Resilient Creatures

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4 years later

"I'm so excited that you're actually here!" Kelly said, looking over at Zainab sitting next to her. She was driving them both after picking Zainab up at the airport. It was a really busy day of flying and Kelly had been almost an hour late trying to get through the traffic.

Zainab was a little annoyed and cranky at first, especially after having to endure a 6 hour flight from Boston, sitting next to a guy that wouldn't stop talking to her. She had tried everything to ward him off, but she was still just an awkward person around people and didn't have the heart to tell him to leave her alone. But the moment the airplane doors opened up at the gate, she zipped her way out of there like a gazelle chasing a lion.

Well, maybe that's not the most appropriate analogy, she thought to herself. 

When Kelly finally pulled up to curbside at the arrivals doors, her infectious smile and familiar face put Zainab at ease. They were like sisters now, even though they had spent the last four years living on separate coasts. Kelly, to her credit, had made it a point to visit Zainab at MIT whenever she was on a business trip or doing an extended visit to install a MindLink at a nearby Habitat. 

Zainab hadn't realized she needed a big sister figure in her life, but the summer after graduation proved her wrong, as Kelly and her spent a lot of time together. Their connection was inevitable in retrospect. They were both only children, with a single parent who had transformed, and they had this unique shared experience around the initial success of MindLink.

Zainab turned her head and looked Kelly up and down. She had changed since then, for sure. The woman in the driver's seat was a powerhouse of a woman in her industry, especially in the last couple years. With every installation of MindLink, Zainab noticed that at least two or three new articles or videos would pop up on the internet. "30 under 30", "Top 100 Women in Tech", you name it. Zainab made it a point to read every article she found, quietly stalking her pseudo-big sister as she climbed up the corporate later.

But now that they were in the same car, Kelly was back to being herself. The same friendly energy that Zainab had found comfort in, especially during some of the tougher times of her dad's transformation. 

"Hey Kels, when are you going to get a new car?" Zainab teased. She looked around at the decade old car that Kelly had purchased when she had first moved to Seattle. It was small, compact, and probably got the job done for Kelly, but Zainab knew she had the money to upgrade. Zainab dreamed about the car she would buy. After four years of not owning a car in Boston and mostly ride sharing or borrowing other people's vehicles, she was looking forward to finding something she can finally call her own.

"Don't insult Bella!" Kelly replied, gently patting the steering wheel. "She's as strong as ever and will probably be around for another ten years!" 

"Then maybe Harry should get a new car." 

"Well, we both share this car, and that's good enough for us, isn't that right, Bella?" Kelly pretended like the car said something and laughed in agreement.

Zainab laughed too. It was hard to believe that this is the same woman that is CEO of a 200 person company, worshipped by all the women in STEM that she had met, and was the darling of the tech industry. Although they were as close as sisters, Zainab admired Kelly on a professional level, hoping that one day she'd be able to be half as successful. 

"How are you feeling about things? This homecoming feeling a bit different than the past ones?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know how to feel yet," Zainab replied. "I still can't believe that college is over. Wasn't that supposed to be the most fun period of my life? Why do I feel like I just spent four years reading and studying for things? Kelly, did I mess up college? Should I go back? Can you turn around now?"