by David Harp
Chapter 51
Katerina
Brian gazed skyward, awestruck by the giant sequoias along the Crescent Meadow Trail. A few were over two thousand years old, nearly three hundred feet tall, and one hundred feet in circumference. Hazy rays of sunlight pierced the forest canopy, peppering the ground like spotlights on an enormous stage. Even compared with the many remarkable events in Brian’s life, none of it equaled the sense of wonder he found in Sequoia National Park.
It was his first assignment for the ORION Institute following graduation. The journey began yesterday in San Francisco where he attended an environmental conference.
Today’s excursion was a last-minute addition to the schedule. Claude asked Brian to meet with a representative from the Sierra Club to dispel rumors concerning the Institute’s development of genetically modified plants. Traffic noise outside the hotel last night kept Brian awake, and the long winding drive from San Francisco left him tense.
The Cedar Grove Lodge stored his luggage when he arrived at the park while he went for a hike to unwind on a nearby trail. As a well-equipped group of hikers overtook him, he asked where they were headed.
“Mount Whitney,” they replied.
“How far?” he asked.
“Sixty miles,” an older woman answered as they marched out of sight.
A few minutes later, Brian came upon a young woman sitting alone on a log bench overlooking Crescent Meadow. She was watching two deer at the base of the trees on the far side.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she asked without turning toward him. Brian heard her voice, but didn’t understand the words.
“Excuse me?” he asked.
She turned around and looked directly at him, “I said the meadow is beautiful isn’t it.”
Maybe it was the effects of altitude or the long drive, but Brian was tongue-tied.
“Uh,” he swallowed, took a deep breath and tried again. “Uh, uh,” but was still unable to produce a single intelligible word.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “I shouldn’t have disturbed your walk.”
With his face flushed with embarrassment, Brian closed his eyes and struggled to speak. “No!” The word came out loud and blunt.
He tried again. “You didn’t disturb me, and yes it is beautiful,” he said. Brian knew it wasn’t the altitude or the drive which left him speechless. It was her distinctively beautiful appeal. She was the most enchanting woman he had ever met, from her auburn hair with wild streaks of gold to her rainbow-colored eyes, her creamy peach complexion, infectious smile, and quirky dimples. She looked so unusual and yet familiar.
“Hello Brian, I’m Katie.”
“Uh,” Brian was speechless again. This is crazy, he thought. How did she know my name? She smiled and pointed to his name tag still prominently displayed from the environmental conference in San Francisco.
“Ohhhhhhhhhh,” he said. “I’m Brian,” he said like an adoring groupie.
“I know,” she said with a shake of her head and a laugh.
It was a melodious laugh. “Come sit down,” she said while patting the seat beside her.
“How do you know you’re safe with me?” Brian teased. “I could be a dangerous man.”
“Really?” she said. “I’m pretty good at reading people. I’m sure you aren’t dangerous.”
Brian said, “I don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”
The next hour was one of the most pleasant Brian could remember. They laughed at each other’s jokes and shared common interests, especially a mutual love of nature. Brian gazed into her eyes. Her voice relaxed him like a warm embrace. It was as if they had known each other from birth, but when Brian mentioned the ORION Institute, Katie abruptly stood up as if she realized or remembered something important.
“I have an appointment. It was nice talking to you.”
“Which way are you going?” Brian asked. “I’ll walk you back.”
“No thanks, I know the way.”
“How can I contact you? I don’t know your last name. Could I get a phone number or something?” Brian was concerned, afraid he might not see her again.
“Maybe I’ll see you around,” she said.
Brian was miserable during the hike back to the lodge. What did I say? What did I do? I thought we hit it off.
He finished checking into his room and reviewed some notes. The Sierra Club was adamantly opposed to genetic engineering, so an unpleasant meeting seemed an inevitable but appropriate ending to a disappointing day.
The Institute travel office had scheduled a dinner get-together with a Dr. Marglova for 6 P.M. at the Cedar Lodge Restaurant. At least I’ll get a good meal, he thought.
Brian was anticipating dinner reservations at a nice restaurant similar to the one he enjoyed in San Francisco, but arrived to find a snack bar in the lodge market. He wondered what else could go wrong while waiting in a cold empty booth, expecting an unreasonable old man to appear at any moment.
His pulse raced when he saw Katie enter the market. He stood up and called to her, “Katie. Over here!”
She walked to where he was sitting, extended her hand and said in a very emotionless tone, “Doctor Katerina Marglova.”
Brian’s face turned stone cold. He glared back at her and asked, “You’re not serious. Are you kidding?”
“You’re the one playing games. You throw the dice every time a plant is genetically engineered, and it’s all for greed!”
“That’s not who we are. That’s not what we do.” Brian’s voice was calm and steady, but his hands were shaking. Then he gave Dr. Marglova a sealed packet of five seeds along with the paper he prepared explaining the Institute’s biodiversity project.
“This packet contains Sigillaria, Lepidodendron, and three other viable seeds for species which have been extinct for three hundred million years. The Institute has recovered over four hundred formerly extinct plant species and haven’t copyrighted a single one nor made a penny from it.”
“Why should I believe you?” she asked. “These could be seeds from common plants.”
“I don’t expect you to trust me. Have them studied and tested in a protected environment and read my paper. We’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
Brian clinched his jaw, trying to hide his disappointment as he walked away. In a single afternoon, he’d met the girl of his dreams and found out she was a nightmare. He felt like an abused child. He wanted to go home.
Two months later, Dr. Phillip Warren called to ask if the Institute was willing to host a team of scientists from the Sierra Club. Claude was ecstatic.
“Good job Brian! The Sierra Club was very impressed with your presentation. I’d like you to coordinate a two-day visit for five of their top science advisors. Be sure to include a complete tour. We need to convince them our motives are altruistic and we have the scientific expertise to handle this level of environmental technology.”
Claude handed Brian a few written questions along with the list of attendees. One name stood out, Dr. Katerina Marglova.