SWARM

Bulletin Board

Chapter 3

David is standing in front of a bulletin board with his backpack while students and teachers pass behind him; searching for a miracle that can place a temporary bandage on his wound. It's not a physical wound. The injury is toward his future of someday designing his own house. He may have scholarship in architect, but it's not fixing his recent habit in gambling. David owes a big tremendous of money, and most are borrowed from banks. Perhaps payments will be lighter when he graduates, as an architect. Only by that time, it would seem like a lifetime building others until building his own house. David aims to start early; fearing bankruptcy would be incoherent as an Architect. It's better to start now he thought. Little by little, then it'll be easier to pay the whole thing. Recently, his mother from Boston promised to lend some money, with the help from her sisters; desperately to start making the debt of getting any bigger and without additional fees that act like binary fission in cancer. At least for now, the promise of a payback works and it's just another brick added on his back. At this point, it's a giant tumor he wishes to shrink. Then one ad caught his attention, and it reads: "Quick Bucks for Drafters - Just knock at this number if interested." He reaches and tears a piece of paper from the ad that shows a dorm room number, hoping his wish will be answered.

David went to the dorm room number and knocked on their door. He waits, then knocks some more; like a Genie in the Bottle, a thin cloud of smoke as the door opens and a guy with an afro wearing a black turtle neck and jean jacket, nods his head at him. He looks back and lightly yells. "Yo! A dude is here..." he said then turns back to David. "Right this way, careful there's a little mess in here."

"Is cool, I'm used to messy things," David said, and he walks inside the dorm, shyly looks around and his first impression is: Smells like marijuana. I hope I'll find my way back.

Inside is another guy with a small goatee and thick glasses that makes his eyes look big. David thought: This guy is on to something crazy. This is not new in Berkeley be cool... The guy wears around his neck an African map necklace, has shaggy black hair and he also wears a black turtle neck. He's sitting by a desk confidently, although there are a bunch of crumpled papers on the ground, it shows their just spoiled mistakes that can be easily dealt with in the end. David tries to hide his pout envious of what makes the guy able to hire someone to his service and fade it away by browsing his eyes on their dorm walls. There are African wooden masks and frame paintings of three people riding on camels in the pyramid of Giza. Few are posters that read Fight Fascism with an image of a black cat. Jazz music is playing until the guy with an afro turns down the music volume, then he sits down on a couch and smokes cannabis on a bong.

The guy with the thick glasses stood up from his chair and said, "Sorry about the mess man. The name is Alex," he shakes hand with David. "And the guy there is my dorm mate Amir." David nods to Amir, and Amir gives a peace sign.

"David," he said, feeling a little leg up after hearing the tone of his voice, he accepts their need of help. He needs the money regardless.

"David, right-on. Well, this is where the magic happens man. Welcome aboard." He took a big breath and breath out saying, "As you can see I'm having a hard time working on this damn thing," he pans his head to the crumpled papers on the floor with David, and David nods slowly agreeing with his eyebrows raised.

"I can see that," David said.

"That's why you're here right?" Alex smiles, and David hands the piece of paper from the ad. "Great, our first one," he said, and he goes back to his seat, place the piece of paper on his desk, then flips it to write down his name, "David... and what's your last name my man."