And It All Comes Full Circle
Monday, January 21st, 2008Warning: If you haven’t known me for at least ten years, this is going to be of no interest whatsoever!
“The Last of Her Kind” by Sigrid Nunez is a beautifully-constructed story of two girls, strangers at first, who lived together for two years in college and went on to lead very different lives. From the outset, one of the characters reminded me so much of myself that I very nearly didn’t read it at all - it was a bit too uncomfortably familiar.
But I finished it this morning over my first cup of coffee and went to check my email. And of course, I have an email from my first college roommate, a girl I’d never met before we were paired together, and with whom I ended up living for two years because we got along so well. We’ve drifted apart since we graduated, but with my own memories stirred by the book I was reading, I was curious about her whereabouts. And then that email! I’m happy to report that she is happy. :)
And I’m always happy for inspiration for my 365 project. I went through all my old film negatives and found a particular negative of a photo taken exactly 10 years ago to the day (well, I’m 98% sure it was taken on January 20th, 1998 - it seems we had gone to the Biltmore Estate to celebrate something) of me and Kathy. Such good times!
I went to work still reminiscing about my time in college and all the people I’d met. Near the end of my shift, someone needed something written on a birthday cake. I think my mother would die of shame if I couldn’t or wouldn’t help someone out in that regard (she makes wedding cakes), so of course I obliged them. I asked them what they wanted written. And their reply?
“Happy Birthday, Ankit.”
So Ankit, happy birthday, wherever you are. :)
