Has there been a toxic relationship you’ve been in? Is there something you love to show off? & Have you ever helped/rescued a wild animal in trouble?
Has there been a toxic relationship you’ve been in?
“In my later years of residency I was enamored by an older woman, one of my mentors actually. She drank her coffee black, preferred flats to sneakers, and she loathed her husband for his apparent and weak mind. I admired her greatly. She stood out among her peers and was respected for it. What began as a professional interest soon transpired into something more, for a moment or two, I let her eclipse all else: my dreams, my ambitions, my goals. I would have given her everything, and I nearly did. There were rumors, but there are always rumors, and neither of us cared.
‘Let them speculate!’ She’d laugh, and we let them because it was easier not to care, better to shut out the world. It wasn’t until I caught her stealing my notes that I realized that even more than she desired me, she desired my research, my work, and she had every intention of calling it her own. She was established, feared even. At that point in my career I was still a nobody, I’d published a few journals, but nothing that had given me serious attention. This research would put me on the map, and she had no qualms with taking that from me, so instead, I took everything from her.
When I went to the Dean, I presented my findings and the irrefutable proof of her crimes. I witnessed first hand how quickly the world seeks to tear down women in power, she was ruined, and I was accountable. I know she never cared for me, at least, not in the way that I cared for her.
There are moments, usually in the euphoria that follows a break through, when I find myself wishing there was someone to celebrate with. Someone to share a toast, a kiss, a familiar embrace, and I miss the part of myself that was foolish enough to fall in love.
Is there something you love to show off?
“My sparkling personality.”
Have you ever helped/rescued a wild animal in trouble?
“No. I’m not a veterinarian. Unless you count magicks, of course.”
