grim expression made him look less like a good ol’ boy, and more like a man who’d left his small-town roots and made good, then found the guts to come back home.
Faye stated the obvious. “You’re not happy with how the project is being handled.”
“Hell, no. I don’t care about all the high-and-mighty research being done at the Sujosa’s expense. Well, that’s not true. Some far-off day, we’ll find a cure for AIDS, and I like the idea of being part of that, so I stick around, but there are days I think it would’ve been better if I’d never published that paper. It’s just that some people don’t think the Sujosa are capable of taking care of themselves.”
“People like Raleigh?”
“Raleigh, Bingham, Amory—they haven’t given the Sujosa a thought, one way or another. They’re just after a high-profile publication or two. But they don’t harm the situation—not like some people.”
Faye knew from his tone that Brent had someone specific in mind. He couldn’t possibly be talking about Laurel, and she herself had only just arrived. Who was left?
“You mean Carmen?”
“Yes, Carmen. If you could hear the patronizing tone she uses in her talks and in her papers. As if she’s talking about some other species—a lesser species. It’s no wonder the bean-counters think the Sujosa needed to be treated like children; the government has no concept of giving them any real control over a project that is supposed to be to their benefit.”
Brent’s antagonism toward Carmen bothered Faye, because she liked Carmen. It wasn’t the first time she’d found herself in this position; academia was rife with intriguing, intelligent people who couldn’t stand half the other intriguing, intelligent people surrounding them. Faye generally chose to fly under the radar by being cordial to everybody and refusing to participate in the backbiting. Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Brent fell silent. Faye did too, for she was no good at small talk.
Brent, who was the world champion of small talk, managed to wrestle the conversation into submission, and Faye was glad. It wasn’t good for a date to end on a downer.
“Maybe the Sujosa don’t need anybody’s help after all,” he said, forcing a smile. “Has anybody told you about Jimmie Lavelle’s college plans?”
Faye shook her head.
“He’ll start college next fall, and he’s had multiple offers of full academic scholarships. His mama’s so proud she can’t see straight.”
Faye thought of Irene’s soft brown eyes gazing up at Jimmie. How would the young couple fare when he was a college graduate and she was a high school dropout with a dead-end job bagging up other people’s dry-cleaning? She said only, “I hope Jimmie gets everything he wants.”
“He’s a good kid. He deserves it.”
Irene’s a good kid, Faye thought. I hope she gets everything she wants, too.
When they drove up to Faye’s quarters, Brent’s headlights raked across the front porch. There was no mistaking the big, lanky form of the man asleep in one of the rockers.
“Oh, I should have told Joe not to wait up,” Faye said. “He worries. Especially since last year when I had a date that…um, didn’t go well at all.” She spared Brent the details of being chased with a gun after having half the life choked out of her.
“What is he to you, anyway? Your bodyguard?”
“No,” Faye said, looking at the dark porch where Joe sat. “He’s my very good friend, and everybody needs one of those. However,” she said, and even she could hear the mischief in her own voice, “he did kill the last man I dated.”
She leaned over and kissed him, lightly and just long enough to leave him thinking, then hopped out of the car. She would wait until he was safely out of sight before she woke Joe up and sent him home.
***
Faye entered the parlor to find Carmen sitting at the table, reading the paper. She sat down opposite her.
Carmen nodded at the window, where Joe could be
Faye stated the obvious. “You’re not happy with how the project is being handled.”
“Hell, no. I don’t care about all the high-and-mighty research being done at the Sujosa’s expense. Well, that’s not true. Some far-off day, we’ll find a cure for AIDS, and I like the idea of being part of that, so I stick around, but there are days I think it would’ve been better if I’d never published that paper. It’s just that some people don’t think the Sujosa are capable of taking care of themselves.”
“People like Raleigh?”
“Raleigh, Bingham, Amory—they haven’t given the Sujosa a thought, one way or another. They’re just after a high-profile publication or two. But they don’t harm the situation—not like some people.”
Faye knew from his tone that Brent had someone specific in mind. He couldn’t possibly be talking about Laurel, and she herself had only just arrived. Who was left?
“You mean Carmen?”
“Yes, Carmen. If you could hear the patronizing tone she uses in her talks and in her papers. As if she’s talking about some other species—a lesser species. It’s no wonder the bean-counters think the Sujosa needed to be treated like children; the government has no concept of giving them any real control over a project that is supposed to be to their benefit.”
Brent’s antagonism toward Carmen bothered Faye, because she liked Carmen. It wasn’t the first time she’d found herself in this position; academia was rife with intriguing, intelligent people who couldn’t stand half the other intriguing, intelligent people surrounding them. Faye generally chose to fly under the radar by being cordial to everybody and refusing to participate in the backbiting. Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Brent fell silent. Faye did too, for she was no good at small talk.
Brent, who was the world champion of small talk, managed to wrestle the conversation into submission, and Faye was glad. It wasn’t good for a date to end on a downer.
“Maybe the Sujosa don’t need anybody’s help after all,” he said, forcing a smile. “Has anybody told you about Jimmie Lavelle’s college plans?”
Faye shook her head.
“He’ll start college next fall, and he’s had multiple offers of full academic scholarships. His mama’s so proud she can’t see straight.”
Faye thought of Irene’s soft brown eyes gazing up at Jimmie. How would the young couple fare when he was a college graduate and she was a high school dropout with a dead-end job bagging up other people’s dry-cleaning? She said only, “I hope Jimmie gets everything he wants.”
“He’s a good kid. He deserves it.”
Irene’s a good kid, Faye thought. I hope she gets everything she wants, too.
When they drove up to Faye’s quarters, Brent’s headlights raked across the front porch. There was no mistaking the big, lanky form of the man asleep in one of the rockers.
“Oh, I should have told Joe not to wait up,” Faye said. “He worries. Especially since last year when I had a date that…um, didn’t go well at all.” She spared Brent the details of being chased with a gun after having half the life choked out of her.
“What is he to you, anyway? Your bodyguard?”
“No,” Faye said, looking at the dark porch where Joe sat. “He’s my very good friend, and everybody needs one of those. However,” she said, and even she could hear the mischief in her own voice, “he did kill the last man I dated.”
She leaned over and kissed him, lightly and just long enough to leave him thinking, then hopped out of the car. She would wait until he was safely out of sight before she woke Joe up and sent him home.
***
Faye entered the parlor to find Carmen sitting at the table, reading the paper. She sat down opposite her.
Carmen nodded at the window, where Joe could be
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