Page 48 of Cabin Mate

Senior Year MIT

“Okay, I know this is crazy … but hear me out.”

Molly eyes me wearily from where she’s sitting on her bed. We just finished our senior project, and between our laptops, books, and papers, the floor is barely visible.

“Continue,” she says.

“The breast implants we designed are good. Really good. We could use this design in real-life,” I explain, standing up from my seat on the ground and moving to sit on the edge of her bed. “One of my dad’s med school buddies is a plastic surgeon. I sent him our design, and he thought it was incredible. He said the shape and material would work so well and the texture we added would look really natural.”

She smiles. “Of course it is! You’re a brilliant engineer, Brooks. The top biomedical engineering companies are going to be fighting over you.”

“That’s where the crazy part comes in.” I drag a hand through my blonde hair, which needs to be trimmed badly. “I don’t want to work for someone else’s company.”

Her smile falters, and she closes her laptop, giving me her full attention. “Wait, what?”

“We should start our own company. You and me.”

Her mouth opens like she’s about to say something but it just stays open and no words come out. She makes a weird strangled sound and blinks several times. “That’s a huge commitment … we’d need permits, and licenses, and FDA approvals.”

I nod my head as she makes her list. This is why we’d be great running a company together. We can both design medical equipment, sure. But Molly also has a brain for business.

Her eyes flit around the room like her brain is going crazy with the possibilities. “And where? You’re from Kansas, and I’m from Massachusetts.”

“I’ll move wherever.” I shrug. “But I believe in this design, and I think we’d be brilliant together.” Realizing how that sounded, I add, “running a company.” Although we’d be brilliant together in every aspect. But I’ll keep that to myself.

She inhales a deep breath and blows it out slowly, causing her bangs to fly up. “Give me some time to think about it and research. It is a crazy idea … but I’m not saying no.” Her mouth pulls up in an apprehensive smile.

“That’s all I’m asking.” I lean toward her slightly and hold her gaze. “But Molly? When you’re thinking about it, don’t think about what other people want you to do. Consider what you want.”

She looks at me thoughtfully, her mind trying to grasp exactly what I’m saying. I need to really spell this out for her. “I know you hate causing drama, or ruffling anyone’s feathers … and that’s admirable. But this is your future, your life. It doesn’t matter what I or Todd or your parents want you to do. Your opinion is the only one that counts.”

Her eyes sparkle like she’s about to cry. She clears her throat and squirms as if my words made her uncomfortable. “Yeah, okay. I will.”

Molly

It’s been two days since my conversation with Brooks, and I’ve hardly slept. All I can think about is starting a business with him. I cannot get it out of my head.

That’s not the reason I can’t sleep though … It's because I want to go for it. And because I believe in what we could build. And Brooks knows me well enough to know what would hold me back.

My family, and Todd. I know my parents want me to stay in the area, never use my degree, and settle down with Todd. We will have a boy and a girl and live out the rest of our lives in luxury and comfort.

But what do I want? Marriage and kids sound great, but I’m twenty-one. Isn’t there time to do this thing with Brooks first? What if I had my own legacy to pass down to my children, and not just my father’s?

And Brooks and I work so well together. Not only would it be incredibly fun working with my best friend every day, but with my business sense and his biomedical engineering genius, we’d be amazing. The next GE Healthcare.

I take a sip of my latte just as Todd walks inside the MIT campus coffee shop where I’ve been waiting for him. He smiles and walks over to my table. He’s handsome today with his neatly combed dark hair and dress shirt with sweater vest.

He leans in to kiss my cheek, and I get a whiff of a sweet scent, something that smells feminine and very unlike Todd’s cologne. I inhale as he pulls away.

“What’s that scent?”

He lowers his head to sniff his own shoulder and then shrugs, avoiding eye contact. “I was shopping for perfume for my mom before this… so I probably still smell like perfume.”

He’s being weird. Maybe he was buying me a gift and wants to keep it a secret? I put it out of my mind. “So, I have some news,” I say excitedly, even though I know he’s probably not going to be excited.

“Yeah?” His eyebrows rise.

Rolling my lips together, I steady myself. I want to tell him my plan with confidence so he can’t talk me out of it. “I’m going into business with Brooks after graduation.”