A/N: I want to respond to a couple of messages I got about how improbable it is that Sharon will return to school at her age. I will graduate from a master's program this Sunday. I am 34, and in my class, there were several students in their 50s and 60s, and one who is 70. People of all ages go back to school. Just because it's not as common doesn't mean it cannot happen. Plus, this is fanfic. ISTG I've read several fics where Sharon gets pregnant at 60, so if that makes sense, why can't she go back to school?!
I think it's an interesting idea to explore and this fic allows me to do that. And it's not like she's now going to be 70-going-on-20. There's a difference between how a 70 years old person would experience university and how a 20/30-year-old would experience it, and this is part of this story.
It's worth mentioning that a pretty big inspiration for this story is a film I watched a few years ago called "My Name is Doris" which deals with how an older person may or may not blend with the younger generation if they tried. A must-watch, if you ask me.
Anyway, I apologize for the long intro. I didn't mean to be mean or anything, but I was very frustrated with the idea that just because a person is older, they cannot use their brain in an academic setting, or try to find their place in a fish-out-of-water situation. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well as the future chapters. And thank you for taking the time to read this story.
Sharon dragged her trolley up the stairs of the second floor of her student residence hall. The residence hall did not have an elevator, and there were already scuff marks on the corridor from other students' trolleys.
Sharon found her dorm room and unlocked the door. She knew that she would have a roommate, but Sharon was the first to arrive there, which allowed her to explore the room and choose her bed, not that the choice was that important.
Just as she expected, it was a small room. It was almost bare, except for two desks, two twin beds, and two closets. The room was located at the rear of the building, and Sharon could see the San Francisco Bay in the distance. She knew it was about two and a half miles away, but Sharon could still imagine herself jogging to the beach and back every Sunday morning.
After taking in her new surroundings, Sharon began arranging her side of the room. She had brought only necessities and planned to purchase the rest in San Francisco.
Once the bed was made, and her desk was decorated with her family photos, Sharon began to put her clothes in the closet.
Rainie helped her pack for the trip and made sure that her mother packed clothes that would help her blend in and not stick out too much. That meant that Sharon traded her beloved power suits and pencil skirts for jeans and multiple T-shirts. She packed some casual blouses that she thought could work well with jeans but left most of her high-heeled shoes at home. Instead, she brought two pairs of snickers – one white and one black – and a pair of boots for the colder months. Sharon hadn't dressed like that since she was in college and felt a bit like she was playing dress-up.
As Sharon neatly arranged her closet, she heard a noise outside the room, and the door opened a moment later. The first thing Sharon noticed was a mane of candy cotton-colored hair and then the body it was attached to. The girl, whom Sharon assumed was her roommate, noisily lugged a big suitcase that had one broken wheel and dropped it by the free bed.
"Hey," she said as soon as she noticed Sharon.
"Hi!" Sharon greeted her with a smile and reminded herself not to judge a book by its cover, even though she was almost convinced that her roommate was a pretty messy girl.
"I was told my roommate's name is –" The girl paused and pulled a crumpled paper from her pocket.
Sharon received a similar paper earlier that day and knew it had some general details about her dorm and her roommate's name, which she now realized she had forgotten.
"Sharon O'Dwyer. So, you're, like, her mom or something?"
"Actually, I'm Sharon."
The expression on the girl's face was quite funny if Sharon was honest.
"But you're, like –"
"Old, I know," Sharon shrugged. She figured it would be better to get that part of the conversation out of the way as soon as possible.
"Yeah," the girl replied awkwardly.
"So you're going to university, like, right now?" the girl asked.
"It's a year-long Master's program I'm required to attend for my job," Sharon replied.
"Ah, cool."
"And you are…" Sharon asked.
"Sullivan Young," the girl introduced herself.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sullivan. I'm sure we'll get along," Sharon said. "I'm almost done organizing my closet. Do you need me to help you unpack?"
Sullivan nodded, and Sharon closed her closet doors and helped her new roommate arrange her things on her side of the room. Once they were done, Sullivan excused herself to get lunch and left Sharon alone.
Sharon took a seat on her bed and sighed. Even if Sullivan turned out to be the best roommate on earth, it was still an absurd situation for her to be in. She fished her phone out of her pocket and called Andy.
"Hi there, freshman," Andy answered the phone. "Did you settle in?"
"Yeah, I guess," Sharon said.
"Don't tell me you're feeling homesick already," Andy said, detecting the sadness in her voice.
"A little," Sharon replied.
"So, did you meet your roommate? Is she as cool as you?"
"Yeah, I don't think she thinks I'm cool in any way or form," Sharon said. "I don't have pink hair, pierced tongue, or a cartoon phone case, and I don't say things like 'rad' and 'extra'."
"Ugh, that kid doesn't know what's real," Andy groaned. "Look, babe, some of those kids might judge you based on your age, but I'm sure that some of them will actually be drawn to you, and you will be surrounded by new friends before you know it."
"Gosh, I don't know why I even need to feel validated by these people who have absolutely nothing in common with me." Sharon sighed and lay down on her new bed. The rubber mattress squeaked under her weight.
"You don't. I just think you don't want to be lonely, and that's perfectly understandable," Andy said.
"Well, I can think of one way I could alleviate that feeling," Sharon said suggestively.
"Eww, are you gonna, like, have phone sex or something?" Sharon heard Sullivan's voice.
"What? No, I'm talking to my husband!" Sharon sat up.
"That's rad!" Sullivan called out.
"A dorm room is like a police station," Andy said. "No privacy."
"Yeah, I get that," Sharon said. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later. Love you."
"Love you, babe. And remember, you're as rad as they come."
His comment made Sharon giggle, and she ended the call with a smile.
"So, you're like, married?" Sullivan asked and bent to look at the photos on Sharon's desk. "Is that him?" She pointed at Andy's picture.
"Yes," Sharon said.
"He's snatched," Sullivan commented.
Sharon wasn't sure it meant what she thought it meant, but she could tell by the look on Sullivan's face that she was impressed by Andy's photo. Sharon could only agree that Andy was an attractive man.
"So, like, you left him back home?"
Sharon nodded.
"But not in a divorce kinda way, right?" Sullivan didn't seem to have much tact.
"No, we're happily married," Sharon said.
"Seriously, I'm so glad we're roommates, Sharon. I was afraid I'm gonna get some basic bitch as a roommate, but you're, like, special."
Sharon assumed that was a good thing. "Thanks. I'm sure living together will be great."
"So, I've been thinking. The regulations say that we can put one small fridge in our room. Do you want us to bounce to Target and get one?"
Sharon didn't think of it, but Sullivan was right. It would be wise for them to get a mini-fridge for their room. Plus, Sharon realized she needed a reading lamp for her desk, so going to Target was a good plan.
"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Sharon said.
She put her shoes on and grabbed her key card and room keys, and they left the room.
Like every trip to Target in the world, Sharon's shopping did not end with the fridge. She and Sullivan ended up buying lights and decorations for their room and spent the next few hours hanging them on the wall. When they were done, Sharon noticed that the sky was darkening.
"There's a party tonight. You should come," Sullivan said.
"I don't know," Sharon replied. She wasn't sure she'd find her place among college kids, and she wasn't sure Sullivan represented their general attitude towards her. She was pretty sure Sullivan simply figured out that even if she got a granny for a roommate, she could still make the best of it.
"Come on, Sharon. It's gonna be awesome. You'll get to know everyone."
"Are people gonna be drinking and doing drugs?" Sharon asked.
"Probably, but I'm sure you're old enough to drink." Sullivan giggled at her own joke.
Sharon remembered Andy's advice from so many months ago not to tell anyone that she was a cop if she hoped anyone would like her.
"Or are you just waiting for me to be gone so you can have phone sex with your bae?" Sullivan winked at her.
"We weren't doing that," Sharon groaned.
"Sure you were. Everyone does," Sullivan said.
"Okay, I give up. I'll come to the party." Sharon relented.
"You don't have to sound like it's a punishment. It's gonna be fun, you'll see," Sullivan promised.
Sharon offered her roommate a kind smile. She wasn't truly convinced how fun partying with teenagers could be for her, but she didn't want to come off as a snotty person, especially since Sullivan genuinely seemed to seek her company.
"So, I'm going to the shower, and then I'll get ready, and we'll leave." Sullivan grabbed her flip-flops and shower caddy and left the room.
Hours later, as they walked back to their dorm, Sharon was glad she had gone to the party with Sullivan. While she met some new and interesting people who were far more intelligent than Sharon considered herself, she was happy that Sullivan didn't have to walk back to the room alone at night. The campus was well-lit at night, but Sullivan was slightly intoxicated and possibly stoned, and Sharon was relieved that she was there to protect her roommate should any trouble arise.
Once they were safely back in their residence, Sharon helped her roommate to bed and put a glass of water by Sullivan's bed.
After she was satisfied that Sullivan was okay, Sharon grabbed her shower caddy and went to the showers. The showers were empty at this time of night, and she was happy for the slight chance of privacy. As she scrubbed the smell of cigarettes and sweat from her skin and hair, she reflected on her first day as a university student. She had to admit that it wasn't half as bad as she expected.
Shortly later, as she slid into bed, she grabbed her phone and texted Andy, telling him about her day and sending him photos she had taken earlier of her dorm and from the party.
"Totally rad," was Andy's response, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Sharon smiled and texted back. "Love you, bae."
"I have a feeling you're gonna be talking like them the next time we see each other, and I'll need a dictionary to communicate with you," Andy texted.
Sharon groaned. She hoped that she'd still be able to speak like an adult once Andy came for a visit on winter break. They wished each other goodnight, and Sharon put her phone aside and relaxed into her pillow. From the window, she could see the sparkling lights of the city. It was a romantic backdrop, and she couldn't wait until she got to show this city to Andy.
-TBC-
