Kyla’s Secret

Hawaiian native Kyla Rembler was greeted at Sacramento’s International Airport by an editor of the well-known magazine where she was to conduct her study. She spotted the guy holding a card with her last name on it and approached him with a smile. “Hello,” she said. “Aloha,” he joked. “I’m Ed. How do you like NorCal so far?” Kyla laughed and shook the hand that was extended to her. “Well, I’ve only been here for a few minutes, but I can already tell it’s going to be a lot chillier than Maui gets based on the cold blast of air I could feel between the plane and the little boarding ramp we had to go through to get to the terminal.” “Winters can get a bit nippy up here but not as brutal as they are farther north.” Kyla studied Ed as he guided her toward his car. He was an ordinary-looking guy who appeared to be in his early forties or so. Once in the car, he asked her, “So, are you looking forward to living with a bunch of college kids for a few months?” “To tell you honestly, no, I’m not. I think it will be an interesting and educational experience, and I like the money it’s going to bring, but at thirty-two years of age I’m not sure I can say I’m excited about living with a bunch of eighteen- and twenty-year-olds.” Ed let out a chuckle. “Can’t say I envy you. It’s going to be quite a task, all right.” A moment of awkward silence passed as Ed navigated his way out of the airport’s parking lot. Once they were out of it, Kyla asked, “Have you always lived in Northern California?” “Oh, yeah. Born and raised in NorCal. Lived in Florida for a while but never could get used to all that sticky humidity. Isn’t it pretty humid in Hawaii?” “Sure is, but that’s ok because that’s all I’ve ever really known,” Kyla answered, flipping a long lock of black hair behind her. Ed went on to tell her all about how he grew up on a farm and how he would be out milking the cows at sunup and mucking stalls until sundown. Where he was awkwardly silent before, now it seemed he couldn’t shut up. Kyla half-tuned him out and took in the passing scenery. She quickly decided there was a lot more color back home in her native state. “I hear gambling is illegal on all the islands where you live,” she suddenly heard him say as she continued to take in the buildings, plants, trees, and pedestrians around them. “Yes, it is. That’s the one thing you can’t do in Hawaii. You can shop, you can relax on the beach, you can dine at great restaurants, you can enjoy amazing entertainment, but you definitely can’t gamble.” Ed laughed as if she’d said the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Not long afterward, they pulled up to the college. The campus was very simple-looking—plainly landscaped and lacking in color since it was winter and the trees were devoid of their leaves. The complex itself looked simple enough as well, and the buildings all appeared to be similar in size. “It looks huge,” Kyla said as she eyed the maze of buildings. “It’s a fairly large institution,” Ed agreed. “But once you get to know the place it’s easy enough to find your way around.” “Yeah?” Kyla said skeptically. Ed nodded. “There are basically four groups of buildings set up to the east, west, north, and south. Dorms to the north and south, educational buildings to the west. Then you’ve got your recreation along with Administration, Medical, the cafeteria—that sort of thing—to the east.” “None of the staff live here, right?” “Right.” “What’s the difference between the two dorms? You said one was north and one was south. Are they the same?” “No. North has two to a room and South has one, which is where you’ll be.” “That’s nice. I definitely won’t want a roommate while I’m here and I was pretty vocal about that up front,” Kyla said with a laugh. “Yeah, I hear you on that one. It’ll be better for the study this way. That way you don’t get so wrapped up in one particular student’s life here at the good old University of NorCal.” “That’s what we figured when we were going over the details with the school officials.” “Both north and south have two dorms, of course. One for the ladies, the other for the gentlemen.” Kyla laughed. “The thought of a co-ed dorm is kind of scary.” Ed laughed too, as he pulled the car to an abrupt stop by Administration. “Ok, here we are. Someone will be showing you around and breaking you into the realm of things here.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to Kyla. “Feel free to call me anytime you need to.” “Thanks, Ed,” Kyla said gratefully as she took the card. They went into the office and met with an older lady in her fifties whom Kyla took an immediate dislike to. The woman seemed stern, humorless, and even a touch rude. She looked at Ed and said, “Are you parked out front?” “Yes, ma’am.” “A staff member will have her belongings placed in the room she’s to be staying in.” She then dismissed Ed as if he were no more than a pesky fly and did a fine job of making Kyla seem as if she were a burden. Hey, you’re the ones that agreed to conduct this little assignment with us reporters, Kyla thought sarcastically to herself. The humorless woman then tapped a button on her fancy telephone. “Yes, Ms. Rock?” came the voice from the speaker a few seconds later. Ms. Rock? How appropriate. “Marilee, could you send Hillary over now?” “Sure thing.” Kyla remained standing and tried not to fidget as she waited uncomfortably for Hillary. She hoped she would be a lot nicer. She was. The four-year psychology major was a beautiful young woman with mocha skin and warm brown eyes. Her smile was bright against her dark skin. “Hello there and welcome to our little world.” “Thank you,” Kyla said, anxious to escape the head dean. The relief in her voice must have been apparent, for Hillary spoke with a roll of her eyes. “I see you met the ever-so-kind Ms. Rock.” “Yeah, I have,” Kyla said with a knowing smile, but not wanting to speak ill of anyone her first ten minutes on campus. Ed approached them and said, “Nice meeting you, Kyla.” “You too, Ed.” “Your stuff is on its way to your room.” “Ok, thanks again,” Kyla said, and then Ed turned to leave. Turning serious, Hillary said, “I thought we’d start here and then circle around until we end up at the women’s dorm last.” “Sounds good to me. How long did it take you to learn your way around here?” “Less than a week.” “Less than a week? That’s hopeful.” Hillary smiled. “It may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s really no big deal.” “My editor for this project explained the east, west, north, south thing. He’s been here before.” “Well, the east is what we’ll be starting with,” Hillary said as she showed Kyla a tour of the huge gymnasium that was also used for dances and parties. Then they moved on to the cafeteria, which was empty because it was after lunchtime. “It’s earlier over in Hawaii, isn’t it?” Kyla nodded. “By two hours.” “You must be getting a bit hungry since you missed lunch.” “Not too bad. They fed me on the plane.” “If you ever have a medical problem that isn’t serious enough to go to the emergency room, it’s through there,” Hillary said, pointing down a short corridor just off the cafeteria. They headed back outside and strolled past the men’s dorm. A somewhat petite red-haired guard in her late thirties to early forties flashed Kyla a smile as she walked by them. Kyla smiled back. The tour lasted about half an hour, and once they reached the women’s dorm Kyla was almost relieved to be there. “You must be tired after the long plane ride,” Hillary said. “I am. Plus I’m anxious to see just where I’m going to be staying. Most of my assignments are home-based, so it isn’t every day that I fly off to a whole new place with people I’ve never met before. Worst case scenario, I hop on the company’s boat and sail on over to another island.” “That must be loads of fun. I understand how you feel, though. How long will you be here?” Hillary asked as she opened the entry door to the dorm. “About six weeks.” “Hi, Hillary,” said a tall, stringy blonde as she passed by them upon entering the dorm. “Hi, Rachel.” “How many women are in the dorm again? I forget all the numbers for various things they throw at me and don’t have my notes handy.” Hillary smiled with understanding. “About a hundred in this one. Each dorm has two identical floors. Remember, most students don’t live here—just the ones that live too far to make the commute every day.” Kyla nodded knowingly. “The rooms basically wrap around three of the outer walls. The last outer wall is where the bathroom and shower room are located, along with the phones. Then you have the area where the watchdog sits,” Hillary said, gesturing toward an unoccupied desk just inside the entrance to the left. “Oh, you have uniformed guards inside as well?” “No, just a housemother of sorts that really isn’t. They just want to make sure we’re not building a meth lab in our free time or inviting guys over. That’s a definite no-no. No guys allowed in the ladies’ dorm, no ladies allowed in the men’s dorm.” “Good rule to have.” “Not for me. I wish I could smuggle in my boyfriend, but it’s not worth the risk. Anyway, you’re on the second floor.” They headed for the elevator, and Hillary asked Kyla if she had a boyfriend back home. “Me? Nah. I’m just a lesbian.”