S2/04. Old habits die hard

4.3 Linda West
Summer 1998, Linda's house, Windenburg

Exhausted, Linda flopped onto the couch. Today, she had been part of the examining committee grading a Ph.D. candidate's oral defense. It was the job she hated most in her academic career, almost more than holding seminars. At least the students who attended seminars were interested in understanding the subject. Today's candidate, however, didn't seem to care about anything at all.

And what nonsense he had babbled! Not only that, but he also didn't seem to understand what he'd written in his thesis. Linda had smelled plagiarism, and she wasn't the only one. She was convinced she had read some of the candidate's core arguments elsewhere, but the field was so broad that proving it would take forever. Besides, the boy was the precious child of a highly valued alumnus – highly valued mostly because of the generous donations said alumnus left to the university – so the other professors kindly voted to fail him on his defence instead of ruining the poor boy's career forever with the accusation of plagiarism.

What rubbish!

And this happened at an University that was on an Ivy League level for natural sciences!

Linda was so frustrated with her Alma Mater she couldn't find words to describe it.

Now she was more glad than ever that she had applied to participate in a brand new study, and could leave Newcrest University for the time being. It was medical-related, a field in which she had no knowledge, but they were looking for researchers with experience of alien flora. Once she'd heard about it, she'd applied on a whim, although her expectations were low.

Since Frank had invited her into his lab and she'd seen up-close how he always tried to push the boundaries of what was possible, she couldn't feel comfortable resting on her laurels herself anymore. She aspired to achieve more too; after all scientific discovery was a journey, not a destination.

To her surprise, she received an interview invitation in today's mail.

She couldn't wait to tell Frank about it. However, she wasn't sure whether to tell him now or wait until she got a final answer. 

She missed Frank. Since their date at the space centre four weeks ago, she had only seen him once during a quick lunch break, and it'd been so short that she could hardly count it a date.

They were both so busy with work – her at the university and him in the rocket garage – that they'd barely found time for a phone call. Even on Saturdays and Sundays, one or the other had to finish something. Just last week, she had to document some rapidly mutating alien plant cells that didn't take a break just because it was the weekend.

If they continued like this, he'd been long at the space station before they'd meet again!

She glanced at the clock.

It was seven, not late at all, and it was Friday.

Maybe, thanks to an unlikely coincidence, he would already be home.

She went to the phone.

She was exhausted from work, but they had so little time left together. By the time he needed to pick her up, she'd quickly refresh herself and her make up, and grit her teeth and force a smile against her feet which refused to walk another step in high heels.

She let it ring for what felt like an eternity.

But no one picked up.