Charis

Charis Dimitri’s Journal

December 16th

“Christmas came early for humanity” was their tagline. It was all over the evening news. As a matter of fact, it’s all they’ve been on about today, and probably for the next few as well… Left, right, anarchist outlets all hailing the breakthrough by Friedel & Levan. They (supposedly) developed a new chemical substance that can directly influence specific sections of the neural network of the human brain. Now, I’m no expert in neuroscience, but they said on the news that it would be a momentous step forward in the medical field. Apparently, they will first try to utilize it for the creation of painkillers that have no side effects, for they can simply ‘tell’ the brain to stop feeling pain.

That’s pretty revolutionary, if you ask me.

Charis.

Charis laid the small black notebook down on his bedside desk as the cold December winds rattled the window, outside of which the vast city of Née stretched its gingko-lined streets down to the horizon: a sight he always enjoyed. It was a single-room apartment on the forty-sixth floor. The city lights, as bright as they were at night, never bothered him.

In the morning, Charis appeared out of the lobby at 7:30 a.m., as he always did. His suit was ironed, his short brown hair combed and waxed perfectly. Arriving at the subway station down the block, he noticed a new ad on the platform billboard: a doctor holding a pill bottle, with an exaggerated smile on her face.

“Better Living, Through Chemistry!” read the caption beneath.

The smile looked rather unnatural to Charis, as if the doctor had almost forgotten how to smile, but he quickly shook his doubts away.

I’d probably look more awkward when I try to smile for a photo.

He boarded the 7:41 subway from the second door of the third car. When the train arrived at his destination seven stops later, he stepped out of the train and onto the platform escalator right before him. It was a satisfaction only a city dweller could enjoy, Charis always thought. A minute’s walk from the subway exit led to his office building. The lobby had a high ceiling; the floors were smooth and white, and the walls were lined with opaque, light grey glass. Charis swiped his card through the security gate as he greeted the guard in an almost predetermined manner and walked into the second elevator from the right. Only after the elevator doors closed did Charis let out a long exhale. In the soft hum of the rising machine, the reticent businessman’s thoughts converged towards last night’s news. He remembered watching a press conference where the lead research manager at Friedel & Levan spoke about his optimism for the “magical technology.”

“...With endless possibilities… For combatting the miseries and woes that so plague us each day across the globe… We hope that this new technology will one day eliminate such suffering in the world, and the developers here at Friedel & Levan will give their all to further research, in partnership with global laboratories and governments…”

After saying good morning to his boss, the only other person in the room, Charis sat down at his desk, opening his laptop in a relaxed, calculated stroke. His workspace was always kept tidy, organised with tabs and folders.

“Good morning, Charis,” he heard a voice walking towards his desk.

“Good morning, Anna.”

“Always so early, aren’t you?” Anna pulled over next to him, unpacking her backpack on the desk.

“Can’t lose any time, you know?”

“You always say that,” she laughed as she haphazardly dropped her half-emptied bag onto the floor and sat down in her chair. “Sure, time is a gift, and what a gift it is. But what time do you win, by not losing it in the morning?”

“More time for work.” Charis smiled lightly at his coworker, who sighed in resignation.

“That’s why nobody wants to be your girlfriend, Charis. Always about work, and efficiency, and time management… and your obsessive note taking!” Anna tapped her fingers rapidly on the desk, imitating his typing.

“It helps that I’ve never needed one, anyway. We’re almost turning thirty, too. Even if I go mad one day and start craving something like that, which won’t happen, it’ll be too late to find anybody.”

“You think thirty is too old to find love?” Anna gasped. The office was still empty besides them and the boss. “You really are insane. I’m still dreaming of love. Imagine having someone in your life who goes, ‘Ania, my princess, you are all I ever wanted’...” She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her own body as she spun around in her chair.

“You make me cringe, A-n-i-a. Let’s get to work.” Charis sarcastically repeated her nickname as he shifted his gaze back to his computer.

Charis Dimitri’s Journal

December 18th

I was seated next to Anna 3 years ago, when we were moved to this new city from our respective branches. She was always energetic and overly friendly, finding something to laugh about every other minute. At first, I couldn’t really appreciate her behavior. All I wanted to do was focus on my task at hand!

But she was the only person who smiled at me for reasons other than courteousness. She greeted me first, every morning. She was quite skilled at actual work, too, which all helped ease my slight initial antipathy to her, and now I consider us to be great friends. She’s a skilled chef as well (unlike me) and often brings some of her home-made meals to share with me and the entire office. Someday, I might get her to teach me how to make her pierogi.

During our lunch break, one of our coworkers, Nadia, talked about her aunt’s arthritis, and how excited she was about the new “magical technology” and that new painkillers are already in production. She said it would be life changing for her aunt, and it made me think of my family. I wonder how my mother is doing; I haven’t visited in a while…

Charis.

Charis Dimitri used a fountain pen to write his journal. It was a maroon heavy-duty pen, with a gold and silver nib that featured a single acanthus leaf. He stored the pen in its own case in a compartment of his organizer, to the right of which he kept his diary. He used the pen for nothing else.

His apartment was always kept tidy; it had to be, to make such a small property livable. He made sure to have a room with an acceptable kitchenette, though; he would never be caught buying meals outside. He slept on an elevated bed against the windowed wall, with ample storage underneath for his clothes, books, and anything else he deemed necessary. That left him with enough room for a good desk, a chair, and a walk-able connection to the rest of his flat. With a sigh, he slipped under his blankets and laid down his weary head to sleep.

In a matter of days, the news outlets again started a frenzy over another breakthrough. Charis watched the wall-mounted screen at the foot of his bed, flipping through the channels, whose chyrons more or less all had the same headline: a harmless hormone inducer.

“This new ‘drug’ causes users’ brains to release endorphins and serotonin without the need for illegal and harmful conventional drugs, such as marijuana or crystal methamphetamine,” the broadcaster said. “The federal government has signed a complete sponsorship deal for the development and proliferation of this invention to the nation’s most heavily drug-infested cities. They hope to reduce the number of people suffering from drug addiction through a harmless alternative…” As Charis listened to the monotone voice through the screen, he could not help but wonder—if it’s harmless, won’t we be able to simply use it every hour of our day?—he shrugged it off, though, for he never knew what it was like to drown in addiction. Charis rarely even drank, as he believed it poisoned his mind away from sedulity. Maybe their psyche differs from mine... He also wondered, as he drank his cup of coffee, whether those two were the only hormones scientists could now prompt the body to release. Testosterone? Insulin? How long would it be before we start altering our entire brain??