Gathering The Lab

"Terrance?" The secretary looked up at Terrance from her desk. He met her eyes. "The coach will see you now."

Terrance rose from his seat. The cushioned seat was well worn, and it had not been the most comfortable. His appointment had been for four, but an important phone call had kept the coach from the meeting until ten after. Terrance was worried. It was January, and he had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly why the coach had asked to meet with him.

His grades had come in, and they were not that great. In fact, they were pretty horrible. He hadn't outright failed any classes, but he had come close, and he knew his partying days were over. His grades had even scared him. But given the whole no-strike policy of the school, he had a feeling that his luck was taking a turn for the worse.

"Hey, bud." The coach greeted him with sympathy lining the old man's eyes. Yup. Something bad was about to happen. "Take a seat. Do you know why I asked for this meeting?"

"No, sir." Terrance decided to play dumb. Dumb was always best in these situations.

"Terrance..." The coach took a breath. "Your grades are less than stellar. As you may know, your GPA does not meet team standards."

"I'm trying coach. I really am." Terrance protested, but the coach shushed him, gently, and continued.

"We're going to have to suspend you for the rest of this season, Terrance."

"Coach!" Terrance's heart was racing. "What about playoffs? The team [needs]{.underline} me. You know that."

"We all know it, Terrance. But there's nothing I can do." The coach threw his hands up in the air. "You know the policy, I know the policy. And this University actually makes us enforce the policy. There is nothing I can do. The registrar already contacted me with notice of your sub-par performance."

"Did you try talking to someone?"

"Yes, Terrance. I talked to everyone. Including your professors. No one will budge. You can petition the school, but it won't get you back on the team in time for playoffs."

A moment of silence passed between the two men. A very uncomfortable, very long, moment of silence. Finally, Terrance broke the silence.

"What can I do, coach?"

"That's my boy." The coach smiled. "I would say you could do two things. For one, you could petition the University with that family death you had a couple of months ago. They may soften their stance when they hear your story. Sorry for your loss, by the way." Terrance nodded, accepting his condolences. His grandfather and he had been close; although that was not the reason that Terrance's grades had suffered.

"And second, honestly Terrance, I'd recommend just focusing on your classwork this semester. Maybe get some extra curricular activities in there to bolster your appearance to the University. With that, you could probably return to the team next year. If you show them that you're applying yourself -- which we both know, you were not doing last semester -- they may relent and allow you back on the team next year, with no official penalty."

"What about my scholarship?"

"You're close to losing it, Terrance. You'll have it this semester, but unless you can bring your GPA up before Fall, you'll lose that money and need to look into loans. You really need to focus, kid."

"Shit." Terrance let the expletive slip, and the coach said nothing. Normally, the coach stopped them from swearing, but in this case, Terrance supposed that the coach was no longer [his]{.underline} coach, and therefore, no longer required to stop profanity in its tracks.

"You okay, kid? Wanna talk?" The coach offered, and Terrance nodded, then shook his head.

"I'm fine. I'll see you around. Okay, coach?"

"Alright. Call if you need anything. The University has tutors. Please. Use. Them. They're free."

The coach stood as Terrance exited the room. Terrance could feel angry tears coming to the surface, but he pushed them down, waved to the secretary, and let himself out of the athletics department. He couldn't believe he had just been kicked off of the team. With no hope of return this year.

He left the building entirely and went outside. The cool January air whipped around him and he pulled his coat closer to his body, as if that would stop the wind from weaseling its tingly fingers into his bones. He was cold for other reasons, not just the winter. The snow was crisp and clean on the ground as he crunched through it, taking a shortcut onto the sidewalk. He wound through crowds of people being released from their afternoon classes, and realized that he didn't even know his own schedule. He had gone to classes the first week, and, confident that he was not going to be kicked off the team, had resumed his usual tactics: breezing through the class books and showing up to class only half the time, if he was lucky. He had thought it would continue working, but now a sophomore, Terrance would have to being applying himself.

These intro classes were such a joke, though. How was he expected to apply himself in a class of seventy-five people? A class where the teacher would never know his name? He didn't even know his classmates. Just his teammates, but those would soon cut ties with him. They would be angry at him for being suspended. They would blame him, at least with each other, for any misfortune they'd encounter during the playoffs. Terrance was the new basketball team scapegoat. And he already hated his new role.

#

"Are you Terrance?" The weathered gentleman smiled at the young man who stood at his door. A darker skinned young man, Terrance's gray eyes shown with both excitement and nervousness at the same time. He had only taken a few science classes in his life, and here he was, about to make his case for why he was an excellent candidate to help with research in a tropical place. He felt very unqualified.

But Dr. Walton's smile was contagious, and Terrance couldn't help but feel a strange admiration for this brown eyed man with his beige hair -- speckled with shades of grey -- pulled back into the classic ecologist ponytail. How many years had this man wandered through the wilds of the world, searching for adventure? How much had he seen that Terrance had only dreamed of?

Terrance had seen the posting for field assistants just a week after he had been kicked off of the basketball team. He thought that the summer credit hours, which he could afford with the provided salary, would help him bring his GPA up if this spring semester's work did not. Then, he would be back on the team and all would be right with the world again.

"Yeah." Terrance finally acknowledged, and Haywood gestured for him to take a seat.

"So, Terrance. Tell me. Why do you want to travel to a tropical paradise?"

Terrance looked at him with a bewildered gaze. Haywood laughed, but then motioned with his hand as if to say, "Go on. I'm waiting."

"Um..." Terrance stuttered. "Well, it seems like a really cool place. I have nothing else to do this summer. I need to get my grades up, and I think that helping you guys do research might be my opportunity to raise my GPA enough to get back on the basketball team. I'm pretty strong, and although I'm not too good at science, I imagine that doing real science is a lot different than what we do in labs and stuff."

"Honest answer." Haywood murmured. Terrance laughed nervously, and Haywood smiled generously at him. "So you think you can handle the field work." Haywood suggested. Terrance nodded, saying,

"Yeah. I work out a lot."

"What about the stuff that's not physical? Like identifying species?"

"Isn't that what you're there for?" Countered Terrance and Haywood laughed.

"Yes and no. I can help to start, but eventually, you'll have to figure out how to identify species on your own. Have you ever used a dichotomous key to identify species?"

"I think so. In the second class of Biology I took." Terrance said. "But experience should help, right? I'm a quick learner."

"I suppose it will." Haywood had been trying to remain neutral, but he couldn't help but feel a growing affection for this young man, whose desperation shown through his eyes with an intensity so strong that Haywood couldn't help but wonder what this young man had been through before walking through that office door.

"And you can stay the whole summer?" Haywood asked. "Are you afraid of flying, or heights? Snakes? Tarantulas?"

"A bit of flying. Not really of the other three."

"Well, you only have to fly twice, right?" Haywood offered. Terrance nodded, trying his best not to show how his stomach turned at the thought. He had never even been on an airplane before. It just wasn't right, going so fast and so high. If you couldn't jump out of a vehicle to safety, it wasn't a vehicle that Terrance wanted to ride in. But, the money was good, and the experience would be great for his resume.

"Allergies?" Haywood asked.

"Not that I know of." Terrance answered.

"Good." With that, Haywood stood. "I'll let you know what we decide as soon as I can, probably in the next couple of weeks. Nice to meet you, Terrance."

"You too, Dr. Walton."

"Just call me Haywood." Haywood smiled and walked around his desk to follow Terrance out of his office. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye!"

Terrance walked away, his heart pounding. Did Haywood's parting comment mean that he had gotten the job? Despite his bad grades? His obvious emphasis on grades over interest in the position? He couldn't wait.

He was amazed that Haywood didn't ask him more questions, though. Had he instantly decided that Terrance was not what he was looking for in a field assistant? Was Haywood merely screwing with Terrance's hopes and dreams now? Terrance's heart plummeted to the ground. He so badly wanted this job. Maybe his printed application was stronger than his oral interview. Yes, that was it. Haywood merely had gathered most of his information from the application, and not the interview. Terrance would know soon enough.

#

To: Haywood Walton

From: Emily Damson

Dear Dr. Walton:

I saw your posting about the field assistant position on Kir'nu for the summer, and I would very much like to apply. I am currently a pre-med student, and would love the experience in field work to help me learn more about science as a whole. I'm a hard worker, and though I may not have all of the skills that you ask for, I promise that I can learn quickly.

In addition, I am excellent at entering and analyzing data. Prior to enrolling in this university, I received an Associate's degree in Statistics from the local community college. We used a variety of statistical programs to answer questions from the biological, medical, and psychological fields. I hope that this experience will come in handy if you allow me to join your team this summer.

I've attached my resume, the one page statement of why I want this job, and my transcripts for you to peruse. Thank you very much for your time, and if you any questions, please feel free to write me back or call me. My number is located on my resume.

Sincerely,

Emily Damson

Haywood glanced over the email, then took a much closer look when he saw the words "Statistics" and "Degree." Emily, were he to choose her, would be a useful addition to the team as a whole, especially if she could contribute to experimental design and statistical analysis. Her broad experience may help them get a new perspective on seemingly complex problems.

On the other hand, being a pre-med major and schooled in mathematics, Haywood was unsure if Emily could handle the possibly harsh conditions of field work. After all, he couldn't bring along a well groomed, never seen the woods before, young woman, into a remote situation where things like nail polish and pretty dresses were far, far away. Haywood would definitely have to interview her and make sure that this was a wise choice.

He had already seen one such candidate come and go. All he had to do was start talking about how to deal with cockroaches at the field station, and she was suddenly backing out of all of the promises she had made in her promising letter of interest.

But perhaps this Emily Damson was different. He had not had her in any of his classes, but maybe one of the other faculty had, and would be able to share their insights with Haywood. It would be good to get a female on the team, for Ivy. Although she was fully capable to handling herself, you still never knew when the need for same sex companionship struck, and he certainly didn't want to deal with a hormonal, homesick graduate student. Not that she had ever seemed exceptionally out of control of her emotions.

But, traveling could do strange things, and Haywood wanted to make sure that Ivy had the support she needed to both do the work she loved, and work on her thesis, one of the only barriers to her graduation. He had lost a graduate student, once, to a mix of depression and apathy, as well as a lucrative job offer from a relative. He would not lose another student to something stupid. And so, with this one, he was careful. Always made sure he could cock a listening ear. Always made sure that he checked in with her, at minimum, weekly.

Haywood returned to the matter at hand and began typing his reply to Emily, asking for an interview sometime next week. He had already met, and liked, Terrance. Perhaps Emily would fit after all.

#

"So, have you met both of them?" Ivy asked Haywood as they sat together in his office. He had chosen the two undergraduates that would accompany them, and they were all about to get together for their first official lab meeting. Haywood had tried to get a Master's student to join the lab early, so she could come to Kir'nu too, however, her plans wouldn't allow her to leave her current institution until August, and so, they numbered only four. The round table in his office held delicious smelling pizza, and Ivy wished that the undergraduates would show up soon so she could eat.

Before her, Haywood had laid a stack of paperwork. There were two more stacks in front of the empty chairs. Travel authorizations for everyone, quite possibly the most redundant document known to man. Three copies of where you were going, how long you'd be there, and how much it would cost, right down to per diem rates for food.

Ivy flipped through the paperwork, inwardly groaning. It would take her about a half an hour to do her own, and she guessed that the undergraduates would come to either her or Haywood with questions, meaning an additional half to full hour before all of this paperwork was done. And until they got the paperwork through, they couldn't book their flight.

The flight alone was going to cost somewhere between two and three thousand dollars for all four of them. Without the grant to go to Kir'nu, they would've never made it otherwise. The grant also provided ample funds for food for the three months that they would be staying. They hadn't purchased any field equipment yet, but Ivy and Haywood would have to get together separately to figure out what they needed.

Emily came first. She was a good five minutes early, and Ivy expected that Terrance would show up at any time in the next few minutes. Emily's hair was long and brown, complementing her long eyelashes and similarly dark skin. She was a tad mousy looking, with small frames over her eyes and her pullover, striped sweater. She didn't seem all that small and weak, however, and Ivy felt that she would grow to like Emily very much in their time together. She greeted Haywood with a smile, introduced herself to Ivy, and took her seat quietly, choosing the seat farthest from, and facing, the door. Smart woman.

Terrance showed up soon after, and they commenced the meeting with the pizza -- before it got cold, of course. Haywood introduced himself officially, giving his background and history with other universities, then Ivy did the same. Terrance and Emily shared their own personal information, and with everyone introduced, the meeting began.

It lasted about an hour, and in it, they filled out their paperwork with their personal details -- Haywood explained that he would fill out everything else, like the room and board, and flight information. Ivy was relieved, and handed him her paperwork gladly. She had better things to do.

They then talked about field experiences. Strengths, and weaknesses, fears, and hopes, and dreams. It was an honest meeting, seeing where the undergraduates had been and what they could do, and what they were willing to learn. Ivy was excited when she learned of Emily's statistics background, and she felt like Terrance would be useful with his strength and perseverance.

She realized that in a way, it was beginning to look like they were the members of a weird Wizard of Oz remix; she, Dorothy of course, and the others taking roles of Lion, Tinman, and Scarecrow; although she was not sure yet which ones were which. Though perhaps Haywood was the Wizard. Except the whole being evil thing.

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