“Come on out here, Jonathan. I can’t bring her inside,” I hear my mentor bellow from across the café. One hand gripped the dark leather leash fastened to an absolute beast of a dog, keeping his pet at bay while Dr. Kerber held the door open with his free hand.

I took one last sip of that free cup of water, grabbed my copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius off the table, and pushed myself out of the couch and onto my feet. Reminiscing about the last time I ran into Dr. Kerber, I smiled as I thought of my last visit to Washington, D.C. – before the whole campaign job / love affair blew up in my face.

“This guy… this guy here, he’s got to be.. wait, you know---,” an inhebriated Dr. Kerber stutters amongst a group of his current students upon noticing my presence. There’s about a hundred folks in one of those big ass fancy conference rooms on the northwest side of town, all dressed and dolled up for the special occasion: the 25th anniversary of the inaugural class of a fellowship. Winners live, work, and study in D.C. as part of an immersion in policy and politics work with the supposed goal being to groom the next generation of Texas leaders in a multitude of fields.

“You know what, you tell ‘em, Jonathan. These fine men and women you see before you --,” he motions to the six or seven students around him, “are.. well, you. Four, or maybe five, years ago. So why don’t you tell ‘em all about what this fellowship has meant for you!”

“Well,” I say with a slight fidget. I’m looking my former professor straight in the eye, reading his reaction to my story. “After the fellowship ended, I went back to Texas for a bit.. then I invested a lot of money into an agricultural endeavor and opened up a fruit stand off the side of the I-35 freeway outside of San Antonio, Texas. So, you know.. if you’re ever driving up the freeway and see ‘ Jon’s Jazzy Apple Stand,’ feel free to stop by and offer me some patronage.”

My former professor squinted briefly before turning his gaze to his newer students. They were in the midst of nodding their heads unsuredly, offering me half-hearted congratulations.

“Okay, now, tell them what you’re really up to, Jonathan,” Dr. Kerber says with bemusement.

“I’m currently a graduate student at Harvard University and will likely pursue a career in either human rights work or criminal justice.”
Now it was time for the new students to squint and then laugh awkwardly as they gave me that Bobby Goren “is he serious…?” look. Luckily for them, Dr. Kerber came to the rescue:

“And this is what I had to deal with every day. This kid has the driest sense of humor I’ve ever encountered – and I’m still not sure when he’s bullshitting me or not.”

He gave me a nod; I replied with a smile, and turned to walk away.
“Wait.. so.. wait, is he really selling fruit now?” I hear a woman say while I made my way across the room.

With that tale on my mind, I followed Dr. Kerber outside of the café. I e-mailed him a few nights prior to our meeting with brief details about my last month on the campaign, but I could tell he was eager to get the full story out of me.
“So last time I saw you, you were a student at Harvard. And now.. you’re.. well, just what the hell are you doing here?”

Is that guy related to Zanzibar at all
» randomjunk on 2013-02-12 12:12:28

I think your writing is cooler than murakami.

Write a book.

And what? You hang out with professors? You're so cool.

Also you're the reason why I update. Man. MAN.

Ps. Frank Ocean won a grammy and I want his babies.
» dont-see on 2013-02-12 08:20:45

What kind of dog???

Amelie, asking the hard questions.
» Amelie on 2013-02-12 12:39:33

That's actually how I really got right with God; I met some guys who sat down and studied the Bible with me, and I realized that my life just didn't match up. It was a pretty dramatic part of my life. About a year ago, actually.

If you ever hit up one of those churches, you should ask them about that.

"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." -1 Timothy 4:16
» middaymoon on 2013-02-12 10:56:49

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