Ch: Violet Metcalfe - Blog Posts

"I wouldn't dare to try. You're evidently much braver than I am," she chuckled in agreement. "I know. I used to think I was pretty good at all that stuff, knowing what's new and hip. And now I'm the sort of person who uses the word hip unironically." She waved her hand flippantly at Violet's compliment. "You're one to talk. I am sure all the heads turned when you walked in." It didn't seem like an overestimation by any means, and Zahra had never been good at giving out meaningless words of praise.

She could feel her cheeks warm up as Violet inquired about her dating life. "Not a chance. Not that I'm against it, but I just haven't even thought to consider it," she admitted. "Oh, no, can't have you do that. How about you? You have your eyes on anyone?"

"God, and then you try to explain landlines to them. Oh do I feel old then! I like being in my thirties honestly but with the way tech moves sometimes I feel older. Still, we look beautiful, you especially." Violet said as the day unfolded around them with pleasant chatter. "So anything else new? You seeing anybody? Or is the thesis your one and only right now? I have some people I could introduce you to if you're interested."

Zahra chuckled, very much capable of remembering the first ever full on grocery trip she had done after moving out of the dorms as a college senior. Sure, she had gone grocery shopping before but the panic she had felt while wandering the aisles of the local Food Lion had still been palpable. "Right? I sometimes feel like my wallet is an ancient relic of some sort," she agreed with a slighly amused smile. She could be a creature of habit and had hard time imagining switching to a sleek card holder or just trusting in the power of Apple Pay. "I don't know, it seems very scary to me. My Midwestern turned New Yorker self wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Oh yeah, I learned that rule super quickly. Like I didn't buy my own groceries until I was in grad school. Suddenly I had to figure out how to budget, plan meals, eat healthy, all that. Not going food shopping hungry was definitely lesson number two. Lesson number one was don't forget your wallet at home. These kids today with their apple pay have it so good." She laughed as the waiter approached. The women ordered their meals and go their drinks refreshed. "Oh I know, some of those fancy supermarkets are so intimidating. Like I'm rich enough for those places but I'm East Coast rich, not West Coast. Sometimes it felt like another planet."

"See, you're only being smart and responsible. God knows I end up buying all sorts of weird shit when I go food shopping hungry. And somehow I never actually end up picking things I could turn into an actual meal. Just, I don't know, the biggest watermelon I can find and candy bars I liked as a kid." Admittedly her shopping trips were rarely particularly well-thought-out, mostly because she could not bring herself to plan or, god forbid, meal prep. Although maybe cutting up and storing a giant watermelon could be seen as a form of meal prepping. "I once had a nightmare about that super expensive LA grocery store. Woke up screaming."

Violet nodded along, eyes becoming bigger than her stomach. "I saw some crepes listed, how does that sound? They have one with nutella and strawberries which is always a classic. I definitely know I'll need a side of bacon that's for sure. Okay yep, I'll do the crepes with a side of eggs and bacon. It might not taste all good together, but I want to try it." She laughed, setting down her menu with finality. "I desperately need to go food shopping, so this will give me the strength to brave the supermarket. People can be ruthless if you get between them and their Greek yogurt."

"Ah, there we go. That's the attitude I was looking for," she laughed, relaxing considerably now that they were no longer talking about work. She could be fun, right? She had certainly once been. "Can't judge a place by just one dish, right? So better try a few. Besides, all of this looks way better than the bowl of cereal I had earmarked for my brunch." The amount of food options was one of the things she really loved about New York City, especially now that her creativity had ran dry and she couldn't bring herself to try anything new in the kitchen. "So, definitely the eggs and the pancakes. Anything else catches your eye?"

Violet snorted at Zahra's attitude, completely understanding. She was happy her school days were behind her, though she did miss having all those people to play with. Her eyes perused the menu again, before locking onto her friend's with glee. "Ooh, maybe they have a sampler or something? Like you can order 3 different things to try? That sounds like a great idea. But if not, I'm hungry enough to eat more than one thing. I just started a new exercise, so I'm starving."

"Oh, I'm sure. I have always enjoyed bickering with grown men who seem to think the only things worth studying are business and engineering. They never seem to like my research topics. It's great, really," she sneered. Despite the road block she had hit with her work, Zahra still considered the material itself fascinating; the lustre of academia she had once so enjoyed had simply disappeared. "Pancakes do sound good," she admitted, eyeing the options listed on the menu. While she was a decent home chef and could feed herself no problem, none of the things she whipped up were anywhere near gourmet. "Are you real hungry? I kind of want to order a bunch of things. Never been here before."

"Honestly the best part was telling people what my various research papers were on. Like, 'oh Violet dear what are you studying this month? Just animal mating habits. The gorilla were particularly passionate.' Always fun to see people's reactions." She said with a chuckle. She took a sip of her water. "But I'm sure it'll get easier once you aren't being graded. But until then, you know I'm your gal." At that point the waiter arrived and dropped off their drinks. Violet still didn't know what she wanted to eat. There were too many good options. "I'm thinking pancakes. What about you? Their eggs are good here."

"I hear you. And I am sure you're making the world a better place one client at a time." Zahra has absolutely no reason to doubt Violet's professional abilities, especially if her clear enthusiasm and dedication were anything to go by. While she was delighted for her, Zahra couldn't help feeling just slightly jealous of just how much enjoyment and purpose her friend seemed to get from her job. She had been like that before, living and breathing her chosen career path, but lately finding any joy in research had been near impossible. "Yeah, I know. I'm sure it's not all that unusual, you know," she spoke with a shrug, dark brown eyes reading through the menu once more, "but it's frustrating. I thought it would get easier, you know." Zahra rolled her eyes playfully at Violet's offer of help. "Oh, God no. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. You just enjoy the fact that you're done with it for the time being. That being said, I might have to take you up on your offer of drinks and snacks."

"Haha, I agree. I think the world would be much more peaceful. But it's my passion in life so of course I want everyone to come see me." she agreed, settling back in her chair. The summer air was around them, warm but not oppressive, and there was a lovely breeze. "I'm sorry you've been having trouble. I'd offer to help but I doubt I'd be much of one. I haven't thought about papers and dissertations in years and frankly, I don't want to. But I'm always here for moral support. Available at any time day or night with snacks, drinks, 2000s romcoms, and a hug." Violet teased, taking on the voice quality of an old timey superhero show narrator. "Maybe a change of pace will help."

Zahra nodded along as Violet spoke, delighted she seemed to be doing well. "That sounds great. God, I wish everyone had the chance to talk to someone like you. I am sure we would have much healthier, uh, encounters." She had certainly met her fair share of people who could've benefited from a little chat with an expert, herself included. Zahra groaned audibly as Violet asked about her work. She absolutely did not admit just how little she had achieved in the last few weeks, but there was no hiding just how frustrated she really was. "Not going well. I'm teaching a class in the fall, maybe that'll help. I don't know, I guess I'm just stuck."

"Oh definitely, it's much easier to meet up either individually or in small groups. I prefer it." She said, ordering a mimosa for herself. When in Rome after all. "I'm doing well, work is busy but rewarding. I made some really great breakthroughs with a client. I can't go into detail obviously but we managed to help her have a successful sexual encounter with her new boyfriend. It was really great." She explained, perusing the menu for a moment. "How are you? How's your work going? Or do you want to avoid that subject?"

Zahra was grateful Violet had reached out, mostly because she was evidently excited to see her, but also because it forced her to turn her attention to something less daunting than the pages of subpar writing she had been managed to produce in the last few weeks. Sitting down, she reached for the menu before letting out a sigh. "I guess that's adulthood in a nutshell. Can't imagine how people with big friend groups ever find the time to meet up." The idea of trying to find a day that worked for ten or so people sounded nothing short of hellish. "Anyway, how are you doing? It really has been a while."

Closed Starter for : @ofzahras

Location: Bluebird's

Violet had just taken a sip of water when she spotted her tall friend walk out onto the patio of the restaurant. She raised her arm up in a wave to get their attention. "Zahra darling, it's so good to see you. I feel like I've been so busy lately and I've missed hanging out with you. This place does eggs so perfectly, light and fluffy like you wouldn't believe." She said, catching a waiter's eye that they were ready to order drinks.