When He Met Me - Justin Trudeau

chapter two - justin

chapter two - justin

January 7, 2020

I walked through the halls of my alma mater, looking at the familiar and unfamiliar posters and faculty photos that lined the walls of the masters and Ph.D. students hallway. I remembered all the times I briskly strolled through the hallway during my undergraduate years, meeting with TA's and professors for clarifications with assignments and papers. Now, I'm walking through to see one of my old-time friends, Joseph. We were roommates during our first year and we hit it off and have been good friends ever since. I ended up leaving Montreal after getting my degree in literature to pursue a Bachelor's of education in Vancouver and teach elementary and high school students. Joseph stayed at McGill to get a master's in Media studies and subsequently to pursue his Ph.D. I made my way to the little corner office at the end of the hall. The door read 'Joseph Miller'. I knocked on the door and heard a voice holler out from behind.

"Come in," he calls out.

I open the door and find Joseph sitting at his desk, organizing papers scattered across his desk. He hadn't really changed much, but he did chop off his long curly hair for something more close-cut and was now sporting facial hair. His downturned hazel eyes still peering at the papers in front of him as I walked through the threshold.

"I hope I am not bothering you, professor, I was hoping there was a way I could somehow receive extra credit" I squeak out, attempting to speak in a high pitched girly voice. "I'll do anything."

Joseph's gaze lands on me and he lets out a laugh.

"Shut up and get in here," Joseph says, waving his arm, gesturing for me to come in.

"Wow, that was a quick response, you must get lines like that a lot" I laugh as I approach him.

Joseph stands up and walks over to me and welcomes me with open arms. I gladly accept and hug him back. The embrace is short but nice and familiar. I have missed seeing Joseph and I am glad to be seeing him.

"I wouldn't say I get it in the way you are suggesting," He said, pulling away from our embrace. "But I do offer a hand when it's needed"

"They don't know what they are missing," I say, winking at him playfully as he pushes me, shaking his head.

"To think I almost missed your loud mouth ways for a second" Joseph said, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"Oh please, your life is no fun without me around, admit it"

"Perhaps. It's good to see you," Joseph says smiling wholeheartedly at me.

"You too. To think this whole time you were a big shot with your own office while all I got was a table and two free pencils" I gesture to the room around us.

"I wouldn't say big shot, it's the smallest office of this building. I think it might have been a supply closet before, and they just shoved a desk in it and called it an office" He shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's your supply closet. That's really something" I praise.

"I guess, I'm hoping in a year or two they will finally move me to something a little less cramped and has windows"

"That's fair"

"It really is great to see, I can't remember the last time we weren't in a room together where it wasn't so... how do you say pretentious in a good way?" He asked.

"Formal" I laughed. "Shouldn't you have an expanded vocabulary from being a University Professor?"

"You would think" He shrugged a slight smile creeping its way onto his face. "I'm not the one with the English Major"