A London Recap: Part 4 of 10

KERRI
Another grad school comrade, Kerri and I first met in 2006. We were distant friends throughout the year and though we got on well we didn’t really know each other. In the summer of 2008, on my return trip to London - to attend my graduation - Kerri was the one who said “you should move back” and that was that.
There is more to that story though. In the summer of 2005 I studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, my first time living in Europe. That summer was probably one of the best summers of my life. I went abroad on my own, living, studying, and working in a country that was never on my map. I got to travel to Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome and small towns in France and Switzerland that I can’t even remember. My first short film debuted in a film festival in Los Angeles before moving on to about six other festivals spread across the US. I already had plans on what my next film was going to be. School was good, work was good, life was good and just before I left Geneva I bought this watch to commemorate it all. This watch was and is the most expensive accessory I have ever purchased, in fact I have never purchased any sort of clothing that cost as much and considering it cost 120CH (Swiss Francs) that is saying a lot.
So this watch, why is it so special? Well I bought it the week before I left Geneva and the moment I returned to Saint Louis it stopped ticking.
I took the watch to countless repair shops and no one could figure out what was wrong with it. It had it’s battery replaced so many times I lost count and yet the watch would not work. Fast forward to the summer of 2006, I just graduated from my first degree in Saint Louis and I was putting on the very successful initial year of the FilmGate International Student Film Festival. The watch ticked every minute of it. Once the festival was over however, the watch stopped again.
The following fall I would move to London to attend graduate school, where I met Kerri and the others I have already/will mention/ed in this exercise. The year was rough and horrible and the watch never ticked once. I moved back to Saint Louis at the end of the academic year to finish my dissertation from HOME only to have one of the worst summers of my life. I could not find work, the second year of FilmGate was a total flop, my dissertation was mediocre, and personal problems amounted to nothing but distaste for the post graduate world. I would have to be rescued by my brothers (financially and emotionally) who drove cross country to return me to New York.
Once in New York things seemed to pick up a little bit. I got work on a feature film (for pennies) followed by another short (that would eventually screw me) and for an events company. Life wasn't great but I had semi consistent work and a roof over my head and that’s what mattered. I eventually moved back to Saint Louis, where I got a job as a leasing agent for a property management company. Come summer 2008 - my return trip to London to attend my graduation.
The watch began to tick.
I didn't get it repaired, I didn’t change the battery. It just ticked... and continued to do so the entire week I was abroad.
As I sat there, in the yard of our friend’s graduation party, I realised that the watch must have meant something. It ticked when things were right and stopped when they were wrong. I recounted the story to Kerri and she simply put it. “You should move back” and so the following December... I did.

The moment I landed back in Saint Louis however, the watch stopped working again. For the following 2.5 year later it would never tick - and my life clearly represented it’s effect.

I was living on my friend Rafael's living room floor. He had two flatmates however, one of which was Kerri. She always had a smile on her face, and found the light in any situation. We would both find ourselves unemployed (I was forever jobless at the time but Kerri found herself joining my ranks) and we would spend the afternoons together bored and miserable but for some reason she always found a way to make me laugh. She was sweet, generous, and unpretentious and it was exactly what I needed to get by. My short stay on their living room floor turned into 6 months and Kerri never once made me feel unwelcomed. I will never forget that.

Even when things started getting good Kerri was still very conscious about inviting me over for dinner / nights out / and standard social gatherings but keeping things at a moderate level. A good heart always goes a long way and I think Kerri can admit that her life has taken some pretty good turns. I wrote a poem for her birthday once... but never gave it to her.

To finish the story on the watch I should point out that it was repaired the week before I left London - to venture out into the Dominican Republic, New York, and back... and hasn't missed a tick.
The Real Joy of Laughter
Is something not enjoyed by most
Very few ever know the truth
Behind the sounds that envelop our souls
It is therefore a even greater gift
To be the one that bears the power
To make our vocals enlighten the world
Regardless of the hour 
These rare gems you'd be sure to find
On the path of life amongst the berries
After all that is why I keep you
You are my Kerri
A London Recap: Part 4 of 10 A London Recap: Part 4 of 10 Reviewed by Christópher Abreu Rosario on 06:00 Rating: 5

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