An Unexpected Love

Episode1

I just woke up; it’s ten in the morning. As usual, instead of getting up right away, I stay in bed and scroll through social media. I think this is a problem for almost all young people—we’ve become so addicted to social media that we can’t live without it anymore. After at least thirty minutes on my phone, I finally decided to get up—plus, I’m starving.

I’m going to wash up, do my morning routine, and head out to see what’s for breakfast. I walk past my parents’ room, where I find my dad.

-Me: Good morning, Dad.

-Good morning, sweetie. How are you? Did you sleep well?

-I’m fine, thank you, and yes, I slept well. How about you?

-I’m fine too. It’s time for breakfast; I guess you’re hungry.

-Oh yeah, I’m starving! I’ll be right there.

I find a plate of omelets on the dining table, with some nice, crispy bread next to it. Oh, I love this so much—I make myself a delicious omelet sandwich and pour a cup of coffee with milk. It’s exactly the kind of meal I love. I eat while watching a video from one of my favorite YouTubers. It’s so good. I’m already thinking about my afternoon because, yeah, I have class from 5 to 8 p.m. I’m starting to feel exhausted, but hey, there are only a few days left before we can stay home and work on our theses. After I finish eating, I clear the table and head back to my room. I see I’ve received a message from my big brother Loufa: “Hi little sister, I hope you’re doing well. I have some great news. We’ve taken a few days off to come to Senegal, so we’ll be there starting tomorrow.”

I smile when I see this message; I'm so happy. I'm always looking forward to seeing my big brother and his little family again. I don't just see him as a big brother, he's also my friend. We're very close, which is why we talk all the time. I love his wife so much too, she’s like a twin to me; we’re on the same wavelength. But I’m also thinking about my niece; I miss her so much. I’ll finally get to see her again. She’s two years old and brings us so much joy. I can already tell my day is going to be great thanks to this message. I reply that I’m so happy to hear the news and that I can’t wait to see them all again.

I decide to tidy up my room a bit before taking a nice shower. I enjoy the hot water; it feels good and calms me down. After that, I carefully choose my clothes; for me, appearance is very important, what I wear can set my mood. I get dressed, get ready, and grab my bag; there are still a few hours before it starts, but I’m going early so I can continue researching for my thesis.

I plug in my headphones, say goodbye to my dad, and head out toward the university. About thirty minutes later, I arrive at my destination, greet the security guards, and head to the library where I meet up with a friend. Her name is Caroline.

We are friends for five years now. She’s an amazing person, always smiling, always there for me. I love chatting with her so much.

- Me: Hey, carrot (I always call her that)

- I’m gonna smack you, Seba, lol. When are you ever going to respect me?

- Never!!! So how are you? Have you started studying yet?

- I’m fine, and you? Oh, I’ve only been here for ten minutes; I still haven’t started.

- I know, you were waiting for me—you love me too much.

- Yeah, that’s right—I’m just hungry!

- As always, I’d say!

- Oh, leave me alone. So, what’s new?

- Oh, Loufa is coming to Senegal tomorrow, I’m so happy!

- Seriously??? Oh, that’s so cool! With her family?

- Yes, of course! Get ready, I’m sure you won’t see me at all during their stay!

- You!? Stop skipping class!

- Oh, anyway, we’re not doing much right now; we’ve practically finished the curriculum.

We keep chatting for a few minutes before getting down to business that is, our research. Our other classmates join us one by one; we all work together while chatting, waiting for it to be time to go to class.