Making the World a Better Place

They’d met twenty-five years ago to the day. He was a medical physicist, completing his residency at a nuclear research site. She was a writer, assigned to translate complex scientific concepts into simple English, or as simple as she could make it. She expressed herself using words and images. He dreamed in numbers and what she felt were arcane notations.

 

          Her friend had told her there was a new guy in town. “His name is Ted, and I really think you might find him interesting,” said Max.

 

          Her interest in meeting another man who just might turn out to be appealing was lukewarm. A year earlier, her relationship with a scientist had dissolved. Since then, she’d focused entirely on her career, and her devotion had paid off in the form of a promotion. Still, she asked for information about him, and was sent his curriculum vitae. As an English major, she’d never had much contact with physicists, but asked for more information about him. Her response when Max sent her the new guy’s list of research publications was to recycle the publication list and curriculum vitae.

 

          Two months later, Max invited her to a barbecue at his place. “I’ll introduce you to Ted. At least come over to my place. Make the effort to meet him. He’s really likable.”

 

          She trudged five blocks, hesitating before she knocked on Max’s door. Although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to meet the new guy, keeping her promises was important to her. They didn’t live far from each other, but every step was an effort when the temperature was -25 outside. The five-minute walk had left her fingers and toes numb. She needed to warm up before she froze to death.

 

            “Come on in,” said her host, wearing a Hawaiian shirt covered with frangipani blooms. “You look like a frozen popsicle. I fired up the Barbie a few minutes ago. I’ve got hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill, and the beer is flowing. The fire is roaring in the living room. We’ll get you warmed up in no time.”

 

            She gratefully removed her boots, gloves, and hat, stuffing them inside her warm coat. After blowing on her hands to restore some heat to them, she raised her hands to her cheeks.

 

          “Your cheeks are a bright red, as if you’ve just run a very fast race,” said Max. He gestured for his guest to follow him into the living room, where two men in their thirties were writing on identical pads of paper and exchanging lively gestures.

 

            Max’s eyes had a twinkle in them. “You already know Brian. This here is Ted.”

 

            Both men looked up at her.

 

            Her glance landed on their notepads and paused. She frowned. Then she stared at them and went to their faces, an expression of uncertainty clouding her features.  “What are they doing?”

 

            “Solving the mysteries of the universe.”

 

            She approached Brian and Ted, taking small steps as if walking on cracking river ice. She supposed that the new guy was cute. He had luminous blue eyes, magnified by his glasses, which made his eyes appear even larger. His slightly upturned nose was attractive, and he had a warm smile. He had long teeth, and his incisors resembled fangs, extending past the length of his other teeth. He reminded her of a friendly wolf.

 

            It was difficult for her to overlook what he was doing. She peered at his notepad. She could make out symbols and numbers. There might have been a formula or two, but the sight of so many numbers and notations made her nauseous.

 

            “What are you doing?”

 

            Both responded at the same time. Ted grinned. “We’re solving theoretical equations, and we’re having a blast!”

 

            Brian marveled, “This guy’s a math whiz.”

 

            “What could be better than a beer, a barbecue, and meeting a fellow physicist with a strong interest in solving mathematical puzzles?”

 

            She couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The guy might be good-looking, but he had no social skills. She turned, anxious to place as much space as possible between Ted and herself. She donned her winter clothes and fled.

 

            Four months later, she saw him for a second time. They were sitting in the stands watching a baseball game. But this time he wasn’t talking about math or physics. Instead, he was chatting about a new Spider-Man movie. She observed him leaning forward and using his hands to add emphasis to his spoken words. She could hear the excitement. His voice was filled with childlike wonder.

 

            “What is it about the Spider-Man movies that you find so appealing?”

           

            He took a moment to consider her question. “Well, for starters, the cinematographic effects are amazing. The animation and special effects keep getting better with every movie.”

 

            She suppressed a yawn.

 

            He looked earnestly at her. “Peter Parker understands that with his gifts comes great responsibility. He does everything he can to make sure that right triumphs over wrong. He rescues the vulnerable and makes the world a better place. Everyone needs a hero. He inspires me.”

 

            She chastised herself because she’d always thought of Peter Parker as a geeky scientist raised on a farm. She nodded at him. “And how does he inspire you?”

 

            His response was immediate. “Doesn’t everyone want to make the world a better place?”

 

            Twenty-five years later, she knew that she had discovered her own Spider-Man, whose passion for medical physics sprung from a desire to make the world a better place for the vulnerable.