A Debt of Honour – Episode 26
A Debt Of Honour
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- 1. A Debt of Honour – Episode 26
Her mum had invited them out for a meal together, clearly trying to find neutral ground for this first meeting.
That implied that what her daughter thought about the man meant a lot to her.
The flow of chat finally ebbed and, just before things became awkward, he leaned across the table.
“Your mum says that you’ve just finished Biology at Stirling?”
“Yes,” Ellie replied.
“Have you decided where you go from here?”
“No,” Ellie said. “It’s still too soon to decide.”
“Better to take time to think than rush into something you might regret.” Neil nodded.
“Out of curiosity, what was your dissertation topic? I asked your mum, but she wasn’t sure.”
He was gentle, friendly. An easy man to like.
Ellie felt like she was still a student, and he was leading her into talking about herself with practised ease.
Somehow, that didn’t annoy her, because she sensed genuine interest behind the question.
Ellie told him, and before she knew it, Neil had encouraged her into talking about some of her own opinions on the subject, far more radically than she had dared to do in her dissertation.
He encouraged her to talk more freely still, and made some suggestions.
By the time the food arrived, Ellie was completely comfortable in Neil’s company and the get-together built up a new dynamic – with her mum listening rather than joining in.
Two hours passed quickly. As conversation became more general, Neil turned to her.
“Ellie,” he said quietly. “I’m not pushing you in any way, just drawing your attention to something.
“We’re advertising a couple of posts in Edinburgh, closing date in about a week.”
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
“We’re setting up a new research group to let us expand our work on the impact of plastic.
“There’s been a lot of recent publicity through people like David Attenborough on damage to the seas and marine life.
“But it’s even worse on people in the poorer countries of the world, who buy all-plastic packaging and have no means of recycling it.
“So it gets dumped in rivers, blocks drains, causes flooding, lets flies breed which cause malaria and a raft of other diseases.
“We’re planning a two-pronged attack.
“The first is to come up with a new biodegradable material which can replace most plastics, but is quickly recycled or neutralised.
“Obviously that’s a joint study with Chemistry.
“As is finding a process which will break down existing plastic waste, and help the world tackle the life-threatening pollution its throw-away society is causing.”
Neil grimaced.
“I’ve spent my life working on the damage caused to ocean species.
“We are moving on to trace how this can impact on people who eat the fish and absorb any minute plastic traces they carry in their bodies.
“Again, that’s mainly people in poorer countries, who are dependent on fishing.
“We need to build a team who can analyse the data and assess how serious the problem is.
“Some will be working with me down south. Others based in Edinburgh will analyse the data.
“We’re not going to be popular, but we will be tackling one of the biggest problems facing our world after decades of political and corporate neglect.”
The stern face relaxed into a smile.
“And, from what you’ve told me about your work, you would be a good fit for the Scottish team. Are you interested?”
“You make it sound like a great crusade,” Ellie said.
“It is,” Neil said simply. “When we started using atomic power back in the 1950s, promises were made to find a way of cleaning up nuclear waste within ten years.
“We didn’t. We still bury it. Now the problem’s plastic pollution.
“Do you want to be remembered by future generations for leaving them the problems we couldn’t solve?
“Or do you want to do something about it?”
Ellie’s eyes sparkled.
“I do,” she said. “You have nailed exactly what I’m looking for.
“A purpose for the next stage of my life. Will you be leading the team?”
“Not as such. Whoever gets the job will report to a team leader, and the team leaders will report to me.
“It’s my job to merge each team’s work into the big picture.”
“Will you be on the interview panel?” Ellie asked directly.
Neil grinned.
“I was,” he replied. “Chairing it. But if you apply, I will have to step aside and declare an interest.”
“Why?” Shauna asked.
“Because I know the family,” Neil said.
“And, as from now, the candidate as well. So if you apply, it will be down to your own merits – against the rest.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Ellie declared.
To be continued…
