Memories
The past two years of Lexa's life could only be described as mundane. Get up, go to school, go home, do her homework, go back to bed, for a full year this is all she did.
When she started studying Law at Polis University her family had hoped that it would change her routine or if they were really lucky she might even open up to someone and at least let herself have a friend. Unfortunately Lexa was determined not to trust anyone which led to another full year of the same routine.
For two years she had managed to shut everyone out of her life. The only exceptions to this were her cousins Anya and Lincoln which only happened because they refused to let Lexa shut them out of her life.
Everything was going as Lexa had planned it, she focused exclusively on her studies only speaking in class when necessary or speaking to her cousin's when they called. Someday she would get a dull job that she would hate and live out her days alone so that she would never have anything important in her life to lose.
Polis University was no Ivy League school. Most of its students were people that just barely graduated from high school or people that had feared leaving their hometown. Lexa chose to go there because of how ordinary it was.
Two years ago her dream school was Arkadia University which wasn't all that far from Polis. When she had decided to live a dull life she refused to allow the college of her dreams to be a part of that life which is how she ended up there. She regrets this but she believed it was the right decision.
She had done well in her first year in Polis University, better than well she was top of her class. She didn't consider this much of an achievement though considering she was Ivy League material in an average college. Still she wouldn't complain she chose to do it this way and now she has no other choice but to stick with it.
A week after Lexa's received her results for her first year, she had an unexpected visit from one of her professors, who gave her some news that would change her life.
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Her roomates usually answer the door but since they've gone home for the summer it's up to her to answer it now. She figured it was probably Anya or Lincoln so she wasn't concerned about having to answer it. She pulls open the door.
To say that she was shocked to find Professor Jaha standing at her door would be an understatement.
"Hello Ms.Woods, may I come in?" He asks. She nods in response and gestures to the couch.
Luckily Jaha understands that Lexa doesn't speak outside of the classroom. Anya had been kind enough to explain everything to him before Lexa started the course. He sits on the couch, Lexa sits in the single chair beside him.
"I won't take up too much of your time Ms.Woods, I'm here to speak about your education, specifically your future at Polis University."
Lexa nods for him to continue.
"I am here to inform you that you are no longer a student at Polis University."
Lexa sits there stunned, she doesn't understand what it is that she could have done wrong. She's the top student in her class, possibly in the whole university, she's never broken any of their rules. 'how can this be happening?' She thinks to herself.
"Don't panic Ms.Woods that's not a bad thing, the opposite actually."
Lexa tilts her head in confusion. Jaha gives her a warm smile.
"I have spoken with a friend of mine in Arkadia University and he agrees that someone with your level of intelligence should not be stuck in an average college so he has taken your case to the board of admissions and I am happy to tell you that you are now a student at Arkadia University."
Lexa's mouth hangs open. Jaha chuckles.
"I take it this is good news then?"
Lexa gives him a big smile and nods enthusiastically. He chuckles again.
"Good I have discussed it with your family and they were just as happy as you are. Oh if you're wondering how I contacted them your cousin Anya gave me her contact details at the beginning of the year so that I could get in touch with her if I ever thought you were struggling, luckily I never had to. Your cousin is quite feisty and threatened to hurt me if I ever told you about that but I think since this is good news she won't be angry about me telling you now." He gives her an amused look.
She gives him an apologetic expression.
"Don't worry Ms.Woods I find it quite endearing how much your cousin cares for you. Now back to the main topic. I'm sure you're worried about your college fees."
She gives him a nod with a serious expression on her face again.
"Well I also spoke with your family about that and they insisted they would pay but I offered another way. It took them quite a while to accept it but once I told them it was a non-negotiable condition of you getting a place in this course they accepted."
Lexa gives him a curious look.
"Lexa...can I call you Lexa?"
She nods and he smiles.
"Lexa, when your cousin explained all the pain you had experienced in such a short amount of time I had thought that you would lack interest in your studies, I am glad to admit that I was wrong. I immediately noticed all the potential you have and how it was being wasted at our university. Most of my students don't have what it takes to become a great lawyer but you do Lexa."
He takes a moment to breathe before continuing.
"I have been a professor at Polis University for a very long time now and at some point I lost my love for teaching but you have reminded me of why I love teaching. As a teacher I have the ability to shape the future, what I teach my students could change the world and by not being fully commited to teaching them the best that I could I have been sending people out into world who probably won't have any impact on how the world is in twenty years time but you will Lexa. You will change this world. I guess it took seeing a student with your determination to remind me of that and I have to thank you for that."
He gives her a proud smile. Her eyes start to water after receiving such a compliment from someone she has great respect for.
"I can't explain what it means to me to have that passion for teaching back. It hasn't just changed my work, it's changed my life, I have never been happier than I am now, even my wife is thankful that you came into my life." His eyes begin tearing up. "It's an incredible gift you've given me Lexa and I would like to give you something in return."
He takes a moment to compose himself before he continues.
"My wife and I have decided that in order to thank you we will be paying the fees for your education."
Lexa can't hold back the tears at this point, she cries uncontrollably. She can't believe what she's just heard. She wonders if he knows just how much it means to her for someone to do something this monumental for her. She tries to think of a way she can thank him.
She finally decides that the best way to thank him is to trust him. "Thank you so much Professor Jaha. You have no idea what this means to me. I don't know how I will ever repay you."
Jaha is the first person (apart from Lincoln and Anya) Lexa has trusted enough to speak to in two years.
"You are very welcome and I think you can call me Thelonious now that I'm no longer your teacher Lexa." He smiles. "You don't have to repay me. There is one think you must do for me though Lexa."
"Anything" she replies.
"My wife and I would like you to send regular updates on how you are doing in Arkadia University. Sending us an e-mail once a month should suffice, if that's ok for you?" He asks hesitantly, he wonders if she would be comfortable with that.
"Of course, I'll send one everyday if you want?" They both chuckle at her response.
"I think you'll be too busy to send one everyday so let's say once a week but only if you can and once a month for sure, how does that sound?"
"I can manage that." She says with a smile.
"Oh, I almost forgot there are two more things I have to tell you, the first is that your family wanted me to tell you that they will give you a weekly allowance for your rent, bills, food and anything else you need so that you can focus solely on your studies, they said to tell you that's also non-negotiable." He lets out a hearty laugh recalling the conversation.
"Of course they would say that." She laughs along with him.
"The second is that my wive would like to meet you before you leave for Arkadia, she wants you to come to dinner at our house but that is only if you're comfortable with it."
"I would love to. I can't wait to meet her and thank her for all of this. I really can't believe this is real."
"Well I can assure you it's very real Lexa. I really do believe in you and I know you'll be top of your class in Arkadia University."
"Thank you Thelonious, I promise I will do the very best that I can, your money will not go to waste."
"I know it won't and I will proudly watch when you receive your diploma and I'll be there in the courtroom for your first court case."
"You will?" She asks slightly shocked.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume that I would be invited I just-"
"No, no, of course you're invited, I guess I just didn't think you would want to be a part of my life after I graduate."
"Lexa we're not just paying for you to go to a better school, we're doing this to give you a better life. You gave purpose to my work again and that's made me a happier person which has given my wife and I a better life. We're not just going to forget you after you graduate, we want you to be a part of our lives for as long as you want to be and we hope that would be for a very long time."
Tears start to build in Lexa's eyes.
"I...." She tries to calm herself. "I want you both to be in my life for as long as possible. You are the first person I've trusted enough to speak to in two years Thelonious, I can't explain the importance of that and you're also giving me something I could only dream of and now you want to be a part of my life, in two years no one has wanted that and I just....I'm so grateful Thelonious, I.....you really don't know how much this all means to me. Each of those things alone are incredible but altogether it's so much, it means so much." She stops trying to hold back the tears at this point.
She moves over to the couch next to Jaha and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. She is just as shocked as he is by this gesture but he quickly wraps an arm around her and she dismisses the thoughts of how odd it was of her to initiate this hug.
"Well when you put it like that I guess it does make us sound kind of great." He lets out a soft laugh, still hugging her. "I am glad you trust me though Lexa. I understand how difficult it must be for you to trust people and I don't take that responsibility lightly, I will never betray your trust." He states it confidently so that she knows his words are true. "And now that you trust me enough to speak to me maybe you can call sometimes instead of sending e-mails. Spending less time staring at my computer screen would probably be good for my eyesight." He lets out a soft chuckle.
Lexa finally withdraws from the hug to smile at him. "I will definitely call. The same probably applies for me and I'd rather not be blind by the time I hit thirty." They both chuckle.
Jaha's phone beeps signalling a new message, he reaches into his pocket and pulls it out. Lexa watches as he reads it, he immediately erupts in loud laughter. Lexa looks at him with a confused expression. "It seems someone couldn't wait to hear what you thought of about this." He hands her his phone.
On the screen she sees two messages, she didn't hear the notification of the second one. She scrolls up on the screen to the first one.
Alie (14:46)
Did you tell her? What did she think? Is she happy? I hope she's happy. Did you tell her the part about her family? Don't forget to tell her, they're funny I like them already. Is she going to come to dinner so I can meet her?
Alie (14:47)
I'm so glad we're doing this for her. Don't forget to tell her about the regular updates part, she's going to make us so proud, I know she will :) Answer me as soon as you get this, it's killing me not knowing.
Just then a third message appears on the screen and now Lexa is the one errupting into a fit of laughter. She hands the phone to Jaha.
Alie (14:50)
Thelonious Jaha, I know you read my messages, you will answer me RIGHT NOW. If not you'll be coming home to a VERY angry wife.
Jaha chuckles at his wife's messages before sending a quick reply. "As you can see she's very enthusiastic about this."
"Yeah, I like her already and I will do my best to make you two proud, I promise."
"I know you will Lexa, you're an incredibly intelligent girl but don't stress yourself out trying to make us proud, we'll be proud of you even if you decide to drop out after a year to become a circus clown." They both chuckle at the idea of Lexa as a clown. "I'm already proud of you now for trusting me enough to let me into your life."
"Thanks Thelonious, I don't know what I did to deserve having you and your wife in my life but I really am happy to have you both in it."
"Alie's going to love you, she already does." He chuckles softly.
"Alie's a lovely name, I don't think I've ever heard that name before."
"Would you like to know what it means?"
Lexa nods in response.
"It has quite a few meanings, precious, awakening, noble, bright and man's defender. I find all of them are accurate for Alie so I've never settled on a particular one that defines her."
"What does Thelonious mean?"
He thinks for a moment. "I actually don't know." He laughs. "I've known Alie's since our first date so many years ago and I've never learned my own." They both laugh hysterically at this.
Their conversation continues for so long and so easily after this that Jaha asks Lexa to join them for dinner that evening and she happily accepts the offer. She had worried that she wouldn't be able to open up to Alie for a while and that the woman wouldn't like her as a result of that but to her surprise she has no problem talking to Alie. She enjoys their company and finds herself smiling more often in one night than she has in the past two years.
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She later talks to Anya and Lincoln on Skype, she needs to hear them say it so that she knows this isn't all just a dream.
"Anya, Linc I can't believe it...."
"We couldn't either but believe it little Lexi you're an Ivy League student now." Anya replies.
"We're so proud of you Lexa." Lincoln adds.
They talk for hours, well into the early hours of the next day before they say their goodbyes. Lexa, Anya and Lincoln were completely unaware that their parents, Lexa's aunt and uncle, Indra and Gustus sat on the other side of the door the whole time listening to their favourite niece speak passionately about her future. All the Woods family were exhausted the next day but the pride they felt listening to Lexa was well worth being a little sleep deprived.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day the Woods family had a celebration dinner for Lexa and for the first time in two years she spoke to Indra and Gustus, usually she just answered their questions when they asked.
This time she decided to let them in and told them all of her thoughts and feelings. It was such a shock to them that Gustus, a man who never struggled to find something to say, stood speechless and Indra, who rarely showed her emotions, broke down in tears. Lexa began to think that their reactions meant she had made a bad decision but before she could close herself off again she was engulfed in a hug by the four members of the Woods clan.
Two days ago Lexa could count the number of people she could trust on one hand and now she needs two. She can't help feeling overwhelmed after everything that's happened in such a short amount of time.
She knows things are going to get tough soon. She will have to find an apartment and a roommate since she doesn't want her family to have to pay too much for her rent and bills she thinks this is the best solution. Despite how horrible her last roommates were she figures she can deal with a difficult living situation to save her family some money after everything they have done for her. That is what makes this moment even more special to Lexa, now she has six people in her life she cares deeply for, who she can talk to if life gets hard.
She knows that this hasn't fixed her trust issues and that it's unlikely she will be willing to open up to anyone else for a very long time but for now she has more people she knows will be by her side whenever she needs them.
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A short time later they stand outside their family home to say their goodbyes. Lexa still has some time before she has to move to Arkadia so she plans to spend as much time as possible with her family before she leaves. After the events of the day though this goodbye is very emotional. Gustus and Indra are reluctant to let Lexa leave now that she trusts them again, they finally feel like they have their Lexa back and they would love to spend hours getting to know her again if they could but they know they shouldn't push her too much.
They've all experienced a wide range of emotions today and they feel exhausted after it but in a good way.
"So you're going to call us once a week, right?" Indra asks.
"Yes, on Saturdays I will call you and the Jaha's and tell you all about my week." She responds, rolling her eyes when she thinks of how little faith they have in her. She realizes then that she can't blame them for this.
"Umm..." She starts fidgeting nervously. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry I shut you out for so long when all you did was try to take care of me."
"There is no need for apologies Lexa, you have been through a lot. It was difficult to watch you shutting us out but we understand your reasons for doing that and we don't blame you for doing so. We always knew someday you would let us back in and we are so happy that you did but I want you to do one thing for us if that's ok?" Gustus waits for her to confirm before continuing, she nods her head and gives him a smile.
"I want you to always remember that we are your family Lexa, we will always be by your side when you need us, all you have to do is call us and we'll be there so I want you to promise that if you do need us you will call." Gustus looks into her eyes so she knows he is serious about this.
"I promise Uncle Gus." She replies confidently.
It's been far too long since he last heard Lexa call him that.
"That's my girl." He says proudly, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Uncle Gus as much as I love your hugs, I kind of can't breathe right now so you're going to have to loosen up a little." The three other Woods laugh beside them seeing Lexa struggling to free herself.
"Linc, I thought you were helping this girl get stronger? you must be taking it too easy on her, she can't even break free from a hug." Gustus has a hard time keeping her from slipping away, he really is impressed by how strong she is but he won't tell her, it's much more fun teasing her.
"Not fair Uncle Gus, you're like a bear, how am I supposed to escape from a bear?"
"I'm not like a bear Lexa, I am a bear, can't you feel my fur?" He tilts his head to the side to tickle Lexa's neck with his beard, which at one time had been so long it reached his chest but recently had been cut up to reach just below his chin.
"Ugh Uncle Gus stop it!!" She shouts.
The three other Woods can't help but smile at the scene in front of them. This had always been a game Gustus would play with the family whenever he hugged one of them but it had been a long time since they had last seen Lexa and him interact like this. It warmed their hearts to see the real Lexa again.
A cunning plan formed in Lexa's mind. Gustus had been holding on tightly to prevent her from escaping, she was trying so hard to escape that she knew if she stopped and stood still for a brief moment he would instinctively relax thinking she was giving up and that she'd let him hug her, once he did this Lexa quickly slipped from his arms and ran behind the other three Woods.
Once safely behind her cousins and aunt she smirked in triumph. "Do you know what I did to escape from you Uncle Gus?"
He shakes his head.
"I just used my brilliant, soon-to-be-Ivy-League-educated mind to outsmart you. My brain will always beat your brawn."
"That's my girl" Indra states proudly as she gives Lexa a high five. All five members of the Woods clan laughed uncontrollably together.
Once their laughter comes to an end they say their goodbyes. They have another group hug, Gustus asks for a hug and Lexa spots the mischievous gleam in his eyes, she's too smart for his tricks so she suggests a group hug knowing he can't get her when she's surrounded by the others.
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It's been a little over a month since those two memorable days. There have been many more since then, some with her family, some with the Jaha's. She hopes there will be many more days like them.
Now Lexa stands in her (soon to be old) room packing up the last of her belongings to start her new life in Arkadia. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She checks it just in case it's from the owner of the building.
Anya (12:43)
I really hope you get along better with this roommate.
Lexa (12:44)
I will don't worry, judging from her e-mails she seems nice.
Anya (12:45)
Does that mean you'll speak to her when she tries speaking to you? It's great that you let the Jaha's and mom and dad in. Letting a stranger in would be a big step but I think you should at least try, there's no harm in trying.
Lexa (12:46)
Don't push it Anya, I told her in my last e-mail that I don't speak, I didn't expand on why I don't but she didn't push it either so it's fine.
Anya (12:46)
LEXA WHAT THE HELL?! she probably thinks you're mute, how do you think she'll react when she hears you on the phone to one of us?
Lexa (12:47)
It's fine, I'm sure she has friends, she doesn't need me to talk to her.
Anya (12:48)
Oh Lex, I wish you'd just let someone into your life, I know you'll say you have us but it's not the same, I wish you'd at least try to make a friend.
Lexa (12:49)
I won't make any promises but i'll think about it Anya.
Anya (12:50)
That's all I ask for Lex. When are you officially moving in?
Lexa (12:50)
Tomorrow just finishing up all my packing now. I'm staying with the Jaha's tonight so the drive won't take as long tomorrow.
Only two boxes remain in the room, the rest of them are already in her car. She looks around the empty room. 'There are no memories here' she thinks to herself. It saddens her to think that but it's also a relief, she wouldn't want there to be memories in a place she never cared for. She leaves her room for the last time, she places her keys on the kitchen counter as requested by the owner of the building, she walks out the front door. She doesn't look back at the place that had been her home for a year simply because she never saw it as her home.