LJI Week 3: Coprolite
Teresa, startled, dropped the metal spoon she had been washing into the sink. It made a loud clatter with the other dishes as her roommate Jessica continued to guffaw, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Holy shit, Jess, you scared me! What is so funny over there?” Teresa threw her sponge into the sink and turned around to face Jessica.
“Ooh, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jessica said, trying to regain her composure. “It’s just that...” she laughed, “I found something really funny in my old AIM chat logs.”
Teresa’s eyebrow went up. “Really, Jess, you save those?”
“Yeah, they’re good for reference and research purposes sometimes.”
“Reference, huh? You’re laughing kind of hard over there at something you ought to be researching.”
Jessica smirked. “I mean, nobody said it was official or anything. Basically, I need to challenge something that Michael said to me last night with something else that he said to me in IM a few years ago.”
“And that is why I wish people would delete that sort of thing! I don’t like the idea of having the shit I say immortalized, only to be resurrected when you feel the need to prove me wrong on a point,” Teresa exclaimed.
“Sweetie, what do you call Facebook, then? That’s your entire life for the world to see, and you know it.”
Teresa rolled her eyes. “I have some control over that, at least. And besides, what’s the appeal with you and keeping the chat logs anyway? I used to keep them, and then I got sick of reading what 19-year-old me had to say. She was a whiny bitch, and I’m glad I’m past that part of my life.”
Jessica sighed. “I mean, aside from the fact that they’re generally good for a laugh... it’s like I’ve kept this huge, electronic diary of my relationships with different people. The chat logs give me a way to see how these relationships have evolved... and devolved, in some cases.
“When Michael and I first started talking, he was weird and all he did was send me links to different comics, and I couldn’t understand why he did that. I didn’t pay it any mind at the time, but when I went back and read the logs about two years later, I realized that he was sending me comics based on the mood of my away message at the time. If I had a sad face up, he’d send me something that would make me laugh. If I was bitching about homework, he’d send me something that always made me feel like I could conquer my classes.” She sighed again. “Man, he knew exactly what he was doing. It just took me about two years to catch on. See, look at this one -- I had forgotten about until just now.” Jessica pulled up the log for Teresa to read.
Jessica: this kid sends me comics
Jessica: all the time
Jessica: never words, just comics
Jessica: i don’t get it
Teresa: what did he send you this time?
Jessica: http://xkcd.com/473/
Teresa: haha, that’s cute
Teresa: and nerdy
Teresa: lol
Teresa: you should marry him
Jessica: lol
Jessica: no
Teresa gave a small laugh. “Oh right, I remember that! What away message did you have up when he sent you that one?”
“Oh, I don’t know, some link about re-instating Pluto as a planet.”
Teresa raised an eyebrow.
In response, Jessica said, “I know, I know, being observant isn’t exactly my strong suit. But even still, I suppose that that was his way of speaking to me without actually using the words. Looking back, it’s kind of sweet. It’s crazy too, though. I just read through five years’ worth of logs I have with Michael, and it’s tangible evidence of how our relationship has progressed. It’s all right here, just like a diary or journal or something.”
“And now the two of you are engaged. See, I totally called it!”
Jessica smiled shyly and bit her lip. “Yeah, you did call it way back when, and we’re actually getting married.” She turned back to her computer, and went to retrieve another set of logs. “Ha, look at this; I forgot about this one, too.”
Jessica: T
Jessica: can you do me a favor?
Teresa: what’s that?
Jessica: i’m applying for this job
Jessica: i need a reference
Jessica: i’m gonna list you, k?
Teresa: lol
Teresa: i love how you didn’t give me a chance to say yes
Teresa: so just for that
Teresa: when these people call me, i’m telling them that you’re awful and that you’re a weekend alcoholic and that you’re one debaucherous bitch
Teresa: but you’re my best friend, and i want the best for you, so i will tell them of your awesomeness too
Jessica: aww, i love you =)
Jessica: but i’m pretty sure debaucherous isn’t a word
Teresa: whatever =P
Teresa laughed after she finished reading. “I’m glad my vocabulary has improved since then. What in the world was going through our heads when we were twenty?”
“I don’t know, man. You’ve got me. But you have to admit, these are kind of fun to read, right?”
“Ehhh, Jess, I’ll give you that they’re funny, but I’d still rather leave twenty-year-old me back in 2006 where she belongs.”
Jessica turned to Teresa and said, “Well, that’s alright. I still have a record of 20-year-old you and 20-year-old me and I will gladly relive those moments right now and tease you mercilessly for them.”
Teresa rolled her eyes. “Jeez, aren’t you supposed to be looking for something for Michael instead? What nonsense was he talking now that you needed to contest?” she asked, heading back to the kitchen to finish washing her dishes.
“Ah, so... I lied. For once, I don’t actually need to prove Michael wrong on something. I’ll tell you what I’m doing, but I need you to keep it a secret!”
“I won’t tell a soul.”
“So, all of those comics that Michael sent me way back when? I want to collect all of them and print them out and make a scrapbook of the two of us that we can keep adding to after we get married.”
Teresa broke out into a huge smile. “Oh my goodness, Jess, that is beyond adorable!” She sighed. “Alright, I take it back, I guess your chat logs are good for something after all...”