A Strange Little Desert Town, part six (Stripe 3.3)
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter Six - Dean's List
(Stripe 3.3)
Technical details:
Generation 1: Miranda Stripe + Nervous Subject
Generation 2: Mike Stripe 2.1, 2.2 + MacKenzie Stripe (nee Knight)
Generation 2: Jacinta Stripe
Generation 3: Daniel Stripe [twin] 3.1, 3.2
Aspiration: Romance
Life Time Want: Have 20 Simultaneous Loves
Star Sign: Saggitarius
Neat 0
Outgoing 6
Active 10
Playful 10
Nice 8
Generation 3: Ash Stripe [twin] 3.1, 3.2
Aspiration: Fortune
Life Time Want: Become Chief of Staff (Medicene)
Star Sign: Saggitarius
Neat 1
Outgoing 9
Active 10
Playful 8
Nice 7
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter Six - Dean's List
(Stripe 3.3)
Dearest Grams,
University is certainly fun. You’ll be glad to hear my grades are high, as are Danny’s. In fact, we were both on the Dean’s List of Achievers!!
I’ve taken up gardening. There was a small area of nothing off to one side of the patio at the dorm, so I took it over. I’ve got a nice little garden going, I think. I have an orange tree & two tomato plants. Real tomato plants. Not the illegal sort. I’m behaving, I promise.
We had a slight roach problem recently, but Danny jumped onto it fairly quickly with some highly entertaining stomping & a lot of spray. He’s very particular about appearances here & he’d happily drive us all up the wall if it meant keeping the place clean & tidy. He’s quite the ladies man; I don’t know how he finds the time to fit all those dates in amongst his studies. Somehow, though, he does. But between the two of us, we keep the dorm looking its best.
Oh, our dorm’s cook is atrocious! I don’t think he realizes that food expires. Worst of all is that there is one girl here who will eat it, be violently ill & then eat more! Perhaps the food was worse at her home? What an awful thought. But I’ve worked in the cafeteria here a few times now for some spare change & no one has complained (or been ill) on my watch.
I’m also really pleased to tell you that I’ve met a boy who is very sweet. We’ve been going steady since the end of first year & we’re very happy together. I’m really hoping that he’s willing to move back to our town when we complete our studies. He’s from the city, which of course isn’t all that close to our town, & I’d prefer to be at home. But I’m sure you will like Corey.
I wish I could tell you the same for Danny… he’s met a lot of girls. I couldn’t tell you he’s picked any one of them to settle down with though. He looks like he’s having a lot of fun with the test driving though. =)
Anyway, I have a term paper I should be writing so I must cut this short. I’ll write again soon!
Much love,
Ash
xox
Ash's little patch of garden
Roaches Begone!!
Keeping up appearances
~*~
Like their father before them, Ash & Daniel paid their way through University with the skills they attained both within class & in their dorm rooms.
Daniel enjoyed painting, as had his father. Daniel’s paintings tended to sell for a tidy sum; people were really into his abstract art. Ash couldn’t really understand it. As far as she was concerned, it was much like that article she’d seen on the news one night about the elephants painting at the Perth Zoo. People would pay up to & over a thousand dollars for one of those paintings, signed by the elephants’ keeper. Sure the money went back to the zoo to fund better enclosures & their world renowned breeding programs, but at the end of the day there were children who did a better job than those elephants.
Ash took up working in the dorm’s cafeteria in her spare time. It was partially for the money, partially for the cooking practice, but mostly so that they didn’t all die from food poisoning. The incidences of students seeing the nurse for diarrhea reduced dramatically, as did the complaints of nausea & vomiting. Ash did the job well. This was more than could be said of Anthony Barrett, the man who was currently employed by La Fiesta Tech to work in their dorm as the short order cook.
When she wasn’t nose down in a reference book or cooking, Ash was most likely to be found in her little patch of garden. Immediately after unpacking her things when they moved into the dorm, Ash purchased a young orange tree & some tomato seeds. She fully intended to sell everything that she grew. Whatever she earned in college would be put towards buying her own home afterwards.
Daniel wasn’t looking ahead to the future like his twin sister. He was far more interested in dating. Not to mention the amazing act of sex. He just couldn’t get enough of it. The riskier the setting, the more interesting & more fun the sex. His womanizing skills were well known across the campus, yet with all the warning out there the girls were still very taken by his charming ways. Had MacKenzie been alive to see it, she wouldn’t have been surprised. Daniel had always had that aura about him, even when he was a babe in soiled nappies.
Further to the ever increasing differences between the twins, Ash was quite satisfied with the one man. Corey Young was a polite boy, well spoken & he studied hard. They were quite the couple though. Both of them dressed smartly in neat casual. Yet Ash had long black dreadlocks & Corey went through nearly ½ a jar of wax daily keeping his mohawk style upright. They’d attract a lot of attention when they were out on the town together.
Corey was one of the popular boys. Ash was a quiet geek, happy to hide away in her dorm room with a reference book or be knee deep in fertilizer in her garden. Yet they were never questioned as to why they were together. They were given access to all the campus clubs & lounges without a second glance. Ash would ask Corey occasionally, though he’d only ever shrug it off as being welcomed regulars.
~*~
My God this is boring, thought Ash. She was sitting in yet another forced revision class. Revision was a great idea, just not the morning after she’s spent most of the night working on her term paper. She knew all about the symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. She could recite the biomolecular structure of the EIAV p26 capsid protein by rote. Today was just not the day to spring a surprise revision on this class.
Out of the window Ash could see the main quadrangle & the University Tavern behind it. There were students sprawled out comfortably basking in the sunlight, studying, chatting & playing various forms of games. She could see the beer garden from her vantage point too. It was late afternoon & there were quite a few students enjoying their beer. Ash smiled. By now there’d even be Art students in there, nursing a beer as a ‘Hair of the Dog’ remedy for the hangover they just surfaced from bed with.
At least it was Friday. Ash had a date with Corey tonight in the city. There was a nice club they’d been frequenting - it had great music, a live DJ who actually mixed his own sets, & on the roof they had spas. It was great. It seemed to be a fairly select crowd who went there. Or at least, gained entry. Ash was rather surprised originally that they were let in. Corey & the security guard were on a first name basis though. Ash still wondered how such a shy boy as Corey could know so many people both on & off campus.
The first time they had ever gone to Cino Laresso together, the line had been huge. It stretched 40 metres down the street. Ash remembered being disappointed. Being from a small town, she’d never been to a club like this & she had been looking forward to seeing what it was like. But Corey didn’t miss a beat. He wasn’t in the slightest bit deterred. He had smiled at Ash & squeezed her hand.
“Come on, Babe,” he’d said, “there’s no way a line like this is going to stop you seeing this place.”
With that, he had led her past the line & straight up to the front doors.
“Hey Kevin!” Corey greeted the bouncer. “How’s life without the farm?”
The security guard grinned broadly at Corey.
“Corey, mate!” They exchanged a flourishy handshake & a quick hug & back slap. “Things are wild mate, just wild! No cake though. This your girl?”
It was Corey’s turn to grin.
“Ash, this is Kevin,” he made the introductions. “Kevin, this is my wonderful girlfriend, Ash.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Ash,” said Kevin as he kissed her hand.
“Ash lives in a tiny little town out in the middle of the desert,” Corey explained to Kevin. “She’s never been out clubbing for real, so I figured we’d start with the best huh?”
Kevin looked honestly shocked.
”With a sense of pure style like this?” he asked, motioning to her clothing & long black dreadlocks. “You’re truly a country chick?”
Ash smiled. “I may be country, but my family are rather…. Different.”
“Oh everyone can say that,” grinned Kevin. “Hell, even I do & mine aren’t really all that bad outside Christmas time.”
Corey laughed.
“How many people can say that Captain Miranda Stripe is their grandmother though, Kev?”
“For real??!?”
Ash grinned & nodded. “One & the same. Though she’s just Grams to my brother & I.”
“Then that makes Dr Stripe your dad, right?” Kevin asked, enthused.
Ash nodded.
“Wow! I based my senior thesis on one of Dr Stripe’s theories. Got an A for it too! Your old man is one crazy thinker hey. Think outside the square they say, but I swear he must have just thrown the square away,” Kevin continued.
“I think he convinced it to change to a spiral,” Ash laughed. “Since mum died he’s been really locked into his work. He’s come up with some really obscure stuff in the small hours of the morning.”
“I’m really sorry about your mum,” Kevin said.
“Unless you did it, don’t be,” replied Ash.
Kevin looked at the strong minded girl before him. She had to take after her grandmother. Captain Miranda Stripe was as dangerous as they came. Interpol & the Intergalactic Police all knew exactly who she was & where she lived & yet they just left her be. She was too unpredictable to attempt to capture. Not to mention all the years she’d worked for them as an agent being where she honed her skills enough to take on the role of pirate captain. No, Captain Stripe was best left to her own devices.
“Corey man, your chick is way out there hey. The country’s most famous scientist for a dad, & an intergalactic pirate for a grandmother…. & on top of that she holds her own & is stunning!”
“She’s got a brain too,” Corey informed his friend. “Ash is studying medicine at La Fiesta Tech & she’s blitzing it.”
Ash cleared her throat. “She’s also still standing right here boys.”
They both had the decency to look sheepish.
“In you go guys, I cant stand here chatting all night or the Man will come down on me hard. Have fun!” Kevin waved them in.
Ash could still remember the look on the faces of the people waiting in line. She couldn’t really forget it considering it was there every time they walked in without lining up. It was all but guaranteed to be there again tonight.
Ash looked down at her book. She’d been idly doodling for the past 45 minutes. There was barely any space left on the page. She sighed & turned the page to a blank one. There was still another hour left of this “class”.
~*~
Ash & Corey hadn’t spoken much as to their plans post graduation. She was desperately hoping that Corey would consider moving to her small town with her, though he might want to move back home to the city. She wasn’t interested in moving to the rat race. She longed for the quiet of her home town. While it was obvious to everyone around her that Ash was totally career driven, there was a small part of her that wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could squeeze family into her plans. At the very least a kitten. She’d always wanted a kitten.
Daniels repertoire was growing. Not all of his exploits were Uni students. He’d never forget his first kiss. Noelle Seavey. She was the girl who opened his eyes to the world of sex. Admittedly it was totally vanilla, & boring when compared to his more recent escapades, yet she was his first. Amy, now she was interesting. She was more willing to try things. Maybe it was because she was a cheerleader? Whatever her reason for being willing & full of suggestions, Amy & Daniel made quite the scene at the public spas at the local gym. Then there was Carmen. She was his first foray out of the campus student-pool. Daniel went all out for her; he hired the VIP area & they soaked it up in the spa for a few hours.
Meadow, however, was proving to be even duller than Noelle. Daniel could charm the socks off anyone he tried, but he just couldn’t get her in bed. Or anywhere without her clothes on for that matter. Which was a shame, Daniel was convinced that what lay hidden beneath her tracksuit would be quite tidy. He wondered idly on the idea of the age old Dinner and a Movie, followed by whatever else he could manage. He had a membership at the local pool and spa, and he could normally book the upstairs VIP area at no more than a moments notice. It was the perfect spot to get a girl to relax. The lighting was just right and it was private and secluded.
As for the movie? There was a new movie release opening at the cinemas, called “When Harry Met Sally.” It was a fairly innocuous title but apparently it was a great chick flick. It had Meg Ryan in it, so it had to work. Every girl loved Meg Ryan movies. At least, they did in Daniel’s experience. He had 6 notches in his bedpost at this point and was confident that it counted as a broad base of experience.
Numerous girls that were kept believing they were his one & only steady, plus studying hard & not missing any classes to ensure he stayed on the Dean’s list of top students; Daniel was kept on his toes. He didn’t want to drop behind Ash, even though he had to work harder to get the same end result as his twin sister. Good grades just seemed to come naturally to Ash.
Autumn of 3rd year was one of the wettest on record, but the electrical storms were horrendous! Power outages were becoming a regular occurrence. Rubber soled shoes were being offered at discounted rates in most stores purely to reduce the number of cases of electrocution being admitted to emergency wards. Ash was trying her hardest to keep abreast of most news articles of a medical nature. Since childhood, she’d dreamt of working in medicine. She knew they would have lost her mother far earlier if it hadn’t been for the wonderful people in that field. Ash knew she had what it took to give back to the community in that way, her degree would put her a step closer to that goal.
Corey dropped into the dorm at Canyon Commons to wish Ash the best of luck for her final exam. But she wasn’t in her room or in the cafeteria. Daniel was at one of the tables in the cafeteria though. Corey smirked. Daniel was chatting up yet another girl. If Corey didn’t know any better, he’d have assumed that Daniel was in one of those secret societies people whisper about on campus. He just had such an amazing ability to string women along & not suffer repercussions for it.
“Danny,” Corey interrupted, “have you seen Ash anywhere?”
“Er… no?” Daniel replied. “Have you tried in her garden? It’s just on the other side of that wall. Go through those doors & take a left.”
“Thanks mate,” Corey left Daniel to explain to the random girl that Ash was his sister & not something to be jealous of.
“Kat darling, do you really think I could be interested in someone other than you? Ash is my twin sister. Besides, that hunk of a man that just asked for her is her boyfriend. Even if she wasn’t my sister I’d have no chance against someone like him,” Daniel oozed charm.
“Oh he’s got nothing on you, Daniel,” the girl replied, totally sucked in.
Corey struggled to keep from laughing. Daniel was so good at it. They should give him a Nobel or something, he mused quietly to himself. Sure enough, there was Ash. Out in the open, in the middle of a torrential downpour, complete with forked lighting - in her underwear! Corey rushed over to her, shrugging out of his blazer as he did so.
“Babe!” he exclaimed. “You’ll catch yourself a death of cold out like this!”
“Oh Corey look! Aren’t they so healthy?” she greeted him happily.
“You do realize its raining don’t you?” he asked as he draped his blazer around her shoulders.
“Yeh, yeh. Thank you for the thought though, Sweety. I just realised that I forgot to tend them last night & I have that exam soon & I wanted to make sure I got this done before I was gone for a few hours.”
Corey shook his head & smiled at his girl. This was what he loved about her. Her dedication & sense of duty to things. Not to mention how much of a spunk she was in those briefs & singlet. They even matched! Attention to detail. That was another little thing about Ash that made her so special. Once she was dressed & ready to go, Corey walked Ash to her final exam for 3rd year.
Caught! Dancing may be an uncompromising act, though there were different levels of hugs. Women tended to be able to pick the difference very quickly. Giving Noelle a hug in the cafeteria of the dorm shouldn’t have posed too much of an issue, except that Daniel had failed to notice Meadow at one of the tables nearby. Ash returned from her exam just in time to see Meadow, understandably furious, slap Daniel repeatedly. Noelle walked away, surprisingly calmly. Ash watched the taller girl leaving, & couldn’t help but wonder why she was so unperturbed by Meadow’s actions.
Unless Noelle had known all along & played Daniel into a well thought out trap? Ash wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer to that question. Daniel was her twin brother & they would defend each other to the last. Even if Daniel was a slut & had most likely brought it upon himself. Entrapment was something else entirely. Ash mentally chalked down to keep an eye on Noelle. She wasn’t convinced that the girl was as harmless as Daniel thought.
Fourth year was fairly uneventful. Daniel dated a lot. His reputation reached “Stud” status & he found he had women all but begging for his attention. Which he was more than willing to give them, so long as he kept up with his sister in grades.
Ash threw herself into her books. Her garden all but looked after itself now, it was so healthy, but she was still out there every couple of days to get some fresh air. Tending her garden was almost therapeutic.
Graduation was suddenly upon them. Ever the socialite, Daniel organized a large party. He even managed to scrounge up enough dry wood to build a decent sized bonfire. They partied long into the night; telling stories, dancing & roasting marshmallows. There were the typical party goers who got so drunk that they threw caution, & their clothing, to the wind, though everyone else was inebriated enough not to mind.
The sun rose and the party wound to a close. Ash & Daniel collected their bags and belongings and made their way to the waiting taxi. Heading back to their small town, they knew real life and responsibility awaited them. But there was more to their melancholy than just jobs and rent.
It would be the first time in their lives that the twins would be apart.
~*~
To be continued…