Wendy (Gaia Part 1)

The laptop clicked and clacked away as Wendy stared dismally at the screen. She let out a sigh as she took a short break from composing her latest assignment to pop each of her fingers. She stared out her dorm room window at the sunny quad below and noticed someone sitting under her favorite tree. Daydreams of sitting under that tree, watching the squirrels run past her for hours, began to take hold of her focus. Her malaise was abruptly interrupted by a blunt pounding on her door. Startled, Wendy stood and crossed the small room toward the door.

“Wendy!” She heard her roommate call from the other side of the door as she placed her thumb on the scanner. “Open the -” Wendy opened the door to find her roommate Charlene, a tall slender girl with black hair and vibrant green eyes, holding a picture frame almost half her size. “Move please. I gotta put this thing down or I’m going to die!” Charlene cried as she dashed into the room. She carefully laid the frame on her bed, and sat down beside it.

“So what’s that all about?” Wendy inquired as she closed and scan locked the door. She crossed the room again to her desk by the window.

“I got this picture from my grandma today.” Charlene explained as lifted the frame to show Wendy. The picture was an oil painting of the vast landscape of Yosemite national park, in a stained oak frame.

“Oh wow!” Wendy peered in amazement. “It’s beautiful! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real painting outside of an art museum.”

“Well, digital frames are useful, and a whole lot lighter I’ll say that much. But I love the texture of a real painting. My parents are putting my grandma in an old people’s home, and she knew I’ve loved this picture for years so she gave it to me.” Charlene explained, sharing in Wendy’s awe.

“Wow. How old is it?” Wendy couldn’t move her eyes from the painting.

“I don’t know. My grandma’s had it for like fifty years but who knows when it was actually painted. I’m gonna put it over my desk.” Charlene motioned to the desk facing the wall with a closed laptop, slightly buried under a mess of papers. “That way we both can have a view!” she chuckled.

“There you go!” Wendy laughed, “I have to see things moving though. If it’s not alive, it’s fake. Do you need help putting it up?” she offered.

“Oh yes.” She laughed, “But I don’t want to interrupt you, I know you said you were working on that human anatomy paper today. I can wait till later, my arms are killing me anyway.”

“Ugh! I don’t want to do this stupid paper for this stupid class. I don’t care which veins are where and why they are where they are,” Wendy began to thump her head on an empty space of her desk.

“You’re so full of it. You love it. Otherwise you wouldn’t be a biology major!” Charlene tried to reason with her.

“I’m not a biology major; I’m an anthropology major; There’s a huge difference! But my stupid parents want me to minor in biology, and they pay for the school. I wanted to major in zoology but no. ‘Wendy there’s no careers out there for someone with a bachelor’s in zoology, get a practical degree’” she mocked as she continued to thump her head on her desk.

“How exactly is anthropology practical?” Charlene carefully moved the picture frame to lean against the side of her bed.

“They think if I get a degree in physical anthropology, which is why I’m a biology minor, that I’ll become a scientist and go to work for the government and make a new and improved biochip or something.” Wendy stopped thumping her head to flop onto her bed next to the desk.

“What’s wrong with the biochips now? I like mine.” Charlene smiled as she rubbed her left arm.

“I guess they’re doing research to get them to join with the nervous system better so that people can have neural control of the chips or something. I think they’re trying to do away with the thumb scanners. But, I don’t know. All I know is that I’m not gonna do anything with biochips as an anthropology major. They’re just confused. There’s not a chance in hell that I’m going to be a biotech major though. I’ll just let them go ahead and be confused.” Wendy pulled her pillow out from under her head and smashed it on her face.

“mpt mah mon mna mrte mm fufr!” Wendy yelled as she kicked her legs fervently.

“I don’t speak pillow.” Charlene raised an eyebrow at the melodramatic display before her.

Wendy raised the pillow from her face. “But I don’t want to write my paper. It’s stupid. I want to go bird watching with Argyle again. But this stupid paper’s due at eleven!” she replaced the pillow over her face.

“You know I think it’s a little weird that you keep spending so much extracurricular time with Professor Wallace. And I also think it’s a little weird that you call him by his first name. Are you putting in a little extra class effort if you know what I mean?” Charlene prodded. Wendy sat up and replaced the pillow with a look of outrage on her face.

“I know what you mean! And of course not! Why is it that a female student taking an interest in a male professor’s line of work is automatically linked to sex? I admit that I find him attractive, but he has a wife! I’m no home wrecker! Besides, I’ve been dating Paul how long? I’m not interested in getting someone else when Paul and I are so obviously perfect for each other. I want to marry him someday Charlie you know that!” Wendy playfully threw her pillow at Charlene.

“I was just asking, jeez!” Charlene threw the pillow back. “I just haven’t seen Paul around in like a week. I thought you guys might have broken up.”

“No he’s been in California working. He’s working on getting a promotion into corporate, so I’m really excited for him. We’ve been video linking everyday, but you’re never here, so you don’t see him.” Wendy chuckled.

“Forgive me for challenging myself this semester! So is he going to still be in advertising or is he just moving on to something else?” Charlene attempted to feign interest.

“Still advertising I think. I don’t know we’re supposed to link at -” Wendy looked to the alarm clock on her desk, which read 4:28. “- TWO MINUTES. Damn it you distracted me! I’m never going to finish this paper!” Wendy jumped to her mirror and put her hair up with sticks. When she finished, she sat at her computer and turned on the holographic projector that was connected to her computer. Just as it warmed up the computer began to beep and the words “INCOMING CONNECTION. DO YOU WISH TO RECEIVE?” floated above the projector.

“Accept!” Wendy squeaked excitedly.