Your POV
It's hard to make out but it doesn't really matter honestly. The lab door opens. It's my boss and Miguel. What's he doing here?! "Oh good you're here. Alchemax plans to expand there medicinal department so they've come here to get information on certain plants that can be used in their medicines and foods. I'd like you to show Mr. O'hara a few things that could be useful. You are one of our best plus you describe things so well." He says trying to butter me up. Couldn't they have just done this over a video call? "Yes, sir." I say.
"Thank you, I'll leave you both to it." He says then leaves. "Hey." He says. "Hey." I say. It's silent for a moment. "So did you know about where I worked before I said anything?" I ask. "No but I did know about the expansion of our medicinal department. I wasn't expecting that it would lead me back to you." He says. "Well.... I'm glad it did. It's nice to see you again." I say.
"It's nice to see you again too." He says with a smile. "So um let's get to work. You need medicinal plants correct? Do you just want the information or do you just want me to give you the samples?" I ask. "I'd like you to tell me and show me. We can get the written information later." He says. "Okay." I say then turn to the table. "This is my favorite medicinal plant that grows in the winter. It's called rose hip. They have vitamin C, Vitamin E and, Vitamin A. They also have flavonoids, and are high in antioxidants, which support the immune system and help manage stress. They prevent and they also help with arthritis. They have way more Vitamin C than oranges. You can eat them raw but I think it's best if you just eat the pulp. You have to eat them when they're soft. They can be used in bread and pies, jam, jelly, marmalade, syrup, soup, tea, wine, and other beverages. But they shouldn't be ingested in big amounts." I say.
"That sounds great." He says. "I'm sorry if this bores you." I say. "No it's okay I find it fascinating really. I'm paying close attention. You really seem to like your job. You sound so enthusiastic talking about this." He says. "I really do like my job." I say. Peter never notices how much I liked my job.
He easily gets tired when I talk about work despite how well it goes. I eventually just stopped talking about it to him.
"Do you like your job?" I ask. "I do it's not exactly the most suspenseful or action packed job but I like it." He says. "That's okay as long as you enjoy it. Looking at plants through a microscope all day isn't exactly a thrilling job either." I say. "Technically we are both biologists so the job does sound fancy and cool." I say. He laughs. "That is true." He says.
Time skip
"How about we go get lunch together? It's lunch time so it's break time." He says. "That sounds good." I say. "Great I'll take you somewhere new. You said you practically only eat burgers and pizza so how about Chinese today? There's this amazing place that I think you'll really like. I'm thinking you'll like the wonton soup special. It comes with wonton soup, two spring egg rolls, and rice." He says. "That sounds good. I'm sure it'll taste great." I say. We leave the building and I can sense we're being watched but pay no mind there's so many people around here someone is bound to stare at you.
"So are we going to talk about winter pl-" He starts to say. "(Y/n)!" I hear Peter say. I look around and then see him. He comes up to us. "Hey." He says. "Hey." I say. He looks over to Miguel. "Who's your friend?" He asks.
"My name's Miguel. It's nice to meet you Peter. She talks about you quite a bit." He says. "Really I'm glad. So (Y/n) do you wanna go get burgers?" Peter asks. "Actually I'm going to lunch with Miguel." I say. "Huh?" He says. "We're working together so we might as well go to lunch together. He's a geneticist for Alchemax." I say.
He looks a bit confused. "So you both look at plants together." He says. Me and Miguel kind of side eye each other. "Technically yes but I thought you'd at least know a bit more about her job. We're both biologists we don't just look at plants." Miguel says. "Just leave it be Miguel that's all he'll need to know. He'll get bored if you go into detail and it'll just be a waste of time." I say.
Peter looks a bit offended. "I would not get bored." He says. "Then tell me what does (Y/n) do for her job?" Miguel says. "She looks and writes things down about plants." He says. "Is that it?" Miguel asks.
"Um... yes." Peter says. "How do you not know it's more than just that? She clearly likes her job more than what you just described." Miguel says. Is that all he knows? Does he even listen to a word I say when it comes to my love for botany. "Her job is so much more than that. She finds out which plants have medicinal properties? How can we help useful plants grow more efficiently? How can we control invasive species? What plants will be most beneficial to this soil, farm, or hillside? How do some plants survive extreme climates?
What strains of a given plant will produce the most food fiber for humans? What pollinators are most reliant on this plant?
What's the relationship between a given plant and another organism?" He says.
Peter seems to be staring off into space. Miguel looks at me. "Seriously?" He says. "I told you so. It's amazing how much you know about botany." I say. "Thanks. Your job is impressive." He says. "Being a geneticist is also impressive." I say. Peter looks down at his camera a bit sad.
"Your job is good too. You take pictures for the newspaper and people can see them." Miguel says trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah you're pictures are good and some people collect news articles with the pictures." I say. This probably doesn't really sound helpful coming from two biologists who make more money than him individually. "Yeah but it's not that special. You're discovering new things that can make cures and I'm just taking pictures of the city and people." He says saddened. I sigh.
"We have different career paths and that's okay. As long as you like your job that's all that matters." I say. "I guess, I'm gonna get going so you can talk about work and eat. I'll see you later." He says then walks off. "Sorry about that." Miguel says. "It's okay he'll get over it. I'll talk to him later."
TBC...
