Fresh Air

I took a steadying breath, the plastic cup held just in front of my mouth, my finger extended just under my nose. My head pounded in time with Dr. Kim’s chewing, the overcooked hamburger bouncing around inside his mouth like a tire in the maw of a Great White. I watched the gray meat roll across his tongue, the smell of melted fat and char trailing moments behind his voice.

"I lost money on you, you know," the rotund astrophysicist continued as I attempted to circle upwind of the man, the gentle breeze making it all but impossible. "No one thought you'd show."

I nodded, sipped my water, and used the opportunity to transfer a bit more of the mint-scented cream from my finger to my nose. I breathed in deeply, savoring the fresh scent. I looked past the fat man and over the shrub-lined fence at the far side of the grassy meeting area. The sun was setting over a vast expanse of sand lightly dotted with vegetation, the sky a radiant blend of oranges and reds that pierced my skull, intensifying the pounding behind my eyes.

“I'm not one for gatherings.”

His laughter was explosive, sending shrapnel of meat arcing toward me, "That's an understatement."

I frantically pulled a napkin from the stash in my pocket and started wiping the meat off of myself as quickly as I could, acid burning the back of my throat and nose. I gulped down another swallow of water, fighting to maintain my focus on the scientist as I felt the ground momentarily lurch in time with my stomach.        

"So," I continued, looking around for a trashcan, "I hear you've been making progress."

The fat man puffed, "So you heard, huh? Who was it? Robinson? I bet it was him. Man talks incessantly." He winked at me conspiratorially, "Tell you what, you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

"Mine?"

"Yeah, yours. We never see you. Look at this place," as he spoke he waved his hamburger around, my hand rushing to my nose and mouth to smother the odor of dead animal. "This is the first time we've been above ground since they brought us here in those black helicopters. We're surrounded by the largest telescopic array on the planet, in the middle of nowhere, and you're always in your office. We work all the time and we have no one to socialize with but each other. I've been pushing for more social events. Meet 'n' greets. And this is the first one you've attended. Hell, some around here didn't even think you existed. Or they thought you came with the facility." He took another huge bite of his burger and I looked away, "What's your deal?" his words came out muffled through the food.

I glanced behind me at the hedgerow lining the fence that marked the perimeter of the makeshift meeting area. The green landscaping looked out of place among all the sand dunes, the grass still exhibiting the faint rectangular outlines of freshly laid sod. The only structures that looked more incongruous were the large white satellite dishes, all facing in the same direction, placed evenly as far as the eye could see. "Deal? Nothing. I just work a lot."        

He waved, launching a fresh wave of burnt muscle toward me, "That's just it. What do you do?"

Dr. Kim had me backed up to the hedge. The bushes had enough of a fragrance to block the worst of the barbeque aroma that was wafting from the other end of the grassy area. Scientists and researchers were sprinkled around like maggots on a rotting carcass, straws like probosci pierced their cups as they noisily slurped water and other beverages to combat the dry air. Most were standing, but a few had brought blankets and were taking advantage of this rare downtime to lounge in the open air. I'd seen the memo - the petition - circulating. A team-building event. A picnic. A chance for fresh air. Most of the staff were too focused on their work and careers to have families, and the rest had been forced to leave them behind. None of them knew where we were.