"Wake up," Doris Dzu said urgently, tapping her boyfriend Stuart Dumisani on the shoulder. Stuart did not seem to notice and continued snoring, seated at a computer inside the Bay State College library. After hitting the books in preparation for the Criminal Justice midterms, Stuart was out cold. Fortunately, Doris wasn't afraid to bring out the big guns, as it were...
"Oh shit," Stuart yelped, and he bolted awake, snatched out of a rather pleasant daydream by the sensation of ice-cold water dripping on his face. Said water came from a canteen belonging to none other than his girlfriend Doris Dzu. For a brief moment, Stuart looked around, disoriented. He was not expecting this, to say the least. What the fuck was going on?
The last thing Stuart remembered was borrowing the Capital Punishment : Opposite Viewpoints from the Bay State College librarian, and sitting at a computer with it. Professor Pamela McGill was one of those teachers whom most students feared due to her strictness. Stuart wanted to graduate from Bay State College, take the LSAT and then go to law school at Suffolk University. Failing one of his last classes would put those dreams on hold...
Doris Dzu flashed Stuart the kind of smile the Devil himself would recognize. I should have known, Stuart thought, glaring at Doris, and the tiny gal smiled innocently. Anyone else might have bought Doris act but Stuart knew better. He knew Doris to be an incorrigible prankster underneath her devastating charm and beauty. The diminutive cutie always got her way, and it was not very hard to see why...
"Sorry, babe, but the library is closing in half an hour," Doris said apologetically and Stuart groaned, then mumbled something unintelligible. Doris smiled innocently, and Stuart shook his head, not falling for the little imp's innocent act for one second. From the moment Stuart first laid eyes on Doris, he'd known that she was cute...and trouble.
"Next time, just say something, alright? Sheesh," Stuart said, still fuming after this decidedly rude awakening. He yawned and stretched, then took a look around. Located in the Commonwealth Avenue area of downtown Boston, Bay State College was fairly small and its library even more so. Stuart suddenly realized that, aside from the bespectacled blonde female librarian behind the desk, he and Doris were alone in the library.
"Yeah, we should go home," Doris suggested, and Stuart nodded, then grabbed his backpack. Prior to leaving, Stuart returned the book to the librarian. Stuart and Doris headed out, hand in hand. They walked down the carpeted steps and emerged upon Commonwealth Avenue. Located a heartbeat from the Back Bay and the Copley Mall, Bay State College was one of several small schools in the area.
Walking past the former campus of Gibbs College, Stuart repressed a chuckle. Growing up in the City of Brockton, Massachusetts, Stuart remembered a lot of advertisements about certain 'dubious' colleges and institutions on television. ITT Technical Institute was one of them, and so was Gibbs College, which closed a while ago. Places designed to bilk money out of students with less than stellar grades who couldn't get into real colleges or universities.
"Something on your mind, handsome?" Doris asked, and she squeezed Stuart's hand for effect. Passersby looked at the seemingly mismatched pair. Stuart Dumisani, the Kwazulu-Natal born and Brockton-raised son of proud South African immigrants is an imposing young man, to say the least. As much as Stuart loves his native South Africa, he is a proud son of America.
At the age of twenty, Stuart stood six-foot-three and weighed two hundred and forty pounds. With skin of a rich mahogany hue and kinky hair which he shaved once a month, he was ruggedly handsome. People often asked Stuart if he played football. The brawny young man looked like he could play wide receiver or defensive tackle for the New England Patriots and give some much-needed help to QB Tom Brady. Unfortunately, he was a glorified nerd...
"Life and its foibles, my dear," Stuart said, and he smiled at Doris, in that charmingly annoying, or annoyingly charming, dreamy way of his. We are so different, Doris thought, looking at Stuart. Next to Stuart, a genuine giant, Doris seemed even more like a pixie than usual. Standing five-foot-four in her bare feet, and slightly taller in heels, Doris carried herself with a confidence that the Amazonian actress/model Gal Gadot could barely match...
"Stuart, want to grab supper at Copley before we go home? My treat," Doris suggested, and Stuart cocked a curious eyebrow. In the two years since they'd met, Doris had been quite traditional and let Stuart be "the guy" as far as paying for things and taking her on trips and such. Doris, for all of her feistiness, was an old-fashioned gal at the end of the day. Stuart scratched the back of his bald head and smiled at Doris, who scoffed.
"Alright," Stuart said hesitantly, and Doris nudged him in the ribs, causing him to burst out laughing. They crossed the street, walking past the Green Line Train entrance and headed to the Copley Mall. They went through the revolving doors and went up the escalator. At this hour, the mall was still busy. It's one of those places where who's who of Boston society goes to be seen by the wannabes. Copley Mall attracts all kinds of crowds...
"How do you like it?" Doris asked Stuart as they sat inside Legal Sea Foods, a few minutes later. Stuart, clad in his bright blue Bay State College hooded sweatshirt, dark blue jeans and black Timberland boots, felt a bit underdressed. Doris, decked out in a dark gray vest, white blouse and dark gray dress pants, complete with black open-toed Wedge Sandals, felt quite at home.
Earlier that day, since she had no classes, Doris worked a six-hour shift for The Panther Group, a Boston-area call center where her multi-lingual talents gave her an edge over the competition. Doris spoke fluent English, Mandarin, and Spanish. She was a professional and carried herself accordingly. Of course, even if she'd been wearing a tank top and short skirt, Doris would have acted like she owned the place...
