//------------------------------// // 149: Karyn Hubert's Day Off // Story: Lyra's Human 2: Derpy's Human // by pjabrony //------------------------------// Over the four years she had been there, Karyn didn’t realize how much her college had grown in scope. The class sizes were getting bigger every year, and it was for this reason that the finals period was so jammed in schedule. So it was that a class she had on Wednesday had its final on a Friday. It was her last final, and it was set for the afternoon. The long summer day meant that there was plenty of light left for her to travel home to. Once there, with no more studying to do, she got a jump on her weekend chores and cleaned the apartment. Then she called ahead to check on her graduation robes. She would be walking with her class regardless, but she was fairly confident that she had passed. Indeed it had happened again that, in one of her classes, she had done so well during the semester that even if she had gotten a zero on the final, the average grade would still have been a healthy C+. When the last dinner dish was washed, Karyn was tired and went to bed early. It was only when she woke up that she realized that she had literally nothing to do. She wasn’t starting her new job yet for a couple of weeks. Classes and tests were over. She had gone shopping and had groceries for the week. Her home was clean. She had nothing scheduled with Derpy until the next day, nor anything with any other friends. There was nothing to call on her time. It was everything Karyn had hoped for and lamented not having. Opening the window, she found a sky bluer than any she remembered, with just a few clouds of pure cotton white to give it contrast. The sun shone down through cool air to take back the morning dew. It was perfect weather, the kind that Derpy always wanted to make for her. Karyn decided that she wasn’t going to waste such a day staying home and watching videos on the internet, as she had too many days before. She hopped in the shower and grabbed her purse to head out. Besides, she thought, if I stay around, I’ll have to eat, and that will mean that the place will get dirtier. Then I’ll have to clean it up again before Derpy comes. This way, it’ll be just like it was this morning. As she slipped the key into the ignition of the car, she realized the flip side of her decision. Going out would cost money. She had to check her budget. She thought about going back inside, but when she stepped out it was still too nice. She sat on her bumper and brought up the shared document on her phone. Running down some quick calculations, she concluded that a hundred dollars wouldn’t break her, or even make for a loss. Even though she would only have her job half the year, if she had it calculated right, she still would be breaking even from January to December. It would begin eating into her student loans. She remembered how she had wanted to spend the previous week, to celebrate getting the job. Derpy had decided on the parallelism of going to the school cafeteria, just as they had for their first meal together in college. It gave Karyn more money to play with that week, and she gave a silent thanks to her friend for being so thrifty. Karyn got back in the car, enjoying the warmth of the sun through her windshield. She drove to the ATM and withdrew five twenties. What should I do now? she wondered. She needed time to think, and since the ATM was a drive-through, it wasn’t the place to take that time. She pulled out and drove toward the school. Not many more opportunities to see it, she thought. The roads at the college were well-maintained and, on a Saturday, barely trafficked. She cruised through with the casual air of a plutocrat driving for pleasure across his estate. At the far end was a parking lot for students who commuted farther than Karyn had to. She pulled in and decided to figure out her next move while taking a walk around. She flashed back to when her parents had brought her here for a visit, back when she was still in high school. Back then, she had been overwhelmed. Now, this campus was her own. From the number of cars in the lot, Karyn realized that some finals must still be going on. The sidewalk led up to one of the buildings. She hadn’t had any classes there, but inside she could see a hundred students, freshmen most likely, chewing their pencils in concentration. Good luck to you all. She gave a silent wish. I hope you all do as well as I have. Although pleased with herself for her empathy, Karyn felt a part of her enjoying the schadenfreude. The other students had finals, and maybe another one-to-three years of studying to do. Plus they would have to go through the stress of finding jobs. But she had hers. Karyn heard her stomach growl, and realized that in her haste to begin such a wonderful day she had skipped breakfast. But such a day demanded more than a simple repast. She got back in her car and drove to the nearest town. Even the diners seemed too beneath her that day, but she found a family restaurant that would serve breakfast. She ordered and ate well. It was the kind of meal that Derpy would put away easily, but Karyn found it difficult to get through the entire stack of pancakes. The breakfast wasn’t expensive, so she left a thirty-percent tip. Waitresses need to live too, she reasoned. But that was one more path that she wouldn’t have to tread. She heard about how hard it was working in retail, having to deal with angry and entitled customers. She had worked hard to avoid that. Although she still might have to work support, it would be with other professionals, who had no incentive to be demanding and angry. Checking the time on her phone, Karyn saw that the day had barely begun, but it felt like she’d gotten plenty accomplished already. She’d eaten, and visited her school…and more importantly, made the decision to do nothing important. She got back in the car and drove with no particular destination in mind. Ideally, she thought, I would have done this on a weekday, when the traffic was lightest. But although there were cars on the highway, there were few of them that she got to enjoy passing the slower drivers and had plenty of room to let the faster ones pass her. Her mind drifted as she enjoyed the vibrations of the car. What was it that she had heard about cars? That they represented freedom. She thought back to all the times that Derpy was in the car with her, from first learning to drive, to getting her new wheels, to taking the road trip for the spring break. Karyn put her hand on the passenger seat. It was warm, but from the sun. As she turned she found another location she had gone to with Derpy: the museum. It had been one of the rare times that she could honestly say she didn’t have fun. If anything, Derpy had mollified the boredom and annoyance that she would have felt if she had been alone. Would it still be that bad? There was no reason not to find out. Besides, she thought, there was a movie about a day off, and that had a visit to the museum too. The exhibit going on was more integrated and unified than the other time she had been there. But more than that, she enjoyed it more because her parents weren’t there lingering over every work of art. Karyn could decide that a piece was too simple or not to her taste, and just walk on by. Besides, it would leave more time for other things she might want to do. But at the same time, she did wish that Derpy were with her. Just like a few weeks prior, when they had gone to the flower garden, they knew how to move at a good pace rather than getting bogged down like her parents did. The quiet of the museum was the perfect mood for reflection. All sorts of funny thoughts ran through Karyn’s head. She imagined being watched by a camera as her day, her life, was part of a movie. This part would have a soft soundtrack, and the camera might cut back and forth to Derpy. What was she doing right now? Could she have been so lucky as to also be having a day off? If so, did she have as many fun things to do? Was she thinking about Karyn right then? Most of the exhibits were in inner rooms. That made sense to Karyn, since the sunlight would only fade the paintings. But there was one room that had an exposed window, letting in the bright sun. Maybe the works in that room were cheaper, or maybe they were made of something that wouldn’t be damaged. Or Karyn considered, maybe it’s some eccentric artist wanted them put in the sun as a symbol for the ephemeral nature of all things. She was glad that she had come here. It was the perfect waste of time. Or rather, it was a good use of time because it gave her a chance to think. On her way out, Karyn saw the donation bin. The museum was nominally free, but there was one of those bins with a list of suggested donations. There was a time when Karyn would have bypassed it, thinking whoever designed such a thing to be a sucker. Or because she was a poor college student, and giving less than suggested was what surely what the museum intended. But now she had a job, and knew how much money she had to spend. She dropped in double the suggestion and felt proud of her generosity. If nothing else, it made up for the times when she would sneak Derpy into places. But that brought a worry to Karyn’s mind. She had a budget, a job, the beginnings of a social life, and apparently a conscience for dealing with others. Had she grown up? Had she left childish things behind and joined the world of adults? Karyn knew that there was no single moment when one was declared to be an adult, other than at her legal age of majority, and that didn’t count. It would be a process, but for the first time, she thought that she might be on the downward slope of that hill. As though to ward off the emotions that came with this concern, she decided to go back to the amusement park. This would cost her the bulk of her remaining cash, but she was ready to throw caution to the wind. The park was crowded. It was the peak time, but if Karyn had known that she was going to encounter an existential crisis, she would have planned it for earlier. Still, it wasn’t so bad because once she got near the head of the line, she could always get on when they needed to fill one more spot. But if she took the big roller coasters too much, her day would slip through her fingers. She opted instead for the merry-go-round, and for the rotating swingset that pushed her out forty-five degrees from vertical, and for the Ferris wheel. She remembered how happy Derpy had been on that last ride the first time she had gone on, even though she could fly. Once that ride ended, Karyn went for cotton candy and popcorn. Her parents had never let her snack at the amusement park when she was a little girl. The snacks were expensive, and they were always afraid of her upchucking on the rides. She decided to go on the largest coaster one more time, and then leave. The crowds had begun to thin out, or else Karyn got lucky, with barely a ten-minute wait before she got to ride. And she promised herself that she would not be sick, would hold her stomach with the snacks she just had, at least until she got off the ride. As the car was pulled up the incline by the conveyor belt, Karyn thought more. Growing up didn’t mean just accepting responsibility. There was an element of power too. She was in charge of her own life now. Risks were hers to take, if she was prepared for the consequences. No one would help her, but no one would stop her either. And could that be an opportunity for deeper living? Higher highs and lower lows? Is that what growing up is all about? If so, then it’s worth it. To have a chance to see new things and learn what I wouldn’t do if I stayed a child, that’s worth it. But I’m not going to lose my sense of fun. Then she couldn’t think about those things anymore, because she’d reached the top. The roller coaster dropped her, and she wanted to just experience the sensations. Once she got off the ride and began making her way toward the exit, her mind drifted again. If anything, the adrenalin rush had sharpened her thinking, putting into perspective all the realizations she had had about growing up. She wished Derpy were there to talk about it, though she realized that, if she had been, there wouldn’t have been anything to talk about. But Karyn always leaned on Derpy as a sounding board, to take her thoughts and translate them into words. But that too was a point of growing up, and how she could still stay young at heart. Ponies, cartoons, and dolls were playthings for young girls, but friends…friends were forever. That she happened to have a friend based on one of those playthings was no different from anyone who had a childhood companion and kept up the friendship all their lives. As she thought about all this, she crossed the parking lot and got into her car. She had spent time and money, but she still felt that she needed something to cap off this perfect day. There was only one place Karyn could think of that was free, and fortunately the season fit the occasion. It was a little out of her way, and it meant a long drive back, but it was right. Just as the crowds at the amusement park had dwindled away, so it was that when Karyn arrived at the beach, she saw few cars, and half of them were being packed up as she entered. If she got some funny looks, wondering why someone would arrive in the evening, she didn’t care. There was no sign that said that the park closed at dusk. She didn’t intend to go in the water, or do much of anything, but she had a ratty old chair in her trunk, and she put it up high on the sand, not far from the entrance, where she could watch the waves. Then she turned her chair to face west. Derpy had taken her to see the sunrise in Equestria, on a beach. It seemed fitting, now, that she should watch the sun set on a beach on Earth. It was the end of a chapter of her life, just as meeting Derpy had been the beginning. Back then, she had been adrift. There had been a plan, once, of the course her life should take. She would do a semester or two of school, just to relax, then wait for Mike to come home. They would marry, he would finish school, they’d start a family. Money would be tight, at first, but her parents would help. But it never came to pass. Mike was shiftless. Karyn hadn’t heard from him in over a year, and honestly didn’t care. There was no animosity, just a clean breakup. Still, it had made her buckle down, get serious about study for the first time. And then there was Derpy. The casually answered question in a moment of respite: Would you like to live in Equestria? Probably few others had answered. And Derpy had chosen her. From there it had been four years of growth, four years of coming together as friends, as each mentored and learned from the other. What now? The beach was deserted. The disc of the sun had gone below the horizon, and only the leftover light let her see. She stood up, and a breeze blew her hair out to the side. If she could have seen herself from the outside, the scene would have looked like the end of one of the anime shows she used to watch. What was it that the mayor had said in the background pony episode? That everyone was the star of their own story. That was true, but the problem with being the star was that you had to go through all the troubles before you got to the happy ending. If there was one. Karyn much preferred being the background character, the one who had a brush with the protagonist, but lived a life happy and quiet. She was ready for that now. Her life was coming into balance. Work and spend money, have time with friends and time alone, be young and grown old, see a sunrise and a sunset. Like the old song had said, to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. The last light of the sun had gone. Out on the shore, there were only the lights of the stars, and the sound of the waves. Karyn used the flashlight on her phone to get her back to her car. Although she had never liked driving at night, it wasn’t so bad. The causeway was empty; she could use her brights. When she finally found her exit, guided by GPS, she had to douse them, but now she had streetlights. This won’t last she thought as she got back onto familiar roads. I’m feeling a high from all the fun stuff I did today, or just from having the day off. Tomorrow I’ll go back to preparing for the new job and figuring out how I’m going to get by. But she couldn’t make herself believe that. She didn’t want this to be a passing fancy. And besides, some of the conclusions she had reached were factual. Her life was better now. She had achieved a kind of balance. Those facts would stay true tomorrow. There was no sense ignoring the good feelings while she had them. Karyn smiled, because, for the moment, it was more comfortable to smile than to let her mouth droop. She was reaching her home, but from a different way as usual. It fit. She’d go out again many times, and usually she’d return the same way. But not today. Today was special. It was all the more special because it was rare, and Karyn knew that it was right to be rare. She would go back to work on her life the next day, and she looked forward to it. She would work hard at her new job, and at her new life, to make sure it was stable and prosperous. Someday, maybe, many years from now, there would be another chance to have a day like today. But until that happened, she would enjoy the work. Pulling out her keys, she opened the side door of the big house as though it were the first time. True to her plan, the apartment was clean, pristine, with even the dust of the day having barely accumulated. If she was to keep it that way, it would have to be a quick night. She checked her e-mail and a few sites on her computer, but then she decided that it was time for bed. She lay there, unable to sleep, her consciousness hanging on. It was like trying to sleep on Christmas Eve, though all the land lay quiet, the anticipation and excitement would keep her awake. But she closed her eyes and drifted, hoping she would dream of Derpy. *** The long summer days meant that the sun was up long before Karyn awoke. When she did, it was with a murmur and a stretch and a yawn. She had slept well. It was Sunday. It was her day with Derpy. It took but little time to correct what had been put wrong, to make her bed and put yesterday’s clothes in the hamper. Then a quick shower, and ready for the day. They had no plans for that Sunday. Rarely did they ever. They would take what life gave them. Four years prior, she had sat at her desk. It was a different desk, a different chair, a different laptop, a different Karyn. At that time, she had barely been paying attention. Now, all was focus. She put the water in the coffee pot and the bread in the toaster and sat down to wait. It was happening. The shine and the melodic tinkle of magic, real magic. The sound, purely physical, of the air being pushed out of the way or destroyed. And there she was, the gray mare with the blonde mane, and the eyes forever crossed. Karyn stood and smiled. “Hello, Derpy.”