1963-12-22 - Running Into Each Other
Summary: At the city college, Anya and Teddy meet
Related: None
Theme Song: None
anya teddy 


Anya's college professor and advisor, Dr. Wilson Westmore is visiting City College tonight to give a lecture on why students should consider majoring in the new field of Computer Science.

Excitement! Coding! Punch cards!

Attendance at the talk was depressingly low. But Anya came along for support, and spent the time in the back row working on her notes. She doesn't bother introducing herself to the dozen or so people who turned up, and ducks out toward the end, when she can tell Westmore is wrapping up.

Out in the hall she's juggling a book bag, notebook and pens, and a shoebox which is tied shut with twine. She's trying to organize all this with her head down, and keep moving through the unfamiliar halls.

*

Teddy is walking along with a couple other guys, talking about sports when there's a collision involving at least one computer nerd and at least one jock, probably more. "Hey, careful." one of them says. "You okay?" another asks, the latter being Teddy.

*

Anya drops several things, but somehow manages to keep the shoebox under control. She really only had a fingertip on it, but she grabs it again before it spills all to hell. The rest of the stuff clatters to the floor. "Sorry," she says to the first guy, sarcastically. Teddy's question is more surprising. She looks like she had a sharp remark all ready to go, but she blinks at him. "Uh, yeah, I'm ok. Thanks."

*

Teddy starts picking up things Anya dropped, waving off the others with a 'I'll catch you tomorrow.' Grabbing the notebook which fell open, he looks at what's written in it, turns it upside down, back rightside up then closes it and shakes his head. "What's all that stuff?"

*

"Oh, it's…" Anya has a moment of thinking about lying to the cute boy, and it's obvious. It's also pretty clear she decides to tell the truth. "It's computer code. I'm a computer science major at NYU." She hooks a thumb back at the door she just came out of. "Dr. Westmore is my advisor. Do you have a major?"

*

Teddy picks up a couple papers, stacks them on the notebook then offers it over. "There's a major in computers?" Must be a graduate thing. For math nerds. Just thinking about it makes him want to nap. He glances at the door she indicates but doesn't ask who Dr. Westmore is. "No. Probably end up liberal arts, I guess."

*

No willing to give in to disappointment, Anya lets the 'math nerd' thing go by and accepts the offered papers. She sets the shoe box on the floor and arranges everything else to go into her bag while she talks. "Yeah, it takes some math, I guess. But it's more like… puzzle solving really. Anyway, are you a writer or something? I'm not totally clear on what a liberal arts major is."

*

"A writer? No." Teddy answers, reaching up to run a hand over his hair. "I guess it's sort of like a combination of English and history and other stuff without being too much of any one thing. That might change if I decide I like something enough to want to do a lot of it. Or maybe I'll teach gym or something. Who knows."

*

"That's cool," Anya says. "Probably good to keep your options open if you aren't sure yet." She picks up the box off the floor, but doesn't seem in a big hurry anymore. "Are you a freshman here?"

*

"Yeah. Don't think I've seen you around here but I'm not taking any math or science courses." They're definitely not his thing. "I'm Teddy by the way. Sorry about us running into you."

*

Anya tucks the box under her left arm and offers her right in greeting. "I'm Anya," she says with a smile. "And it's ok. I mean, if this thing had popped open, we might have had words, but I kind of wasn't watching anyway, so partly my fault anyway." There's a brief pause, Anya glances around, and asks, "So what do people do for fun here?"

*

"Why, what's in the shoebox?" Teddy asks curiously then shrugs at the question. "There's a diner nearby that has good pie. And a really good pizza place down the street. I just usually go home and do stuff."

*

With the book bag over her shoulder and only the shoebox in hand, it's easier to show what's inside. "It's my punch cards for a program I'm working on," she says, untying the twine. Lifting the lid off reveals several hundred neatly stacked cards, pale blue in color. She slides one part of the way out to show the places where bits have been punched out, and then puts it back in place. "I'll have to check out that diner though. I'm a sucker for good pie."

*

Teddy glances into the box with utter disinterest. "Oh. Computers are more interesting in movies where you can just press a few buttons to get them to do what you want. Or even talk to them directly like with robots." Tucking his hands into his pockets, he leans back against a hallway wall. "Try the apple. It's good warm with ice cream."

*

Anya raises her eyebrows and just smiles to herself, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess that's true," she says, retying the twine before settling the box under her arm again. "Well, thanks again for helping with my stuff. I should get going I guess. I want to try that pie before I turn this homework in tonight."

*

Teddy nods. "Sure. Tell em I sent you. They have no idea who I am but it'll confuse them and that can be fun." He flashes a quick grin then pushes off the wall. "Nice meeting you. Have fun."

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