โ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ? ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒโ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐?โ
It wasnโt often that the opportunity to assist students in other departments came upโ and with his reverence and adoration for education, these moments were to be seized and taken very seriously. The first question posed however nearly derailed him, but as the eldest son of a slew of troublemakers he was back on track shortly, answering with a smile. โRamiro Palacios, but almost everyone calls me Rami. Twenty-six, last year of my journalism masters.โ He paused, โCis-male and hetero, but absolutely an ally.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐? ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐, ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ก.โ
โQuality time,โ he decided after waiting patiently for the student to finish explaining the concept he already knew about. โI like to spend time with those that mean a lot to me.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐?โ
โIโve been blessed with a lot of things in my life, itโs hard to think of what else could possibly change it more than it already has.โ He knew that this would be a frustrating answer for the student behind the clip board, so he elaborated. โThe best gift I could get is probably another year at Rye, in some capacity. Everyoneโs so eager to leave school, but Iโm not ready to go yet.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?โ
โI think that the nicest thing to hear as the oldest in a big family, and as someone who teachesโ is that youโre appreciated and to hear that what youโve done matters. At the end of the day, thatโs all I really want, to make some sort of difference.โ Rami paused, considering intently. โI like small things. I donโt need huge gestures, thatโs not really my style. Thinking to get you cup of coffee after a busy morning is sometimes the nicest thing that anyone could do for you.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?โ
Rami rubbed the back of his neck, humming as he considered. โPerfect weather, a bit cool in the morning so that my run isnโt too stickyโ then a nice warm afternoon. Classes that go well, maybe an afternoon practice with the boys and a froyo trip before night. I like to live simply, my perfect dayโs something thatโs always within reach: no need for fancy trips or champagne.โ
โ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ?โ
He shook his head, probably too fast. โI know all the truths that I think I would ever be curious about. My familyโs really superstitious about these sort of things, I donโt think itโs right to go poking around in the future or mysteries like that.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ?โ
โI like people who are genuine, and down to earth. Is it cliche to say that I like people who are real? I feel as though after being in a place like this, or a school like thisโ that thereโs lots of people who want to be something that theyโre not, or theyโre afraid to be who they really are. Itโs sad to see.โ He swallowed, tasting the hypocritical words as they went down.
โ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง?โ
โBoth, though my aunt Marรญa got it in my head when I was little that cats are demons, so they do freak me out a little bit when I get in closed quarters with them. But really, animals are great.โ
โ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐: โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐โฆโ
โMy family. Theyโre so important to me, my entire life can fit into a four bedroom in Providence and all my potential partners have been people that I could see fitting into that craziness.โ He laughed, โMy mom is the most important person to me, if she doesnโt like youโ weโre going to have problems.โ Rami considered, โI also wish I had someone to share my passions with, even if they donโt want to do themโ just to talk about them and have it be something that they appreciate, that means everything.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง? ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐?โ
โI cried when we won our last championships, that was huge. Iโm so proud of the boys, of everything weโve done.โ He shook his head, โI remember convincing some of those kids over the summer to apply to Rye for sports scholarships, and to have a hand in shaping them to be the athletes they are nowโ into being winners? Thatโs a privilege.โ The second part was harder, and his shoulder lifted. โProbably when my short story was accepted for the New Yorkerโs fiction section. That was a big moment for me.โ
โ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?โ
Rami blushed, but for the sake of science, he kept his answer as truthful as he could muster. โPretty important. I feel like,โ he gestured, โWeโve all got needs, right?โ
โ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฒ?โ
His grin was stretched wide and he shifted his bag on his shoulder. โNah, Iโm never single. Married to work, remember?โ
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