Hoffman Ch 3 # 3

Staring out over the buildings I can make out the campus woods just behind the tech park. Later I would go there and explore. But for now I needed to find my classroom. I usually find them ahead of time but I had been so tired. Usually I would not have arrived the day before my classes but planned much further ahead. But the honeymoon hike had been our priority. And we were happy and muddy now that it was over. I had done myself the service of printing off my schedule so I tucked it into my shirt pocket and packed my bag.

I walked out of my room, locked the door, and was lost. A glass wall looked across to a stairwell in an adjacent tower, probably the one I wanted. To my left down the hall was another stairwell and an elevator. To the right the hallway took a sudden turn in the other direction from the opposite tower, so it was probably no good to go that way.

I pressed the elevator button and as I waited I heard talking. A girl caught my hand. "Hey, I met you yesterday! No, don't take the elevator. It goes to the basement. Come on. Are you in the Digital Processing Class? Grad students generally have to take that one now? Yes, ok well I found the room yesterday. Come on, we have to hurry so we can get breakfast first." She looked at me critically, "at least I need breakfast. You do eat breakfast right? Because the breakfast here is worth eating. They have good cooks, and a good budget which matters just as much!."

I tried to reply to call of her questions at once and laughed instead. She took this as the general good will it was and suddenly we were surrounded by four other girls, all dressed smartly and talking about eggs and salads and workload and thesis work. I followed the happy crowd, wondering how they all knew each other already.