A snort of laughter escapes me. The old man and I have been going back and forth for years over how I should address him, and it’s become our little joke.
“I’ve been meaning to call and thank you for recommending me to take over the keynote speech at the gala a couple of weeks ago. Not to mention the fact that I’ve been wondering how Rosemary is doing.”
“I can’t think of anyone else I would choose to take my place, so no thanks necessary. And Rosemary is doing quite well, all things considered,” he says, the smile in his voice evident. “I heard your keynote went well, yes? And how about your helmet project?”
My stomach warms. Dennis Madsen has been one of my heroes for years. Almost as much as Bob. It feels so good to hear he’s happy for me.
“The speech went very well, thanks. And you know how I struggle with public speaking, so that’s saying something.”
Dennis chuckles.
“And we’ll be putting the helmets into an actual gameplay situation later this week with the Sasquatch,” I say, a little flutter of pride floating around in my belly.
“That is wonderful, young man. From what I’ve seen, that helmet could revolutionize player safety for a whole new generation of athletes. You and your team should be very proud of yourselves.” I can hear the smile in his voice, and it warms my heart. “But that’s not why I called you today. I have something else I need to discuss with you,” he says, his tone serious.
“Oh, what’s going on?”
“Well, Ben, you and I have discussed a succession plan for my research and my lab when I’m ready to leave it. I know you’ve been quite interested in taking over when the time comes.”
“Right,” I say cautiously.
“So, it appears the time may be coming sooner than I’d planned. I need to start making arrangements for someone to assume responsibility for it as soon as possible.”
“Wait, what?” I say, surprised. “I thought you weren’t going to retire for at least five more years?”
“That was the plan, yes. But the universe apparently has other ideas,” he says, and my stomach sinks.
“You’re not—there’s nothing wrong, is there?”
“No, no, not with me. My health is fine. But the reason I needed to stay home with Rosemary during your gala was because her breast cancer has returned after all these years.”
“Oh, shit, Dennis, I’m so sorry.” Dennis’ wife, Rosemary, is like the other half of his whole. When I was living in Boston and he was my professor, she took it upon herself to be my stand-in mom, even though my parents visited regularly. She’s one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. I know she survived breast cancer many years ago, long before I met them, and the fact that it’s come back doesn’t sound good.
“Thank you, son. Fortunately, it’s a good news, bad news situation. Yes, the cancer has returned, but the good news is that it’s been caught early again, and they expect she’ll be fine. But she’s asked that I cut down my hours substantially. Not only while she’s going through treatment but afterwards. We always said we were going to travel, and we just haven’t done much. That’s my fault, and I want to make sure we get to do those things before it’s too late. This is a wake-up call for me. We’re both seventy now, and by the time she’s up to long trips again, we might be seventy-one or seventy-two. It’s time to slow down and try to see more of the world than just the inside of this lab.”
“Oh, Dennis. Wow, that’s huge news. I mean, I’m glad her prognosis is so good. It sounds like you’re making the right decision.”
“Yes. That much, I know. Cutting back on the work is surprisingly one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made. But of course, I will need to nominate someone to take over my lab. And Ben, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’d like to nominate you.”
“Oh, wow, I… Wow, that’s… I’m honored,” I say somewhat weakly as my mind spins. If Dennis had called with this news two months ago, I would have been over the moon with excitement. But things are… complicated now. There’s my equipment project with the Sasquatch, and of course, there’s Aleks.
“Now, I’m not the one who gets the final say in the matter. The university board holds all those cards. But from what I hear, your helmet trial out there with the Sasquatch is on their radar, and they’re impressed with both the science and the fact that you’ve been able to get a professional sports league to agree to participate. That’s been a roadblock for other researchers, as you’re aware. I would say that if you can close out that data collection phase of the trial without any major incidents or disruptions, you’ll be a shoo-in for the job.”
“Right, of course. I understand,” I say, feeling like I’m underwater. “That’s amazing, Dennis. I hardly know what to say.”
“It is sooner than we had planned, but I believe you’re ready for this now, Ben. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like your stepfather’s first few weeks on the new drug trial have been going well. I know he and your mom will be sad to see you leave the West Coast, but they’ll be damn proud of you as well.”
“Um, yes. Yeah. Yes, of course, they sure will. Wow, I’m just… Wow.”
Dennis can obviously tell there’s something not quite right with my reaction—the old man’s nearly as perceptive as my mother. “What is it, son?” I can hear the concern in his voice.
“No, nothing. Honestly, Dennis, I’m just blindsided. What kind of timing are you thinking about?”
“Well, like I said, I think if you can get the data collection phase covered while you’re there, you should be able to tackle the analysis in the lab here. I’ll leave the ultimate decision up to you, of course, but I would think that by early in the new year, you should be able to make the move, yes?”
“Yeah, no, I mean, yes, of course. That makes sense.”
“Now, timing-wise, there is a meeting of the board of trustees this week, and I think it would be extremely helpful if you could come out and attend it with me. I apologize for the short notice on that, but I think it will make a huge difference if they have the chance to meet you personally. Frankly, I think that will probably lock the whole thing down for you, and you’ll be able to make your plans.”
