The Scientist






What do you do when life is uncertain but you have to wake up and live it anyway? When your medication is stronger than you thought so you wake up 20 minutes before 10am, a time you were lucky to have a researcher and scientist from work agree to an interview with you (lucky because they hate cameras and everyone behind them).

When your face and eyes are puffy from the effects of the meds, yet you have to sober up. Shower, look, and smell fresh like a normal human. You have to brave throughout the day, smile and ask questions behind the camera. You were recently rejected for a job, you applied for but here you are, behind the wheel with 90% of your brain thinking of editing your CV for a new position, while the 10% focuses on the road.

Sometimes it’s the little things that keep you going.

Things like seeing your favorite (dream) car following you in the rears.

Things like walking into your cute little office and finding the professor you’re supposed to interview waiting there because his office is being cleaned (and you’re late)- but he warms up when he sees you. You even do small talk! (What’s happening!)

Things like watching him (the professor) beautifully draw a cube on a flip chart and explaining the mathematical model he came up with that’s impacting an entire nation and beyond, during the pool testing and fight against Covid19. This part is mind-blowing and you look on like a fascinated child that has completely abandoned their now melting ice cream because they’ve seen a favorite ‘superhero’ in real life.

 Then suddenly you consider how lucky you actually are to be getting first-hand info on such revolutionary content, and how privileged you are to be telling the story on behalf of this team. How lucky you are that you still have a job after four teammates were laid off in the shortest time possible.

Remember how many scientists hate cameras and anyone behind them? He is no exception. This piece of knowledge makes you sit at the edge of your chair during the interview because you know (and can read it off his face) that he’s already sick of your shit and bright lights on his face. So you’re doing whatever it is that you can to wrap it up and get out of his hair (ironically, he’s got no hair haha.).

Just as you are finally done interviewing him, he says (with a smile! Turns out he can smile, lol), “So Stella, you’re a musician?”. You almost think it’s one of your episodes in your disconnected series of dreams but it turns out he’s read about you (from the staff newsletter) or seen you perform. So you say yes, and even offer to invite him to one of your shows (knowing fully well that he’d rather be hanging out with test tubes in the lab than waste time on your ‘silly’ performances)- but guess what?

He’s actually interested. He asks about how the industry is going with the pandemic and you revert. Finally, you joke about him paying for a private concert as a way of supporting you and he doesn’t actually say no lol. He just chuckles and asks, how much?..

 

 

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