literature

The Lab

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An older Dexter reconciles with an old friend...or at least tries to.The Lab Cover Art by Oceanblue-Art


  Dee Dee stretched backstage during her company's final showing of Swan Lake. She only had a supporting role, but it was no easier on her toes! She'd already gone through two pairs of shoes and the first act wasn't over yet. As her time to appear onstage crept closer, her phone rang. It was her brother. 
  "Hello?" she answered. "Dee Dee," he answered, "I'm in trouble."
  "What is it this time, Dexter?" she said, rolling her eyes, "It's almost time for me to go on." 
  "He's here," he said. 
  "Let me guess," she said, "He got a job in your department and you have to work together. Oh, woe is you!" 
  "No! Well, yes, but... okay, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need you to help me out here. I just wanna know what makes him tick, you know? You used to know him pretty well, and I haven't seen him since middle school!"
  "Dexter, that was six years ago! And it was the worst decision I ever made!" 
  "But you still know more about him than I do!"
  "Dexter, it's almost time for me to go on. Figure it out yourself." 

  Maybe he's changed. Maybe he's nicer. Humph, maybe he's not so smug anymore. Maybe he's even- 
  "Oh, hello, Man-" 
  "Hello, Dexter. Oh, and it's M.D. now." 
  Or maybe he's gotten even worse. 
  "Oh, what's that stand for? Military Duck?"
  M.D. blinked. "I see you've gotten even more awkward. I didn't think that was possible." 
  Oh, this is going to be fun. 
  Dexter attempted to cut the tension with small talk, something he hated. "So," he said, "How'd you start working here?" 
  "I used to work at Western but there were some budget cuts." 
  "Oh, that's too bad."  
  M.D. gave him a condescending look. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work. It'd be better for the both of us if we just left each other alone." 
  He made to take leave of him, but Dexter stopped him. "No! We can't!" he said, "I'm not gonna lie to you, I'd like that very much, but this place is too small for us to be able to ignore each other!"
  "Well, guess what? This is me ignoring you."
  He made to take leave of him again, but Dexter stopped him again, but in a way that was probably uncalled for. "It's about the scholarship, isn't it?" 
  That succeeded in making him stop in his tracks. "I was waiting for you to bring that up." 
  "It's not worth holding a grudge, M.D."
 That succeeded in offending him. "That was my dream, Dexter!" he snapped. "And you knew it was! That was the best science school in the state! I devoted so much of my time trying to qualify and you won the scholarship by writing a dinky little essay in a day! It's really not fair, you know. Before you came along I was the best and the brightest. I was still the best after you came though, I knew it, because you were born lucky, having such a remarkable mind by nature, while I knew all the things I knew because I studied and did hard work and gained my intelligence by self-initiative. And I was still unrecognized. I went from odd job to odd job while you got all of the recognition that I deserved! So, yes, I have every right to hold a grudge." He then remembered something. "Or maybe I shouldn't. Maybe you're not as perfect as you think you are." 
  Dexter knew exactly what he was playing at. "Don't. You. Dare..."
  "At least I didn't... you know... kill my dog..."
  "It was an accident!" 
  Dexter looked at M.D. He had Dexter exactly where he wanted him. "What I meant to say was that there was nothing I could do to stop it."
  "Oh, really?" said M.D., getting more and more smug. "I think you knew the radiation from your lab was going to take a toll on your poor dog's immune system."
  "No! I didn't know! It was a mistake!"
  "A mistake... so you admit that you're imperfect..."
  "You're not so perfect either, Mr. Proposed-On-The-First-Date! Yes, my sister told me all about it; that's why you want people to call you by your initials, because when people say your real name you hear the sweet voice of the first and only girl you ever loved!" 
  "That's it! That is the last -"
  "STOP!"
  They froze. A throng of students stared at them in disbelief as the principal gave them the death stare. She was their boss: the principal of East End High School. 
  "How long have you been there, Mrs. Carter?" Dexter sheepishly asked. 
  "The whole time," she sternly answered. "I think what both of you fail to realize is that you are both lowly high school physics teachers. It wouldn't have mattered if either of you went to the science high school." 
  The students broke out in laughter. "Are you embarrassed?" she said. They both nodded. "Well," she replied, "Then you'll be utterly humiliated when you two have to proctor Saturday detention for the rest of the year." 
An older Dexter reconciles with an old friend...or at least tries to.
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