3 is the Magic Number

Chapter 1 - The Assignment

"Don't forget to sign up for a cheek swab for Discover Your Ancestry. It's one of the requirements for your family history paper due next Friday," Dr. Caton reminds the class as everyone begins to pack up their things and leave the lecture hall. Placing my laptop inside my black backpack, I zip up the compartment, swing one shoulder strap over my shoulder, and walk up the steps to the door. Taking a quick look at my Fitbit, I notice that it's 10 minutes till 11. If I head over to Einstein's now, I may be able to miss the lunch rush. So, with that thought in mind, I bundled myself up and headed outside.

The cold icy winter air greeted me upon opening the door, sending chills down my spine. Now, don't get me wrong. I do love winter, but hot damn, sometimes it can get too cold. I am reminded of this fact as I feel the chilly wind seep through my gloved hands, prompting me to stuff them in the pockets of my letterman jacket to keep them warm. I quicken my pace, wanting nothing more than to get out of this winter weather and inside where it's warm.

As I continue walking, my mind wanders back to the last home football game during my first year of college and how today's weather is moderate compared to what I went through that day. The game was to take place at 2 pm; however, it was delayed an hour and a half because the opposing team got stuck in the snow. While waiting for the team, my family showed up and tailgated in the snowy, cold weather. I remember walking out of my dorm to meet them in the parking lot as the snow blew around me, sometimes even obscuring my vision to where I could only see about three or four feet in front of me.

When the game started, the snow had stopped falling, and the sun was beginning to shine. However, it was still brutally cold and very icy. The mental stands were like an ice rink. One wrong step and you'd be falling backward. It was hard to stay standing, as this was a requirement of all band members. I can vividly recall taking small side steps back and forth to try and keep myself warm while blowing warm air into my trumpet and emptying the water valve (spit valve) when needed.

Eventually, we did our performance at halftime. Then shortly afterward, the band director had let us all go, as he was concerned for our safety, with us standing on the stands, and the brass instruments were freezing up; valves on the trumpets, mellophones, and tubas not moving. Overall, it was just too damn cold.

I am pulled out of my reverie just outside the Union building. Quickly, I push open the door and walk inside. Unfortunately, warm air rushes to greet me, and my glasses start fogging from the sudden temperature change. Even though my fogged-up glasses obscure my vision, I continue walking toward Einstein's. However, I don't mind. I've been to the Union dozens of times and know my way around it. Plus, it doesn't take long for my glasses to defog themselves.

When I reach Einstein's, my sight has cleared up, and a small smile forms on my lips as I see only one person waiting in line. Taking this opportunity, I get behind the student and grab my student ID card from the inside pocket of my high school letterman jacket. Upon paying, I step to the side to wait for my order; avocado toast on an asiago bagel with a small hot chocolate to drink. Mmm, a perfect day for hot cocoa. Bitter cold weather, with icy patches of ice. Yeah, a good day for a nice warm beverage. I smile, thinking about how cold Midwestern weather can get but also weird. My brother once showed me a meme he found on Instagram. The post names and explains the three actual seasons that occur in the midwest. I found it very funny and oddly accurate.

"Augusta." I look at the pick-up counter to see a student worker holding my food and beverage.

"Thank you," I say, grabbing my order and walking to a small table to grab a few napkins. Once I have what I need, I head upstairs to the small lounge overlooking the college campus's northside. Finding a high table next to the window, I placed my order and got ready to work.

After working on my homework, I look at my Fitbit; 3 pm. "I should get back to my room. There are a few things I need to do before I am required at the marching band meeting this evening," I quietly say. "But, before I leave, I should sign up for a day to get my cheek swabbed for Discover Your Ancestry," That said, I began looking to see what days work with my schedule, preferably sometime tomorrow, if possible, since I haven't actually started on my essay yet.  

As I look at the days and times available, I find that most of them have been filled for the weekend and the week. Maybe I should have signed up earlier and not waited until the last moment. I sigh heavily. Grumbling, I mutter, "I need to learn to manage my time better." Then, just as I am about to give up searching, I go back and see a time slot available for Sunday afternoon. 

"Huh, Sunday at 2 pm. I must have missed it the first time I went through the list. That works with my schedule," I said to myself. I click the time slot and type in my school email address and other important information. Once I am done, I fish out my phone from my pocket, type the time, and place it in my calendar so I don't forget. After finishing up, I grab my things and get ready to walk back to my dorm room.