In Lab and War

I left the lab, almost bumping a few shoulders on my way. I had to get out of there, I had to get some air. All the air on the planet maybe. Liam Anderson was my biggest nightmare. My biggest headache. The thought of having to spend the next six months of my life looking at his face every single day, or well, almost every single day, made me nauseous in ways I couldn't describe. His arrogance was unbearable. Ok, he was the best in robotics, but that didn't give him the right to stick his nose into other people's projects and…my phone bipped. Message. I came to a halt. It was from an unknown number. “Be on time, Pinky. This is my number. Save it.” What the...? How? Where did he get my…? Is he already bossing me around?“Who is this?” Yeah, I could play him. I don’t owe him any kindness and definitely not making his life any easier, he didn’t deserve any of it."Is there anyone else calling you Pinky and I didn’t know? My feelings are hurt here.”“Spare me… next time, e-mail me. No text

It was Wednesday evening, and my head was just fully engaged in the project. It had been five days since the first meeting with Liam and the draft that we created that day had already guaranteed at least a couple of super busy weeks on my schedule. No complaints. Please don’t get me wrong. I actually enjoyed it. A lot. Fact is I just couldn't deny that working in the peace and quiet of my apartment was sort of a godsend to me. The last three days had been rainy and even though this could have been distressful for someone who commuted using a bicycle or her own pair of feet, the corny side of me always appreciated the water pouring down the windows. Those little drumming droplets brought calmness and ease of spirit, and at the same time all sorts of inner inspiration. If all this was supplemented by a decent amount of caffeine and short breaks every once in a while, they helped me reach acceptable-to-good levels of brain performance. I looked at my desktop clock and realized that it w

My phone rang, and I thanked to whichever laws of probability were favoring me at that precise moment.I took my phone from my purse and I saw Jeremy's name flashing on the screen. With all eyes on me, I excused myself and kindly asked Susie to let me pass through so I could take the call.- Jer…- Jules, please tell me you still have Swanson's book with you. The one you borrowed from the library, remember? – I could hear him typing on the keyboard.- Yes, I still have it. You need it? - I told him as I entered a vestibule with huge mirrors on the wall, a colorful four seats sofa and two doors on opposite sides, indicating the entrance to the toilets.- No, I just need... to know what it says, verbatim, one paragraph at page... forty-nine. I need to confirm something that I had written here. I'm not sure I took the correct notes.- Oh… I'm not at home now.- Oh.- Can I call you when I’m back home? A couple of hours maybe? - It’s alright. I’ll find my way, or we can check it later or

A small ray of sunlight made its way through the window and landed on my face. The warmth caused by it made me open my eyes, which I immediately closed again when it felt like the strike of a thousand knives. Argh. My head. It was throbbing. One stab, followed by a second one, and then a stronger one that lasted for a couple of seconds. Momentarily paralyzed by the hammering pain, I took my fingertips to my temples and massaged them in an attempt to relieve them. When I was finally done, my hand flew to the nightstand looking for my cell phone. I had a meeting with my counselor in the morning, so I needed to check what time it was. My fingers touched nothing but an empty surface, so I gave up and brought them back to my face, where they began massaging my eyes this time, encouraging them to wake up. Determined to find a clock or something, I raised my trunk and propped my elbows on the bed with my eyes narrowed yet wide enough to give me a reliable glimpse of the clock in the kitchen

We stayed for a while in the patio sitting on the armchair, talking about this and that. The sun had already been fully set and we remained still and quiet while the lights from the party flickered upon our skin. The music was filling the air and I closed my eyes for a moment to appreciate the last wafts of the summer nights that would soon be replaced by the cold autumn breeze. Fall was my favorite season, especially in Boston. Terracotta-bricked buildings framed by trees full of warm-colored foliage would adorn the streets of the city, while the nights would be guarded by an incredibly starry sky. Still leaned back on my seat, I slowly opened my eyes, and I could see that the thousands of stars were already there, dazzling in all their greatness. A few or almost no clouds were wrapping the sky since the rain had subsided for the past couple of days.When I was 12 years old, my parents took my sister and I for a short trip here to Boston. It was the city where my father was born and w