Chapter Two: Don't I Know You?
The bells rang out through the empty corridors, signalising the end of the day. Almost immediately, the silence and the stillness of the atmosphere was broken, doors to classrooms bursting open, and the masses of eager students piling their way out. Monkey chatter from the guys, the gossip from the girls, the sighs of relief from lecturers and professors as they made their way out of the building, all desperate to get home. A particular group of girls weren't hasty in walking, and were chatting amongst themselves. Lisa happened to be with the group. Only a few hours ago she was the shy out-of-towner, and now she had made friends with a few girls she met during her studies.
"I'm just saying, I agree with the Marxist approach to religion rather than the Feminist approach," one girl stated, "It's more believable to be honest, the upper class exploiting it to make more money."
"Yeah, I totally agree," Lisa smiled, "Now that women have the right to become priests, we can no longer assume that men use religion to glorify their power over women."
The girls approached the inner-skirts of the city, the bustling streets filled with last minute shoppers. They came to a crossroads before stopping to say their goodbyes.
"So, Lisa," one of the group said, a confident girl with fiery red hair, "What 'cha gonna do now?"
"Hmm, I was just thinking of grabbing a coffee, then heading back home," Lisa replied, "there's a lovely little cafe near my apartment building, I might look over my assignment there."
"Urgh, more uni stuff?" the girl tutted, lifting an eyebrow, "Look Lisa, uni is for uni stuff. Outside of uni is partying and shopping, okay? We're all heading over to my place. I'm doing manicures and make-up, then we're hitting the clubs with our fake ID's. Wanna join us?"
"No..that's okay," Lisa sighed, "I don't do clubbing..or drinking. Besides, I'm not twenty one yet, and neither are you!"
"Ha ha! Oh Lisa, you're such a goodie girl!" the girl teased, ruffling Lisa's hair, "well, whatever. Hope you enjoy your coffee, we'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
Lisa nodded, then watched as the girls walked away, chatting and giggling to each other. She sighed, then began walking in the opposite direction. Despite the fact that she's made some friends that shared her liking to knowledge, Lisa still felt different. She knew she wasn't a normal girl. She didn't understand the need the students around her had for drinking and partying, and rolling into uni the next day with a hangover. She didn't understand the need they had for dating, why everyone had to be with everyone else, and why single people needed to be ridiculed. She didn't care for that. All she cared about was working hard for a career. It was a simple enough ambition, but still, Lisa had to ask herself,
Why is it so bad that I want that? I don't hate them for wanting what they want, so why do they hate me just for wanting a career?
Lisa finally came to the cafe, then pushed open the door. The cafe was fairly busy, many people ordering coffee, then packing themselves at tables and booths. She approached the counter, where a young acne-ridden man came to take her order.
"Hello there, can I help?" the man asked.
"Erm, yes, I'll take a mocha please," Lisa replied, "With cream instead of milk, if that's okay?"
"Sure. That comes to one dollar twenty-five, it'll be ready in a minute or two," the man smiled, then went to prepare the beverage. Lisa dug into her pocket for some cash, which she placed on the counter. Whilst waiting for her coffee, she observed the cafe, looking for a place to sit. It wasn't looking hopeful, many of the customers were using chairs for their belongings, and others were hogging the table tops with laptops and books. Her eyes finally found a window side booth with a free side, the other side taken by a customer consumed within their newspaper.
"Here's your mocha, ma'am," the man said, handing the cup to Lisa.
"Thank you," Lisa smiled, then made her way to the booth. The other customer didn't seem to notice her presence.
"Erm, excuse me?" Lisa asked cautiously, "This side is free, do you mind if I sit here?"
"No, go ahead," the customer said. Although muffled from the newspaper, Lisa discovered that the speaker was male, and with that, sat down with her coffee. She took a sip, contemplating the taste of the mocha, the richness of the chocolate with the sweetness of the cream. She then took a book from her bag and placed it on the table. She flicked through until she found her latest assignment, then began reading aloud what she had written so far.
"Discuss the arguments between different social groups and their approach to religion, by Lisa Simpson," Lisa read out proudly, "Different social groups have different ideas and arguments regarding religion. For instance, while Functionalists believe religion is used to bring a society together, Marxists would argue that religion is merely a tool used by the upper class to extort their power of the working class. It has become apparent that most of the social groups believe that religion is used negatively, and therefore..."
"Ahh, Sociology," the man opposite Lisa remarked, "I loved studying that when I was in university. I didn't realise it was still so popular."
"Oh yes, it interests me," Lisa answered, looking up from her book. The man was still hiding behind his newspaper, "Erm, forgive me for saying, mister, but your voice sounds very familiar. I'm from out of town though, it must just be a coincidence."
"Ha ha, I don't think so, Lisa Simpson," the man chuckled, finally putting down his newspaper. Lisa's eyes widened in realisation, blinking as she recognised the man sat in front of her.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, "Don't I know you?"