Waltz of Her Life

The cafeteria seemed more spic and span and organized than she remembered the previous spring, and the food set out in the large metal pans actually looked inviting. They served omelets with sausage on the side. Linda reached for a section of an omelet with the spatula they provided. "These are pretty good," she said. "Do you want one?"

"No, I don't think so," Nancy said, shaking her head.

"Don't like eggs, huh?"

"No, it's not that. The omelets have milk in them."

Linda nodded. "Yeah. That's how they get them fluffy."

Adopting a studious tone, Nancy went on. "Well, there's no way to know whether they were cooked on the same pans they used for the sausage."

Linda had vaguely heard of the Jewish kosher tradition, but up until that point only knew that they were forbidden to eat ham or shellfish. "No, I guess there isn't any way to know." She wondered why that would make a difference but kept her mouth shut to be polite.

"You see, we have to keep meat dishes and pans separate from milk dishes and pans. There isn't any way to know that, in a cafeteria like this." She reached for one of the miniature boxes of cereal, and further down the line, added toast to her plate.

Linda decided to make the best of things. After they sat down at one of the long tables in the dining hall, she asked her roommate about Chanukah, the Passover, Yom Kippur, and the Jewish New Year traditions. Nancy described all of her traditions in a friendly and animated way. After breakfast, Linda offered to show her the library and the student center. "That's okay. There's an orientation at ten o'clock for freshmen," Nancy said. "They'll probably show me everything then. Thank you anyway, though."

Linda spent the rest of that day getting her books, studying her schedule, and saying hello to old friends. Back at her dorm room after dinner, Lauren called. "How's your new roommate?"

"She's nice," Linda replied, glancing at the nebulizer, the medications on the steel racks and the movie posters. She resolved not to tell Lauren anything else until the next time she went to her apartment.

"Invite her to my party, then. This Saturday night."

Linda was incredulous, pausing for a moment to let the information sink in. "You're having a party, already?"

"What do you mean, already? We could have had one last Saturday night."