In praise of strong, intelligent women...
It had been several weeks since the old photo album had been found at her parents' former home, but Christine was still fascinated whenever she looked through it. For all of her mother's protests that time travel simply wasn't possible, it seemed that such a thing occurred every time she leafed through the worn pages of the book.
Her children had been fascinated, too, although in their minds the milestones that had been marked by inclusion in the book were deemed to be things that had happened in the far distant past, even if it was something their mother could remember vividly. Of course, some of those memories had been made well before Christine was born, and she'd only heard about them second hand, but that didn't make the stories any less real or important to her. They were part of what made her family who they were, and she was determined to keep those memories alive.
One Sunday afternoon, as she was cleaning the kitchen, Christine moved the album so she could clean the counter and a piece of paper fluttered from inside the pages. Curious, she picked it up to inspect it more closely. It was another yellowed section of newspaper. Smoothing out the creases, she smiled as she read the headline.
Unlikely Partnership: Forensic Scientist Aids FBI Investigator in Solving Crimes
The article went into great detail about how a young anthropologist named Temperance Brennan was working with a young FBI agent, one Seeley J. Booth, and because of that collaboration they had achieved one of the highest solve rates for major crimes east of the Mississippi. Accompanying the article was a photograph of her parents as they studied a file folder together.
"They look so young…", Christine murmured to herself as she studied the picture. With her father being almost ninety and her mother being in her mid-eighties, it was sometimes hard to remember what an attractive couple they'd been when they were much younger. Curious, she checked the article's date. "2006...wow. Mom was only 30…"
"What'cha lookin' at, Sweetheart?" Michael-Vincent came into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Did you find something else interesting in that old album?"
"Yes...look at this. It's a newspaper article about my parents…" She held it up for him to see. "It's hard to imagine that they used to put the news on paper instead of sending it out digitally, but I'm glad we've got this…it's actually quite fascinating. " Smiling as she read through the column again, she glanced at her husband. "We really need to archive all of these photographs and artifacts on the cloud. I want our kids and our grandkids to be able to enjoy them for many years to come, and some of these pieces of paper are really fragile."
Michael-Vincent nodded as he read over her shoulder. "We'll just store them digitally, and then we can decide if we want to make them accessible to more than just our family, okay? I mean, your mom is a famous author, and your dad is almost legendary in the annals of the FBI…"
"I know." She sighed in frustration. "I've tried to get Dad to write some things down for me, but he keeps saying no one is interested in an old man's memories." Christine shrugged a bit as she turned to face her husband. "He can be so stubborn sometimes."
"Yeah, but maybe we just need to approach it differently. Instead of asking him to write things down, maybe we can ask him to tell us about some of the more interesting cases they had in the past, and then record him as he's talking...we can tell him we want to make an oral history for the grandkids. You know how much he likes to tell them stories about the old days…"
"That's a great idea, Mikey! You're so smart." Smiling up at him, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad I have you…"
"Hey, careful there." He held the cup out of the way so it wouldn't slosh over. "You don't want me to spill coffee on that slip of paper, do you?" Setting his cup down, Michael-Vincent whistled softly as he looked more closely at the photograph. "Wow...now I see where you got your good looks, Honey. Your mom was a very attractive woman...actually, she was gorgeous." Seeing Christine grimace slightly, he quickly explained. "I mean, she's still pretty, of course, but when she was younger...well, let's just say I know why your dad fell head over heels for her…"
"Yeah...Dad said when he first saw her standing there in that lecture room at the university, it was like getting struck by lightning...that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen." She smiled as she remembered what he'd said about that moment. "He was smitten with that silky auburn hair, those big blue eyes, the delicate complexion...and a figure that wouldn't quit. He said no matter who he was going with at the time, he always kept thinking about Temperance Brennan...he couldn't get her off of his mind. It seems he was determined that Mom was going to be his wife one day...and after many trials and tribulations, he finally got what he wanted."
"Yeah, I get that." Michael-Vincent smirked as he sat down at the counter. "I guess in some ways, your mom felt the same way about your dad. I can remember my mom laughing about what your mom had said about your dad's 'amazing musculature', 'strong mandible', and his 'perfect acromia'." Laughing as his wife rolled his eyes, he sipped his coffee. "In other words, your mom thought your dad was really hot, right from the beginning…at least according to my mom..."
"Ewww…" Christine wrinkled her nose a bit at that assessment. "I mean, I know that they found each other to be good looking, of course, but it's still weird to talk about it, isn't it? Are kids supposed to know that sort of thing about their parents...that their parents find each other physically...sexually...attractive?"
"I don't know. I guess that may be what your dad means when he says 'parents have secret lives, or they wouldn't be parents.' Your dad's a smart guy…hey, what's wrong?" Seeing the unhappy expression on Christine's face, Michael-Vincent paused. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you…"
"You didn't upset me. I was just reading through this article again." She pointed out a paragraph for her husband. "The man who wrote this column seems surprised that my mom...as a young woman...was such a brilliant scientist." Heaving an exasperated sigh, she shrugged. "I'd forgotten that my mom...Aunt Cam...your mom...all of these highly intelligent women we knew simply as talented scientists were actually pioneers in their fields of study. They became role models for young women who wanted to study science. When they were working at the Jeffersonian, in conjunction with the FBI or with other federal agencies, most of the scientists who held those positions were men. If you think about it, your dad was in the minority there at the lab. These women had to be strong as well as smart to put up with some of the crap they were given."
"Well, I never really thought about it, you know? That was always just the way it was...Dad worked with Mom and several other women who were really smart and very strong-willed, and it was no big deal to him. It didn't matter to him who was doing the job as long as they got it done…"
"True, but that wasn't really the 'normal' situation for the time. Mom said she always felt like she had to prove herself over and over...that she was so focused on being the best in her field because a lot of people didn't think a woman could handle being a forensic anthropologist, you know, with all the gore and nastiness involved. Even in the 2000's, some people didn't think women were as capable as men when it came to intellectual pursuits..."
"But that never stopped your mom or Aunt Cam, although I'm pretty sure my mom wasn't crazy about what she calls the 'ick factor', even though she managed to deal with it most of the time." He laughed softly as Christine poured him another cup of coffee and then a cup for herself. "I've always been amazed that she could handle having Dad's bugs around the house. I still remember her talking about helping my dad birth some sort of parasitic fly larva from the back his neck. You can bet she was grossed out, but she handled it."
"Angela may not be much for blood, gore, guts, and bugs, but she's definitely a genius with her computer. She's provided a lot of evidence that the FBI could use to solve crimes over the years…and now almost all law enforcement agencies across the country use her programs. And, of course, they all use forensic anthropology as well, thanks to my mom. Our mothers have both made a huge difference in how crimes are solved these days." She sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "You know, Dad always says it has never just been him and my mom that solved crimes. He said it was the whole team that did the hard work, and I think it made him feel awkward when he got all those accolades." Pointing to the newspaper article, she nodded. "I'm sure he wasn't real happy with all this attention, either, except that he got to share the spotlight with my mom."
"And he got to sit really close to her. I bet he loved that." Grinning at his wife, Michael-Vincent pointed at the picture. "Look at his face...he was already in love with her…"
"Which is weird, because I think he was dating Aunt Cam about this time.", Christine giggled. "But you're right. To hear him tell it, it was love at first sight, with the whole 'do you believe in fate' conversation...and you know my mom...she basically said that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard."
"I can imagine." Michael-Vincent smirked as he nodded in agreement. "I guess my dad was in sort of the same boat when it came to my mom. He loved her for several years, even when she had other lovers. I don't think he was interested in anyone else once he met her. Somehow he felt like she was the only one for him...like no one else would ever do." Chuckling softly, he sipped his coffee. "There were a couple of false starts in between, but I'm glad she finally saw the light and agreed to marry him."
"Me, too." Christine opened the album, looking for another piece of paper. "Here it is… this is a picture of everyone who worked together at the lab when they were hunting Howard Epps, that serial killer. Look...you can tell that they were a close knit group, can't you?" She handed the clipping to her husband. "Dad always says there's more than one kind of family. I guess in some ways, that group of people was like a family to him, and as a family, he felt like they all deserved respect and recognition. I think that's why it took him so long to become a director...in some ways he felt like he didn't deserve it, because Mom and the 'squints' helped him achieve so much, and he was loathe to leave his little family behind."
"Your mom didn't seem to mind the spotlight, though...she liked going on her book tours…"
"But that was different." Christine hesitated as she tried to find the right words to explain her feelings. "Writing the mystery books was for her own personal enjoyment, really...a creative outlet. They weren't 'work' for her, so it was fun to promote them. And you're right...she didn't mind being recognized for her achievements in forensics or for her textbooks, because they were serious accomplishments, and she felt like that recognition was a mark of respect. However, when it came to the work she did with my dad...well, that was different, because it was done in pursuit of justice. It was the right thing to do, and as such, she didn't feel the need to call attention to herself for that."
Gazing at the photographs, Michael-Vincent exhaled slowly as he rubbed Christine's shoulder. "Our parents are extraordinary people. Do you think we have any hope of living up to their legacy?"
"I'm not worried about that, Mikey..." She reached up to give his hand a squeeze and smiled. "...because, you know what?" She pointed at him and then at herself. "You and me? I think we're extraordinary in our own right. We don't have to live up to anyone else's legacy. We just have to do our best to create a legacy of our own." Closing the album, she paused as she picked up their coffee cups. "We both have good jobs that help other people. We have three great kids, and we've been happily married for many years. What more could we hope to achieve in our lives?"
"You're absolutely right." Rising from his stool, Michael-Vincent walked around the counter and embraced his wife. "I'm a lucky guy, having a wife like you...a strong, intelligent woman in your own right. You're the best. I love you so much, Christine…"
She giggled softly as she gave him a kiss. "I love you, too, Mikey."