Chapter #11
[1] Angus was one of two people I knew who lived in Los Angeles. I had met him a few months earlier and we would visit each other quite often. He was a student at University of Southern California. Not only did he agree for me to stay over at his place while I was searching for a new apartment, he even picked me up from the airport. The USC was based in downtown Los Angeles and apart from the dorms and a few restaurants and cafes outside the campus there was not much to do. Luckily Angus didn't mind dropping me at Santa Monica beach during the day so I could walk around the area and look for jobs. It wasn't easy. The seasons were in total reverse to Palm Springs so while the desert was getting ready to get busy here everything was slowing down. I had a new resume now bragging how I was 'enticing' customers at Michael's restaurants but the responses were all too familiar - "we will call you back". The phone never rang and I was getting worried. Was this the time I was finally going to run out of luck?
[2] All I wanted to do was to finally enjoy the sun. The ocean. The pier. All of those things that were passing me by while I kept worrying. I was by now so confident with school that I hardly noticed when it started. The buildings of Santa Monica College seemed more modern than in the desert but the campus was also much bigger. The college was one of the most popular school among the international students and suddenly I felt a bit out of place. The teachers were of course smart but the place was missing the slow-pace and friendliness of the desert. It even had its own police department. I was suddenly finding myself missing the old school.
I phoned David as soon as I moved into to Emy's place. We had been exchanging occasional SMSs ever since he visited Palm Springs the previous Christmas. I even took him to Byran's place where we celebrated Christmas over some snacks and beer. He picked me up the same evening. We parked outside a Japanese restaurant. I looked at the electricity lines above us and wondered if life wouldn't be easier if they simply fell and electrocuted me on spot.
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