“And in love,” Rooney adds. “They’re both intertwined.”
“Yes. Right,” I say. “Your first showcase is in less than four months. Let’s get you your spark back. I think a little perspective shift is needed. We’ll take classic fate moments, do them in real life, and observe what happens.”
Rooney pulls at the grounding strap on her wrist. “I don’t see how that’s going to work. Especially here of all places. You want to test fate… at NASA. I’m sure I’ll feel creative again soon. There’s still time.” She doesn’t sound very confident.
“Rooney, there’s no time to wait around for inspiration. Or fate, for that matter. NASA is literally where people come up with new ideas and make them happen. We’re in a room where spacecrafts get made,” I say, gaining enthusiasm as I go on. “You think we get to space by waiting until motivation strikes? No! It’s because we have an idea, a goal, a dream, and we make it happen. We form hypotheses, test them, and try different variations when the first time doesn’t work.” I’m breathless after my pep talk.
Rooney’s eyes are scrunched up. “I hear you. That was very convincing, but—”
“No buts. You were willing to play along in New York. Will you now?” I ask. “Do you trust me?”
She’s quiet, though I can tell Rooney is smiling by the way her cheeks push up over her mask. “Now you know all of my secrets, so yeah, I guess I do.” Rooney tilts her head back. “I’m doing this for both of us, though. I know how important this promotion is to you, and I’m not the only one who wants the program to be a success.”
“Yes. Great. Okay. We’ll keep it simple. Here’s the hypothesis,” I say excitedly, piecing the words together in my head. “If you follow these Fate Tests, then you will be reinspired.”
Rooney’s eyes are fixed on mine. “Where do we start?”
“Do you have the list from that night?” I ask. “If not, we can try to piece it back together.”
Rooney glances down at her sketchbook in my hands. “Check the back pocket.”
I reach into the attached folder and pull out the creased Chinese menu from our night together. In the corner is a splash of soy sauce that I hadn’t noticed earlier.
I unfold it, and for a brief moment, I’m back in that Chinese restaurant at midnight. I’m warm and eating dumplings while thesnow falls outside. I snap out of it and back to the present moment. I run my eyes down the list.
Fate Test 1: Say yes to something you normally wouldn’t.
Fate Test 2: Show up early or late to somewhere you’re supposed to be.
Fate Test 3: Return a lost object.
Fate Test 4: Interact with someone online.
Rooney peers over the edge of the menu. “This is a good start, but we need one more. Four is bad luck. What about ‘Follow the signs’?” she offers. “Like when I notice something that feels like a sign, to pay attention and… follow it?”
“That’s too abstract. What about directions and knowingly not following them? Like with maps. Something like that?” I think out loud.
“Yeah, that’s not bad.” Rooney points at me. “You might be a little too good at this, Jack.”
On the menu, below Fate Test 4, I write:
Fate Test 5: Go the wrong direction on purpose.
“Now what?” Rooney asks.
I smile. “Follow me.”
Rooney stays where she is and narrows her eyes at me. “Is this part of the test? Should I walk in the opposite direction of you?”
I shake my head and wave the menu. “I can’t rip this in the clean room. Fibers from the paper and all that. Come on.”
Her curiosity gets the best of her. “Rip? Rip what?” Rooney asks as she traces my steps.
“After you,” I say, opening the door to the air shower. “We’re going into the shower together. Air shower! That’s where we’re going together. That’s not how I meant that to sound.” My face feels as hot as the sun. “I apologize if I made that weird.”
Rooney bursts into laughter. Her laugh is as easy and loose as it was in New York. That night is a memory I’ve sealed shut in the airlock room of my mind. A place where no other thoughts can touch or alter it. That night is its own standalone event. So out of the ordinary for my life that it requires careful handling because it’s once in a lifetime.
“I’m going, I’m going. Just promise you’ll share the hot air.” She steps inside the enclosed room.
