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Charlotte finishes quickly and leaves. Rachel stares blankly at her
empty plate. All around I see my busts. Emperor Hadrian, Emperor
Trajan, Socrates, Theseus, Athena, they all stare down at him
menacingly. But I can feel Darwin from all the way upstairs.
‘
David hits the bed and starts snoring. Darwin and I exchange a
hateful look. I slam the frame down, but it doesn’t help.
‘
David asks me to come to a work dinner with him. I am surprised; he
never does. Again, everyone wears grey turtlenecks, and completely
ignores me. I wonder if I should be required to speak at all tonight
and chuckle to myself, thinking the answer was ‘most likely not’.
They talk, about their newest favourite books. Nadia mentions
The
Regeneration of Vertebrates
and David launches into a tirade of praise. I
raise an eyebrow. I bought him that for his birthday. I decide to break
my vow of silence.
‘I quite enjoyed the book
Crossing the Rubicon
, I don’t know whether
you have read it?’
Staring and confusion.
‘Yes, it’s about Caesar and the impact that crossing the Rubicon
River with his army still intact caused on the Roman Republic.’
Nothing. As I suspected.
David shakes his head slightly. ‘Indeed, my dear. But what of the
impact that Rydell has caused with his statement that the invertebrate
is incapable of evolving with pure regenerative capabilities?’
My bright yellow is once again too bright.
‘
My husband goes back and forth from conferences. Spain, Rome with
Nadia, Massachusetts, London with Nadia, Adelaide, New Zealand,
Jerusalemwith Nadia.
Darwin remains behind, the only presence in the room. He stares
at me alone in the bed, the black and white man laughing at me
quietly. He upset the balance of things. Society was perfectly happy
being blissfully unaware of the truth before his stupid, undeniable
theory. So was I. Everything was fine before him! I try to smash him.
I rage and throw him on the floor but he bounces back every time. I
can’t break him. And he can’t break me.
‘
When the kids are in school, I go out. I go to the museum, and I look
at the Ancient Greek and Roman ruins. And I decide to take Darwin
The Theory Of
Evolution
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