Simply an Encounter

Rachel Eagle Reiter

November 2005

Flowers was what she intended to study, simply flowers. Jade didn't show that she was a little startled when an older gentleman, maybe in his forties, took the seat across from her. He didn't request the seat, Jade realized, he just assumed he could take it. How does he know I'm not waiting for someone, wondered Jade. Although, she wasn't waiting for anyone at all.

The gentleman--the older gentleman, asked Jade what she was studying. Jade shrugged, smiled a little to be nice. She didn't want to tell. He asked again, the same question, only using different words. Jade's smile broke into a nervous laugh. Just plants, Jade told him, hoping that he would be satisfied with this. She had after all, answered him.

He was not. He wanted to know more. Jade realized that he was to persistent and although she was studying for an exam and intended to complete a set amount of reading, this gentleman--this older gentleman, who was in fact being quite rude and persistent, unlike a gentleman at all, really did want to have a conversation. Jade closed her book.

Jade figured that she might have closed it sooner if he had came right out and told her his profession--a scientist: no, not an ordinary scientist--a medical scientist. Jade imagined that he would be twice as interesting as a doctor, Jade knew because she had dated a doctor not to long before. This medical scientist intrigued her twice as much because he had his M.D. and his PhD.

The scientist, Ricardo, invited Jade into his laboratory to look at slices of rat brains; only there really weren't slices of rat brains, but he had said that partly because he thought there might be and partly because he wanted to see Jade's reaction. She agreed only on the condition that she might introduce him to the flowers. How absurd to imagine Jade introducing Ricardo to flowers as if the flowers might introduce themselves back. No, no, the flowers could not speak. It is unfortunate, though, because if they could, they would say: test me, test me, test me.

Jade never had a first date like that, really. Ricardo bringing her into his laboratory where he was boss. In fact, that is what he called himself--boss. He bragged that he hardly had to do any work. He showed Jade his scientific writing which took her many tries to understand, science, having a language of its own. His awards fascinated her most; they covered his walls; there were so many of them that he had stopped hanging them up. She realized, I have met someone far to important to be in flesh.

Rachel Eagle Reiter knows a lot about flowers.