Work Text:
Elizabeth stood by the buffet table at the fall gathering for her department. She was a few years into her graduate work. They had heard about Charles Bingley, the new post-doc, before he even arrived, and what he must have been offered for someone from his educational background to even consider a position at a rural state university. He arrived at the party with his friend, and word quickly spread that Dr. Darcy already had a tenure-track position at a top ranked university, and he was visiting his friend because he had a few more weeks before the semester started where he was.
Unfortunately for everyone, this Dr. Darcy, who didn’t seem interested in using first names, was very quick to sneer at a mere state school, and in a rural area, no less.
Soon, Dr. Bennet, who was Elizabeth’s faculty advisor, began talking with Dr. Darcy. Professor Bennet, who was married to the department head, was very insistent on being addressed as “Doctor” or “professor”. No one could quite understand what she was researching, not because it was complicated, but because she had done so little research since receiving tenure. In moments alone, her husband, the department head, was more than happy to point this out.
Elizabeth heard her advisor objecting to something Dr. Darcy had said.
“I’m used to more… variety of restaurants,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth’s advisor interrupted. “We have plenty of variety here! We have two Chinese restaurants, a sushi and ramen restaurant, and even a Thai restaurant, and there are three Italian restaurants, four if you include Olive Garden-”
“Professor,” Elizabeth interrupted, “I don’t think Olive Garden counts.”
“Of course it counts! It’s Italian!” her advisor insisted.
Elizabeth backed away. There was going to be no benefit to this conversation.