Road Trip to Nina
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to existing persons or events is accidental. It's set quite a few years ago, before cell phones were a thing. Characters portrayed were of consenting age.
I was a grad student at the time, doing Ph.D. research in a university lab. Nina was a senior undergraduate who'd been working with us for the year. I didn't work directly with her, and didn't know her outside of the lab, but everyone--including me--liked having her around. She seemed the perky sorority sister type--a little too perky for my taste, to be honest, probably a habit from her high school cheerleading days--but in fact was hard-working, smart, and fun. And attractive, too. Though no model, she took care in her appearance, always tastefully dressed, if rather conservatively. Her shoulder length blond hair framed a broad, pleasant, expressive face with blue eyes, and a cute little nose. Medium height, maybe 5'4", very slightly on the plump side, with substantial breasts and ample curves evident even under the austere cover. As much as I enjoyed having her as a colleague, my observations suggested she was a bit high strung, a neat freak, and a little uptight about everything, admittedly not unusual characteristics among the researchers I knew. She often sported an amused smirk that suggested a superior air, but it was leavened with enough light-hearted banter, and even the occasional surprise curse, that it never seemed offensive.
I was writing my dissertation, getting ready to move on to the next thing. She was ready to move up also, having been accepted to some good graduate programs around the country, and in that weighty moment of decision--which to choose? One of the places she really favored had accepted her, but hadn't offered to fly her in, and she wanted to visit before deciding. I don't remember how it came about, but somehow, I wound up volunteering (drafted?) to drive her there. Seemed like a useful diversion from the stress of trying to finish up my work, and an interesting place to see. In any event, she arranged the itinerary and covered the cost, and I provided the car and driver. Her plan was to get there, crash in a hotel for the night, then spend the next day visiting the facilities, and meeting with students and faculty members, leaving maybe a few hours to explore the city before heading back the morning after. Three days away from work sounded good to me at that point, and I figured I could check out the city while she was interviewing.
I had never thought of her as anything but a young colleague, but six hundred miles and more than ten hours in the car gave us more time to talk than ever we'd done before. Of course we discussed the work we were doing in the lab. But she moved on to describe her goals and hopes and tossed a lot of questions my way. I felt under qualified to be an advisor, having only a few paltry years experience on her, but did my best to support her quest. Amongst other things, she reminded me that she'd been a student in the freshman biology lab that I had taught (embarrassingly I didn't remember that). We also laughed through discussions of our love lives. She made plain that even though she enjoyed dating, she had no interest in romantic entanglements, always keeping her guys at arm's length. I was left with the clear understanding that she had no interest in hooking up with anyone, and assumed she wanted to make that clear. It certainly seemed to fit with my observations of the way she interacted with people. She quizzed me and I confessed how painful the breakup of a long-term relationship had been a couple of years earlier. But then she teased me about my dalliances with fellow grad students in the department since.
"You seem to have had plenty of women friends. You're kind of a slut, Andy."
"What are you talking about?!?"
"Uhhh Karen? Joyce? Rebecca? Darla? Who am I forgetting?"
I chuckled but that shut me up; I didn't want to go there. How did she know about all that? Sure I'd slept with several women in the Department but I didn't talk about it. We grad students were all working sixty or seventy hours a week in the lab and socializing together when the opportunity arose. Who else were we going to meet? And we were in that liminal space in our lives, exploring, looking for we didn't really know what, with few other outlets. Still, it
was
a small world--and clearly those affairs had been less private and the subject of more gossip in the department than I had realized.
We were tired by the time we checked-in at the hotel, and I think both a bit shocked to discover they'd given us a room with a king bed instead of the two doubles she thought she had reserved. I was ready to leave to look for another hotel but, to my surprise, Nina just shrugged it off and said, "I trust you. You'll be a gentleman, right?" So, we went out to grab some fast food, and after a short interlude staring at the TV, she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I was surprised again when she climbed into bed wearing only a slightly loose, sleeveless undershirt, clearly nothing underneath, and panties. I said nothing but got caught with my eyes stuck in the wrong place.
"What!?! I forgot to pack pajamas. Haven't you ever seen a girl before?"
"Ohhh...sorry."
She didn't really seem offended, and I laughed it off, took my turn in the bathroom, then climbed in to bed opposite her, wearing a t-shirt and boxers. I didn't even own pajamas, normally slept naked, and frankly found even this uncomfortable. But there I was, lying on my side facing her back, carefully respecting her space.
"I hope my snoring doesn't keep you awake," I said.
She laughed. "It better not, buster!"
I managed to doze off and sleep soundly. I didn't even hear her get up in the morning to shower.
She was eager to get to the campus, so I quickly got myself around. We stopped only long enough for a coffee before I dropped her off, a few minutes early. She had a full day scheduled, and we agreed to meet at the end of the day. I went back to the hotel, crashed for a while, then cleaned up, and went out to explore the city, looking for promising places to hang out in the evening. I found a nice public area along the river for lunch, not far from the university, with a selection of shops and restaurants that seemed a pleasant place to wander and have a sit-down meal. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and exploring, losing track of time, realizing almost too late it was time to pick up Nina, I had to rush back to campus.
Fortunately, she ran later than me. When she finally climbed in the car, it was clear that she'd had a great visit; she was flushed with excitement and couldn't stop talking about it.
"They're everything I've been looking for, and the faculty were so nice!"
"Sounds like maybe you've made a decision."
"I think so!"
We stopped at the hotel so she could refresh herself and change before we headed out for dinner. She emerged from the bathroom in a simple, short-sleeved black dress, cut lower than anything I'd seen her in before, that somehow emphasized her bust. With bare legs and flat sandals, it was a distinctly more casual vibe for her, but her carefully coiffed hair and makeup left an air of elegance. I only had jeans but put on a clean shirt with buttons to keep up as best I could. She laughed.
I took her to the area along the river and we strolled a bit before she pointed out one of the restaurants.
"Somebody mentioned this place! They said it was great; we should try it."
"Alright! Let's do it."
We were soon seated at an outdoor, covered table overlooking the tranquil river sipping a drink, while Nina continued to talk excitedly about how perfect the place seemed to be. After describing her day at length, she finally summed it up.
"The lab I was most interested in has openings for students. They just got another grant that will be starting this summer. And I really liked the guy who would be my mentor. The people in the lab seemed happy with him. I think he's like a younger Conrad (our mentor, kind of a legendary personality, widely loved, and respected). I think it would be a perfect fit. Of course, I'd have to convince him to take me in the lab."
I held out my glass for a toast. "Well, here's to a successful visit! You're a great student, Nina, they'd be lucky to have you. We should celebrate!"
