Chapter 10
Monday 10:03 a.m.
I have a frown on my face. I know I have a frown on my face, because my facial muscles hurt.
But really, there’s no reason to be upset. You know you have to repeat the experiment. Maybe David just wants to wait until we confirm the results to start discussing the paper.
Yes. That must be it. It can’t be anything else.
I straighten my shoulders and consciously relax my face.
I walk to the wall opposite Frank’s bench with the sterile lab equipment cupboard and pick up two glass tubes, then bring them to the laminar hood and put them in the tube stand.
The frown is coming back. I shake my head. Relax. Just do your job. The paper will come soon enough.
I pass by the lab door and right at that moment, Miyako walks in.
“Hey, good morning!” I say, stopping next to her. “How are you? How was the weekend?”
“Nice. And yours?”
Sam. Again. “Good. Good.”
She looks at me, narrowing her eyes. “You’re hiding something.”
I lift my eyebrows. “No, no!”
“Hmm. Fine. But I’ll find out.” She turns around and walks to her lab desk. “Did I tell you I invited Francesco for Christmas?”
“No. But he did.”
“Really?” She turns around. “I didn’t realize it would make such news.”
“He’s a bit worried about meeting your parents. You should go easy on him.”
“Oh,” she laughs. “I think this will be more like groupies meeting a rock star. They already love him just from hearing about him.”
“You should tell him tha—”
All of a sudden, the lab door swings open and David rushes in. “Jane! Miyako! Great timing!”
Miyako turns to him. “Oh, hi, boss! What’s up?”
He leans on the lab bench opposite mine, pressing his fists on the glass surface behind him. “Could you ladies please come for a meeting today in my office? Two p.m.?”
“Of course, David. What’s it about?” I say.
“Ah.” He smiles, looking at me through his reading glasses. “Something very interesting. I was recently offered a very, very intriguing project. And, I think you”—he points a finger at the two of us—“will find it really, really interesting too.”
I look at Miyako, then back at David. “Project? What project?”
“A super-exciting project. And—we need to start on it tomorrow.”
“What?” I stand up from my seat. “I can’t start another project tomorrow. What about my paper?”
“Which paper?” jumps in Miyako.
I turn to her and quickly explain, “My blocker experiment worked.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
I turn back to David, wanting to press my point, but instead, Miyako hugs me from the side and says, “Oh, my God! This is awesome.”
I smile and automatically hug her back. For a moment, I return to my good spirits. I did get great results!
“Ladies, may I interrupt?” David cuts in.
We both turn to look at him, the frown back on my face. And he sees it.
“Look, I know you think this comes as a surprise, but it’s actually not. The project has been going on for some months, and—”
“I’ve never heard of it,” I interrupt. “Can’t it wait another month so I can finish my paper?”
“No.” His voice is firm and non-negotiable.
Miyako and I are speechless. We’ve never heard him like this before.
He sighs and closes his eyes. Then he rubs the bridge of his nose above his glasses. “Once you see what the project is about, you’ll have a whole new perspective.”
He adjusts his glasses and moves away from the bench. “And, Jane, I understand your worry, and we will get to your paper soon enough. But this new project—it will blow you away. Trust me.” Then he lowers his glasses slightly and looks at me above his lenses, dark eyebrows shadowing his eyes. “And, by the way, you are still working for me.”
“You’re saying I don’t have a choice.” Answering like this doesn’t sound like me, but I just can’t help it.
“No, Jane. I’m saying you will not want to miss this project.”
After a long pause, I say, “Fine.” Then I turn back to my desk.
“Miyako?”
“Sure, boss.”
“Good! Two p.m. My office.” He turns and leaves the lab.
With no warning, Miyako looks at me and squeaks, “It worked! Your blocker worked!” Then she hugs me again.
She’s right, it worked. And that’s the most important thing. And anyway, David can’t stop me working on my paper in the evenings.
And just this thought makes me feel a little bit better.
When Miyako lets me go, she half punches me in the arm.
“What’s that for?”
“I knew you were hiding something from me! When did you find out?”
I rub my arm with my hand. “Yesterday. And we were in the middle of another topic, remember?”
“Jane, if you have something like that, you can just interrupt me point blank, you know that.”
“Okay, yes.”
“Good. So, I need to finish up a thing or two. I’ll see you at . . . ?” She looks at her watch.
“Let’s do twelve, so we still have time before the meeting.”
“Ah, the meeting. I totally forgot all about it.” She taps herself lightly on the forehead and shakes her head.
I laugh. Of course she didn’t, but it’s nice of her to poke a bit of fun at it. “Thanks, Miya. See you at the canteen.”
She nods and turns to leave, but before she disappears, she says, “Hey, we forgot something!”
“Frank?”
“No!” She laughs. “We need to celebrate your results. And I know just the place. Tomorrow evening. My treat. Laters!” Then she waves once and walks out.
“Shouldn’t it be my treat, since I got the results?” I shout back.
“No,” I hear her calling back in a singsong voice, echoing off the corridors. “It’s like a birthday.”
She really can pull me out of a funk. I smile and look back at my desk.
But after a few moments, I can feel my frown reappearing.
I don’t get it. I really don’t! After hovering over me for months about this experiment, how can David possibly just let it go? Something really strange is going on . . . really strange . . .