Long Distance is a Bitch by shiprat

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"And that was New Jersey and North Carolina????" Dustin incredulously asked.

"Yeah well, it turns out we hadn't figured out the US geography THAT well when we applied. And to be honest...." I said shrugging, "Parag overestimated his chances despite his grades being a lot lower than mine. So he got a lot fewer admits than I did. And this set-up is what worked best."

"So an 8 hour drive is the closest you could be?"

I shrugged again.

"So what's the problem you to are having?" Dustin asked.

"Well...." I hesitated a bit before answering. But he had told me about his problems in such detail that I felt guilty holding back. "Primarily, we are having trouble coping with the distance. We have never been away from each other before. This is tough."

"Understandable."

"Secondarily, I don't think he tries hard enough to meet me. He seems to be behind on his work a lot, and keeps cancelling our plans."

"Well, they say grad school ain't easy."

"Yeah, but I am in fucking grad school too!" I said, testily. Dustin immediately looked apologetic.

"I know. But maybe he's just not as smart as you are."

"Sometimes I think he isn't as concerned about this relationship as I am." I said, and immediately bit my tongue. It was my worst fear, and certainly not one I should have shared with an almost-stranger.

Dustin wanly smiled at me. He gently patted my hand and said,

"I am sure he is. And I am sure it'll all be okay. It'll be okay between you and Parag. And it'll be okay between me and Vicky."

I patted his hand with my other hand and smiled. Dustin nodded his head and then got up.

"Anyway, I have to go for band practice. It was great talking to you." he said. "I'll see you around school. Don't be a stranger, now!"

"I won't. Seeya, Dustin!"

Dustin walked out of the coffee shop and I got back to working on my term paper. ---------------

I got done with the paper at about 10 pm and took a bus back to my apartment. I shared a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 other female Indian grad students. I paid half the rent and had a bedroom to myself. And the other two girls shared the other bedroom. I had chosen this arrangement because I expected Parag to keep visiting me, so I'd need the privacy of my own bedroom. He had made a similar arrangement in his university town in North Carolina for whenever I visited. But after the first month, when one of us braved the 8 hour bus ride to visit the other every weekend, the frequency of the visits had gone down drastically. And the only relief my bedroom offered me was freedom from the bickering of the two stone age bitches who were my roommates.

I shouldn't be too harsh. They weren't exactly bitches. Just very very childish and conservative. Both came from small towns in India so thought and dressed very frumpy. They were both strict vegetarians, and had never touched alcohol or a cigarette. They forbade me from cooking meat in the house, although I was permitted to bring in non-vegetarian food from outside as long as I ate it in my room. And they clearly disapproved of my smoking, although I did it outside the apartment. They also weren't happy at the fact that whenever Parag came over, he slept in my room, and we obviously had sex. They were like two conservative judgmental aunts I never had and never wanted.

But the worst part was, for all their problems with me and my so-called "lifestyle", it was each other that they couldn't get along with. They were always feuding with each other, which made life difficult since they slept in the same room, albeit on different beds. I wasn't even sure what the origin of the feud was. It had something to do with one of them drinking milk from a carton the other bought, or not cleaning the room or some such petty reason. But they kept bickering all the time. It was the worst living situation imaginable.

That night, luckily, there seemed to be some sort of a truce. Both of them were sitting in the living room watching TV. I joined them for a while, and then headed downstairs for a smoke. I could feel their disapproving looks burning into my back when I walked away.

As I lit up my cigarette, the phone rang. It was Parag. He called up to say he was sorry for being such an ass to me. He sounded so earnest that I apologized for being a bitch too. I assured him that I understood if his work this weekend had made him cancel the trip. Parag on his part promised me he'd try to word harder and visit me as soon as he could. We both said "I love you" to each other, and I went to bed feeling a lot better.

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