"Humanly there is no being that is happy without the other being as well."

René Descartes.

The place had a stunning beauty. The virgin beach looked like a Pacific island, or even more beautiful, where the sea with small waves and warm water was an invitation to a swim. The reddish sun was already close to the horizon, but none of those who had fun in that idyllic place thought about leaving, since the temperature was a perfect twenty-four degrees. In the water, Igor had fun in a war of wizards, started by his parents. Together, they created a wall of water that hit their son hard and made him fall. Laughing, the young man got up and made a serious face, shouting:

"Do you dare to challenge Neptune, the God of the seas, miserable mortals?" he raised his hand, which began to glow, while his parents created a strong protection barrier. "Feel now the power of my wrath."

The last words were uttered with the help of his gifts, which is why they sounded more like messages of the apocalypse, while the wizard seemed to become a giant and raised a curtain of water. Still laughing, the parents increased the intensity of the protection barriers, but the water began to spin very fast, while expanding in their direction. In a few seconds they were engulfed by the aerial whirlpool and thrown into its center, floating in the air while the water spun around and splashed on the couple who, unable to take it anymore, asked for mercy and declared their son the winner.

Igor extended his hand and the water ran towards him, enveloping him from the waist down and lifting the young man, who turned to the side and said:

"So, sweet Caroline, do you turn off that camera and come here or do I need to catch you?"

The image trembled with the operator's laughter and, suddenly, the screen went dark.

Full of tears, the young wizard turned off the video equipment and left the office, thinking about that week of end of vacation when he, his childhood friend and his parents spent in an idyllic world, the favorite planet of his sweet Caroline whose end was the same as his parents.

Igor looked at the time and decided to do something with his life because, that week of pure depression could not continue. The first thing he did was report to the police, claiming that his parents disappeared without a trace.

Interrogated by the investigators, he said he had returned from Europe and they did not pick him up at the airport or find him at home. A month later, he became the main target of the police investigations who began to suspect that the son was eyeing the family fortune. Despite all the suspicions, they found nothing and had to give up at the end of another month, closing the case without a solution.

Igor also felt the need to do something useful to not succumb to depression and, although he did not need it because he was wealthy, he went looking for a job. He prepared his resume, using his powers to materialize one already ready and went looking for an occupation. By his knowledge he would have no difficulty in finding work and, therefore, he preferred to choose the most reputable companies in the field of electrical engineering, giving preference to those that developed research, which was one of his passions.

Already on the first attempt, a very reputable engineering group that he liked a lot, saw that things would not be so simple. Luckily, he got an interview on the same act because they were looking for a specialist and the first thing they did was a written test. Then, he was submitted to some interviews with sector chiefs.

Sitting in the not very comfortable chair in the university style for more than two hours, they told him to wait for one last person to interview him. Igor felt that there must be something wrong with that, but he remained calm and quiet. Faster than he expected, the door was opened by a man who took a similar chair and sat in front of him, observing him, focused.

He was a guy in his forties, jovial and very friendly who had a frank smile that pleased the young man. In silence, he read the questionnaire and, after, raised his face, expressing some astonishment.

"Igor Montenegro, is it?" He affirmed more than asked. "I'm Levi Vargas, president of this company and I'm very fascinated by your answers, son. When the supervisor saw the questionnaire he was so impressed that he called me, since, in general, I don't deal with hiring, but you left several of our experts perplexed. I have engineers with thirty years of career who would be unable to answer all this accurately, my young man. Where and when did you learn, to have so much knowledge still so young?"

At that moment, the young wizard saw the mistake he made. He was just over nineteen years old and could never be a trained engineer, much less one with such knowledge. There was no way to give a plausible explanation that would convince him, but that was what he needed to try, since he was interested in that company.

"Well, Mr. Vargas—"

"You can call me Levi," he interrupted.

"Well, Levi," he continued with a small smile and trying to lie as little as possible. "I have always been a great lover of physics since I was a child and, as my father was a scientist, I had access to a lot of information long before the appropriate time."

"You said 'was'?"

"Unfortunately, Levi, my parents disappeared two months ago and have already been declared dead."

"I'm sorry, son," he said, awkwardly.

"Me too, sir, but nothing can be done." Igor smiled, but the interlocutor saw the sadness that he emanated. "Well, in short, that's it: I had a lot of access and good teachers. I spent the last two years studying abroad, in London, and now I will try to transfer to the federal, since I started the engineering course at Oxford."

He thought he gave a convincing explanation, since he had been to London many times with Caroline's great friend, who was from there, and his father was indeed a physicist with some renown, including international, in case they were to investigate.

"That's great, son," said the interlocutor, confirming his assumption. "Because of what happened to your parents, I imagine you need the job, but I can't give you the position of engineer without a diploma, despite your fabulous knowledge. How about you start as an intern and as you progress in college, we will promote you to more decent positions?"

"I think it's great." Igor smiled because he liked the place and didn't care about the money. What mattered to him was a way to occupy his time so as not to think all the time about his lost parents and friends. Going to college would also not be a bad idea. "I'm sure you won't regret it."

"I'm sure of that, son." Levi got up and extended his hand. The boy's grip was firm and he liked it. "You start on the first. Bring the college schedules so we can make the class waivers as soon as you start your studies."

"I will do that" he replied. He got up and, after saying goodbye, left.

Igor left satisfied, without noticing that he was watched by a girl who was sitting on a couch in the waiting room, reading. She followed him with her eyes and was so interested that she put down the book and just paid attention to him until Levi appeared. She got up and hugged her father.

"Hi, dad," she said, turning her gaze to the exit. "Who is that handsome boy?"

"Hello, daughter." The father laughed. "That handsome boy, as you say, may become one of the best acquisitions in the history of Vargas Engineering, but for now he will start as an intern because he is at the beginning of college. And you, are you ready for the first semester?

"Of course!" She smiled, happy. "Wow, dad, I hope he becomes my colleague."

"I think you should think more about your studies, daughter. Classes start next month. Shall we go home?"

On the way, they were silent for a while, until Levi interrupted:

"Do you really want to intern there?" He shrugged. "I think the ideal would be to just study, at least in the first year."

"Of course I do." She laughed. "If that gorgeous boy can, why couldn't I?"

"That young man lost his parents recently and must be needing to work to support himself, while you don't."

"Ouch, poor him." She felt sorry, thinking. She didn't see him right because she only saw the profile for a few seconds and the rest of the time from behind, but she liked him very much.

― ☼ ―

Igor started working, throwing himself into it with body and soul. Because he was serious, polite and hardworking, he soon fell into the good graces of his superiors. He was placed to work in the research laboratories, something that pleased him very much. The work of an intern was nothing special and he had to do a little bit of everything, especially what the others did not want or did not like. Thus, he was placed to tidy up piles of notes and documents, write technical reports, clean samples and also as a messenger or delivery boy. He never complained about anything and always did everything he was asked with care and goodwill. In a short time he became very appreciated by all his colleagues. As he imagined, the activity helped to ease the pain of his losses. Once, when he was in the main laboratory of his sector, he came across two engineers, the two main heads of the department and who maintained a heated discussion about a certain mathematical solution for an experimental circuit. Since he was sitting next to them, organizing some files on the computer, he saw and heard everything, very amused. That was a problem whose answer he had known for a few years and, seeing that the impasse of the two scientists would have no result, he could not keep quiet and said:

"Forgive me for the intrusion, gentlemen, but you are both wrong, very wrong." He got up and approached them, extending his hand for them to give him the marker. The engineers stopped talking and looked at him with the most astonished face in the world. They were so surprised that one of them handed the pen to Igor, who went to the whiteboard. Very calm, he erased everything and, before they started to scream desperately, he started to write the new equations, while explaining. When he finished, he turned to the pair and said in a professorial way, pointing behind him:

"Did you understand?" he smiled, kindly. "The solution you chose for that differential was inadequate."

He returned the pen and went back to the computer while the two, with bulging eyes, looked at the board or at Igor.

"He is absolutely right," they said at the same time. One of them continued. "Where did you learn that, son?"

"My father was a scientist. I have been living with these equations since I was a child because I like math and he taught me," he replied. Getting up, he continued. "Sorry, but I need to deliver this to Levi. Excuse me."

The young man left the room carrying a folder of documents and reports, thinking that this was, in a way, a waste of time since they could use the computer to store the information. Halfway there, he stopped at a drinker and took a sip of water and, when he raised his head, he came across the girl of his dreams at the end of the corridor. She was almost as tall as him with light brown hair and an angelic look. Every time he saw her, he felt his heart race and was crazy to talk to her, but the girl was from another sector, besides him being shy. Now that she was less than twenty meters away from him, he thought of creating courage and, slowly, advanced down the corridor. She raised her eyes and they both stared at each other for a few seconds, giving more courage to the young man to advance. He was so focused and determined that he felt a shock when someone interposed himself in front of him, holding his arm.

"Hi, Igor, how are you?" After the shock, he looked with displeasure at the colleague, also a beautiful woman. "You were supposed to confirm if we could go out tonight for a date, remember?"

"Sorry, Anita," he replied, looking for the other girl with his eyes. "Unfortunately I have a commitment—"

"Do you have a girlfriend, Igor?" she asked annoyed. "Don't tell me something like that—"

"No, I don't have one," he replied, losing the opportunity to get rid of her. "Not every commitment involves a girlfriend."

"But then," she said, getting closer and leaning against him, provocative, "I don't see anything wrong with—"

"Sorry, Anita, but I can't, okay?" he grumbled, interrupting a little abruptly. "Now I need to take these reports to Levi."

He dodged her and followed the corridor, trying to locate the other colleague, but she must have gone to her department because there was no way to find her. Frustrated and cursing the colleague in silence, he turned around and headed for the president's room. As he walked, he thought of a way to approach the girl. He blamed himself a lot for being shy, but he didn't want to spoil things by using impulse. He would have to find out, first of all, which sector she was from and then find a way to "meet by accident".

― ☼ ―