The Chosen: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hello, New York!

So, I realized I haven’t really introduced or told you about myself which considering my story, was a bit short-sighted on my apart.  Hello, my name is Morgan.  You already know my age, so let me tell you what you don’t know.  I’m of average height and not-so-average weight.  Okay, that’s an understatement, I weigh 300lbs making me officially obese.  In terms of looks, well, there’s not much to talk about.  I have muddy green eyes, longish brown hair, and, yeah, there’s not much more to talk about there.  In a word, I consider myself to be ugly.  I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life so I’ve never really felt pretty.  And while most of my classmates in high school were flirting and jumping from one boyfriend to another, I was single till my senior year.  I already told you a little bit about how that turned out.  We broke up my freshman year of college and I haven’t dated since.

My weight was the biggest reason I wanted to undergo the transformation, that and, of course, my depression.  Doctor Wingerd had shown that she could completely cure depression in chimps, so humans shouldn’t be an issue.  About the only things she couldn’t completely cure were cerebral palsy and autism, but even though she couldn’t cure them, she had still shown that she could significantly improve the chimps quality of life.

As the days ticked by until my flight to New York, I found that I spent more and more of my time alone in my room.  I was ecstatic and wildly excited.  Soon I would have the svelte figure I’d always wanted, soon everyday wouldn’t be a nightmare, soon I’d actually have a life to live!  But the people around me, didn’t share my enthusiasm.  My parents were still gently trying to persuade me to change my mind, telling me that I had the power to change myself if I chose.  But it wasn’t just the depression or the weight that I wanted to get rid of.  There were other aspects of myself that I wanted to completely change that no one else knew about.  I wasn’t about ready to spill all my secrets, so I listened politely and then informed them I was still going through with it.

My friends were, if possible, even more resistant to the idea which I found odd.  Between them telling me I was beautiful as I was (something I hadn’t believed in years), that I was funny (I didn’t believe that either), caring (or that), and an amazing friend (definitely not that) and my parents telling me I was smart and intelligent (hah), beautiful (double hah), and a wonderful young woman (triple hah), I felt very alone and very unsupported.  I just couldn’t figure out how they could possibly not understand what a huge opportunity this was for me.  Why couldn’t they just be happy for me?

By the time the day of my departure arrived, I was feeling uncharacteristically mulish and bad-tempered.  I wanted nothing more than to fly to New York, undergo the transformation, and come back and prove them all wrong.  My parents and three closest friends accompanied me to the airport.  They used most of the last hour we had together to try to convince me to stay.  But I was stubborn and refused to listen.  To be honest, I was a little hurt that that was how they wanted to spend our last hour together since I was going to be gone for 6 months.  By the time they finally gave up, I was feeling seriously frustrated and didn’t really want to talk to any of them so no further words were spoken as they walked me to security.

The tension made our goodbyes awkward and uncomfortable.  I wanted so much to tell them that I really did care what they thought and that I valued their opinions, but I also really wished that they would try to understand and value what I thought too.  I couldn’t make the words come out, so I just hugged and kissed my parents and then hugged each of my friends.  I stared at the five of them for a moment, memorizing their faces.  I smiled as I slowly backed away.

“Just you wait,” I told them.  “In six months I’m going to come back a whole new person, you won’t even recognize me!”  I didn’t hear my mother whisper that that was exactly what she was afraid of as I practically skipped away.

I got through security with no problem and easily made my way to my gate.  I guess I really haven’t mentioned where I live either.  Well, I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I've lived in New Mexico my whole life and I have to say that although it has its own unique beauties and mysteries that are often lost on strangers, it is not the most exciting place to grow up.  And Albuquerque is a small city, nothing particularly exciting ever happens here.  So I was excited to have my first real glimpse of a big city.  I’d visited some bigger cities, L.A., San Francisco, Phoenix, but I’d never been in one for any length of time so this was really going to be an adventure.

I was in the first group boarding the plane and I eagerly sought out a window seat.  Once I’d found one to my liking, I settled in for the nearly four hour flight to New York.  I passed the time listening to music, reading, and just looking out the window at the changing landscape.  When New York at last came into view, it took nearly all my willpower to keep me from bouncing up and down in my seat.  It was so big!  I had never seen so many tall buildings and just so much activity!  Even just looking down at the hustle and bustle made me feel quite small.  It was just beginning to get dark and I watched as the city began to blaze with light and colors.  I continued to stare out the window as we descended, devouring the sight with my eyes.

Once we landed, I ended up being one of the first to deplane.  As I exited the jet bridge I was greeted by what to me seemed like complete chaos.  There were people everywhere, standing and talking, walking, running, browsing in the shops, eating at one of the nearby restaurants, doing just about everything you could possibly imagine.  I ducked off to the side and sat down for a moment, trying to calm myself and adjust to the chaos at the same time.  Once my heart had stopped trying to pound its way out of my chest, I picked up my carry-on bag back up and headed off to find my ride.

The instructions I had received informed me that after I deplaned, I was to meet the research centers chauffer, James, just beyond the baggage claim of terminal 1.  Thankfully I was able to get directions from a lady at an information kiosk and I was soon on my way.  Despite the intimidating size of the place, I was able to navigate my way through the crowd with relative ease and I had soon made my way to the baggage claim.  Moving past it, it didn’t take me long to find a young man in a neat blue suit holding a sign for New Beginnings Research Center.  I let out a sigh of relief as I hurried over to him.

“Hello,” I said shyly, “I’m Morgan.  I’m here for the clinical trial.”

“Of course!” he exclaimed with a smile.  “So glad you made it!  Any problems with your flight or anything?”

I shook my head.  “Not at all, everything went very smoothly, thankfully.”

“Excellent!  Well, you’re my last passenger for today, so if you want to follow me, I’ll get you over to the center.”

Taking my bag from me, he led me outside.  Walking out the doors, the first thing I saw was a black stretch limo parked right in front of me.  I gasped in shock as James calmly walked over to it and opened the door for me.  He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to get in, but I found I could just stand and stare like an idiot.

“Well, aren’t you going to get in?” he asked, wryly.  "Or would  you rather walk?"

“Bu-but I’ve never ridden in a limo before,” I managed to gasp out as I took a few tentative steps towards it.  “I mean, I can’t ride in something so nice!”

He looked surprised by my comment and I couldn’t help but blush.  I hadn’t meant to say that exactly, it had just kind of come out.  But it was true.  In my mind, limos were for glamorous celebrities and rich, powerful people all dressed in their expensive, fancy clothes, not for some fat, ugly girl dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

I was surprised when he walked over and gently put his hands on my shoulders.  “Hey, you might not feel worthy of riding in it now, but you soon will, and if it’s worth anything, I think your plenty worthy right now.”

I almost teared up at his kind words but managed to keep my emotions together and just smile and say a quiet thank you before sliding into the vehicle.  It was more opulent than I could have imagined complete with leather seats, hardwood floor, a kind of mini bar and mini fridge, top of the line sound system, and adjustable lighting.  I sat stock still as the limo began to move, taking everything in with my eyes but not daring to touch anything for fear of breaking it.  James had told me it was about a thirty minute drive from the airport to the research center and I found after about ten minutes, I was able to relax slightly and actually lean back against the seat.  It was very comfortable and I found myself beginning to doze off.

I awakened with a start at the sound of a door closing.  I rubbed my eyes to try to dispel my drowsiness and disguise the fact that I had fallen asleep.  I ran a finger across my chin and checked the front of my shirt to make sure I hadn’t drooled while I was sleeping.  I let out a sigh of relief when I confirmed that I hadn’t and had begun to reach for the door when I stopped myself.  Was James going to get the door or was I supposed to get it and he was standing outside waiting for me to get out?  Should I open it or would that be insulting to him?  I had no idea about limo protocol and I was thankfully saved from my dilemma when he opened the door for me.

“How was the ride?” he asked kindly as he helped me out of the car and handed me my bag.

“It was very nice, thank you.  I’ve never been in such a nice vehicle,” I told him honestly.

“Well, I’m glad it met your approval,” he said with a slight laugh.  “And what do you think of your living quarters?” he asked.

I had been so distracted by the limo and talking to him that I hadn’t even noticed where I was.  I gasped when my eyes focused on the white building before me.  It looked like a small apartment building, but the nicest one I had ever seen.  It stood at the center of four other identical buildings with five more in a row behind.  Large trees grew around the buildings, casting giant shadows in the fading light.  Lush green grass grew on either side of the stone walkway that led up to a beautifully carved front door.

“Welcome to your new home,” he said with a quiet smile.

(Disclaimer:  I am not a science or medical geek or know-it-all, so I am well aware that parts of my book here are going to be outside the realm of possibility.  I have done what research I can to make it as authentic as possible, but due to the nature of my story, many of the science and medical aspects are going to be impossible.  I hope you'll be able to ignore those shortcomings and just enjoy the story for what it is.)