An irritating vibration shot up my left arm. My eyes groggily opened and I glanced to the side of my bed. I saw my phone screen blinking and looked at the caller ID.
It was Andre Oliver. And it was 6:16 a.m. on a Monday.
So much for getting a full eight hours of sleep before my midterm.
I eventually made my way out of bed three hours later and called him back. The receiver buzzed its high-pitched ring for what felt like an eternity before I heard a familiar voice on the other end.
“Hey, what’s up?”
I smiled.
I first got to know Oliver almost two years ago, ahead of Bruin Day 2017. The sun beat down on the brick walkway. The light brown walls of the John Wooden Center shone brightly against the plain, blue sky. Truck engines rumbled and metal clanged as employees prepared stalls. Visitors munched on kettle corn and students’ flip-flops slapped the concrete as they walked.
Oliver stood in the sun, his eyes squinting and his right hand clutching a white binder. His white collar held tightly to his neck. A black beard cupped his chin from ear to ear, and his forest-green sleeves were crumpled at the elbows.
I had seen the Bruin Walk regular plenty of times before. He can often be spotted from the end of the Intramural Field, when students start veering to the edges of Bruin Plaza to avoid his characteristic question:
“Excuse me, sir, question please?”
I had seen his various attires, ranging from a casual ensemble of a loose, gray T-shirt and saggy pants to a tucked-in, iron-pressed dress shirt with a navy-blue tie. His beard fluctuated with the season, changing from a precise spring trim to a balanced winter puff.
“Excuse me, sir, question please?”