02 Aug Tom, the Totem, and those California girls.

Tom and I had been friends since college. We were classic ‘nerds’, socially awkward, not very popular, but it didn’t affect who we were.

We both landed 9-to-5 jobs at the PsyTech Lab after graduation and were assigned to the Totem project. They were entry-level positions, not very exciting: calibrating equipment, taking daily measurements, creating reports – pretty dry stuff.

But then everything changed for Tom after it was discovered he had real psychic abilities. Even more, he developed an instant special connection to the Totem, as if they had known each other like lifelong friends.

This, of course, launched his career. In a short amount of time, he became the star of the show. It was like he was reborn; his quiet demeanour turned into a steady confidence. This inflated his presence. He became nearly larger than life, with an energy that shocked us all.

The people upstairs really liked his charisma, and he was being invited to corporate retreats and team-building outings. One in particular was a surfing adventure on the West Coast. Tom didn’t like the water, so I wondered how this was going to go for him.

I remember the day he returned. We got together for a few beers, and he told me how he “awakened to the ocean”, how it had become his second home. I couldn’t believe it. I said to him, “Wow, you’re like a bona fide Hang-ten Surfer Dude now.” He laughed, but it was true.

This new lease on life caused a lot of attention from the women in the office. He would invite them along on his long weekend surfing adventures and they would always go, sometimes two at a time.

A few summers went by like this, and I asked Tom if there was one special lady he might settle down with. “Not in the cards man, I’m having too much fun,” he’d say, “Monogamy was for my parents generation, y’know?”

I was happy for him, but this was a guy who barely had any experience with woman during college. And now, they swooned over him like he was a rock star.

On his trips, Tom would always take the Totem along, strapping it to the top of his van. This allowed him some write-offs as it was now a business trip. The girls would always ask about it, and Tom would always say, ‘Its my special art project.’ And before they could pry any futher, he’d say, “but not as special as you girls.” It was a cheesy line, but they always laughed.

Good times aside, Tom was always dedicated to the Lab and the project: always a professional. And he worked harder than anyone I knew. And no matter what was going on in our lives, we were always the same two Psi-geeks; thankfully, that never changed.

~CJ~