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The students were hardly phased when the lights went out. Ever since the economy tanked, brownouts were common. Many of the Recreation students at Northern Arizona University were outdoorsy types, and had layered up on clothing to fight off the cold. Many other students on campus looked like hobos, with their layers of mismatched clothing. The rec crew was, in contrast, dressed with layers of clothes made to actually layer on top of each other. It was a record breaking winter, with sub zeros highs, and even colder lows in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Mat was dressed with thermals under a flannel shirt, and he had removed his two coats, but was still wearing a pair of thin gloves to ward off the chill. Called the 'Old Man on Campus' by this classmates, He was 32, at least 10 years older than most of his classmates. A former police officer, he had been laid off when the economy started to really take a dive and the population of the town he worked for went down with it. When every other town in the area was in the same bind, he was fortunate to qualify for a grant to go back to school and finish his last year. He dropped out of college when we had the chance a few years ago to apply for the department of a small, rural, Arizona town. He just hoped that there were still jobs available when he graduated at the end of the semester.
A couple of flashlights came out of pockets or bags and lit up the room, Mat's being one of them. The professor, who insisted to be called Betsy and not Doctor, at the front of the class looked at her watch.
"Ok folks, we are close enough that I will just wrap up. Do your reading assignment online and I will see y'all Wednesday."
Mat put his notebook into his shoulder bag and pulled out his cell phone and sent off a text. He put on his wool hoodie and his down jacket before tossing his bag over his shoulder and heading out. A bitter chill hit him in the face and made him put his beenie on. His walk headed him off campus towards a set of apartments nearby.
"I don't see why you make me walk all the way across campus to meet you here," a voice behind him said in a teasing manner.
Turning to face the voice, "I make you walk out here because you need the exercise AND because I get free parking off camups." Mat contested.
The source of the voice was a large man, about 6' 5" and near 300 LBS, with reddish gold hair and a leather jacket on. "I know, just teasing you. But it is wicked cold today, and you're late."
Mat scoffed at the comment, "No I'm not, you are just cranky, and probably hungry." He tossed his friend a granola bar and asked, "Ready?"
"Yeah," he took a bite of granola bar and continued with a mouth full, "Let's roll," but it sounded more like "ruts rlll" in almost a Scooby Doo voice.
His friend, Nick, was actually older than Mat by a year. They met at church when Mat and his family moved to Arizona, and they hit it off, both being video game loving, sci fi aficionados. Their wife's also became fast friends as well, both being artists. Nick also took time off of his studies, to work for a while after he got married, and resumed his schooling after his first child was born, working full time and taking classes on the side. When Mat started going to school, the two friends took turns carpooling to save on rising fuel costs.
The two friends hopped into Mat's old diesel Blazer, which had trouble starting due to the cold. The duo began to make the hour commute down the the Verde Valley where they lived and worked. They talked for a while about the role playing game that they and their wife's were playing once a week, and about their shared interest in guns. As the drive turned quiet, Nick, in the passenger seat started on homework while Mat tuned the radio to the local conservative talk radio station. They continued this way until Mat dropped of Nick and headed out to his house for a quick bite to eat.
To Be Continued
The two friends hopped into Mat's old diesel Blazer, which had trouble starting due to the cold. The duo began to make the hour commute down the the Verde Valley where they lived and worked. They talked for a while about the role playing game that they and their wife's were playing once a week, and about their shared interest in guns. As the drive turned quiet, Nick, in the passenger seat started on homework while Mat tuned the radio to the local conservative talk radio station. They continued this way until Mat dropped of Nick and headed out to his house for a quick bite to eat.
To Be Continued
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