Ephesus University

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"Ok, ok, Mom. I love you. You can let go now," you say with a laugh. Your mother - a short, slightly built woman with graying hair - only hugs you tighter.

"I just can't believe the time has finally come!" she says with a sob. She finally releases you, though, and wipes a tear from her eye as she steps back. She's smiling despite her tears - this is a happy time. You're standing in the sun-dappled quad outside Kings Hall, your new dormitory at Ephesus University. It took a couple of hours to unload all your stuff, but you're finally moved in, and you can't wait to start your college life.

"It's not like he's going off to war, Molly. We'll see him again," your dad says, sounding amused. You can tell from the way he pulls you into his embrace that he's emotional, too, though. As he squeezes you firmly he whispers in your ear, "I slipped a pack of condoms into your backpack. If you choose to get up to anything, be safe, ok?" You blush slightly, but nod. Your dad has always been a little bit cooler about the idea of you having a sex life than your mom. Not that that's led to you actually having one, but you appreciate his openness to it. As he steps back, he adds in an undertone, "And don't let these fundies drive you up the wall!"

You all chuckle, though glancing around to make sure no one's heard you. You never really thought you'd end up at a place like Ephesus University - it's a pretty conservative, and explicitly Christian, college in the Midwest. It's not really your kind of place...but they did offer you a pretty decent scholarship, and in the end that felt too good to pass up - even if you're still having to take out loans to live off of, to buy groceries and so on. You're nominally Christian - confirmed in your local Lutheran church, though you and your parents haven't actually attended in a couple of years - and you figure you can put up with a couple of crazies for four years while you get a free degree.

Your mom sighs. "Well, nothing for it but to go, I guess," she says mournfully. "It's a long drive back home." She cups your face in her hands. "Be good, and study hard, ok? Call us tomorrow!"

"I will," you promise, smiling. Your dad claps you on the shoulder one last time, then joins your mom as she gets into their car. You watch them drive slowly away, make a left at the end of the street, and leave you alone on campus. You stand there for a few moments, looking around at the other students moving in and feeling the late summer sunshine on your skin. It's an odd, empty, maybe kind of lonely feeling to be left alone by your parents...but also exciting. You finally get to live fully your own life now!

And that's when you realize that you...don't exactly know what you should do next. You could go back and finish unpacking, of course...but you could also do whatever you feel like. You could just wander around, or try to meet people.