backforthmenu Exercise Enthusiast. Drove up to the Valley for a visit with Mike. Upon arrival, I encounter a 90lb red-headed woman, barely out of her teens, in mis-matched clothes, wandering the cinderblock halls of Kest Hall. She walks straight up to me—I’m the only other person in the whole place. She has granite blue eyes behind heavy, plastic-framed lenses and she fixes them on me... and starts talking. “Do you exercise much? Exercise is good.” I decide to humor her because her situation seems so pathetic. It is Christmas break and practically everyone else has gone home to their families. “Yeah, I exercise. I exercise all the time.” “OH NO! You shouldn’t exercise too much!” her enunciation is exaggerated and she’s looking at me as though I were in a fishbowl, head hunched forward, a slight squint, arms behind her back. “But I LOVE to exercise,” I reply, equally exaggerated. I’m pretending I know the place, though I’ve never been there before and have no idea how to reach Mike’s room. I begin walking down a hall, she follows me. “Oh.” (pause) “Do you like Chocolate?” “Sure.” I don’t ask her where #217 is. Seems pointless. “So do I. Do you want to come to my room?” There are no markings on the walls, whatsoever. I am lost. “Ah, I can’t, I’m supposed to meet a friend.” “Oh.” (pause) “We don’t have to do anything, just talk...” “I would, really, but I have to meet a friend.” I look down at my watch-less wrist. She reaches for my shoulder, “Can I carry your backpack?” “No.” I look at her slanted with one eye squinted. “How about your notebook?” “No.” Her eyes seem to look through me. Past me. I could be anyone, didn’t matter. I wanted to ask her what she was experimenting with but dared not break her spell. “I love you as a friend.” she tells me. “Uh-huh.” “Do you like to exercise?” “I love it. I’m doing it right now.” “Oh...” (pause) “...yeah.” She trails off. Another human has entered the hall. A short Asian woman. Good luck. 12/27/95