” He smiled at me, thanked me in advance, and left the shop.“So, Jackie, tell me about yourself,” I encouraged her as an ice breaker.“You’re...so nice to help me,” she smiled warmly, “and so beautiful”. I accepted her compliment with a blush. She continued, “I’m a Freshman Engineering student at the University. Steve and I have been seeing each other for several weeks now. I like him. He’s a gentleman.” She hesitated, “I think we are getting close to having sex, and um…I’m uncertain on it. I. (I know what you're thinking and if you so much as fucking smirk, I swear I'm going reach out and slap the shit out of you.)Right, so I was dithering between the Toad in the Hole and the Bubble and Squeak when I was greeted by a curvaceous woman in a bright red 'Mrs Santa' outfit. She was a round woman, Rubenesqu even, as a friend would later say. I didn't know about that. I thought a Ruben was a sandwich, but what the hell. I prefer a woman who can appreciate a good hoagie anyway. Specks of. Yet he only looked at me in contempt and said that it was over. That I was only the flavour of the month. I was crushed.As I walked back to my dorm after lunch the next day, I looked up and wondered what it would feel like to be a bird. To fly freely and without burden. I must've blanked out at that time because the next thing I knew, I was on the rooftop, looking at the scenery around me from the highest point for miles around.I thought, maybe this time I would succeed, maybe I would be able. She laughed too but her humiliation was not well hidden. When the man walked away with his party she looked at him with resentment. Then turned her attention towards him, who was already standing next to her.“Hi,” he said.“Hey”“I’m Ashik. What’s your name miss?”“I’m Shobha. Huh, you must be the new guy” she replied with a smile. “No Shoba, that’s not me, it’s my friend. I’m actually here to give him some company”“And for the free booze” he added raising his glass jokinglyThey laughed and talked.