Let her drive

I decide to hop in her car and let her drive. As we wind through the streets to the university, it dawns on me how different my life would be right now if I had not been born into this particular family. I, too, would likely be a college student, still trying to figure out what to do with my life. It’s weird being the same age as Tracy and being so much more experienced about some aspects of life, yet still naive about such mundane things as what it’s like to live in a dormitory, for example.

As she drives, Tracy continues to relax and almost seems to forget that she has her boss in the car. I even manage to get her to laugh about some things as we talk about matters unrelated to work.

“So you have already said you don’t have a boyfriend,” I say. “But I can’t imagine that’s from lack of opportunity — or are the guys on campus generally known for not having any good taste?”

She smiles and says, “Oh, I have opportunities. In fact, there’s a party tonight at one of the sorority houses, and I’ve had two different guys ask me to go to it with them, but I wasn’t sure how late I’d have to work tonight, so....”

“Sounds like your boss is a real prick if he would make you work such demanding hours,” I venture.

She looks at me out of the corner of her eye as she turns into a parking lot. “I have several bosses, since I’m low girl on the totem pole; some are a little harder to deal with than others, but it seems that the higher up in the chain of command you go, the nicer they get.” She gives me a tentative smile, which I take as a sign of encouragement.

She parks the car and says, “I hope you don’t mind a bit of a walk. This is the best location for my car, given the priority of my parking pass. It’s basically mid-way between my room and where most of my classes are.”

I assure her I don’t mind at all. We get out of the car and begin to walk toward the cafeteria. I take a good look at my surroundings and breathe in the air of an American college campus. So this is what my life could have been like!

I notice the other students walking in the same direction as us. Looking again at Tracy, I say, “We look a bit overdressed for the cafeteria.”

She nods and smiles, saying, “Yeah, typically I would change out of my work clothes before going to eat, but it will be ok.”

“You’re not afraid we will draw too much attention?” I ask. “Is there anything about how I’m dressed that might give people a clue about where you work?”

She looks at me and giggles. “I think most of my fellow students would not associate anyone who runs a porn studio with being ‘overdressed,’ if you know what I mean.”

I take another look at Tracy. In terms of attire, she’s appropriately dressed for her responsibilities as an intern, so it isn’t as if she’s in an evening gown or anything, but her business-casual clothing is certainly a few steps above everyone else’s. I’m a little more dressed up than that, myself, with my slacks and dress shirt.

She said she parks mid-way between her dorm and the rest of the campus. Maybe I should suggest that she should change into something more comfortable?