Page 20 of A Smart Girl's Guide to Second Chances
‘No.’
‘I’ve never told anyone the real answer,’ I said. ‘Probably because it’s not a very interesting story. And it’s really nerdy.’
‘Luckily you’re talking to someone who was in the Australian Science Olympiads team.’
‘God, I love this city. It’s like Disneyland for geeks. Every college should have a diversity rep for any rogue cool kids that get in.’
‘You’re changing the subject,’ he said, though he looked amused.
‘Okay, in my first year of uni I embarked upon “Project Job”,’ I began. ‘I wrote a list—’
‘I’m sensing that lists are a thing for you,’ he said.
‘If you keep interrupting me, I’m going to give you my extremely polished and compelling interview answer,’ I said.
He grinned.
‘So, I wrote a list of qualities I’d enjoy in a job. I wanted to work with smart people... I wanted to have snappy conversations in hallways like onThe West Wing—’
Alex laughed, a sound that I was now convinced was causing the release of irregularly large hits of dopamine.
‘I wanted to earn enough money to live on. I wanted to... help people. Then when I heard about a career that might fit my criteria, I challenged the assumption. I met people for coffees and asked them a zillion questions about what they did. I did work experience.’
‘What jobs did you try?’ he asked.
‘Investment banking. But everyone wasreallyinto money,’ I said, shrugging dramatically.
‘Who would have thought,’ he said drily.
‘Do I have to remind a scientist that it’s important to test a hypothesis,’ I countered.
‘Actually, if you could remind some of my undergrad students that would be helpful,’ he shot back. I pointedly ignored him.
‘I tried law. A think tank. Government policy. Insurance.’
‘I’ve heard that actuaries are wild,’ he said.
‘There was a high probability of loose Friday night drinks,’ I said, and we both laughed. I took a sip of my nuclear-strength coffee.
‘The winner of “Project Job” was consultancy: it checked all the boxes. I spent my last few years of uni working my arse off to get a grad job at one of the top firms.’
‘It had to be a top firm?’
‘Umm, yeah, I guess. None of my family are in the corporate world. I wanted to show them I could pull it off,’ I said. I picked up my napkin and wiped a smudge of HP Sauce from the corner of my mouth.
‘So why do you want to fix hearts?’ I asked.
‘Are you changing the subject?’
‘Yes,’ I admitted. ‘So why?’
Alex paused for a moment and pulled off his hoodie. I caught a glimpse of a stomach that seemed far too washboard for someone in STEM. I pulled my eyes back up to his face.
‘My mum unexpectedly died of heart disease when I was a teenager,’ he said. ‘She had a cardiovascular issue that wasn’t picked up but could have been treated if it had been. Our early prevention diagnostic tools are expensive and mediocre. I want to make one that’s cheaper and better so...’
‘... other people’s mums get to live.’ I finished his sentence before I even realised what I was doing. But I’d heard a crack in his voice and wanted to give him a moment to recover. ‘I’m really sorry. That must have been... fucked.’ I almost never swore but I couldn’t think of a better word.
‘Maybe that’s what I should call my research. “Trying to make something not-fucked out of something fucked”,’ he said, with a laugh that was different from his other ones. It was darker and from somewhere deep inside him.
