A firm knock abruptly interrupted the silence.

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon and Nia found herself home alone because her roommate, Sly, had left for the weekend. Their small but functional cubicle in Ngong Hostel consisted of two spaces sharing a main entrance, which split into separate areas: one to the right, where Nia and Sly stayed, and the other to the left. Each space had its own door curtain; Nia’s was beige with orange floral details.

The walls were painted off-white and bore faint smudges from past students, lingering like ghosts of old conversations. Against the farthest wall sat a bunk bed, the upper half untouched today since Sly was away. Beside it was a simple wardrobe, its wooden surface dulled with age and doors that never quite closed properly. A large Taylor Swift Eras Tour poster hung next to the wardrobe, adding a pop of color to the otherwise muted room.

Beyond the curtain of the door was a large window that overlooked a botanical garden, where tall blue gum trees swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. The dry leaves beneath them formed a colorful carpet. By the window, a study desk was cluttered with uncapped luminous yellow and green highlighters next to a coffee mug stained from hours of concentration. Nia sat hunched over a copy of Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, reviewing the Krebs cycle from Dr. Makumi’s lecture. Scattered across the floor were pages filled with her handwritten diagrams as she tried to master the Krebs cycle. The late afternoon sun filtered through the slightly drawn curtains, casting warm streaks of light across her space and allowing her to remain focused. The air was still, save for the occasional rustling of leaves in the garden.

Suddenly, a firm knock came at the door.

Sly was gone. Who else could it be? Perhaps someone looking for her? No, more likely, it was someone searching for her roommate.

Nia pushed herself up, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from her T-shirt, and then opened the door.

Douglas stood in the doorway, short and round-faced, with bright eyes that contrasted sharply with her guarded demeanor. His cheeks dimpled as he smiled.

“Hey, Nia.”

“Oh… hey.”

His gaze flickered past her into the room and then back to her face. “Can I come in?”

She nodded and stepped aside.

Once inside, Douglas’s eyes landed on the Eras Tour poster. “No way. I didn’t know you were a Swiftie! Did you see the acoustic setlist from last week?”

Nia blinked, following his gaze. “Oh, that’s my roommate’s,” she said quickly.

Douglas raised a brow, still grinning but now intrigued. “Really? Man, what a cultural reset.” His tone was playful, but he quickly scanned her expression and noticed she wasn’t biting. He let the topic slide and plopped onto the lower bunk, crossing his legs and positioning himself to catch sight of her open textbook, Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry.

The Struggle to Maintain the Conversation

“The Krebs cycle? Makumi really went in on that during that last lecture,” Douglas said.

She nodded in response.

Not deterred, Douglas continued, “Have you ever wondered how biochemistry connects to AI?”

Nia flipped a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering there longer than necessary. “Not really,” she replied.

Douglas chuckled. “I was reading about that last night. AI-driven biochemical simulations are already revolutionizing research labs, but our curriculum is stuck in outdated models. Do you think we’ll even be ready for the job market?”

She pressed her lips together and muttered, “Maybe.”

Douglas leaned back against the bunk frame, stretching his arms behind his head. “I guess we’ll find out when we graduate,” he said. “Can you imagine entering the industry and realizing that half of what we learned is obsolete?”

Nia only nodded.

She felt the pressure to contribute, to share an opinion and to engage building. But each attempt at forming a sentence felt like stepping into unfamiliar territory; her words dried up before she could even form them.

A pause stretched between them, long enough to become uncomfortable.

Douglas shifted gears in the conversation.

“Okay, fine, no more AI talk,” he said, grabbing his phone. “Have you seen this TikTok? It’s all over campus.”

He pressed play on a video of Alex and Ben reenacting one of Mr. Muriuki’s dramatic monologues, complete with exaggerated gestures, fake tears streaming down their faces, and wild captions flashing across the screen.

He chuckled, glancing at her. “Tell me you’ve seen this.”

Nia’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “No, I haven’t.”

Douglas grinned. “Man, you need to catch up. The comment section is insane.” He scrolled through the replies, amused by the ridiculousness of it all.

Nia glanced at the screen for a moment and smiled. The whole concept of inside jokes, quick-witted replies, and seamless digital interactions was another world she didn’t quite understand.

Douglas’s grin faltered as he tried to read her cues. After a moment, he slowly locked his phone. “You don’t use TikTok much, do you?”

She shook her head slightly. “No, not really.”

“Anyway…” He hesitated. “I thought you’d find it funny.”

Another pause ensued. He rubbed his hands together. “Well… I should probably head out.”

She nodded, a bit too quickly, too eagerly.

Douglas stood up, adjusting his hoodie. “See you Monday.”

The door clicked shut behind him, and Nia exhaled deeply, feeling the tension unwind from her shoulders.

The Longing

Throughout the course, she watched her classmates and acquaintances from high school enjoying the moment and effortlessly forming friendships, some of which seemed to evolve seamlessly into romantic relationships.

Meanwhile, she felt stuck; wondering if things would ever be different for her.

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Another challenge, one that she never saw coming, awaited her. Read all about it in Chapter 6.