King's College

Chapter 9 - Not Good News

As the autumn marched on things began to really deteriorate for Martin Ellingham. He answered every question in every class to perfection even pointing out errors that the professors had made. He was more than generous with his criticism of fellow classmates.

"McMurray, it takes 15 minutes to review the dissection you have to do. If you'd just take that little time BEFORE you pickle yourself with alcohol things in this classroom would go a lot smoother, not to mention the STD's you'd fail to get.

Martin was brutal. Other students tried to grant him the simplest of politeness, as in saying "Hello" or "Good Morning" and he'd mow them down...as in not answering at all or saying "It would be a better morning if I wasn't surrounded by idiots".

It was not long until a promenade with Martin down a hallway was peppered with "tosser" or "wanker" or the most elegant, "prick". Chris and Rosemary were sitting with tea before Biochemistry worrying what they could do to stop the implosion that was bound to occur. There was a lot of anxiety within the masses.

"I can't believe that one bloke can engender the dislike of almost 300 people," said Rosemary. "If only we could harness that force for the good guys. He really isn't a bad guy...I mean he is damaged goods and a bit mental, but he isn't truly evil." Chris looked at his tiny tablemate from anatomy and smiled. "You know what, Rosemary, you are truly a nice person. Both you and I see Ellingham in a different light. I have to tell you, some of the things that he confides in me, which I'm honored to hear, sound like a nightmare. It sounds as if he has the parents from hell although he minimizes it and makes it sound like it's his shortcomings that are at fault. The bloke is in a battle that can't be won. It almost makes me want to cry." "You are a magical person, Chris," said Rosemary. "I couldn't agree with you more." They sighed and entered the lecture hall. Time to try and stay awake.

The lecture commenced with an introduction to glycolysis followed by the Kreb's cycle. There was a large amount of information given and the memorization of numbers of organic molecules and their alteration as they traveled through the cycle producing energy. Chris was lost...Rosemary was overwhelmed. Fully half the class was baffled as the new material was introduced despite the fact that they were to study it before. To be truthful, since there had been an Anatomy test and practical and an examination in Microbiology much of the preparatory study had not been done. If there was a complaint about the curriculum in general, there was always an exam to be prepared for so more often than not that subject took all the interest until after the test, then one could look forward to catching up until the next exam came up. It became a practice of studying for whichever test was next. The other subjects had to wait their turn.

The class began with reviewing the cycle and attempting to ingest the information regarding NADH production and the single, direct ATP. No one really understood the FADH2 molecule..why wasn't it just another NADH? Three quarters of the way through the class a long arm and hand flew up. It was Martin Ellingham. The professor looked up and acknowledged his student. "Alright, Ellingham, what's your question?"

"Sir, as I look at your transparency, it seems that there is an error in your initial AcetylCoA molecule. It appears that the Acetyl moiety has a triple bond between the carbon and the oxygen atom which could not exist. Carbon only has a +4 valence."

The professor paused. "Ellingham, I made this slide straight from the textbook...I doubt it can have an error."

"But it does, sir, look for yourself." Martin remained standing.

The teacher looked down. "Oh, for crying out loud Ellingham. That's a piece of dust!" He flicked off what looked like the triple bond until it was the double bond that it was supposed to be. "Ellingham, I suggest you step down from your pedestal and join the rest of us in the real world. That was totally irrelevant to the point I was making...just back off."

Martin sat back in his seat.

"Bloody hell, I've had enough of this," the Professor exclaimed. "Class dismissed. See you next week."

Martin sat upright in his seat betraying no emotion. He eventually got up to let others out. "Tosser...now you pissed off the professor…" "What an arsehole."..."just shut your bleedin' mouth."

Rosemary looked down at Chris, not knowing what to do. Chris had his head bowed. This was painful for him too. By the time the hall had emptied out neither Chris nor Rosemary could find Martin. Clinical Medicine had been cancelled for the week as the school was giving a midterm holiday. They rushed to find Martin, but as usual, he fled. If that didn't humiliate him they wondered what would. They stood, holding hands at the corner leading to Moonraker Point. They ended up, walking hand in hand, to Rosemary's flat in Iris Brook House. There the made slow and gentle love which seemed like the perfect thing to do at the time. They would find Martin later.