Life's A Cappella Read Online Free PDF

milk to cereal ratio is perfect.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    I shook my head at him and insisted, “Some people drown their cereal and you’re left with a milky syrupy residue that you then have to drink straight from the bowl. Or they don’t put enough milk and your cereal is left in a wading pool, too crunchy to be enjoyed. So then,” I continued, undeterred by the odd looks I was receiving, “you either have to add more milk and hope you don’t drown them, or suffer through mediocre cereal. But you, my friend,” I said pointing my spoon at him, “have mastered what I call cereal bliss.”
    “We all have our specialties. Me? I’m a professional in calculating the correct cereal to milk ratio,” Trent laughed.
    “I’d call you a scientist, but it’s more of an art,” I said seriously.
    “He’s wasting his talent chasing around bad guys,” Dave interrupted as he emerged from his room wearing nothing but his tighty-whities.
    “Oh, um, well, shit, this is an interesting morning,” I laughed.
    Dave stood directly in front of me, with his hands on his hips and asked, “Does my masculinity intimidate you?”
    “No, Dave. I just prefer boxer briefs,” I responded, causing Trent to cough out his cereal as he laughed at the dubious look Dave gave me.
    ***
    Once on the beach, I dug my toes in the sand and stared out into the ocean while Jermaine handed out Margaritas. Not entirely my favorite drink, but who was I to turn down something free?
    A small cold front must have pushed through the previous night as the air was cooler than the day before. But the sun beat down with such ferocity that the combination of the two made our beach day enjoyable.
    From a distance, I saw a sailboat wading in the water and found myself wondering what it would be like to sail. Just hop on a boat and take off to an undetermined destination. Go from island to island, until I found that perfect spot where I could cast all my worries to the sea. The ramblings in my head would sink to the deepest part of the ocean and I could live with the desire to look back gone.
    Camilla turned on the radio just in time to hear 50 Cent and The Game let us know How We Do. Camilla and I sang along loudly, or more accurately, obnoxiously, and danced under the heat of the sun.
    “I don’t know if we can be friends,” Trent told me, and I squished my eyebrows at him in response, wondering what had brought his statement about. “You listen to too much rap.”
    “Oh well,” I shrugged, narrowing my eyes at him, ready to tease him back. “It was fun knowing you for less than twenty-four hours.”
    “That’s all I get? Not even a little bit of tears?”
    I shrugged my shoulders again and felt him tug my hair gently. I didn’t know how to respond and didn’t want to overthink our exchange, so I quietly drank my Margarita. I overheard Tonya and Trent talk about the merits Rock had over Rap, but focused my attention on my future. In less than a week, my last semester would start and I was in for one hell of a semester with a full load of classes, a part time job, and a nursing internship with a local pediatrician. I couldn’t wait. Finally, after years of hard work and dedication, I could start planning a real future.
    Once I graduated and had a full-time job, the first thing I would do was work on my savings account. To date, I had only been able to put in $20 a month and had a little less than a grand in there. Obviously that didn’t give me much breathing room, but I would expand on it. Watch it grow, never withdrawing. I would eventually have enough that I would feel comfortable in case shit happened. Because, if life had taught me anything, it’s that shit always happens.
    As I sat in silence, Jermaine and Camilla discussed their upcoming spear fishing trip scheduled for later that evening. This would be Camilla’s sixth trip and she had proclaimed herself a certified addict to the sport. I had laughed at her choice of words, when, in actuality, what