Chapter 2
Laura carefully clutched the faded Columbia mug as she made her way towards Otto’s office. Her classes - the two University Writing courses - had managed to be successful for a first-time teacher. She came off as confident and bright, a contrast to the anxiety she was drowning in before her first section started.
As she turned the corner, she saw the light from his office spill into the hallway, door propped open.
“Otto?” She poked her head in before shuffling inside.
“Laura! You’re done?” he replied, taking off his glasses. “This is my colleague, Peter Parker. Peter, this is Laura. She teaches the University Writing course that’s placed here this semester.”
Peter smiled politely, offering a hand out. “Nice to meet you. I’m in the physics department with Otto here,” he explained, gesturing with his other hand to the older professor.
Laura shuffled the items in her hands, careful not to drop the mug as she shook Peter’s hand. Otto reached across the desk and plucked the mug from her fingers as they spoke, waving a hand with a soft ‘don’t worry about it.’
“Nice to meet you, Peter!”
“— I gotta run, though. Office hours and all that to sit through.” He gestured at the door, clapped Otto on the shoulder, and quickly left.
The realization hits Laura like a brick and she quickly drops her bags to shove her coat on. “I should too — forgot all about those,” she murmured, “halfway across campus.”
“I’ll accompany you,” Otto started, moving to stand up.
It was then when Laura realized how comically small the office felt when he was at his full height.
“I - no, I’m late as it is, I should -”
“Do you even know where the building is?” he asked, shrugging on his coat.
Her answer was barely audible, embarrassed. “No.”
“Okay then. Let me escort you.”
The walk from Barnard Hall to the Philosophy Hall was more like a guided tour with Otto’s commentary. He pointed to each building as they passed, explaining what major or school occupied its space and when it was built.
Clearly he’s worked here for a while.
Laura felt small walking beside him; there was an entire foot between them, but she managed to keep up with his long strides.
“Here’s our stop: Philosophy Hall,” he smiled, holding the door open for her.
Everything said and done, the walk was roughly fifteen minutes from Barnard to Philosophy. Twenty if one walked a little bit slower, ten with some speed. Ugh.
Laura nodded a soft thanks before Otto guided her up the stairs - faculty offices were on the third floor. She wasn’t entirely sure why he was sticking around, but that wasn’t a concern at the moment. She was, instead, worried about being late to office hours on her first day. The anxiety settled back in - what one was her office? Would there be people waiting for her?
She had only been shown her place the day she picked up her ID and laptop which, really, was only a few days ago. Working for the University meant that hiring was slow as molasses from what she could tell.
“Laura?” Otto’s voice pulled her from the racing thoughts, causing her to stop in the middle of the hallway. He tapped the nameplate on the door, smiling softly. “Right here.”
She backtracked, face warm as she fumbled for the ID card in her coat pocket.
One swipe, some numbers, and the door clicked open.
Otto leaned on the door frame, filling in the space as Laura unceremoniously dropped her bags. The room was empty, save for a Columbia folder on the desk and a cheap travel mug.
“Dr. Octavius —?”
A voice came from the hallway before Otto could make a comment. Laura watched as the department head shook hands with her new friend.
Could she call him a friend? She settled on colleague before spinning in her chair to pull out her laptop.
“One moment, Leonard, let me just say farewell to -“
“Miss Moran, my apologies. My office is still in the same place around the corner. Seeing as you’re out of your cave, may as well stop by.”
Laura cringed; despite having the credentials - a literal PhD! - the department chair was insistent on calling her Miss. Leonard shuffled away towards his office as Otto ducked his head in.
“I’m often the first to get in and the last to leave, so if you ever need anything —“ he said softly, pulling his business card from his pocket. A soft click of a pen followed before it was placed gently on her desk. “Just reach out.”
Laura blinked; she had not expected this much support from one man, let alone one from a completely different department. “Thank you. I’ll… see you tomorrow?”
Otto raised a brow.
“Two more sections of university writing,” she waved a hand, sighing. “Lucky me.”
“See you tomorrow, Laura,” he nodded, waving as he slipped from the room. Instead of heading back toward Barnard, Otto turned down the hall to Leonard’s office. The frosted glass door clicked shut behind him with the intention of a private conversation.
Laura slumped in her chair, the events of the day weighing down on her. “What a start to my career…” she mumbled, rubbing at her temple. Her eyes wandered to the business card - embossed with the Columbia seal - and picked it up carefully.
Otto Octavius, PhD
Professor of Physics
Department of Physics
His official contact information was neatly typeset on the card, including his office phone and email. She turned it over to find his personal number written on the back. Her fingers traced the numbers that were scrawled out, a smile tugging at her lips.
Perhaps she did make a friend.