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At least until I went to college. Since I finished my undergraduate degree, we were never thesame.
Sometimes it feels as if he’s still here, as if I’ll turn a corner and see his face, his tall, leanframe.
In those moments, I want to lie on the floor and stare up at the ceiling until the numbness evolves into a dull tingling in my hands, myfeet.
I pull out my phone and click open the email containing the list of letters and numbers which would be meaningless to 99.999% of thepopulation.
Meeting Rena Tuesday at my lab had surprised me on more than one level. She’d asked good questions and got me thinking about things I’d neverconsidered.
For one, that people might not even care unless it’s clear that it can helpthem.
My former self would’ve lamented the lack of public funding for basic science. But even if I had the inclination, I can’t afford the luxury of discriminating. I have bills topay.
Still, as I add a short line of text to the email from Carly and hit Forward, I realize that this week’s developments have brought me the start of something I haven’t felt in the weeks since my daddied.
Hope.
I stick the phone in my back pocket and cross to the drawers next to the sink. I open the second one and manage to knock the chopsticks to the back ofit.
“Dammit,” Igrunt.
I’m dropped down on a knee, fishing around behind the drawer, when the phone vibrates. I rock back on my heels to read thetext.
Rena:Got youremail.
Acramp startsin my thigh, but I ignore it because the dots continue almostimmediately.
Rena:It says I’m half Scandinavian and halfostrich?
That’s not even…Ugh.
Wait. She’s trying to provokeme.
I consider, then typeback.
Wes:Don’t shoot themessenger.
That wasthe other surprising thing about Rena: I enjoyed talking with her. Sure, when you spend your days in a lab, an attractive woman taking even a mild interest in your work is a huge turnon.
But more than once on Tuesday, I’d caught myself not only looking at her, but curious to know what she’d saynext.
I’m about to rise when dots appearagain.
Rena:I can’t believe I gave my saliva to ageek.
Before I can decidewhether to take offense at the label, familiarity tingles in mybrain.
The circuit trips as I remember:MollyRingwald.
This timeshe’stestingme.
Pshhh.
My fingers fly over the screen, correcting herquote.
Wes:You mean yourpanties.
The second I hit Send,the cramp in my leg is long forgotten, and it’s all thanks to a few black lines on a digitalscreen.
