“Dr. Caverly, what an honor to see you here,” came an unfamiliar voice.
James turned toward the voice with a quirked eyebrow. It was a woman with long brown hair and piercing gray eyes. She was wearing a deep purple gown with small jewels decorating the hem. He replied with an “ah, yes.” Her bright smile seemed out of place, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. It seemed unnatural. Who was he to say? He didn’t know this woman. She seemed to pick up on his unfamiliarity.
“You don’t, ah, remember me, do you?” she asked. He thought long and hard for a moment before shaking his head.
“No, I don’t, uh, think so. Um, remind me where I have met you?”
She laughed. “Grad school. We had a chem lab together. I suppose it makes sense that you wouldn’t remember me. You always came in hungover.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, well, um. I don’t, uh, do that anymore. I, um, run a company now and, uh, um…” Jesus, he knew how to speak better than this. Slow down, Caverly. Let yourself relax, he thought. His hand twitched nervously at his side. His other hand fiddled with the stem of his glass.
“I didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable. I assume that’s not champagne then?”
“Well, good for you then. Oh! If you don’t mind, I’d like you to meet my friend, Olivia.”
The woman called Olivia strode up beside the brunette woman. This woman had blonde hair neatly wrapped in an updo and bright red lipstick. Her skin was pale and unblemished. He dark emerald eyes sparkled with something James couldn’t quite place. He didn’t expect her lipstick to look as great as it did on her with her eyes, but it did. Her black gown left little to the imagination.
“Ah, Dr. Caverly, what a pleasure,” said Olivia in a thick German accent. She held her perfectly manicured hand out in greeting.
Shaking her hand he replied, “Pleasure’s all mine, ma’am. How is it that you know Dr. Goldstein, here?” The brunette looked at him in shock. So maybe he had heard of her.
“Oh, Sharon is a good friend of mine! Yes, we met during an interview I did with her. I’m a journalist.”
James sipped his cider nervously. The press always found their way to him and always found some way to ruin him. He had to make sure to make the best impression. Even if he didn’t care about his own image, what the media said about him always affected Bryan’s reputation. How can a teacher be reliable when their partner is a horny alcoholic? He had learned the hard way that the slightest slip in his composure would receive a wave of backlash.
“I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but could I grab a quick quote from you? It would really be an honor,” Olivia pleaded.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, that would be fine.”
“Great! Sharon, would you mind…?”
“Oh, say no more! Great seeing you again, Chrome,” Sharon winked. He tried to hold back a grimace. It was odd hearing people at a gala call him by his nickname. He set his glass down on the bar table he was sitting by.
“Alright, shoot,” he sighed.
“So, Dr. Caverly, what made you decide to turn your research into a corporation? Why go from scientist to CEO?” she questioned.
He took a deep breath. “Well, I’m still in the lab more often than not. I figured that my work could be beneficial to more people than just the editors for scholarly journals. I didn’t want to work under anyone, fearing that they would take my work and charge people thousands of dollars to use it. A lot of people making strides in the genetics industry, especially when in accordance to cancer research, come up with new treatments and then turn them over to have the patients be charged thousands of dollars. I want the people I help to be able to afford the care. It can’t be free, but it shouldn’t be expensive.”
“Wow, Doc, I never would have expected that from a billionaire.”
“Well, the other work I do is profitable. Modifying crops to survive the hell conditions on this planet helps a lot of people.”
“A lot of people don’t want to consume GMOs.”
“Starving people don’t care if the food is completely natural or expired in the dumpster. It isn’t a bad thing. The crops have simply evolved. They aren’t toxic or bad for the environment. They aren’t invasive.”
“Bold statements for someone who actively avoids the press.”
He reaches back for his drink. “Well, I wouldn’t want anyone to paint a bad picture of me.” He took a sip of his cider. Only, he realized half a second to late that the smell was different, sharper, and by the time he noticed, it had already passed his lips. The crisp taste of champagne left him craving more. He looked at the bar table in a panic. Maybe he grabbed the wrong glass. No, there weren’t any other glasses. This was meant for him. His hands started to twitch as he resisted the urge to down the glass full of that delicious bubbly drink.
“Is something wrong, Dr. Caverly?”
“N-nope. Is this, uh, interview over?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you, sir.”
Without another word, she left. James looked at his glass. He shouldn’t. He should. It’s been six months. One drink couldn’t hurt him. He tipped the flute back and drained it in one gulp. Oh, how he missed it. Maybe he shouldn’t have drank it so fast. Sips would have been better. Water. Water will be good for me right now, he thought. He went up to the bar. The bartender smiled brightly at him.
“Scotch, on the rocks.” No wait, that wasn’t right. “Water, I mean. Just water.”
“Just water, eh? Well you let me know if you want anything other than water.”
James gulped. He couldn’t. Not tonight. He replied with, “On second thought, give me that Scotch.”
