Page 2 of It Happened Again

“So do you,” I offered, because he did, in a graying-temples-meets-academic-silver-fox sort of way. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and forced my brain to stay on script.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ve done all I can to talk you up, but honestly, during the first two rounds of interviews, you impressed them. Obviously, you wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t.” He laughed, a hearty sound that bounced around the room.

“Thanks. That doesn’t stop my stress hormones from raging within.” I laughed, just slightly nervous.

“Relax. I feel certain they’re going to hand the job to you, and then we’ll be a team again. With me guiding you, your future looks bright ahead,” he winked, but I faltered.

I’d enjoyed every minute of our time onboard the ship as I revered him and his vast knowledge. I reveled in the practical application of everything I’d gained from my time at Columbia, while on the ship. Julian’s mentorship was practically an education degree in and of itself. But he was like a hovering eagle at all times, while I was ready to fly from the comfort of the nest.

When I finished my time on the ship and returned to New York City, I took the first lab job I could find simply to get mylegs back under me, literally. Adjusting to normal life after being at sea for so long took some getting used to. I finished my master’s degree, something I’d started online at sea, and now I was ready to find a serious job in my chosen field that would propel my career.

I never expected Julian to be the one to call me with this opportunity at Orion. As much as I wanted to do this on my own, I couldn’t pass up the chance to work here.

“Now, let’s go. Your fate awaits you,” he said, and he led me down a gleaming corridor to a small boardroom. I kept my posture straight, my stride purposeful. Inside the room, a semi-circle of intimidatingly well-dressed scientists sat waiting with blank notepads and curious eyes, four men and one woman. Not surprising, and I was happy to see female representation at all.

I’d done my research on Orion. Dr. Bethany Stone was the highest ranking woman here. Her pioneering studies on neural plasticity in patients with early-stage dementia earned her great praise in the neuroscience community. I only hoped I could measure up to her calibre someday.

Cue inner monologue: Don’t babble. Don’t fidget. And for the love of all things science and holy, don’t make that dumb joke about dopamine again. I had thought my nervous wit didn’t go over so well last time, so when the callback came for this final interview, I was ecstatic. I just hoped it had more to do with me and my qualifications than with Julian’s push for them to seriously consider me.

I shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and the questions began. Thankfully, I knew my stuff. Monitoring stress hormones and heart rate variability on ship personnel during different voyage phases? Check. Describing how isolation, sleep disruption, and high-pressure environments affected neural response times? Double check.

I even gained chuckles and smiles when I compared living on a scientific vessel to being in a floating petri dish of emotions and body odor. Okay, so maybe this crowd possessed a sense of humor after all.

By the end, I could feel it in the room: they liked me. My words landed. My experience stood out. Julian gave small nods when I spoke, the type of almost-imperceptible gesture that said, “See? I told you she was brilliant.”

After a final question about my future plans—possibly a doctorate, down the road, yes, but wanting hands-on work now—they asked me to step outside while they conferred.

I sat in a futuristic lobby chair shaped like an egg, fitting since I’d never felt so much like a baby bird struggling to break free and fly before as I did now. My skin vibrated with anticipation and my mind was a blur of cortisol spike stats and please-hire-me prayers.

Five minutes passed. Then ten.

Julian opened the door. He sighed and slowly approached with his hands in his pockets, eyes not meeting mine. Oh no.

“Well... They’d like to offer you the position.” He broke into a smile.

My heart nearly punched its way out of my chest.

“Seriously?”

“You got the job, Maisy. Now all you need to do is say yes, and I’ll help you make all your dreams come true.” He winked and nodded.

I didn’t want to think that he had any ulterior motives in mind with that, not when all I could see was my future looking brighter, my desk on a sunny floor of this magnificent building, my research gaining respect, plus a bump in my take home pay with a neat 401K package.

He stepped aside to let me back into the room. The head of the committee repeated the offer, this time with a printed contract and a benefits packet thicker than a dictionary.

I blinked and grinned. “Thank you. So much. I’m so excited to begin.” Next came the formalities, handshakes, and nods of approval.

Dr. Stone took me aside before leaving the meeting and expressed how excited she was to have me join Orion. “I’m on the local chapter board of Women in Science, and I take a keen interest in mentoring our female professionals at Orion. If you have any issues at all, you can come to me for advice, okay? I’ve got my eyes on you and expect great things.”

“Thank you so much. This means a lot. Just thank you,” I gushed, hoping I didn’t sound as bad as a lunatic Swiftie fan-girl.

The committee filed out, leaving me alone with Julian.

I turned to him, breathless with disbelief. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

Julian opened his arms for a hug, and I stepped into it—briefly.

“Looks like we’ll be working closely again,” he murmured.

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