Homecoming Weekend Read Online Free

social media site. When she checked into the Marriott at Waterside, she saw many alums, old and young, but no one she recognized. But there was a feeling of celebration in the lobby.
    She headed for campus and literally received a chill when she saw all the signage and decorations welcoming back alumni. She parked in the lot in front of the campus landmarks—the Twin Tower dormitories.
    She got out of her rental car and looked up at the buildings as a tourist would the skyscrapers in New York. Her mind raced through a medley of events that happened in the towers, from the all-night games of spades and backgammon to the sister from Virginia Beach who set up a makeshift salon in her room, providing everything from affordable relaxers to shampoos to braids; to having her first-ever college date, Michael Jennings, in the lobby. Neither of them had money to go anywhere, so he bought takeout from Charlie Wong’s Chinese Restaurant around the corner and they spent two hours on a couch in the lobby eating and talking.
    â€œI miss this place,” she said to herself.
    When she walked down to the prodigious Student Union building, site of the homecoming pep rally, she expected to seemany friends and familiar faces. It was a nostalgic walk. Along the way she had images of herself as a teenager, a student, taking the same walk. She recalled thinking she knew everything back then when, in reality, she didn’t know much at all. She also recalled how liberated she felt; there were no parents to tell her what to do, when to do it or where to go. She was on her own for the first time in her life. It was scary, in a sense. But that comfort of being around myriad people who looked like her made it feel like family, easing the trepidation.
    She stopped at the site of the old library and remembered the many days she and her sorority sisters would gather there. It was their meeting spot. They would convene there for photos or use it as a launching point to move on to the next thing. And on a few occasions they actually went inside and studied.
    Watching a group of Deltas meet at the enormous new Lyman Beecher Brooks Library made her smile. But they looked so young , she thought.
    She strolled through a portion of Brown Hall, the oldest building on campus, just because she took so many classes there and because it was the first place she ever saw Brandon. He actually picked up her books when she bumped into him and they fell to the floor. It wasn’t the classic eyes-meet-and-they-fall-in-love event, though. Instead, it was more like her eyes met his and his eyes said “bye.”
    When she exited a side door of Brown Hall, between the library and the old gym, she could hear the music from the pep rally, which was winding down up ahead at the Student Center. She could see in the distance a huge gathering of people and it made her pride swell even more.
    â€œTranise?” she heard to her right. When she turned, there was her old roommate, Mary Cotton, who was from Baltimore, but worked closer to D.C.
    â€œOh my God, girl,” she said, and Tranise hugged her as one does her pillow at night.
    â€œMary,” she said, “so good to see you.”
    When they let go, they both wiped away tears.
    â€œI’m so mad at you,” Mary said. “I’ve been trying to reach you for years, girl. Where the hell have you been?”
    â€œI know,” Tranise said. “I’m sorry. I had a sort of challenging time after graduation. I’ll tell you about it later. But I ended up moving to Atlanta and becoming a schoolteacher.”
    â€œReally? That’s great,” Mary said.
    As she spoke, Tranise actually stopped listening and stared at Mary. She looked great. Her short, jazzy hairstyle was just like in college, only updated. Her tight, slim physique was as tight and slim. And she wore the most fashionable clothes, like the last time she’d seen her. She was one of the few kids in college whose