I was about to go home when Holly remembered her mom's friend has an art studio tucked back in the forest of Lake Bluff and that she is allowed to use while this friend is away. I grabbed a sketchbook and Almost Like Being In Love and we spent a few hours just drawing, talking, reading, and napping (OK, that was just me) in this gorgeous club house hidden among trees and gravel roads. I swear it was taken straight out of a movie, probably something sappy and over dramatic that Diane Lane would be in.
She dropped me off at work and a few hours later Nick Shandor (NOT Devonshire) and I went out for drinks. The Lantern was crowded, so we decided to try Highwood, which everyone always says is "supposed to be a great bar scene," but no one ever seems to make it out there. We located The Wooden Nickel and went inside for some drinks. I had gin and tonics while he made the bartender make some sugary drink that looked manly, then we moved to the worn in leather couches and ate stale Mike and Ikes that came from one of those vending machines your parents would never give you a quarter for.
We were about to call it a night when Nick looked at the Walgreen's we'd parked next to and proposed that we cap the night off by sharing a cigarette. There was no question to the brand (although some reminiscing almost sent us on an all-night quest for cloves) nor the location. We arrived at the sailing dock at the beach around 12:30, found a great place on the boulders and proceeded to kill about half the pack (oops).
It was great to talk about what I am passionate about now. And the more we compare Duke's social life to Dartmouth's, the more pleased I become with our campus culture, or at least the people I've chosen to surround myself with there. It's fun catching up with high school friends like Nick that you haven't kept in great touch with because you still remember each other's high school selves and can pretty easily make a comparison to who they have become so many years later. He reminded me how much more I love myself and how much happier I am. In high school, I was always looking for a spark; I was surrounded by so many people who were really passionate about an issue, usually the environment, and was looking for something to move me in the same way. I've definitely found that with defMo and Common Ground, and I'm so glad to have found my voice and started to figure out who I am, what I want, and what is most important to me. And having people around that I can share this new-and-improved self with is a blessing I didn't really have in high school either.
And I can see how much Nick has grown, too. I tell him I will always and forever call him "Shandor," even though he thinks Nick Devonshire is who he really is. I like to think that I saw the beginning of his transformation, that I was a catalyst in his coming out of his shell. I'm sad I couldn't witness all of his adventures at Exeter because it sounds like he was at his happiest then, but I think we've reached a similar place in our lives. Even if he is a little frattier than I'd ever picture him.
I am glad today happened when it did. I was just starting to get complacent with how the summer was going, but also upset with the fact that the next few months would fly by with great monotony. Today reminded me you don't have to make huge plans to have adventures or heart-to-hearts, and usually it's the ones that aren't planned that stick with you the longest.
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