22:10 - Part II - Asymmetrical Pieces

Chapter 10

Later that morning, Eli opened the door at the rear of the classroom and slipped inside; only the lecturer noticed, and she did not acknowledge him. The auditorium-style room was too large for the group of possibly twenty students, and it felt like a vaulted void as the rows of chairs quickly ascended from the lectern area at the bottom.

A year and a half away from finishing his PhD, Eli did not need these introductory sessions on geopolitics designed for undergrads in their first term. But he always found himself sitting in on the lectures and explaining his attendance by claiming they were a "refresher" to keep him mindful of the basics.

This was not completely false because he did have one very basic interest in the class.

Dr. Lena Jenssen wore a wide-collared, fitted, white button-up blouse with the two top buttons open and a slim charcoal pencil skirt with black sling-back high heels. Her hair was pulled into a taught bun, blonde today. Thick tortoise-shell eyeglasses and blood-red lipstick gave her an aura of authority through sheer boldness. It was a striking yet classy look and typical of her style. Dr. Jenssen's natural appearance was tight and sleek, an almost unavoidably sensual package. And she always found a way to push the boundaries of a professional dress code. When she wanted or needed to, she could tinge her posh English accent with just a slight hint of Norwegian, evoking a Scandinavian innocence. Everything about her brought a mischievous harmony to mind.

Today, at the front of this lecture hall full of hormone-driven university undergrads, her lace bra was faintly visible through the fabric of her blouse when she turned to write on the board or stepped squarely into the strong light coming from the projector aimed at the screen on the wall. Eli knew she was aware of this fact. Occasionally, during the past three years in the student pubs, he overheard male students banter not so quietly about what they would like to do to her—and, during drinking games, even some female students confessed their lust too.

Dr. Jenssen was engaging as she moved from behind the podium to pose questions to the students. Yet Eli knew that being engaging was different from being charismatic or captivating. She was neither endearing nor abrasive; she was merely effective and generally bland. At the beginning of a new semester, students might ask each other about her course when deciding whether or not to take it. Unlike others lecturers with reputations of "great, must-take" classes or those to "avoid unless impossible," rarely did anyone have an opinion about hers. Typically, Dr. Jenssen's classes were determined to be, "Okay. Straightforward." Even Eli found them difficult to describe beyond "unexceptional." Dr. Jenssen was popular with students because she knew when to cancel class, which happened fairly often. She simply did not have a passion for teaching, and it was apparent to those she taught.

"Which country will be the hinge of the 21st century?" she asked.

"China," someone quickly replied.

"Obviously extremely important and possibly the decisive participant, but not the next fundamental crucible of global civilization," she countered, looking across the class for another answer.

"The European Union," a male student in the third row put forth.

"Single country, I said. A single, coherent political entity."

"Exactly. That's the point," he added. There was delayed low laugher in the room.

"Ah, you are suggesting that the European Union will cross the threshold of a distinct federal system and function as the world powerbroker," she replied. "Well, it's a nice sentiment, but it might take longer than a century to get us all together. If anything, the recent elections across Europe have evidenced some regression away from Brussels. So, no."

"Brazil?"

"Interesting. No."

"India."

"Same as China."