Page 23 of Flirtasaurus
“What about South Dakota?” Dr. Knowles asks super casually as she rounds the curtain to the far side of the display. I click clack right alongside her.
“Oh. Well, it would really be a dream come true to assist you on that dig. Hell, it’s been a dream come true assisting you here at the museum, and so far, all you let me do is fetch you coffee and stuff gala invitation envelopes! So, I can only imagine what it would be like to actually be out in the field with you. The literal field, no less!”
I follow that up with a completely uncharacteristic giggle. I’m not a giggler.
Apparently, neither is Dr. Knowles. But I already knew that.
She stops in her tracks and turns her entire body to face me, her expression completely blank. “AllI let you do is fetch coffee?”
Yikes.
Time to backpedal.
“Of course not, no. You also let me make photocopies, update spreadsheets, run errands, and take messages for you, and I’m completely grateful for every single opportunity you’ve—”
“I alsoletyou run the young education programming for this exhibit.”
“Of course. And Dino Diggers is going really well so far. Thank you for trusting me with—”
“Iletyou be an integral part of planning the upcoming unveiling at our annual gala, an extremely important event where all our most valuable donors will be present.”
“Yes. And it is going to be the event of the century, I can feel it. I just—”
“And, Calliope, Iletyou join this team. A team that is bringing unprecedented findings to the science world: two dinosaurs found nearly fully intact and together, when all signs point to the fact that they should have been kept apart.”
“I know. It is truly amazing, and I couldn’t be more—”
“Iletyou…”
Oh God, she’s still going.
“… receive the gift of learning from scientists who are more than double your age, when there were nearly one hundred other worthy applicants who wanted your spot. And I consistentlyletyou speak your mind, even when you’re completely out of line. So perhaps you shouldletme make the decisions on how your internship should proceed, and then I’ll happilyletyou know when you’ve done a good enough job at your current assignments for me to even consider broaching the discussion oflettingyou take on even more responsibility.”
What does one say after that?
Absolutely nothing.
One keeps her mouth shut.
What am I doing here? And why does this woman hate me so much?
Just as I feel my shoulders slump and my eyes close in defeat, Dr. Knowles gets very close to me and speaks in a hushed tone that sounds almost… kind? “I heard about what happened in the planetarium just now, Calliope. You and me? We have to do better than that.”
I nod at her, wide-eyed and thoroughly confused. Before I know it, though, she’s back to her regular programming, brusque and in total business mode.
“Alright, team, in a moment, I’m going to pull back this curtain and show you the two gorgeous creatures we are beyond fortunate to have in our museum. Our mounting team has done a brilliant job of assembling these skeletons, and Bruce and his workers have built a solid foundation for them to stand on.”
“IATSE proud!” Bruce barks and bangs on his chest twice. Then in a quieter voice, seemingly just for me, he whispers “I’m a proud member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, aka IATSE.”
“Yeah. You, uh, you’ve mentioned that. A few times.” I speak out of the corner of my mouth while keeping my eyes fixed on Dr. Knowles.
Bruce continues to the whole group, “Thank you, Eileen. Still plenty of work to be done on the habitat: adding trees, shrubs, some water sources… you know, generally making the Badlands look more badass, but we’re getting there.” He takes this opportunity to speak directly to me again. “Spoiler alert: the Badlands of South Dakota were actually much more verdant and lush back then than they are today.”
“I’m well-versed in the climate of the Cretaceous period. But thank you.” It takes all my emotional fortitude not to sneer this at him.
“It’s impressive work, Bruce. Well done. Alright now.” Dr. Knowles’ finger hovers over a button on the wall. Then, she seems to look directly into my eyes as she says, “Are we ready to see Trix and Monty?”
“We are,” I whisper.
