The night before.

It was the Fall of 2002 at California State University, and people were talking about the beautiful New Yorker who was making waves in our little town in California. I didn't pay much attention until I actually saw her. Elixa was living in the next block and her door was bang opposite my patio. After taking a good look at Elixa, I decided that I didn't see anything special in her. She seemed like a normal, bespectacled, nice girl. I never thought of Elixa for the next 11 months. I just hoped that she would get some good fellow-Californian guy to be her boyfriend for time to come. I continued to be single and not-looking. I had better things to do like research the new algorithm my graphics team was working on to make virtual reality a bit more than virtual. Wow! That was exciting.

Seasons changed, leaves turned orange, then fell, grew again, and were turning green, flowers were blooming, when one fine evening, Rick threw his cigarette at me, and said, "Hey Brad, What are you doin' tonight? There's a bash happening this evening at Allison's. You think, you'll be interested?"

"You know what, I think, I'll go." Graphic algorithms, virtual reality, colorful supercomputers were all beckoning me to leave them alone for a few hours. Rick almost died. Don't get me wrong, he died out of joy, as his best friend was finally talking sense. I just believe, that it makes more sense to NOT go to a party, subject oneself to passive smoking, drunks doin' their drunken deeds, random people making out with other random people; but tonight I decided to break out, and chill out.

By the time it was 6o'clock, the graphic algorithms had changed their mind, and were inviting me to come over to the lab. I didn't want to disappoint anyone, so I decided to call Kipp and ask if he would be able to stand in for me. Besides, who would know the difference. Kipp agreed, and I asked him to stay low, and he said he would. I knew that I could believe my twin, even if he was evil.

* * *

Come evening, I found myself chilling out all alone in the corner of the main party room following Brad's instructions to stay low, what a loser, leaning out at the railing on the patio, with a non-alcoholic beer can in my hand. Don't worry, they didn't serve them there, I had to bring it along with me. Everybody was required to bring some drinks with them. My stack stayed there on the table, untouched, except for the one that was cooling in my hand. Oh well. I knew it wasn't goin' to be any different. I would stay at the rail all night long, watching the fern growing in Allison's pot, and wonder what category it belonged to? I was contemplating to go against the promise that I had made to Brad, and get myself a glass of whisky and coke. But, I stayed put. Random people would come along to blow their smoke out and for courtesy sake, say 'hello', do some small talk, ask me the usual questions about what I do, how I was, and whether I was enjoying, and what would I be doin' tomorrow, and what were my plans after college, and if I knew what life had in store for me! Damn, I have been to parties before, and this is exactly what turns me off.

Not to be a part to passive smoking, I just bummed a cigarette from Neil and was experimenting with blowing the smoke in streams through my nose, and mouth at the same time. I sneaked a look back in the room, and found that my stack of non-alcoholic beers was reduced by further one. My eyes scanned the room for the culprit. Who in this goddamned drinking binge-world was out of their mind to drink non-alcoholic beer!? I was glad that I found something constructive to do to amuse myself. After exactly a minute, I got bored, whoever that felon was, probably trashed it the minute he/she tasted it. Oh well.

"So, how are you doin' tonight?", the brunette leaned out as much as I was, on the rail, with the Exhibit-A that I was lookin' for.

"Wondering how I can kill all these people and run away with all the booze. How about yourself?", I wryly looked in her direction. She did look lovely, and I pretended to be uninterested in making any conversation.

I expected her to leave, but I heard a giggle, "You know what, I was thinking the same." Now it was getting confirmed that she belonged to the same category as Brad did. I was thinking of getting my Brad coat off and ask her to buzz off, but I decided to play along.

"And what would you do after robbing all the booze?" I expected her to give me some wisecrack.

"Hi, I am Eliza, and you are?" What in the goddamned world was happening? Brad had showed me some plump lump opposite his window as Eliza, and here there was another girl by the same name. Wow. Too much of a coincidence to have the same odd name.

"I am Brad. Computer Science major." I just thought, that's what Brad would have added.

As if I had wished for Eliza-I appeared right there, and Eliza-II introduced me to her, "This is Sativa, my good friend. And this is Brad."

"Hey Brad, Wow, don't you stay next to my apartment.", Sativa ogled.

"Yep, yep, that's me with the morning cuppa cappucino in my hand.", I chuckled.

It was getting confusing, and things were sorting out. Some months back, there was this flutter of the new New Yorker, who turns out to be eye-sore. After that, Brad tells me that he's interested in Eliza, the eye-sore. Oh Damn! It unfolded in front of me. Brad forgot to tell me that Eliza was not the fat-sore, but that was Sativa, and Eliza was an entirely different entity. I'll be damned. My twin was interested in this hot chick, but didn't have the guts to walk up to her. My horns were beginning to stick out.

"So what do you do, Eliza? Other than stealing booze, of course. Or is that your main profession!?", I winked.

Eliza gave me a naughty look, "Designing buildings, construction and stuff. An architect of sorts."

I knew this was it. It was now or never. If I don't do it, then Brad was never goin' to get this girl.

"Wow, architechture. Interesting. I always wanted to be an architect.", I lied.

"Yeah right.", She saw through it. I was beginning to like this girl. The brainy types for my nerdy twin.

""Alright, Alright, you got me. No, But seriously, it remains a wonder as to what goes into designing stuff for building buildings.", I gave my usual winning smile, "I am into graphics, and 3-D visualization, I firmly believe, could probably help architects.", I would have killed myself if I heard me talking such stuff at a take-one-home party. Phew.

Oh my god! Scientific visualization is exactly what I do. Damn, what a coincidence." I couldn't make out whether she was lying or just liking Brad.

The night went on smooth, and into a long conversation that touched a couple of topics other than architecture and graphics, thankfully.

Just before it was time for Eliza to go, I decided to pull a final string, "How about breakfast tomorrow at the foyer. I could probably show you some of my work on my laptop."

"What work?", Damn she was putting up a defence. Oh Boy! This ones' for you brother!

"I don't know if my stuff would be helpful, but I just need to brag about my work at every breakfast.", I tried my best to look cute.

* * *

The next morning, I rushed into Brad's room, "Dude, you got a breakfast date with Eliza. Hurry up..."

This was goin' to be fun.