Passion for the Field

Back to School

The next morning Emma was up early. This was the last week before students returned for the fall term. She had her lab meeting and had to get ready for the term to start. Eventually they would have new students wanting to volunteer and she would be responsible for training them for jobs in the lab. Im addition to all the usual tasks she had to complete she was still thinking about her interactions with Dr. Bennett last night. It had all felt like a dream and this morning she wasn’t entirely sure what happened between the two of them that evening before. At the end of her thinking she decided that it would be better to stay away from him and what energy they had between them. Emma was reminded of the time she had broken up with her high school boyfriend and her mom consoled her saying some people were love but they just aren’t good for us. Emma decided that this was a similar situation and she needed to protect herself and her work from something so abstract and forbidden that it wasn’t worth thinking about. She looked at her phone as she sat down on the bus. Despite leaving her the prior evening Davis was already texting to check in and was already in their building on campus asking when she would get there. Emma had to take the bus as she didn’t have her own vehicle or parking pass. It would take her 20 minutes to get to her building but she didn’t mind the wait. It usually gave her time to check her email and get a plan started for the day. The time went quickly and she eventually ended up in the doctoral student office with Davis in the space next to hers. Davis greeted her as she walked into the office. “I heard you left with the enigmatic Dr. Bennett last night” Emma rolled her eyes “I had to because someone left me without a ride when they insisted I go in the first place” she retorted. “Even still” he continued “I have to hear this story”. Emma explained that there wasn’t much to tell. He dropped her off at her apartment after driving her back from the party. Davis looked incredulous “That man is gorgeous you didn’t even try to ask him out?” “No!” Emma scoffed. “Hes a professor in my lab it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to say or do anything other than thank him for the ride”. “Im pretty sure he’s got more important things to think about than some silly graduate student”. Davis knew that it wasn’t unlike Emma to stay away from drama and focus on her work so he changed the subject. “ are you ready for the first meeting of the semester?” Davis asked. “ yes, it should go smoothly as always.” Emma replied. “ Dr. Bennett decides to attend?” Asked Davis. Emma was taking her back by the question she had not considered the fact that he would likely be there. How could she have been so thoughtless of course he would be there. He was working on the project. Emma quickly composed herself and remarked, “ I’m sure he will attend as he is working in my lap.” Emma quickly made a note to invite Dr. Bennett as she had said she would the prior evening. she was slipping. This wasn’t like her to forget something so simple. She quickly created the invite and sent it to Dr. Bennett. She had to go to her next meeting with Dr. Andmonsen shortly so she didn’t have time to perseverate on her mistake. And Davis didn’t have time to remark on her reaction to remembering that she would shortly see Dr. Bennett. Her meeting with Dr. Andmonsen was shorter than usual. Dr. Andmonsen was clearly feeling under the weather due to last nights festivities. She didn’t seem to remember that she had introduced Dr. Bennett and Emma. She proposed that they set up another time that week to go over changes that would have to occur due to new staffing in the lab. Emma nodded and kept any questions she had to herself. Did this mean she would have to do more work with Alexander to train him on the protocol? Would this completely interfere with her work towards her dissertation? She decided to focus on the present and not on possibilities that might not happen. Dr. Andmonsen dismissed her clearly starting to look green. Emma checked her phone. Alexander had rsvped yes to the invitation to the lab meeting. The yes excited her. She would see him again. “Stop it Emma!” She scolded herself. “Focus on your own life”. But somewhere deep inside her she knew she would be enthralled by the sight of him. She started walking back towards the doctoral student offices. She had a few hours until the meeting. She needed to get some coffee and something to eat before then.