.”

  The next morning, while Luke walked to his second class, he felt his phone vibrate from the front left pocket of his blue jeans. After realizing it was his father calling, Luke quickly answered, “Hey dad… how are you doing?”

  “I’m good, son.’ Luke’s father continued, ‘I just wanted to check on you. How are you doing up there? Is everything going okay?”

  Luke walked past the tall metallic building that was currently hosting his next class. He found a private area next to an old red brick establishment and continued his conversation.

  “Yeah… I’m adjusting well… uh, I’ve been hanging out with Enzo and made some new friends… um… still haven’t found a girlfriend yet though.”

  Luke’s father began to laugh as he takes a moment to enjoy his son’s humor. Still chuckling, Luke’s father responded, “You will in time, son… just make sure she isn’t crazy or anything… and if possible… try to find you a good Italian woman… I don’t care where in Italy she is from… just… really just make sure she makes you happy. And when you do find the one, bring her home with you.”

  “Thanks dad,’ Luke responds, ‘I love you… I will talk to you soon.”

  Luke ended the call with his father and entered the tall metallic building, smiling. He suddenly felt propelled to achieve greatness.

  Chapter 2

  A month had passed and it was now November. Luke had gotten better used to life in the college town. He would go to class most of the day, and then work the recreational center in the heart of campus. Afterwards, he would go back to his dorm and plan the rest of his evening with his friends.

  He had grown closer to his cousin, while enjoying the fresh new friendship that was rapidly developing between him, Eric, Seth, and Brooke. Luk
e credited them for saving him from a life of misery and agony. They provided him a feeling of serenity and peace through their embracement.

  It was a week before Luke’s birthday, and excitement was growing deep. He was going through his social networking site looking for people who were attending USM. He always ran across the most random of people.

  He searched through profile after profile. He soon came across a beautiful honey blonde haired woman by the name of Anna Winchcomb. Her figure was pristine and fit. Her hair was deeply golden with light shades of natural streaks, but what caught Luke’s attention were her eyes, eyes that held a golden center accompanied by a distinctive light shade of green, all wrapped by a deep, dark blue outer edge. The pull to continue to stare into those eyes was mesmerizing.

  Luke read a lot about this mysterious person. While scanning over her profile, he learned that she is from Oxford, MS and that her family lived in his hometown of Bay St. Louis, MS. Luke decided to send her a mutual request before turning off his desktop for the night.

  A couple of days later, as Luke walked into the recreational center, he saw the same honey blonde woman standing at the front counter. He took in a deep breath, walked up to her, and declared, “I’d recognize those eyes anywhere!”

  She looked up at him with a confused look on her face and with a mild southern accent responded, “Do I know you?”

  “Well… not exactly, but I saw you online the other night and noticed that you actually live where I grew up. I did send a request, so I hope it’s not entirely creepy.”

  Luke laughed nervously, noticing the young woman’s face become fixed in her current expression. She directed her attention to the front desk where the student working behind the counter returns her identification card. Anna placeed the card back into her wallet and turned to Luke.

  “Oh yeah… Luke is it? I got that request this morning. It’s not weird. I mean… it would be if you were watching me from the shadows. But I know it takes a lot of courage to talk to a complete stranger. I’ll tell you what. I will accept the request since we have officially met now.”

  She placed her hand out in an effort to shake his. Slowly pulling her hand back, she said, “Well, I have to go work out now. But it was nice meeting you… maybe I’ll see you around.”

  Anna smiled, then walked towards the staircase near the entrance to the building.

  After a moment, Luke walked away and headed towards the pool. But no more than fifteen minutes later, he saw her again. She was on a tour with one of the other people that worked at the center. She walked into the pool area and looked right at Luke but said nothing. Once she left the room, Luke continued to sit and patrol the patrons in the pool. A strange feeling began growing in his brain. He couldn’t shake Anna from his mind. It was his curious nature that was controlling his thoughts, and at that moment, they focused on Anna.

  Luke’s shift ended not long after. He walked back to his dorm with Anna still on his mind. He entered his room and sat at his desk. He looked at his computer and observing a note that he had placed on the screen reminding him of a test in his economics class the following morning, he quickly began studying.

  Finding that he was unable to focus, Luke changed clothes and headd out to Enzo’s apartment where his friends were playing drinking games. He sat at the table and continued to think of Anna. For some strange reason, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He decided to query his friends on what they thought. A mutual agreement was reached as they all responded, “Go for it, man, you need it.” Considering their advice, Luke decided to take a chance on what might be a good thing.

  The next day, Luke left for work. While the pool remained empty, he decided to go into the office and log into his social networking profile to further investigate the new stranger.

  Luke found that she was single and also shared a lot of interests with him. On one part of her profile, there was an indication of pain and anger towards the male gender. A note published only a month ago told the story of her and a gentleman by the name of Jason. The note declared her despite for the behavior displayed during the duration of their relationship. Luke read through the note and began admiring her courage and honesty.

  It was soon 7 p.m., and Luke’s replacement had just arrived. He walked to the cafeteria for his usual dinner. As he headed to the fresh pasta area, he noticed that same stunning blond sitting at a table, consuming a plate of salad while chatting with a group of people. Luke decided to talk to her.

  His tongue dried up and his legs began to shake. Nevertheless, he walked up to her and said the only thing that he could think of to break the ice.

  “Excuse me ma’am, but I believe you are in my way,” he declared with a very nervous, yet witty, tone.

  Anna looked up at him and replied with a very unenthusiastic tone, “Oh… hey.”

  She then forced a smile and continued her conversation with her company, leaving Luke feeling embarrassed as well as pale. He walked away shrugging his shoulders, convinced that he had given it his best shot. He left the cafeteria holding a cold covered plate of pasta smothered with runny alfredo sauce.

  Later that night, Luke received a message from Anna via the social networking site. She was apologizing for her rude response in the cafeteria, explaining that she had just walked out of a class and was venting to her friends about her professor. The two then began messaging back and forth until Luke fully regained his confidence and sent Anna his telephone number. He then sat patiently, leaning forward while holding his phone tight. His eyes focused on the screen, waiting to see if Anna was going to call.

  After several minutes, Luke gave up hope and placed his phone on the end of his desk and stepped away for a quick shower. He walked to his closet and reached for a towel, a pair of red nylon shorts, and his bathroom caddy.

  While slowly walking towards the bathroom, he caught his phone’s notification indicator out of the corner of his eye and rushed towards the small red dot at the top of the screen. He opened the new message and reads,

  “Hey, it’s me, Anna! I was hoping I’m not too late to text :)”

  Luke placed his towel, shorts, and caddy on the floor next to his single sized bed and relaxed on the soft dark blue comforter. He thinks for a moment then responds to Anna’s text message,

  “No, of course not. I was just about to head into the shower. What cha up to?”

  The text message conversation continued for over an hour and a half. It wasn’t until it was approaching two in the morning when Luke decided to call it a night. He politely wrote to Anna that his eyes were getting heavy and that he would call her in the afternoon; she responded,

  “Ok, sweet dreams… Mr. Cardellini :)”

  The following day, Luke arose to the sweet smell of old dry paint that covered the cement blocks inside his dormitory. The wonderful sight of light, as it beamed through the small, tall window, was an indication of a new day. Luke lifted himself from his bed and finally stepped into the shower to start off his anticipated day.

  After his shower, Luke got dressed, combed his hair into a different, more appealing style, and reached for his best smelling cologne. He sprayed it twice on his shirt and once in each hand before rubbing the masculine scent on his arms and neck. He placed the clear bottle back in its spot and headed for the door. He grabbed his keys and his wallet and placed them in his pockets. He then took his phone and, with a deep breath, checked for any missed messages. After discovering nothing, he slid the phone into his front left pocket and exited the room.

  Luke descended the stairs and out the back door. He began thinking about his coursework and upcoming exams in one of his most difficult courses. He became aware of the potential harm that his final grade would have in his economics class if he wasn’t on top of his studies. A very large percentage of his grade depended on his research paper, which was due the following week.

  Immediately following his stressful thoughts about his coursework, Luke’s mind became filled once again with thoughts of Anna. He
could feel his growing lust and interest in the person that had become a little less of a mystery to him.

  There was something about her eyes and how they went so well with her white perfect teeth. The way she showed sarcasm through text messaging let Luke know that she was comfortable in her own skin. This was a different trait that Luke had never seen in a female. So far, everything that he knew about this woman was tantalizingly intriguing.

  After Luke’s second to last class for the day, he received a text message from the wonderful new friend.

  “Hey buddy! What’s the big idea! I thought you were going to call me :)”

  Luke smiled and rushed off to a more private location on campus. He found a place on the side of a building across from the library. He sat his nap sack on the ground and rested his bottom on a cold concrete bench. He navigated through his contacts and selected Anna’s number. He pressed the send button and sat straight up and held his breath.

  The phone rang for several moments before reaching her voicemail. Luke chose not to leave a message. He ended the call and laid the phone in the palms of his hands and zoned out while staring at the screen. His thoughts took him to a place of disappointment and sudden fear. He could feel his emotions for Anna turn into regret. His hopes that she might be someone with whom he could start his life were shattering. His eyes, dry from the cool air, seemed to fill with a glimmering stream of moisture.

  Luke started to propel himself from the cold, hard bench and reach for his bag when he noticed his phone flashing. He quickly sat back down and answered the incoming call. “Hello? Anna?”

  “Hey!’ Anna responds with an enthusiastic tone. “What’s up?”

  “Well, I'm just walking back from class. I tried calling you.”