"Would you like a PETA sticker?"

"Oh, no thank you."

"One of my friends gave them to me." He sorts through them for me, "I thought they were kind of funny." They kind of are.

He smiles as he peels one from the sheet ("Cut school, not frogs"), and carefully sticks it to the light blue binder.

And I think 'He's wearing a trench coat. A trench coat. That's odd... Although, it is a stylish trench coat.'

"Have you ever been to the pool?" He interrupts my thinking... I usually do that myself.

"Yes." A simple answer.

"Is it heated, do you think?"

I have to smile "No. No. It's definitely not. My roommate dragged me there last semester. Definitely not heated."

"Oh, that's too bad. The guy in the office told me that it was. I thought about going for a swim. ... I guess that wouldn't be too smart in any case... Since it's about 50 degrees outside. I'd probably catch a cold." Okay, now he's just rambling.

"Yup. Then you'd spread it to your roommates... and they'd spread it around... and then we'd be in trouble." God, now I'm rambling too. It's a contagion!

Now it's his turn to smile... and ramble "Yeah. The school would be wiped out for a few days, all because of me."

This is my stop, so I start to gather my stuff... my purse, my books, my brain (now where did I put that?)

But, he gets up, too. (Brain? Brain? Where is that brain?!)

He steps off first and turns to face me, "So, if you get a cold now, you know who to blame."

"Yup, I might have to track you down and demand financial reimbursement." Hey! Those were real English words! There's my brain!

"Yeah you could sue. I wouldn't mind." He's still walking with me. "So, where do you live?" I point it out... well, in a general sense, with an 'over there'-type motion.

And he continues, "Oh, just so you don't think I'm stalking you or anything, this is my building." He turns to face me... and I catch my first true glimpse of his face... and I smile. Why? Because, apparently, somewhere between Stop 2 and Building 30, I (once again) misplaced my brain.

He doesn't seem to notice. "Well, have a good day."

Brain? Brain? No luck. "You, too."