2 of my favorite stories about...

1 of my favorite girls.
Anyway today is Mara's 23rd birthday (it's my mom's as well but I don't have any great stories about her) and so I thought about a few favorite memories I have.
First, this happened sometime in the spring of sophomore year when we were all playing Beirut in one of my friend's dorm room. He sort of lived in a "frat" section and we drank alot so we had no qualms with drinking openly. It was after the Ben Folds/Ben Lee in Page and we had just gotten back. So we get to the room and are beginning to set up the table. I had a beer in my hand because why not but everyone else was watching something on t.v. The table was ready to go and our door was about halfway open. it just so happened that an RA was making rounds at this moment and she claimed to hear ping pong balls (which had to be bs.) Anyway she stood in the door and was going to write us citations, for drinking games are illegal at Duke. Now at this point Mara was freaking out because she was applying to be an RA and she was really worried that this would jeopardize her chances so when the RA came she started to get really upset. Her boyfriend was in the room as well and he got quite angry claiming that the door was actually shut, negating her right to enter and inspect the room. When the RA asked for all of our names everyone gave them their own, me included still holding and drinking a beer during the whole thing ( I was older than the hills; I didn't care about citations) but when she asked for Mara's name, Scott, her boyfriend piped in with Lin. He didn't have a clear spelling in mind so when the RA, who was a chinese international grad student spelled it that way he hurriedly agreed. When asked the last name Scott in his spontaneous manner said Smith. All of us were holding in our laughter at this point over the genericness of Smith but it got even funnier in our minds especially when Scott was trying to close the door in her face. But it all worked out. I think a few of us ended up playing Beirut anyway that night ( everything was already set up) and none of us actually were written up, which I attribute to Mara's crying in her office, and so she was able to become an RA. That is another story, but we all still remember and have laughs over Lin Smith (though it was a touching gesture of love....I guess)

More importanlty Mara was involved in the nicest thing that anyone has maybe ever done for me. It was sometime in late winter early spring of this year when I was just sort of talking about decorating. I guess the hormones were beginning to affect me emotionally but I was sort of upset about my room and wanted to change it's decor. I guess I told Mara how I wanted some flowers in my room, purely as me thinking out loud and as an aside. But the next day when I got back from campus, on my desk was a bouquet of the most gorgeous flowers ( I don't remember what kind they were but I like to think they were pink) that Mara had gotten me "just because." I'm sure during this time I was moodswingy and I don't remember if that day was a bad one for me, but no matter how high or low my spirits were, they definitely lifted them, and anytime I had a bad day for the next week or two all would have to do is look at or smell the flowers and I would remember that someone loved me and that everything is truly good and wonderful. I don't think I'll ever forget that.

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