2. Ellie
In the massive conference hall, I’m greeted by a sea of faces in all directions. A few people I recognize wave as I walk through the main atrium of Coronation Hall, but most are smiling strangers.
Funnily enough, in college, I worked as a banquet server in halls like these to make up for what my scholarship couldn’t cover. And now I’m here myself. Not clearing tables but speaking to the luminaries sitting at them.
I take my seat on the stage, and the President of the World Reproductive Medicine Consortium, Dr. Drake Von Stewart, begins talking over the sounds of silverware.
“I’m pleased to present our plenary speaker, whom you’ve no doubt heard of.”
I can’t see the audience through the bright lights, but I hear a vociferous applause that makes me nervous. I hope I don’t disappoint them. I take advantage of the noise and clear my throat just in case.
“She deserves all of your applause and more.”
I smile and shake my head, my face getting hotter than the stage lights.
“Her research on reproductive medicine has been groundbreaking,” Dr. Stewart continues. “The discoveries she’s making in the processes of conception and gene-editing research are helping more people all over the world live healthy, full lives. I’m thrilled to have her. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Eleanora Lawson.”
I’m not used to big crowds, so when I’m in their sights, it’s an out-of-body experience. I chose reproductive medicine and research to hide away in my lab and only interact with patients one-on-one. But it seems life had other plans.
Since I published my gene-editing findings, the medical community, the press, and hopeful parents have been calling nonstop. I”m not used to it, but as a Black woman, I appreciate the positive recognition even if the attention is a bit more than I”m used to.
“Thank you.” The sound of my voice booming in the room startles me. I look out and feel a surge of breath go in. “I know this room very well. As a child, I came here with my mother, Mathilde, who for decades served King Francis as a secretary. This hall…”
I stretch my arms outward at the podium. “...Hosted so many parties and ceremonies. There were Coronations. Investitures. State dinners. Even an ice-skating rink for the princes at one time. But shhh…” I hold a finger to my mouth. “That’s classified.”
The audience laughs.
“But the most special affairs were reserved for the babies. Baptisms, christenings, adoptions. Children represent the best among us. They’re a new beginning. A chance to start the world over. So, to speak about reproductive medicine here, where I saw so many children pass through and spent time with my beloved mother, is a distinct honor.”
I inch back from the microphone to collect my thoughts. I wish she were here. But I know she’s proud.
“I can hear her advice now. ‘Ellie, it’s important to choose a career that makes you happy. But also one that leaves the world a happier place.’ And that’s the work that we do every day.”
I look around the room, seeing bright, attentive faces. “She was a single mother, but that was her most important job. And the most important job for me every day, and for all of us, is to make people happier, whether it’s keeping them healthy or helping them build families.”
Eventually, I’ll be one of those families.Sooner rather than later. Whether I have a husband yet or not, I’m about to get started. That’s part of the reason I’m here in Solvaria, I think to myself. To start the process with the best specialists in the field.
Sure, love would be nice. But I don’t have the time for it.
I talk about the profession and my research, along with the case studies of women who became capable of carrying pregnancies.
I had no idea when I was first invited how I would fill the forty minutes. But when I feel like I’m finally getting into the groove, after what I suspect is five minutes, I realize we’re nearing the end of the session. It’s time for questions and answers, and my speech comes to a close.
A few people at the foot of the stairs down the stage try to talk to me, and I thumb the business cards in my suit pocket. I doubt I’ll be able to talk to them all without missing the afternoon sessions.
“Dr. Lawson, your talk was phenomenal.” It’s Stella Weiss, the Dean of the University of Solvaria School of Medicine, one of my heroes.
“Dr. Weiss, thank you so much. You’re an inspiration –”
A man in a suit rushes past her, practically elbowing her out of the way. “Excuse me, Dr. Lawson. A word?”
Both of our mouths open in shock. The man holds out an embossed envelope gilt in gold leaf. “King Francis requests an audience with you.”
I open the invitation in stunned silence.
“Tomorrow at noon?” I ask, not quite believing my eyes.
“Yes, at the palace. Will you accept?”
“Yes. I will. How do I RSVP?”
“You just did, Doctor.” The man bows and leaves as quickly as he came. I try to make conversation, but all I can think about is the fact that I’ll be at the palace tomorrow, not as staff but as an ‘honored dignitary,’ to borrow the language of the invitation.
The King takesa step back and beams. “Ellie! Ellie, let me look at you.”
It sinks in that I’m really in his private meeting space, which I usually only saw through the small opening when the door swung to let someone in. A few times, Ricky and I would hide behind Mom’s desk to give her a scare. The time-outs, if you can even call it that, were more than worth it.
Several homes could fit inside the airy space. The yellow walls accent the rich blue rugs perfectly, and the furniture gleams silk and gold. A feast that could serve twenty calls out from a large table by the wall, and I swivel my head looking for other guests. I get goosebumps when I realize it’s just me.
“I swear, I almost called you Mathilde,” King Francis says, welcoming me into a hug.
I flinch a little bit at hearing my mother’s name. It’s so strange to be in this place without her here. It felt like a second home in childhood, especially the freedom I had when I was just one of the kids. That was before I realized they were kids who owned a country, and I was a kid whose mother served them.
I’m sure they could sense the difference once I discovered it, or once they did. Especially Ricky. But he probably doesn’t even remember me now.
“It’s so good to be around someone who remembers my mom. Sometimes she exists so much in my head, without talking about her, that she feels imaginary.”
King Francis closes his eyes. “No, she was far from imaginary. She was an incredible person.”
She died two years ago of a sudden pulmonary embolism, instantly yet painlessly. I miss her every day.
“Here, come, sit.” The King gestures toward a light blue settee next to a coffee table. The furniture looks like it should be in a museum rather than holding up my humble butt. Or not-so-humble, thank God. Something else I inherited from my mother.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
His nostrils flare from across the coffee table in his own luxurious seat. I’m afraid I’ve broken protocol. “Ellie. You’re family. Please. Francis.”
The blood rushes to my head. “No. Really?”
“Yes. By royal edict.”
I give him a puzzled look.
“I’m a royal, and it’s my edict.”
Question answered, then.
“I guess I’ll just have to call you your name in that case, Your Majesty.” I grin at the King. Like hell I’m gonna call him Francis.
“Already in violation!” He gives the rakish smile that always persuaded my mother to do one last errand or make one more call declining an invitation from Lord Snootishire or Baron Von Boring.
He takes a moment just looking at me, sizing me up, and I’m sure comparing me to my mother. Although it’s for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Am I not dressed appropriately? I’ve never been good at knowing those things.
“There are so many memories of coming here with my mother.” I look around at the room and point.
“She’d be so proud of you, you know. All that you’ve accomplished.”
“You think so?” I can feel my entire face arc into my smile.
“I know so, Ellie. She was always talking about your achievements. How you earned a perfect score on the medical entrance exam. That fellowship that you got, where you were picked out of a group of 10,000.”
“Well, they gave out a few fellowships…”
“It’s an achievement. And it’s one my son didn’t even attain.” He raises his eyebrows, and I can’t believe there’s something I’ve accomplished that one of his children hasn’t. “And with your research, you’ve accomplished more than some people in a lifetime.”
My eyes widen. “You know my research?”
The King snorts. “I have very thorough information-gathering. Anyone connected to the royal family, we keep tabs. With you, it’s just awards and accolades. You work in reproductive medicine, yes?”
I shift in my seat, not sure if I should ask why he brought me here exactly. The King must have a purpose to everything he does, right? So what purpose could there possibly be for me making chit chat with the most powerful leader in Solvaria?
He must be able to sense my uneasiness.
“Are you hungry, dear?” He snaps his fingers, and two attendants come. “Please get me and Ms. Lawson luncheon.”
They nod and march over to the table, where they begin to let out a cornucopia.
The King turns back to me. “Your mother had an incredible work ethic. You get that from her. Yet she made sure that she was with you. Well, unless I kept her overtime.”
He flashes the megawatt smile again. “But tell me about you. Do you have time for outside pursuits? Social pursuits?”
“I try, especially with charitable causes. But you know… the life of a doctor.”
He sighs. “Unfortunately. If you ask my son, medicine is the only life he needs. Actually, no.” He shakes his head. “Medicine is his wife. And I don’t like it. Doesn’t have time for his father, either.”
“It’s hard. I haven’t even been back to Solvaria since…well…” Since the funeral two years ago. I”m desperate to change the subject. “Which of your sons is the physician?”
He looks at me as if I’ve asked what planet we live on.
“Cedrick. Of course.”
“I forgot that that”s his real name. He”s always just Ricky to me.” My heart jumps at using his nickname. “I”ve worked with his charity, actually. But it didn”t dawn on me until later that it was him.”
“And what did you think?”
Is this a lunch or a job interview?Maybe he misses my mother so much, he wants to employ her offspring to write his royal orders and sign his royal name.
“Of the charity? They do amazing work.”
I can”t quite gauge the look King Francis gives me, as if he”s expecting me to say more. As if he”s weighing my answers. As if this is a test, and I”m not sure whether I”m failing miserably or passing by the skin of my teeth.
“Does your career leave any room for a life of your own? What about a family one day?”
“Well, that”s actually one of the reasons I”m here…”
His face is a question mark. “To have a family? Do you have a…”
“No, no, just me. I”m starting fertility treatments. I want to make sure I have children, regardless of whether a suitable candidate for a father comes along.”
“Interesting. Interesting. You’re a wise girl, considering my boys have all kicked and screamed every step of the way to the altar.” He has a sly expression. “But their father has some tricks up his sleeve. It’s good to start.”
He winks. “And in the meantime? What occupies your day besides the drudgery of patients? I cannot imagine… all of that… contact…”
“It may sound silly…”
“I don’t think gibberish could sound silly coming from you, Dr. Lawson.” He crinkles his face in a smile.
“Hey, if I have to call you Francis, you have to call me Ellie.”
The King shakes his head slowly. “That’s fair. You run a tight ship, just like your mother.”
“My mother bossed you around?”
The King thinks. “Mathilde didn’t boss me around, so much as she always commanded respect. Like you. But your mom pushed herself so hard. I’m sure you do, too. You deserve a real life, my dear.”
“Well, the thing I really like, actually, is working on my garden.” I fold my hands. “Any garden, really. Just watching things grow, making things beautiful.”
King Francis stands and motions for me to follow him to an enormous window. I gasp at the riot of color outside..
Ribbons of dark green hedges march around lilacs, then wind through the lilies, and finally snake toward a fountain with a statue of the King in the middle.
“That’s incredible. Thank you for showing me.”
“Oh, you’ve barely seen anything. We have so many gardens.” He gets an odd look on his face, which looks healthier than I expected considering I heard of his stroke last year. “But don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you very soon.”
I try to keep my face unmoving, so he doesn’t see my uneasiness at the proposition. He’s expecting me to withstand this again? Getting poked and prodded at the clinic sounds preferable to this. I still don’t know why I’m here today, much less why I’d need another aimless meeting with the King.
“You’ll come again, won’t you? Make an old man happy?”
I nod, bewildered. I have no idea what he means. All I know is if I have to do this again, I might exile myself and move to the spot in the world that’s the farthest away from Solvaria.