CW: This essay discusses eating disorders.
By Caitlyn Renee Miller
Franzia Chillable Red (Provenance Unclear). $10.99/5 liters
“A light-bodied red that is made to be served chilled … softer than traditional red wines. Pairs well with lighter foods.”
You check out of your eating disorder treatment facility against medical advice so that you can start your freshman year of college on time. You are eighteen, and nothing feels more important than starting on time. You find that you are able to shed parts of the past in a new environment, one with brick sidewalks, dorms, science labs, and a brick dining hall. There are a lot of bricks. They make the campus feel lofty, and you’re sure you’ll learn a lot. Every time you breathe the end-of-summer air, you think it smells like the future. Like promise. Maybe you’ll even learn who you’re supposed to be.
At Christmas, you go to the boys’ dorm across the way from yours. The guy you’ll have a will-they-won’t-they thing with over the next two years is having a few people over for (boxed) wine and cookies. You’ve discovered that you are able to enjoy food if you’ve been drinking. The evening involves him pouring Franzia into your mouth from the box’s built in spigot and ends with you vomiting a bright red stream on his flip flops as he walks you safely home. Continue Reading…