Saturday Afternoons

Well where to start. The sun is out and there are no clouds. The temperature is at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather is quite still. There is no breeze. The trees remain still and the air is silent. Garcia is very quiet at this time. If one sits, closes his eyes, and just listens, one can hear the sound of traffic across campus, the sound of doors opening and shutting on each floor, and the sound of footsteps as people walk up and down the stairs. It is about fifteen till two and it feels as if it were already night time.

There is not much to observe at this time a day on a Saturday. Very few activities are taking place.

Across from me on the third floor, I watch as one guy walks up the stairs carrying three jugs of water. There are Arrowhead brand. He must have gone to Albertsons and bought the water jugs for a dollar each. As he walks down the hall I can hear him heavy breathing and complaining about the lack of good parking spots in the front parking lot of Garcia. He probably had to park far away from Garcia and carry the water jugs a long ways. That would explain his heavy breathing. The guy is dressed in a grey t-shirt, blue jeans and boots, and he wears a red hat and sunglasses on his head. He looks like he is probably from somewhere in Texas.

On a day like this, not many people would be caught wearing jeans and boots. I would imagine most people from New Mexico would rather much be dressed in regular shoes and shorts. From personal observations I have made on my previous trips to Texas I noticed that many people there are accustomed to dressing in the same manner this young man is dressed. In conclusion to this I can assume that this guy is probably from a neighboring town or city in Texas.

On the bottom floor across from me are a couple of people catching refuge under the shade of a tree on a bench. They sit, talk, and laugh.

I quickly switch my attention to a talk dark young man on the third floor who is banging on a door and swearing out loud. At first I assume that he must be messing around or playing some type of prank with his friends, but then I see him go through his pockets numerous times and continue to swear out loud. His tone of voice does not sound humorous. He looks like he is in a rush. My conclusion to this is that he probably left his key in his dorm and his roommate is not in there to let him in.

The young man takes a phone out of his left pocket and dials a number. He gets a hold of the person on the other line and before I can catch a piece of his conversation, he hangs up his phone. He stands quietly and leans against the rail.

He probably got ahold of his roommate and is now waiting for him to return.

Saturday afternoons at Garcia sure are quiet.