Phillip
The roads on Nata's biotech campus are not something a non-boyscout could orient themselves without a map or experience. I extend my thanks to the engineers for GPS technology and park Dad's Land Rover I took to blend in with the employees as close to building Nata sent me the directions to as I can.
The receptionist in the corner of the modern high-ceiling lobby stares at my driver's license. The two lines between her eyebrows are sure indicators that she's combing through her memory to figure out where she knows a Phillip Van der Heuvel from.
Her eyes widen, and her eyebrows turn into an upside-down V as the realization dawns.
"Mr. Van der Heuvel." Her voice changes to the solicitous one I receive everywhere the moment I get recognized. She extends the lanyard with a visitor card my way. "Do you know where you're going? Would you like me to show you the way?"
"I'm expecting someone." My polite smile sits her back into her chair.
"Oh, right. Would you like to wait in the lobby?" She gestures to the orange geometric couches and low glass coffee tables on the opposite side of her. "Or would you prefer—"
"Lobby's fine." I switch my tone to polite but firm, take one of the couches, and pull my phone out. I'm ten minutes early, but I text Nata in case she can come earlier.
Me: Here. See you soon.
No answer. I open my work email.
The bad thing about me staying in Chicago apart from Dad being sick is that my schedule of meetings, dinners, and events that were crammed tight into my days and nights in New York had to be canceled.
The good part is that my schedule hasn't been this empty in years. Some of the clients are important enough I'll have to fly over to New York for a couple of days, but not until Dad is out of the hospital and agrees to follow the instructions the doctor gives him. Others will have to be handled by my VPs. As no one was expecting me in Chicago, I can do the impulsive thing like drive here to meet a friend I have zero financial or professional gains from.
My time has become too precious to do things that weren't what benefited the company or me directly. Nata doesn't fit into any of the categories.
There's no use for her in my life, but seeing her on the rooftop woke some part of me, and no, I'm not talking about my dick, because he never needs much to wake up.
Nata stirred the recollections in the sinkholes of my memories about how I used to feel around her. Even though the thought of reaching out to my former tutor circled my brain all week-end, it was the empty room, Dad's empty house, and the desire to see someone just for fun that made me text her this morning. I scroll through the requests and reminders from my and my dad's PAs and keep an eye on the turnstiles to my right that lead into the building when a new email pops into my inbox.
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From: dmallard@uchicago.edu
To: PhillipVanDerHeuveul@VdHIndustries.com
Subject: Research internships
Mr. Van der Heuvel,
Dean Kaas suggested I contact you in regards to a potential collaboration between my department and your company.
I'm looking for both summer and year-round placements for my students for 3-8 months of hands-on experience to see the interdisciplinary work between engineering and biochemistry components of their future expertise.
Please, let me know what would be an appropriate time and date for us to meet or have a call to discuss this.
Regards,
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