INTO THE VOID

CHAPTER 4: THE SMELL OF SAND AFTER RAIN

"Turn it off bro....arrrrghhh turn it off." Logan said in a sleepy tune. He was telling Xaviere to put off his alarm. Xaviere who lay face down on his mattress stretched his left arm towards the bed side table. He moved his arm around in search of the Seiko alarm clock and then after a few tries, he finally turned the alarm off. He sat up on the bed and with fewer attempts got his glasses from the table. The casing lay just beside the digital alarm clock that woke him at exactly 5am every morning. The routine begins once again.

Xaviere got up and began his workout. He did about 12 push-ups and then collapsed on the tiled floor. He had intended to do more; at least 20 but his arms could not take his weight any longer. He got on his back and did some sit-ups. He sat with his back to a wall, breathing heavily. He included working out into his daily routine the moment he resumed at the college. This was part of a self improvement plan he drafted. He wanted to have a 6 pack by the end of the semester but at this rate he doubts he can get even 2.

"Andrew would do 50 of these..... Easy" Xaviere said to himself. He did another set of push-ups and went into the bathroom.

He took his clothes off; first the round neck shirt he wore to bed that had a picture of Daffy Duck on it. He stepped a few steps and observed his reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall opposite the door; flexing his arms and contracting his abdominal muscles. He was making progress, very slow, gradual progress but it was a step in the right direction. Then he took of his boxer shorts and then the white socks. He put all the clothes in a laundry basket that was kept close to the door of the bathroom. He then slid the glass doors open and got under the shower. He twisted a knob that was colored red to indicate the temperature of water that would rain on the person under the shower if turned.

After he had taken his bath, Xaviere proceeded to take out the toothpaste and toothbrush from the shelf that hung on the wall above the mirror. He brushed his teeth a little bit too enthusiastically as he always did; moving the bristled plastic against the surface of his dentals starting at first on the incisors and then moving towards the canines and premolars and finally the molars. He concluded the mouth cleaning by sliding the brush over the surface of his tongue repeatedly until he gagged. He then spat into the sink. He rinsed his mouth and toothbrush and then left the bathroom.

As he dressed himself up he remembered the first time Andrew saw him brush his teeth.

“That’s sus bruv. What the heck? That’s sus.” Andrew said laughing. He said this implying that the gagging sound Xaviere made while he brushed was similar to that one heard during a b*****b. Xaviere laughed too but awkwardly because he was not comfortable with homophobic comments especially when Michael was in the room. Michael was a roommate of theirs who behaved quite effeminately. Although nobody said it openly, they all thought he was gay. Some concluded it from his walking movement; he had a strut like a runway model and not the male kind. Andrew concluded from the way he wore lip balm.

Xaviere who was all dressed up now sat on his bed with his headphones on; Beethoven’s 5th symphony playing at the loudest volume while he scrolled through the pages of the Gross Anatomy Textbook on his laptop. This was a morning ritual; classical music and a book.

“6:30 already? Arrrrghhh I bloody hate Mondays” Logan said lifting the blue duvet that he covered his body the previous night over his head. Whenever he saw Xaviere with his headphones on, he knew it was 6.30. If he checked his clock and it was not 6.30, he needed to reset that clock.

Logan Leroy was a member of The Ontario College Football team, a World Philosophy major and Xaviere’s roommate. He was a sophomore. He was one of those kids his mother warned him about the night before he left for school; the night of the Talk. The Talk was a crucial part of most African children’s life. It could be any moment in time when either one of your parents or in Xaviere’s case both firmly admonish you about life. It is culture. And who to be more cultural than Xaviere’s father. Xaviere has heard a lot of talks; the night before he left for boarding school and every night before the resumption of a new term, the morning he turned 16, the Sunday he did not stay for communion and many other random days Mr. Chinedu had spare time on his hands. He was gave him a talk because Xaviere was spending way too much time on his phone. This was during the few months he was waiting for his admission into college and even then Xaviere was still chastised for being too idle.

But none of those experiences compares to that he got on night before he left to college. It was after the evening prayer; a family tradition the Williams upheld very religiously. One Xaviere will hastily forget once in school. If only his parents knew that he did not say a prayer every morning and he used the time to do push-ups instead.

“If you get any of these white girls pregnant, you’re on your own. Can you pay child support? You have to keep it of course or do you also want to add murder to your sin of f*********n?” Mr. Chinedu asked rhetorically. Everything about college life was featured in that talk; from drugs to alcohol to premarital s*x, everything was on the table with no holds barred. His parents, being the conservatives they are; his father a lot more than his mother did an amazing job at making this young man feel more embarrassment in an hour fifteen minutes than he had felt in his whole life. Nothing compared to this. Not falling down and rolling like a bowling ball at soccer tryouts, not being walked in on by Michael while he touched himself not even his failed attempt at singing in the school talent show. He was a member of the St Matthew Boy Choir but in all his years lending his vocals at the soprano stand never has he taken the lead or sang a solo. Now, here he was; in front of the whole school about to sing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

“Good afternoon everyone, my name is Xaviere James Williams and I will be singing a song; Hallelujah.” Those were the words Xaviere said before he proceeded to singing the song he knew all too well; a song he often sang in the shower. All of a sudden, the words would not just come out. It was not the pitch, he was singing on a very comfortable key and a cappella just so he could avoid the encumbrance of keeping up with the players’ pace. He stood there, shaking, palms sweaty, staring blankly into the crowd. He froze like a deer at headlights; he had no idea of what to do.

“There was a time that you let me know, what’s real and going on below”. He heard someone sing the line he had forgotten so loudly and who else but his friend Andrew. He continued and concluded his performance. At the end of the singing, he gave a bow but too quickly; so quick that his glasses fell of his face. He first attempted to walk away bit could not see properly due to the dim lighting. As he tried to pick up the glasses, he tripped and fell. That was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. But not even this compare to the embarrassment of The Talk.

“Stay away from those boys that party all night and ride around with different girls in the front seats of their cars. They are nothing but trouble. If you are looking for trouble, there is no better place to find in than at the Frat parties organized by these boys.” Mrs William said. In the craziest turn of events, Xaviere now shares a room with trouble.

Logan matched the description perfectly. Just the night before; he had been at a party playing beer pong and chucking drinks. He had 2 classes that morning; the first he would definitely miss but the second he might attend if he was not too hung over. Xaviere always wondered how he kept fit and played as a wide receiver for the school team. This guy had rock solid abs and big biceps that those college girls love. They will sit in the stands and watch him play. Logan, walking around in a tank top soaked in sweat, his tanned skin showing, doing the two things he knew how to do best; destroy guys on the football field and impress the ladies. But right now the only thing being destroyed has head. He had a terrible headache.

“Please grab me an ice pack.” Logan said to Xaviere who had his bag slung around his shoulder, ready to leave. He opened the mini-fridge in the room and took out a small, rectangular, plastic bag that ice cubes within it. He gave it to Logan and said,

“There is some Aspirin in the bathroom cabinet, you should take that. I’m off to the library.”

“Professor X, you’re a little late today.” James said. He was one of the security guard that stationed in front of the library. He took the morning shifts on Mondays and Thursdays.

“Good morning Mr James. My roommate wasn’t feeling too good this morning so I had to stay back a few minutes.” Xaviere said looking at his watch.

“It has just been 5 minutes. Get of my case James.”

Xaviere got behind the desk at the entrance of the library and turned on the computer that was on the table. He then went through the files checking for the books that have been borrowed past their due dates. He then sent emails to the borrowers of those books. When he finished, we watched some YouTube videos. He came early to the library so he could knock off an hour thirty minutes from the four hours he was to spend in there. He was going to return later in the day.

At 8.30, Xaviere got his bag and went out of the library. He had an Organic Chemistry lecture set for 9. 00. He went into the coffee shop that was on street before the Faculty of Medical Sciences. It was a ritual for him; latte before lectures. The lady behind the counter already knew him.

“Good morning Xaviere, the usual?”

“Morning Alice, yeah, yeah I will have one latte with extra milk and two sugars.”

“Okay, that’s coming right up. Petrichor, Petrichor; your cappuccino is ready.” Alice said.

At the sound of that name, Xaviere’s eyes brightened up like a baby who was trying to register an event like a sunset in its memory for the first time. It has been 2 weeks since she walked into that lecture hall. She looked more beautiful than he remembered. Maybe it was his myopic astigmatism but now seeing her here up close and personal, Xaviere was mesmerized. Xaviere knew that this was the only chance he had to finally talk to this girl and he was determined he was not going to blow it. He had made up his mind.