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1
CHARLIE
I’ve always been an “oddball,” at least that’s the term the majority of people in my life have used to describe me on several occasions. As a girl who grew up in the conservative town of Madison, Georgia and in a family where appearances mattered more than your own happiness, I struggled with who I was for a long time.
“Don’t be too emotional.” “Repress your inner desires. “Act like a woman.”
These were the words I grew up hearing from my mayor father and my southern belle mother. It took me a while to find myself, after trying so hard to conform into a person I could never be. When I finally realized who I truly am, I took off and never looked back.
Sure, I still call my parents, despite their clear disapproval of my life choices, but it’s never more than a call twice a week and a visit back home every Thanksgiving. Despite our differences, I can’t deny that my parents truly do love me and only want what is best for me.
Although a PhD in aquatic microbiology isn’t one of those things on their list of what their beloved daughter deserves, that is what I am working towards. Left to them I would be back in Madison, settled down with the man of my dreams with one baby or even two on the way. It doesn’t matter if I’m only twenty-four and have no idea if I’m open to the idea of marriage, to the idea of being tied down to one person for the rest of my life. To them, marriage is what a respectable woman should want.
I, on the other hand, have never wanted much out of life, except the chance to be free. I find the freedom I crave in music, art, and the ocean. My love for the ocean is what made me choose to study microbiology as an undergrad and then eventually start my doctorate in aquatic microbiology.
I could go on and on about the ocean and the mysterious life within it. In fact, on several occasions, my previous boyfriends have mentioned that I mumble about the ocean and its microorganisms in my sleep.
See? Oddball.
Rather than take offense at people’s description of me, though, I revel in it. I’m a bright, confident, gorgeous woman in my twenties. I might as well enjoy everything life has to offer while I still can.
“Do you think Dr. Brad would be as amazing with his fingers in bed as he is scrolling slide by slide on his computer?” Ava, my best friend and roommate, whispers into my ear making me choke on my giggle.
We are seated in the middle of what has to be hundreds of people, just as excited and intrigued by the oceanic life. The conference which is to shed more light on the newest discovery in the world of microbiology is one that Ava and I have been looking forward to for weeks, albeit for different reasons.
I have been anticipating the conference because of the knowledge I’m guaranteed to add to my growing arsenal, while Ava has been anticipating it because of Dr. Brad. Not that she doesn’t take her PhD seriously, we’re just in different fields and the keynote speaker is the only reason she agreed to accompany me to the conference today.
Although her major in food microbiology gives her the avenue to understanding a bit about what is being said at the conference, I can tell she has already gotten bored. This is why she is so openly ogling one of my professors.
Smothering my giggle, I jot a few points in my notebook while whispering back to Ava at the same time, “Ava Young, stop obsessing over that poor man, okay?” I warn her even though her antics are amusing to watch.
“What you call obsession is what I call destiny,” she whispers back and I can’t help the snort that escapes.
“Oh please, the only reason you currently think it is destiny is because Brad Simmons is the only man who has managed to resist your charms. The moment he falls for your female wiles, you’ll move right onto the next.”
Ava Young has that unique thing about her, that ability to make any man fall to his knees and beg for her love. With her long dark hair and equally dark, soulful eyes, it’s hard for them to resist her. Yet somehow, Dr. Brad has managed to ignore my best friend’s flirting, maintaining the cold, unapproachable persona every student at Columbia University knows him for.
Ava shrugs, “Well, maybe he’s the man that will finally get me to settle down.” She grins, biting her lips as she keeps her gaze on my professor who is finishing up with his keynote speech. One of the many things Ava and I have in common is our refusal to be tied down by anything or anyone. We do what we want to do when we want to do it without allowing ourselves to be limited by whatever restrictions society has placed on us.
My hesitance to conform to the norm stems from the chokehold experience I had growing up in a conservative home, while Ava’s stems from childhood trauma. She had watched her mother ruin her father so badly that she made up her mind never to get married or build a family.
I don’t know the details because Ava never speaks about it, but apparently, her mother ran off with an Italian man after successfully framing her father for fraud. Thankfully, the issue was resolved and Ava’s father was vindicated, but the scar was already there. Despite her mother’s numerous attempts to reach out to her, Ava has never given her a chance to make things right. Not that I blame her.
All of a sudden, she starts chuckling at the ridiculousness of her statement and I join in too until someone hushes us loudly. As we feel Brad Simmons’ murderous glare in her direction, Ava quips, “Gosh, he looks even hotter, staring at me angrily like that.”
I shake my head and join in the applause that currently echoes in the room right after Dr. Brad’s speech. When it dies down, I take a brief look at my phone and sigh.
“Still no news, huh?” Ava asks.
“Nope,” I reply disappointedly.
Ava reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently. “You’ll receive the good news anytime now, I’m sure of it. Besides, they’d be stupid not to consider the top PhD candidate in the field of aquatic microbiology. Trust me.”
“I hope you’re right.” I exhale.
It’s been three months now since I applied to be a part of the undersea research fellowship hosted by one of the top high-tech labs in my field. A lot of people hadn’t applied because the lab is right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, the few that did were already getting responses and none of them have been good.
I have never felt anxious about anything in my life, except this. Being a part of something like this wouldn’t only boost my career, but the experience would also change my life. I just know it. As soon as the conference comes to an end, Ava jumps to her feet and I immediately know where she’s headed. Hastily, I shove my things into my purse and rise next to her. Before she takes off, I grab her by the arm. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay? Dr. Brad is my supervisor.”
