Why does society shun those of us who don’t fit their mold?
Ginger climbed up the stairs at the foot of the bed and nudged Bernard’s side. He didn’t respond. His unfocused eyes gazed into oblivion. Ginger prompted a few more times before she gave up. She curled up next to Bernard and whimpered softly.
Bernard rubbed the dog’s head. “I’m sorry, girl, I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Ginger sighed.
“You get me, girl. You love me. Is it possible to find someone who loves me as much as you do?”
Ginger barked.
“I know I need another human here. I wonder if I’m reaching too far.”
Bernard rolled onto his side. Ginger nuzzled against his chest.
“What can I do to be noticed?” he asked. “Am I lovable?”
Chapter Two
Rory
Friday, April 10
RORY WORKED INthe graduate student workroom with his four colleagues. The team had developed a new method to gather solar energy. They designed it to work with multiple timers in a greenhouse. They discovered a way to increase the capacity of the solar generator, which allowed it to work for weeks without sunlight. This design was the apex of their device. They’d accomplished something no other graduate students had.
The small room held their spare parts, schematics, tools, books, and notes. Rory insisted they kept the space neat and clean. He organized it so everyone could find what they needed.
The adjoining room had a small greenhouse as their test area. They grew a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes and carrots. The team attached a small shed which housed the generator. Solar panels lay between the glass plates to absorb the sunlight.
At thirty-five, Rory was the oldest graduate student in the program. The team invited him out for drinks every Friday, but he didn’t go. He didn’t fit in. They all got along well, and Rory would mess up their dynamic. He needed to keep his work and social life separate.
“I can’t believe we’re almost done with school,” Sophia said. She adjusted the ribbon at the base of her long, black hair.
Sophia was the youngest in the group and the only woman. She’d entered college at sixteen, and at twenty-two, was finishing her graduate program.
“Sophia, if you hadn’t discovered that cross-wiring, we might not have finished in time,” Jeff said.
Jeff was average in every way. He wasn’t tall or short, fat or thin, and could blend into a crowd. He was, however, the most optimistic in the group.
“I’m sure I would have found it eventually,” Nicolas said.
Nicolas was tall and wiry. He groomed his blond hair to perfection and kept his face clean-shaven. Nicolas became frustrated with himself when he didn’t catch an error. He pushed himself harder than anyone else on the team.
“I’m sure you would have.” Jeff smiled and patted Nicolas on the shoulder.
“I agree,” Rory said.
“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Davi said. “What we’ve done here.”
Davi was short and stocky with a strong Brazilian accent. His thick body threatened to tear his T-shirt. He kept his shoulder-length brown hair pulled back with a bandana. He was handsome, and Rory wanted nothing more than to emulate him. Davi was confident, attractive, kind, and had his life together. At thirty, he was the closest to Rory’s age.
“How far are you with the slides for our presentation?” Sophia asked Jeff.
“They’re almost ready. I’ll have them done in plenty of time for us to review.”
Jeff spent hours on the slides for the presentation. He’d taken courses in computer programming, which allowed him to make elaborate slides and images for their final project.
“I’ll start creating notecards and get everyone’s part ready after we finalize the slides,” Nicolas said.
