"They smell your anxiety"

"They smell your anxiety"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD 

It was Avens Thesis defense.

She had hastily eaten lunch and was agitated as she went up to the loft to ready her presentation. The light was on , she had changed into her carefully chosen top , she had angled her laptop just right.

We were all preparing to support her by staying quiet during this whole period.  Hanie and Mama and I talked in hushed voices so that Aven can do her last minute adjustments.

It was then that her laptop began to began to sputter and produced a whirring sound. Aven was afraid that it would explode. She turned it off. Her Mom sensing her panic readily gave her own laptop and luckily Aven had synced her materials to this laptop before so had access to it in a matter of seconds.

Avens laptop whirred again and I told her that it was not properly turned off and I removed it from her immediate vicinity. I made sure that it stayed off. My poor Aven and her nerves.

Then the presentation began and her voice rang clear and confident . 

"Good Afternoon", she began and from that first greeting to the last question that she answered, she maintained a smile and braved through it all. Composed as if nothing had rattled her a mere few minutes ago.

And then it was done. Weeks of preparation and pouring through materials and practicing what to say.  I continue to be amazed at how she carries herself at times like these.