the science requirements we normally expect of our employees, but still, I think she could be a great asset.”
Donnie sighed. “Pam, I told you. It’s okay to call me Donnie over here.”
“I don’t know. We’re not exactly on the ‘best friend level’ here, Dr. Vaughn. I’m not sure if we’re even on the ‘close colleague level.’” She shrugged. “You’re a great guy, but I will feel weird calling you by such a childish nickname.”
He wanted to mouth off to her, but chose to stay silent. He liked his nickname very much, but no one else wanted to call him by it. He understood how important it was to be professional, and would have no problem with leaving it alone. However, everyone else called each other by their nicknames, so he wondered why he was always singled out. He figured that the others were intimidated by him. He did his best to appear as normal as possible; he didn’t go crazy over science in public, he didn’t use words that most people wouldn’t know, and he tried to keep up with current events. It was painful to read some of the gossip magazines, but he did it anyway. Not that this useless knowledge helped him in any way. People still saw him as a nerd, and only spoke to him out of politeness. No one wanted to really know him.
“Anyway, I’ll see if we can get that empty office cleaned up so she can move in. We’ll also have to set up her computer,” he added. “Just make sure that someone accompanies her if she comes into the lab.”
“Yes, Dr. Vaughn.” Pam promised. “I think she’s going to fit in just fine.”
“Me too.” He murmured, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I think it’s time for me to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Pam.”
“Take care, Dr. Vaughn.”
That was it. She was polite as always, but never wanted to say more than that. Pam might have been a few years older than him, but he felt like he knew nothing about her. He knew that she had three children, all still in school, and that her husband worked at the power plant. She liked playing poker, eating Baby Ruth candy bars, going on cruises, salsa dancing, pedicures, and yoga, though never hot yoga. While he had some knowledge about these things, it wasn’t enough to share anything significant. Even right now, she had admitted that they weren’t ‘colleague close’. That was the same thing he heard from his two assistants, Vijay and Leila. They were good kids, with great educational backgrounds and work ethics. The only problem was that they didn’t want to hang out with him, either. They had used the same ‘we aren’t that close’ excuse with him, and he found himself lonely. It was the same old thing, every single day.
He hoped that Olivia Mendoza would prove him wrong. He hoped that she would be interested in his ideas and would talk to him after work. He wanted her to see him as more than just a boss. Those were things that he wanted for the future. He wanted her to know the kind of person he was.
After all, no one else did.
Chapter Two
The alarm was supposed to go off at seven, but Olivia was awake at six. She shut it off and slowly rolled out of bed. The sun was already pouring through her window’s curtains, and she could not ignore it. The strange dreams she was having all night didn’t help, either. She saw herself running through mazes and being dragged around by a man. He had no face or name, and he never spoke to her. Surrounding them were planets of all kinds. There were the usual planets that she knew, and some new ones she never noticed before. It felt like they were traveling to different galaxies and moving from world to world. Somehow, she ended up breaking out of her slumber and staring up at the ceiling. There had been no sound in the dream, but she could recall one thing. Someone had whispered a message to her, and it was still lingering in her mind.
You don’t understand anything now, and that is fine. All answers will reveal themselves in due time. The only thing you must understand now is that someone is going to need you. When that moment comes, you will be ready to accept the impossible.
She looked around the room and wondered if someone had been playing tricks on her.