Etched Into My Skin.
Unus Amor.
I remember when I was technically still a kid, graduating from high school was like a relief; it was moving out to go to college that had been hard. Even though I was still in Arizona, not living under my parents’ roof had felt completely foreign. I was so used to seeing my family every day that, once I was on my own, it was terribly lonely without them.
~
My roommate Eric notices me sulking on my top bunk, staring at the ceiling with a hand behind my head.
He sighs and peeks over the top bunk at me. “Homesick?”
I shrug.
"It’ll pass," he tries to assure me. "Wanna listen to some tunes?"
Sitting up, I raise an eyebrow at him. “Uhh, sure. Whaddya listen to?”
"A whole bunch of different shit," he answers. "But it doesn’t really matter. Don’t you know much heals the soul?"
I laugh for the first time all week. “You’re funny, man. But wise.”
He grins. “Your name’s John, right?”
"O’ Callaghan at your service," I chuckle, saluting him.
As he turns on his laptop, I hear him mutter, “I’m Eric Halvorsen.”
"That’s a complicated last name."
"Oh, I’m sure there’s worse," he says, snickering.
"Whatever you say, Halvo." I laugh, hopping off my bunk.
He smiles. “That doesn’t sound half bad.”
"I have a knack for nicknames," I chuckle, but then feel a pang in my stomach. It felt like a hole in my sinking heart as I hear her whining echo in my head, demanding I "quit it."
Eric frowns when he notices my sudden change. “Hey, if you miss ‘em so much, why don’t you just call them? It’ll make you feel better.”
I shrug. “Wouldn’t wanna bother her.”
"Her?" he asks, surprised. "You didn’t tell me you had a lady."
I shake my head, smirking. “I don’t. She’s my best friend.”
"What’s her name?"
"Livy. Well, Livia, but she hates when I call her that, so I do it to bug her."
I watch Halvo grab my phone and start going through it as I talk. “Hey! What are-“
He tosses it at me. “It’s ringing. You talk. I’m gonna shower.”
My eyes widen as he leaves the room. I stare down at the screen. I hold the phone to my ear and wait.
"Hello?"
I feel the smile grow on my face. “What’s up, Livy?”
She sighs. “Hello, John.”
~
Halvo had been right. I had felt a lot better after talking with Livia. Whenever I got homesick from then on, I’d call her to see how she’s doing.
Eventually, I learned how to not call her every time I was missing everything back home. Halvo and I did what he’d first suggested: listen to music. And we’d cope that way instead. It seemed to fill the hole in our heart; it acted as a substitute for everything we missed.
It helped the both of us get though a lot of our dark days. Whenever either of us were gloomy, we’d put the radio on and let it remind us that it would be there for us whenever we needed it.
The two of us became really close because of it. We shared the same passion, shared one love for finding those songs with relatable lyrics and moving music. It guided us through most of the two years that I was in college, and it made me realize just how powerful it was. It had the ability to bring me out of the worst times and on my feet again.
If there’s one thing I learned from going to ASU, it was that, and one other thing Halvo told me one day when he came back from class. It was a phrase he’d learned in Latin.
Unus Amor. One love.
That stuck with me for a long time. And much later on, I chose to get it on my collarbones, to remind me of those days when music was the only thing to hold me upright.
It was my one love.
~
My roommate Eric notices me sulking on my top bunk, staring at the ceiling with a hand behind my head.
He sighs and peeks over the top bunk at me. “Homesick?”
I shrug.
"It’ll pass," he tries to assure me. "Wanna listen to some tunes?"
Sitting up, I raise an eyebrow at him. “Uhh, sure. Whaddya listen to?”
"A whole bunch of different shit," he answers. "But it doesn’t really matter. Don’t you know much heals the soul?"
I laugh for the first time all week. “You’re funny, man. But wise.”
He grins. “Your name’s John, right?”
"O’ Callaghan at your service," I chuckle, saluting him.
As he turns on his laptop, I hear him mutter, “I’m Eric Halvorsen.”
"That’s a complicated last name."
"Oh, I’m sure there’s worse," he says, snickering.
"Whatever you say, Halvo." I laugh, hopping off my bunk.
He smiles. “That doesn’t sound half bad.”
"I have a knack for nicknames," I chuckle, but then feel a pang in my stomach. It felt like a hole in my sinking heart as I hear her whining echo in my head, demanding I "quit it."
Eric frowns when he notices my sudden change. “Hey, if you miss ‘em so much, why don’t you just call them? It’ll make you feel better.”
I shrug. “Wouldn’t wanna bother her.”
"Her?" he asks, surprised. "You didn’t tell me you had a lady."
I shake my head, smirking. “I don’t. She’s my best friend.”
"What’s her name?"
"Livy. Well, Livia, but she hates when I call her that, so I do it to bug her."
I watch Halvo grab my phone and start going through it as I talk. “Hey! What are-“
He tosses it at me. “It’s ringing. You talk. I’m gonna shower.”
My eyes widen as he leaves the room. I stare down at the screen. I hold the phone to my ear and wait.
"Hello?"
I feel the smile grow on my face. “What’s up, Livy?”
She sighs. “Hello, John.”
~
Halvo had been right. I had felt a lot better after talking with Livia. Whenever I got homesick from then on, I’d call her to see how she’s doing.
Eventually, I learned how to not call her every time I was missing everything back home. Halvo and I did what he’d first suggested: listen to music. And we’d cope that way instead. It seemed to fill the hole in our heart; it acted as a substitute for everything we missed.
It helped the both of us get though a lot of our dark days. Whenever either of us were gloomy, we’d put the radio on and let it remind us that it would be there for us whenever we needed it.
The two of us became really close because of it. We shared the same passion, shared one love for finding those songs with relatable lyrics and moving music. It guided us through most of the two years that I was in college, and it made me realize just how powerful it was. It had the ability to bring me out of the worst times and on my feet again.
If there’s one thing I learned from going to ASU, it was that, and one other thing Halvo told me one day when he came back from class. It was a phrase he’d learned in Latin.
Unus Amor. One love.
That stuck with me for a long time. And much later on, I chose to get it on my collarbones, to remind me of those days when music was the only thing to hold me upright.
It was my one love.