Raw Data by Pernille Rørth

Author:Pernille Rørth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Chapter 13

Spring will soon be here. She can feel the promise of it. This morning was cold, with frost in the air. Now, at mid-day, it is still chilly, but the sun is strong whenever it shows itself. Turning a corner, she feels the warm sunlight on her wind-blown face. She also sees her apartment building up ahead, its stark concrete facade not yet softened by leaves in the trees out front. Only a couple of blocks to go now. Her legs are tired, but they still obey her. A satisfying awareness of the muscles in her thighs and calves has been with her the last couple of miles. Before that she had the magic miles of flying, soaring, feeling free and strong. She could go on forever.

Reaching her building, Chloe starts her stretches while still outside. Going inside immediately would be stifling. Too warm, not enough air, not enough space. Better to stay in the open, unconstrained air. Two winter-wrapped women with baby-strollers walk by, glancing at her as they pass. A different species, they are. She continues stretching until the sudden cooling of her skin tells her that the sun is in hiding again.

She climbs the stairs at a measured pace, noting, as last time, the minor differences at each floor. During the past month she has seen more of this building in daylight than all of the previous 4 years combined. It lacks the charm of sharing a house in Cambridge or Sommerville, like some of the other postdocs do. But it is adequate. And she can keep herself to herself. No busybody housemates. The spare neutrality is starting to get to her, though. It is not an interesting place.

Apartment 4-07 is a small one bedroom, with a kitchenette nestled off in the corner of the living room. Once inside, Chloe takes a bottle of cold water from the fridge, pours and drains, one glass after another. There are few pleasures as basic, as satisfying, as cold water after a long run. It is something to be appreciated. That, and the post-run purring of her body for the next hour or two. She sheds her running clothes and steps into the shower. The water is almost scalding to her still-cold fingers. After a moment, she relaxes and enjoys the water rolling over her shoulders, back, legs, arms, face. She keeps turning up the heat, bit by bit, as her body adjusts. Finally it is hot enough. She turns off the tap and reaches for a towel to wrap her red-splotched body before it cools again.

For the afternoon, her plan is to work on the review article and the grant. With lunch in hand and a cup of tea, she settles down at her desk. She should finish up the review first, she thinks. It has been in the works for a while now. She wants to get it completely ready for when Tom comes around and things return to normal. Most days, she is eager to get going on her first RO1 grant application, instead.

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