“:
      CHRISTMAS:
      BLEND
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      JOEL
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Daryl
      started
      off
      his
      morning
      of
      last
      exams
      the
      way-he
      .
      -
     
     
      always
      started
      his
      mornings,
      with
      two
      bags.
      of
      M&Ms
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      three
      cups
      of
      Folgers
      Dark
      Roast.
      His
      exam
      had
      been
      at
      9:00
     
     
      a.m.,
      same
      as
      mine..
      We
      —
      Daryl,
      Mike,
      and
      I
      —
      all
      hooked
      up
     
     
      at
      noon
      in
      the
      campus
      centre
      for
      a
      post-semester
      get
      together.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Daryl
      showed
      up
      looking
      pretty
      —
      I
      asked
      him
      how
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      exam
      went.
     
    

    
     
      “There’s
      never
      endugh
      time.
      Three
      hours
      goes
      by
      like
     
     
      a
      half
      hour
      in
      those
      exams.”
     
    

    
     
      “Did
      you
      finish
      all
      the
      questions?”
      I
      sine
     
    

    
     
      “Oh
      yeah.
      Though
      it
      was
      tight
      toward
      the
      end
      there.
     
     
      Luckily
      Dr.
      Warren
      gave
      me
      a
      few
      minutes
      to
      finish
      up.”
     
    

    
     
      We
      wound
      our
      way
      through
      the
      line-up
      to
      the
      Burger
     
     
      King
      kiosk.
      Most
      of
      the
      time
      when
      we
      ate
      at
      the
      campus
      cen-
     
     
      tre
      we
      ate
      light.
      Today
      we
      all
      king-sized
      our
      orders.
      Seats
     
     
      were
      scarce,
      as
      this
      was
      most
      students’
      last
      day
      of
      exams,
      and
     
     
      a
      steady
      progression
      of
      the
      exam-fatigued
      staggered
      in
      weary
     
     
      eyed
      and
      took
      seats
      wherever
      they
      could
      find
      them.
     
    

    
     
      “Shit,
      I
      forgot
      I
      had
      these
      with
      me,”
      Daryl
      said,
      draw-
     
     
      ing
      a
      bottle
      of
      Vivarin
      out
      of
      his
      knapsack.
      “I
      could
      have
      used
     
     
      one
      this
      morning.”
     
    

    
     
      Mike
      was
      pretty
      astounded
      that
      Daryl
      would
      actually
     
    

    
     
      -take
      stimulants.
      He
      examined
      the
      bottle
      up
      close,
      reading
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      label:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vivarin:
      Do
      It
      All.
      Do
      It
      Right.
     
     
      Directions:
      |
      Adults
      —
      and
     
     
      Children
      12
      years
      of
      age
      and
     
     
      older:
      take
      one
      tablet
      (200
      mg.)
     
     
      not
      more
      often
      than
      every
      three
     
     
      to
      four
      hours.
     
     
      Active
      Ingredient:
     
     
      (200
      mg.)
     
    

    
     
      Warning:
      The
      commnnniel
     
     
      dose
      of
      this
      product
      contains
     
     
      about
      as
      much-caffeine
      as
      two
     
     
      cups
      of
      coffee.
      Too
      much
      caf-
     
     
      feine
      can
      nervousness,
      irri-
     
     
      tability,
      sleeplessness,
      and
     
     
      occasionally,
      rapid
      heartbeat.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Caffeine
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      warnings
      went
      on
      intiny
      font
      down
      the
      label.
     
    

    
     
      “Twelve
      years
      of
      age!”
      Mike
      exclaimed.
      “What
     
     
      twelve
      year
      old
      is
      going
      to
      take
      this
      stuff?
      I
      can’t
      believe
      they
     
     
      think
      this
      is
      safe
      for
      twelve
      year
      olds!
      I
      can’t
      believe
      you
      wee
     
     
      this
      stuff,
      Daryl!”
     
    

    
     
      _Mike
      was
      new,
      relatively’
      spankings
      He
      was
      from
      out’
     
     
      west,
      and
      lived
      in
      the
      dorms
      here.
      Daryl
      and-I
      had
      gone
      -
     
     
      through
      high
      school
      together.
      We’ve
      known
      each
      other
      a
      long
     
     
      time,
      and
      it
      certainly
      doesn’t
      surprise
      me
      that
      he’d
      take
      those
     
     
      pills,
      especially
      not
      during
      exams.
      Dary]
      is
      the
      very
      definition
     
     
      of
      driven.
      Most
      of
      high
      school
      he
      was
      a
      goof,
      but
      in
      our
      final
     
     
      year
      he
      just
      turned
      it
      on
      —
      all
      nighters,
      cram
      sessions,
      study-
     
     
      ing
      on
      Saturdays.
      It
      was
      the
      most
      remarkable
      turn-around
      I’d
     
     
      ever
      seen,
      and
      it’s
      what
      got
      him
      into
      the
      Biology
      program.
     
     
      Now,
      of
      course,
      he
      has
      his
      eye
      on
      Med
      school.
     
    

    
     
      I
      notice
      that
      Daryl’s
      foot
      is
      fidgeting
      rapidly
      beneath
     
     
      our
      table.
      He
      takes
      a
      huge
      bite
      of
      his
      Whopper
      with
      cheese
     
     
      and
      immediately
      washes
      it
      down
      with
      Coke.
     
    

    
     
      “Believe
      me,”
      Daryl
      muttered,
      his
      mouth
      still
      full.
     
     
      “Those
      things
      have
      made
      a
      five
      percent
      difference
      in
      my
     
     
      average.
      At
      least!
      You
      don’t
      know.
      You
      guys
      are
      in
     
     
      Humanities.
      Science
      students
      have
      to
      memorize
      entire
      text-
     
     
      books’
      worth
      of
      knowledge.
      You
      guys
      just
      have
      to
      get
      the
      gist
     
     
      of
      it.
      In
      order
      to
      stay
      in
      the
      upper
      eighties,
      you
      have
      to
      sacri-
     
     
      fice
      sleep;
      it’s
      that
      simple.
      They
      expect
      you
      to.”
     
    

    
     
      “They
      expect
      you
      to
      jeopardize
      your
      health?”
      Mike
     
     
      asked.
     
    

    
     
      Daryl
      took
      a
      minute
      to
      choke
      down
      more
      of
      his
     
     
      Whopper,
      cramming
      fries
      in
      directly
      after
      it.
      After
      a
      large
      and
     
     
      loud
      gulp,
      he
      spoke
      through
      the
      remnants
      in
      his
      mouth,
     
    

    
     
      “What
      jeopardize?
      It’s
      safe.
      It’s
      FDA
      “sieiciioray
      You
      drink
     
     
      coffee
      don’t
      yer
     
    

    
     
      “No,
      as
      a.
     
    

    
     
      Daryl
      spies
      a5
      over
      him,
      “Well
      it’s
      just
      the
      same
      as
     
     
      drinking
      a
      cup
      of
      coffee,
      except
      all
      the
      time
      I
      would
      waste
      on
     
     
      brewing
      the
      coffee
      or
      running
      out
      to
      buy
      it,
      I
      save
      by
      swal-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lowing
      these
      with
      water!
      They’re
      great.
      In
      fact,
      }
      think
      Pll
     
    
   
   
    
     
      take
      a
      few
      right
      now.”
      Daryl
      emptied
      a
      few,
      I
      didn’t
      really
      see
     
     
      how
      many,
      and
      washed
      them
      down
      with
      a
      big
      gulp
      of
      his
     
     
      coke.
      Daryl
      never
      counted
      them
      either;
      he
      just
      did
      it
      to
      get
      a