Chapter 2: Baader-Meinhof or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Today was a day of halves. Jamie sat at his desk, half listening to the single Airpod he wore and half working on the floor plan he had open on his computer. He woke up the same time he always did- only this time with far less energy than usual. After what felt like a power-house punch to the emotional balloon that was his subconscious, he remembered looking at the ceiling of his bedroom until the night dwindled away, leaving only early morning. He bought his ticket out of here and, apart from the obvious ability to cancel, he was stuck in the bed that he made for himself. All he had to do was break the news to his friends whom he knew would not take it well. He remembered back to one of those nights right before graduation- a drunken evening they treated themselves to for making it through their final projects and theses.
***
Jamie had just come back from the restroom and sat at the wooden booth along with his circle of friends. There were much more of them back then- back before people moved home after college or ventured east beyond the Rockies. They were at this cool little tiki bar in the middle of the city- one that looked like a set off The Pirates of the Caribbean. He was sitting next to Amy- a fellow architecture major they often hung out with way back when. She'd just taken her share of the communal volcano drink which was a ghastly mix of rums and juices lit on fire at the table, which about four of them had already posted on their Instagram story. He'd already drank what felt like six cups of the stuff, breaking the seal that would leave him going to the bathroom for the rest of the evening.
Amy put down her straw, wincing as the mix went down her throat. Garrett leaned forward, "Now this is yet another reason you two should stay- they don't have flaming volcano drinks where you're from!"
Amy rolled her eyes, reminding him that she was from a suburb outside of San Diego while Jamie just shrugged, being from an island in the middle of nowhere. For the past few weeks, it'd felt like his friends were playing this elaborate game to convince him to stay in the city after grad and, as much as he hated to admit it, their plan was working.
"Here we go again" he said, folding his arms and waiting for their opening statements.
Kevin went next, "Think about it dude, there are hundreds of architecture firms here- you could apply to at least fifty tonight and there will still be tons of options. You said yourself it's slim pickings back home."
"We've been over this Kev." Jamie said, "It's like trying to order something at The Cheesecake Factory. There are just too many options- each one sounding better than the rest. How can anyone make a decision here?" The argument was weak, but he went with it anyway. "And besides, here I'll just be another drop in the bucket." He shrugged his shoulders, "I can really make a difference back home."
Kevin threw his hands up, "Alright who's up next?"
Garrett raised his hand eagerly, "The City" he started off, "You can't beat life here." The rest of the group including Amy nodded their heads as he explained, "I could get on my phone right now and find countless concerts and events and shows going on right now. And don't get me started on the food, we had a full dim-sum brunch, matcha soft serve afterward, Spanish tapas for dinner and now we're at this Hawaiian Tiki bar- where else can you get that diversity?"
Jamie nodded too, knowing that he was right. Still, he couldn't base the rest of his life on food and entertainment. "I'll give you that one, dude. We're in a city made up of dozens of mini cities all packed together" He said, meeting Garrett's hand in a high five.
Now all that was left was the last case- the one he was most afraid of. He got a lump as Marissa cleared away the drinks in front of her, like she was going to blow everyone away with her point.
She looked Jamie in the eye and with a sly grin, said, "And then there's the most important fact- home isn't going anywhere, Jamie." She leaned forward, "No matter what happens here- if you succeed or if you crash and burn, you could always just go back home and restart. I mean you came out to California to get away, why move back now?"
Jamie swallowed, "That's easy for you to say since your parents are only an hour and a half away." He looked around the room, "Other than Garrett, I'm the only one who's not still living in their home state." He finished off the rest of that volcano mix, "I've done my time here Riss, I've had my fill."
She shook her head, "Look bro, it's up to you. But all I'm saying is- don't be so quick to leave and then be left to wonder later what would have happened if you stayed."
Jamie sat there for a few seconds, letting those words sink in while Marissa, Kevin and Garret leaned into their seats like a crew of defence attorneys who'd won their case. Everyone's attention then turned to another one of their friends who'd surprised the group by dropping by after his previous excuse of needing to study. Jamie was grateful- not because he'd come after all, but that it provided a welcomed end to their conversation.
Later that night, they all parted ways and he was left with Amy who'd agreed to share an Uber since they lived only a few blocks away from each other.
She leaned against a parking meter, "So did any of them manage to sway you?"
Jamie- who'd spent the rest of the night in his own head- took his hands out of his pockets, shrugging. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think they did."
Amy nodded, "That Marissa sure can be convincing."
Jamie chuckled, "I take it you're no closer to staying than you were this afternoon?"
She nodded with a frown, "Nope. But we're not quite in the same boat, Jamie. Yeah I moved from home but I can be back in San Diego in under two hours by plane." She reminded, "You invested a lot more by coming here- no one can blame you if you go back."
He nodded his head, thankful that the situation wasn't abstracted to just black and white for once. "And what about you- what's next for the great Amy Rodriguez?"
She smiled, "Home for a bit- then I'll start looking at Grad schools. I'll probably end up in Boston or New York to be closer to my brother." Amy had always been the most mature twenty-one-year-old he knew- he knew that if she conjured up some plan in her head, it was bound to happen.
"So SF really was just a stepping stone for you?"
She chuckled, "Probably the biggest and most influential steppingstone of my life." Right as she finished, Jamie turned to see their Uber pulling onto the empty parking spot in front of them. They got in and, after making small talk with the driver, he looked out onto the streets that flew by, knowing he'd already made his decision.
***
Jamie was broken away from his daydream when he saw that Marissa was calling him. He quickly got up, rushing over to one of the break rooms where his co-workers usually took their personal calls.
"What's up?" he asked, sitting at one of the modern chairs.
"Meet me for lunch at that Japanese Curry spot on O'Farrell- I woke up with the biggest craving."
He looked at his watch, seeing it was a quarter to twelve. "Uhh okay. But what's with the invite- we just saw each other last night."
Marissa was audibly typing away on her work computer, "Gives you a chance to tell me about your night with the cute guy at the bar."
Jamie's eyes went wide, "What-how did you even see that? You left a while before that."
