“My gosh, Emma, is this for real? We’re freaking graduates!”
One of my study mates, Becky, jumps up and down in front of me, waving her diploma in my face. I can’t help but laugh with her because I know better than anyone how close she was to never graduation. She’s one of the sweetest girls I know, but she’ll never be a biology wizard, and she knows it. One grade lower in her finals, and she wouldn’t have passed. God bless her, though. I’m glad for her that she made it.
“Come here, I want to take a picture with you and your man,” she says with a twitter, and Marc is immediately offended.
“Honey, I’m not her man. In fact, there is not a single person in this room hot enough to be my sugar,” he says and scans the room for potential partners. “Well perhaps except Professor Sexy over there,” he adds and nods in the direction of Dean Montgomery. “A little old for me, but damn he’s hot. And who am I to discriminate against age,” he says and runs his fingers through his hair, grooming himself to meet Mr. Right.
“Hey hey, behave,” I laugh and pull him close to me so that we all fit in the picture. “You’re here to support your best friend on graduation day. Not to meet handsome professors!”
Becky snaps four pictures to make sure that there is at least one good photo of us. As always, she’s styled to the nines and takes awesome photos from every angle.
“See ya, Ems,” she says, kisses me on the cheek, and disappears into the crowd of cheering graduates and their families. It’s an emotional day, and somehow I’ve managed to process the fact that my family isn’t here. Right now, I’m just filled up by a serene feeling of balance and relief.
“Here, honey, have a drink with me.” He hands me a sleek glass of champagne and takes a sip with me.
I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. Since I met him three years ago, he’s been my solid rock. We met when I applied for a job at the Dream Bean Coffee Shop just a few blocks from my dorm. He’s the floor manager, and he hired me on the spot when I applied for a part-time job to support my way through college.
At the interview, he asked me if I had any experience in the service industry. I knew the question would come up; still, I remember flustering when I tried to answer the question without lying. I did have experience in the service industry, true. But not one I wanted to share with him.
“I do,” I replied, desperately trying to hide my anxiety. “I do. Not from a coffee shop, though.” I wanted to explain, but I couldn’t.
He took a long, hard look at me, and then made up his mind. “That’s fine, you don’t have to explain. I’ll teach you what you need to know. You can start on Monday.”
I could’ve kissed him. Although I had immediately spotted that he wouldn’t appreciate any sort of affection from my side. Marc likes men, and he doesn’t try to hide his preference. He has this funny look with his long, lean body and wavy surfer hairdo. But he is more of a man than anyone else I know, and I would give my life to protect him. It didn’t take us long to go from co-workers to besties.
“So, since it’s just the two of us today, why don’t you concentrate on what’s important and point out some of the men you’ve been messing around with for the past 5 years?” He’s actually being quite funny because messing around is just about the only thing I haven’t done during college. I’m no perfect student, but I’ve paid my dues to get my degree, so I took every single class and every single day at school seriously. No time for boys.
“Wait wait wait, he’s coming. He’s coming over here!” Marc pulls my arm so drops of champagne spill on my gown.
“What are you talking about?” I ask and look in the same direction as him.
“Professor Sexy. He’s on his way over here. You HAVE to introduce us, Em,” he whispers.
Dean Montgomery walks towards us at a steady pace and with a big smile on his face.
“Is there time for me to congratulate you one last time before you leave, Emma?” Dean Montgomery says and hugs me. No need to be so formal now that the ceremony is over.
“Mr. Montgomery, please meet my friend, Marc Arden. He’s my best friend and my helper in need,” I say, and Marc shakes his hand with a foolish expression on his face. I’m sure the Dean notices, but he doesn’t say anything. With his good looks and successful career, I’m sure he’s used to having women swooning over him. Perhaps the concept of a flirty man is new to him, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“Nice to meet you, Marc Arden,” the Dean says and turns towards me. “Emma, I just wanted to follow up on the Excellence Award you won for outstanding efforts. It is really quite an achievement, I have to say.”
Two days ago, he was the one to deliver the news to me that I’d won this year’s Excellence Award, sponsored by the Boston Billionaire Club. The award is presented to a student who shows consistent excellence in all areas of their academic and professional performance. I was honestly surprised when I learned I was nominated, and blown away when I realized I had won.
“Winning the award is a true honor,” he explains and continues. “But it also comes with some really nice benefits for you, if you’re looking to expand your professional network and look into new job opportunities now that you’ve graduated. In fact,” he says, “I talked to one of the club members last night when I was at a meeting. He is looking into a business venture which involves building a wildlife preservation park somewhere in Africa. He’s looking for an expert in zoology to take the project lead, and I suggested he meets with you. It’s a huge project and a unique opportunity for a young graduate like you. But I don’t doubt for a second that you could do it.”
Dean Montgomery pauses for a minute, probably to try to interpret the expression on my face. Quite possibly, my heart has stopped beating. Or the other way around: it is pounding so hard it almost hurts. My brain has gone into double speed, trying to process what this could mean to me.
“I can’t…” I start, but the Dean interrupts me. “IF he hires you, you should expect to spend the next six months on the project. The salary you need to discuss with him, but I should warn you that the job comes with a bonus, if you manage to pull it through. A quite generous one, too.”
Marc discretely grabs my hand and squeezes it. He doesn’t say a word.
“Well, I…” I stop because I have no idea how to continue. What an odd situation. I’ve spent the past six months worrying about what will happen after I graduate. If there is a job out there for me. If I get to stay in Boston. If I get to work with what I love. And now that a job interview for a perfect job lands right on my lab, I’m afraid to take it.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” the Dean says and smiles. “The man you’re meeting is Mr. Blake Durst, the owner of Durst Inc. You’ve probably heard about the business. If not, I’d advise you to look it up before you meet him.”
He hands me a business card. “Here’s his contact info. You’ll get a call from his office to let you know when he can see you.”
He turns towards Marc who is still silent as the grave.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Arden,” he says and shakes his hand.