Two co-eds exhibiting affluent accessories stood in a cafeteria line just inside the lobby of a dormitory building.
“Can you believe this? They have the nerve to call this Cordon Bleu. Anything interesting in the Spec?”
“Whoa, did you hear about this guy who goes here that committed suicide?”
“Oh, my god....Who is it?”
“Some guy named Vincent Lee.”
“Oh, my god! When did this happen?”
“They found him night before last. He lived in this dorm.”
“How’d he die?”
“He jumped off the George Washington. I guess some people actually saw him do it. Here, read this.”
“Wow, this is really spooky, you know.”
“Did you know 'm?”
“No, but....it’s like we all shared the same space, the campus, you know? It’s kind of freaky.”
“Well, what can you say? Some people just can’t handle it. I mean, I guess he was Asian, Chinese or something. Real high strung and quiet, I bet.”
“It’s just real sad. What class was he?”
“Sophomore.”
“Think how the people who knew him must feel.”
“I don’t know. It’s likely he didn’t have many friends. I mean, if you knew him, wouldn’t you have kept him from doing it or something? I would’ve.”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just a shame. Something like that happening at a place like this, you know?”
“Hello, ladies.” “Hey!” “What’s up?” “May I join you?”
“Sure. Sit. We were just talking about the guy who--”
Should I have known that he was going to do it? Catherine thought, who sat at a nearby table next to them with her back turned to the conversing group. Just a few of many, she was sure, who were speculating and gossiping about the news of the day. She had been sitting there before they came, and the temptation to eavesdrop was unavoidable after the suicide was mentioned. I shouldn’t be surprised that people are talking, she thought. I was one of the first people to find out; I knew Vince, and I didn’t stop him; I couldn’t stop him.
She tried to finish her meal as quickly as she could and wanted to get away from the curious mob before somebody spotted her as a friend of the deceased. Normally, she would not dine by herself; she had an aversion to even the idea of eating alone and standing out in the large cafeteria. But today she wanted to be alone so she wouldn’t have to engage in any conversations about Vince. She bussed her tray and left the cafeteria without looking at anyone. As she walked to her dorm room, the thoughts of Vince flared in her mind. What a way to kick off the semester, she joked to herself.
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