Petite, blonde hair always in a pony tail, blue-eyed, she occupied the same corner of the campus cafeteria. Whenever I saw her, her face peered down, lips pursed and eyes intently engaged in the day’s crossword puzzle. Her books and backpack would be either piled at her feet or on the table next to her, depending on the crowd of students flowing through the room.
During my attendance at TCU, the campus’s main dining hall, called The Main, served three meals a day, opening and closing for each meal. At times, it became confusing as to what the hours actually were, especially when students would camp for hours at a time, at the behest of the cafeteria’s staff. The Main’s interior looked like a Luby’s stuck in the 90s—grey walls, tables and floors, bold geometric, airbrushed artwork and booths lined with red vinyl.
This girl, whom I silently named Crossword Puzzle Girl, was a staple. She always went for the back corner and folded the campus paper, The Skiff, to reveal the crossword puzzle. Before Sudoku became the distraction of choice, the crossword puzzle had a place in the back of classrooms, communally shared in the lounges or those sitting solo, etching out the answers to the day’s clue’s.
I never asked of her name, so she never answered. The only other thing I knew about her, seems amusing. She was a baton twirler. Dressed in purple polyester, skin-tone sheer and sparkly, sparkly sequins, she would dance amongst the band during halftime shows, as her partner—the baton—twirled, swirled and curled through the air. While she worked on the puzzle, her pen would roll and somersault between her fingers.
I saw Crossword Puzzle Girl a few months ago. She’s one of those people you’d never expect to see again, and would notice them immediately if paths crossed, however distant. Instead of a 90s era cafeteria, a contemporary Starbuck’s cafe was the setting. She sat in the corner, flanked by windows, light shining off her blonde hair, pulled back into a pony tail. Instead of a bag of books by her side, a stroller stood. Instead of a bustling crowd of undergraduates moving around her, her daughter, equally blonde and blue-eyed, moved amongst the tables and chairs.
Crossword Puzzle Girl sat with a pen in her hand and looked relaxed as she appeared to answer one of the day’s clues.