The Way of the Warrior-Wizard

It had been a week since the disastrous dinner at Donaldson’s. Duncan had avoided making contact with the Professor, but he knew that it was not possible to evade him forever.

After having finished his class, he was now on his way to meet Jack at the local coffee shop. As he left the lecture hall, he of course ran straight into Professor Donaldson.

“Ahh, Duncan,” he greeted the boy affably, “No need to worry, I’m not going to run you out of town because Jack spilled strawberry mousse on my head. It washed off pretty easily, anyways...although my wife has informed me that I deserved the unfortunate mishap because I was being a loudmouth, as usual. I apologize if I seemed overly argumentative, but I really feel that people in this day and age need to come out of the Middle Ages and adopt reason as their everyday tool. There’s so much strange nonsense out there, and I think you and Jack are too intelligent to get involved in those things.”

“Well...you’re probably right, Professor, but my entire family is into “strange nonsense” as you would call it. As for Jack’s family, I think they’re very reasonable people.”

“When you go to see Jack,” Donaldson asked, “could you tell him that I was never intending any insult towards his family members? I’ve never even mentioned them; but I think Jack is very sensitive at the moment, especially since I didn’t think he was going in the right direction with his thesis.”

Duncan was startled to realize that Donaldson knew that he was going to meet Jack. He wondered if Jack had mentioned that he was meeting him.

“Jack told me he was going to meet with you,” Donaldson echoed his thoughts, “I believe he’s going to ask you to supervise him on his thesis, and I agreed. I think that what he wants to do is more up your alley.”

“Well, I...” Duncan faltered, “I’m not sure if I’m permitted to supervise grad students, Professor Donaldson. If Jack does ask me, I will of course need to consult Dean Andrews with regard to this matter.”

“Of course,” Donaldson concurred, “and if he has any concerns, tell him he can speak to me. I’m recommending that Jack work with you because obviously things have become...rather tense between he and I. He’s insisting on this comparison between the Roman Empire and what he refers to as the present-day North American Empire. I’m telling him I think that’s a bit of a stretch and he’s telling me that I’m too Euro-centric and close-minded. Since you’re the big ‘Multiple-Perspectives Man’ about campus, I think you’re a good fit with Jack...besides, it will be a valuable learning experience for you to supervise a grad student.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Duncan replied courteously, “I don’t know if I am truly a ‘Multiple Perspectives Man’ but I will consider it, if Jack asks me.”

“Excellent,” Donaldson returned his courtesy, “Well, it was very nice chatting with you, Professor. Good day.”

“Good day, Professor,” Duncan murmured as the man left him.

Duncan had the nagging suspicion that Donaldson was relieved at the prospect of dropping the responsibility of being Jack’s supervisor...and he almost felt as if he was “recommending” Duncan for the role as a kind of sardonic protest. After all, Donaldson had always been against Duncan's teaching here in the first place. He might also be avoiding Jack's challenge to him to widen his worldview.

He tried to shake off his worries as he walked over to The Egg Bear, the campus’s most popular coffee shop. He could not, however, shake off an ominous sense of foreboding...about what?

Jack waved at him from the window, and he smiled, lifting his hand in greeting. When he entered the shop, he was surprised to see his older brother Sage seated with Jack at the table. Beside Sage was their two-year old niece, Angela.

“Hey, Dunc,” Sage greeted him, “I was here with Angie getting some chips and we saw Jack. We were just discussing Donaldson.”

“Don’t let Mairi catch you feeding chips to Angela, Sage,” Duncan warned his brother, “you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“She’s fine,” Sage replied calmly, “she’s only had a few of mine...it won’t hurt her to have one or two.”

Duncan ordered an egg-salad sandwich and a cup of coffee.

“I’ve just been talking with Donaldson,” he said to Jack, “and he says you want me to supervise your thesis.”

“Not supervise,” Jack informed him, “just advise—let me know what you think. It’s Donaldson who wants to dump me on you, but I’m not going to let him off the hook so easily. I think he needs to learn to be more flexible with people.”

“So it will still be Donaldson who will be supervising you?”

“If he is agreeable,” Jack said, “I’ve reconsidered, and I think he desperately needs to be educated. You don’t need that kind of education—you’re already expanding your understanding of history.”

“I hope so,” Duncan replied as Angela offered him a soggy chip which had just been dipped in Sage’s coffee, “Jack, Donaldson asked me to tell you that he intended no insult to your family members when we all had that disagreement during the dinner at his home.”

“Oh, I know, he already said that to me dozens of times, but he says one thing with his words and another with his attitude...you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I believe so,” Duncan answered, not particularly wanting to get in the middle of a conflict between Donaldson and Jack, “I know he’s a pill; but I agree with you that it will be beneficial for both of you if you can work together on your thesis. As you’ve said, he won’t learn anything if I do the supervising for him.”

“Just what I thought,” Jack concurred, “and that was what Sage was telling me before you walked in. I think you may have been a wise-man in a former life, Sage.”

“Well,” Sage responded, “That is the meaning of my name—isn’t it, Angie?”

“Yet you’re not wise in your dietary choices,” Duncan said to Sage, eyeing his chips disapprovingly.

“Och, shush up, Salad-boy!” Sage retorted good naturedly, "You're lucky Uncle Sage is here rather than Glenlachlan. He'd be feeding Angie chips, hamburgers, sweets...whatever!"

After they had finished their meals and paid their bills, they exited The Egg Bear. As they did so, they were met by Dean Andrews, who had spotted them and had rushed over to them, his expression rather dire.

“Duncan!” he cried.

“Dean Andrews!” Duncan exclaimed, “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” the winded Dean replied, “I’m fine...but it’s your father. He’s collapsed and has been taken to the hospital.”

Duncan felt as though his heart was falling into a deep abyss as the Dean’s words sunk into his mind.