byronic.

“Good God,” he mused. “I think it might be time for me to invest in one of those sturdy wool coats that I see some of the guys on campus wearing. I’ve never been one for heavy clothing, but I have a feeling that I am going to be come one the more winters I spend here.”

“It grows on you.” Or rather, the cold had a way of getting under your skin and hardening you from the inside out. Having spent the majority of his life in Boston, Adrian hardly noticed the cold nowadays. “Though I’d also suggest investing in a scarf and some gloves. It wouldn’t help to lose a finger to frostbite.” 

“Good for her. It’s a good trait to have,” she grinned. It was nice to know that there were people that didn’t mince their words still. “I think that we’re all plagued by it, but it’s something that we have to seek to break. It’s maddening to try to do so, but the work must be done all the same.”

“She inherited that quality from her mother,” Adrian admitted. A soft smile graced his face whenever he talked about his wife; she’d somehow managed to be both fiery and passionate while also maintaining her care and consideration for others. “You’re right of course. It is our responsibility to evolve, but that’s sort of difficult to do when the culture is the way it is.” 

“You’re very correct there,” Dawson replied, smiling in spite of herself. Most of the time she felt incomprehensibly small. She knew what the root of it all was, however it wasn’t something she was comfortable discussing. “My husband says I need to have more confidence in myself than I do because I am smart. I have a case of impostor syndrome.”

“Sounds like a wise man,” Adrian replied. He’d never know the feeling of not belonging. His wife, Cassandra, had spent hours upon hours discussing the myriad struggles of women in academics to him, and for the most part, Adrian couldn’t relate. As a somewhat older white man, he’d never had to struggle with the concept of the glass ceiling of the ivory tower; opportunities were simply opened to him. Still, he was grateful for those hours that Sandy had spent educating him because it had made him better able to understand the struggles of those around him, and better equipped to raise his daughter. “As I say to my daughter: you’ve gotten this far on your own merit, and whether you were selected to fill a diversity quota -- which I assure you you were not -- you were selected. Now it’s your responsibility to show everyone who may question whether or not you belong that you truly do belong here.” 

“Tell them that they are mistaken. There’s nothing wrong with correcting someone who is wrong, especially when it’s something that cringe inducing,” Riply replied. “That’s the problem with people is that they love to thrive on assumptions instead of pure facts.”

“Oh, Savannah did. She’s very vocal about those kind of things.” It had been interesting to watch. Adrian had felt a rush of pride at how his daughter had defended herself. “It’s the curse of the world we live in. Can’t say I’m except from that, to be fair.”