Cinderella

I'm feelling a bit like Cinderella right now. The time is drawing perilously close to Midnight and I don't have the allotted number of blogs in yet (still for my course…I know…I feel like I've been taking this thing forever). I hate being late for deadlines. It makes me a little nutty. It reminds me of this time in college when I had a huge paper due. I never pulled all nighters but this time I had to. I had no choice. My teacher was ruthless so I knew I had to get the paper in on time. I worked all night, finding obscure sources, making photocopies (I despise Kinkos) and trying to make the paper as flawless as possible. I finished the paper and rested my head for just a second. I would get up and get the paper in no problem.

Well, I think we all know where this is going. I fell fast asleep. I woke with a start and looked at the clock. I had 7 minutes to get from my off campus apartment to his office and it was at least a fifteen minute treck on a good day. I quickly threw on an oxford shirt and jumped in the car. I sped like a demon, weaving in and out of traffic and narrowly missing Freshman who were blissfully unaware of the pressures of senior year and what that will do to a person. I parked the car in an illegal spot and began hauling ass across campus. For four years, I had held very fast to my one cardinal rule: NEVER run on campus. You look like a dork and whatever you are running to has probably already started so chances are you're screwed anyways. No use committing social suicide by running like an idiot as well. But I RAN. I ran like I was the Johnson guy in the '96 Olympics with the pretentious gold shoes. I ran as if the hounds of hell themselves were chasing me.

And it was raining but I couldn't pay any attention to that. An umbrella would have slowed me down. So I reach the building and I'm breathless and exhausted and as my foot hits the inside marble floor of the building I began flailing about as if I'm some sort of Marionette and my puppetmaster is a cruel bastard. Every muscle in my body was trying to regain balance but with the weak mental state I was in and knowing I had missed the deadline, I succumbed to gravity as my paper flew about me in every direction. Luckily classes had begun so there were only a few stragglers left behind to witness my fall. They rushed to help me up and collect my papers, asking me if I was alright. Honestly, my leg could have been turned around backwards and I would have said yes and limped away to die in a corner. I was mortified and I was LATE. I took my papers and the little bit of dignity I had left and went up to my Professors office.

I softly knocked on his door. "Ummm Professor Moen, I'm sorry I'm late. I tried to get here time but…" my voice began to trail off.

He looked up from his desk and for a moment, I couldn't tell if he was going to eat me alive or if he felt pity for me. "Late? For what?"

"Our term paper. I know it was due at 9:00 AM and it's 9:05."

"Yes, you're correct. But it's due at 9:00 AM on Monday. Not today."

"Oh. Really?? Okay. Well, in that case…here you go." As I laid the soaking wet pieces of paper down on his desk. He looked over his glasses and pushed them back with his pen.

"Give them another look, will you? I have a feeling they may be…disheveled. See you on Monday morning" As I left, I could have sworn I heard him laughing.

I left his office and decided I would take the elevator down. No use risking falling down the stairs today too. I got home and as I passed by the mirror, I stepped quickly back. I looked like an utter crazy person. My oxford shirt was buttoned completely wrong resulting in an asymmetrical look and my hair was like a madwoman's. I had raccoon eyes and my pants were soaking wet. If he didn't know better, I might look like I had been on some four day bender. I was a wreck.

So I crawled into bed and slept for a majority of the day and then that night, treated myself to a nice long shower and a night out. Apparently this Cinderella turns back into a pumpkin at 9 not 12.