You have six hours to go before the deadline, and you have a strong urge to hug someone. You needed assurance, as your confidence was about to get a beating. You were embarrassed to tell the secretary of the English Department that you were about to get another deduction on your paper due to tardiness. Your tutor kept on telling you to be confident, even if you couldn't figure out all the recurring themes in your reading list. And this day (January 21) was National Hugging Day.
It had been a habit of yours to hug anyone, such that your older brother thought you were peculiar. (You were defensive about it, as you believed there was nothing wrong in hugging too much.) And you were right. You came across a recent feature in Time Magazine, where iconic images of enthusiastic huggers were shown. Your favorite picture was a woman hugging her dog. (It reminded you of Lloyd, your pet frog. He happened to be an adorable French bulldog.) You would need to hug someone within an hour or two. You wanted to be reassured. You were reminded of the following:
Your parents. They were a call away, but you wished they were in the room right now. And you had many questions. (They didn't answer your last query, which would be the destination for your next holiday.) You would see them the weekend after next, but you couldn't wait.
Your housemate. You knew most of them, even have a good time on a number of occasions. And you couldn't forget their sense of humor. (They thought of pen markings on your arms after you passed out. You had too much beer.) But not a tender moment. This rather made you uneasy, as you wanted them during the good times. You could ask them about their weekend plans later.
Your tutor. Miss Stoneman would have a special place in your heart. She thought you won't stand a chance as an applicant, as you didn't have enough qualifications (to make it to the English Department). But she was impressed at your knowledge of the science fiction genre. She was also amused at your lack of enthusiasm on Victorian literature. (You knew your Dickens and Austen, but you rather wanted adventure and romance. Costume would kill you.) She took a chance, and she was never wrong. Yet. You were grateful, such that you kept on reminding yourself that you would give her a hug one of these days. Maybe your next meeting (next Monday).
You decided to settle on your pillow, squeezing it as hard as you could. And then you would listen to a few songs by David Gray, Depeche Mode, and Gin Blossoms. (Not Justin Bieber, even if one of your coursemates thought that "Purpose" was his best album to date.) Maybe you should pay more attention to your pretty coursemate in prose. She kept on asking you about the writing style of some authors in Victorian literature. You wished she told you about her weekend plans, but there was no harm in asking.
