All I Want for Christmas is a Ph.D.

December 31st

DeeDee sat at her desk. Her email inbox opened on her computer. She was staring at multiple offers from some of the schools she visited. Baylor, Texas A&M, Arizona State and two more in California - Berkeley and UC Davis.

They all wanted her. She couldn't believe it. All that worry and for nothing. Now, the biggest decision she needed to make was where to go. It sucked that she couldn't even tell her friends -- friend. And Erik, she had been trying to tell him but never could.

She went straight to work and home, and barely found the time to text him back most days. DeeDee missed him. A lot. And there was so much she wanted to say but she still wasn't sure how to navigate their situation.

Her phone rang and she smiled as she picked it up. "Hey Mama!"

"Hey Baby. How are you?"

"I'm good. Just thinking."

"Well, I'm glad everything is alright. Nobody heard from you after you left on Christmas. Wanted to make sure you was good."

"Yeah, I dealt with Phyllis and Beverly on Saturday."

"How did that go?"

"Our friendship is over."

"Beverly, too, huh?"

"I know and it sucks that it had to be that way." She huffed, "All I wanted was their support. They should have been the first ones cheering me on instead of holding my career against me."

"Don't worry about them. It is their issue and not yours." Miss Carrie went on, "You just love them from afar. It's all you can do."

"I know, I know."

"You heard from Erik?"

"No. Well not exactly."

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened. We just haven't had time to talk to one another."

"He doesn't or you don't?"

"Me. But I mean I have been texting him."

"Texting? Girl, if you don't give that man a call."

"I have. I promise you that I have." She shrugged, "We just keep missing one another."

"Uh huh. Then go to him."

"Mama. About that." DeeDee twirled around in her chair, "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course, baby. What's on your mind?"

---

Erik spent the morning in his office looking over the final paperwork for the Science Mentorship program. While he was gone two more schools signed up to offer the opportunity to their students. He looked at his phone for the twelfth time in 20 minutes. DeeDee said she would call him today at 3. And he failed to have her tell him what timezone.

It had been three days, three long days. He missed her call when he first got back home. And when he finally called, she wasn't available to talk. His only contact with her had been their usual good morning text messages. They kept missing each other and he was over it. When he texted her in the morning, he asked her to let him know a good time to talk. She said 3.

Erik just wanted to hear her voice. He didn't think that he would miss her so much. He was sitting at lunch with T'Challa and just picked at his steak.

"What's bothering you, Erik?"

"I have found the woman for me, and she may be afraid to move forward with our relationship." He shrugged.