The Professor Talia Winchester

Talia sat in her office in the Physics department reading over the most recent draft of one of her grad student's thesis marking errors as she went. She was hopeful that this student would finally be able to defend in another semester, just a whole year after he was supposed to be ready. He would be her first grad student to get his own PhD. Talia loved teaching and loved learning new things. She knew her students were bright but all too often lazy, which she just couldn’t understand, as back when she was a grad student she was always diving head first into new research and couldn’t wait to do her analysis. Sure she would still make time to go to school hockey games and made sure to always go to church every week but she never slacked in her own education. She sighed finishing up with the draft and emailing the corrections and suggestions back to her student, as she felt exhaustion wash over her. I guess I should get another cup of coffee, she thought, though she never did manage to get up as she fell asleep in her chair.

Talia awoke on the side of a stage with four people, three women and one man seated in comfortable looking armchairs. The man was massaging his temples with his elbows resting on his knees, clearly looking like he wasn’t too pleased to be here. He did seem fairly familiar, she knew that she knew the man but couldn’t place him, though she vaguely remembered one of the women across from him was his girlfriend. The women across from him also looked concerned, with the one nearer to her seeming to be blushing profusely. Finally she caught what the short blonde woman was saying “Next up is a woman who had a very similar upbringing as Mark himself, though unlike Mark she never did lose her faith. Let’s welcome our next contestant.” with that she felt compelled to move on to the stage.

“Welcome Talia, to this season of Harem Hotel, where you will be competing for the affection of your Master, Mark, here. I am your Host Cassandra. Please take a seat and introduce yourself.”

Hearing Mark’s name she remembered where she knew him from now, though he didn’t seem to want to meet her gaze as he still had his head between his hands and his eyes closed, and trying to control his breathing with the closest woman across from him with her hand on his back. Talia looked at Cassandra with contempt as she was standing near the chairs. “You can’t be serious. There is absolutely no way I am participating in something like this. You will be lucky if I just sue you instead of pressing **** charges against you. Now I am going to leave” Talia tried to turn to leave but suffered vertigo and instead found herself sitting down in the chair next to the woman she now knew as Merida having heard both their introductions.

“Now I understand you are stressed Talia and so is Mark here apparently, give me a moment and let me check something.” Cassandra waved her hands through the air and looked like she was reading as if was using some sort of invisible touch screen. “Ah there is the problem I don’t have the calming field up high enough. This should help all of you better deal with the situation so you don’t freak out, now would you please introduce yourself.”

Talia immediately felt different as her fear and anxiety about the situation fled, though curiously her anger and contempt at Cassandra did not. She also noticed Mark sat back up with a resigned look on his face still not wanting to meet her eyes. At which point Talia felt **** to say “Hi My Name is Talia Winchester, I know Mark from our time as grad students, he came to the university a few years after I started my PhD program, we were even on a few intramural sports teams together. I haven’t really kept in touch with him, as while we were friendly he was more of a friend of a friend and fellow grad student than anything particularly close. I am currently a professor at my state university. I am 37 years old, 5’6”, 130lbs, my measurements are 32C”-22”-26”, I am straight and not interested in women as that goes against my beliefs, though I won’t judge someone negatively for being homosexual even if I think it is wrong. I am a virgin as I am waiting for marriage though I am somewhat concerned that I just won’t find the right guy to start a family with as most of my relationships have ended because I wouldn’t have sex.”

Talia felt her anger rise as she finished speaking “How dare you, I don’t know how you made me say those things but you have no righ…” Talia’s voice stopped as Cassandra waved her hand in Talia’s direction.

“Now enough of that I get that you are upset and yes the audience loves some righteous indignation but we have a schedule to keep, you will have your time to vent in a little bit. Now, Mark, this next lovely lady is someone most of the people here will actually know. After all she is pretty famous, and is an actual Lady having gained the title for her charity work, let’s all welcome your celebrity crush.”