Chapter 34
Suddenly, Dr. Choi's life began to make more sense as the days went by. Having witnessed a silhouette similar to her dead daughter had resulted as if a renowned painter had chosen to use the brightest colors from his palette to decorate the downcast face of the professional. And if so, then that artist had carried out her work with success, since the doctor had gone from a deplorable state, locked in her room and avoiding going outside for a long time, to show a more cheerful, fun composure; now she laughed while she watched comedy series on television and accompanied some of her neighbors on the way, while she bought bread or returned from the market with bags full of purchases.
Her friends started visiting her from that week when Choi had discovered someone similar to Clara, but no one knew about it. No one, not even her family, neighbors, or closest friends knew the reasons why Choi acted more enthusiastic about her life, unknown reasons that led the doctor to take the next step to get more fun in her days. She knew that observing the employee who bore a phenomenal resemblance to Clara from afar was not right, but it was not enough for her cheeks to regain a vivid color and for a smile to cross her features, making her look more pleasant to everyone. Choi knew that one day, all that would be nothing more than a crumb to calm that terrible craving she felt when remembering her daughter in life, and no, it was not hunger or dehydration at all, but it resulted in a desire more complex. Eventually, the doctor would go on to demand more than just banal memories of her little girl or the specially kept image of the waitress. In time, she would grow weary of it and seek another outlet to deal with her distress. Choi longed to have her daughter back in her arms, inside her house, watching her eat breakfast or do some homework, or even just take a nap. The doctor wanted to see Clara again, hovering around her.
Obviously, a person in all their senses would think that this would not be possible, because Clara was now under the wet and dirty surface, as well as under a tombstone. But for Dr. Choi, everything around her could become real, if she wanted it. She remembered, then, a phrase that she had written in one of her many books related to the advancement of science, under the pseudonym of the scientist Louisa.
«When one wishes to overcome the barriers of creating a life without resorting to any artificial or natural method, such as fertilization, one tends to think that it is immoral, that it is an impossible act, or even that I have heard from my colleagues that science should not interfere at all in the creation of a living being. But that is not the case, and the truth, from my perspective: everything can be done with the help of scientific advances, with the support of professionals linked to this lifestyle; with the collaboration of science itself. Advances in this area have given us benefits, as well as destruction for many centuries, but in the case of cloning, I have put all my hope that it can save a lot of lives, as well as prevent certain evils, such as the absence of something important, of something that is considered vital.»
How could Dr. Choi bring Clara back? The constant questions raged against the doctor's sanity and mind, but the same thing always happened. At the end of the day, she had no answers, only doubts increased and she felt more and more lost.
«...avoid the absence of something important.» Was Dr. Choi capable of doing that or was she raising her abilities as a scientist? Maybe she could never bring back her beloved daughter. Scientist Louisa was nothing more than a memory that was taken flying through the air, like dust that clings to the woods of the mind, but with a basic and simple cleaning, the dirt ceases to exist on the surface. Scientist Louisa had achieved several goals throughout her scientific career that she kept secret. From one moment to another, all those nominations obtained in the past, awards and medals that denoted the passion and intelligence with which Louisa manipulated science for a greater benefit, went from being vivid memories to being garbage in the form of distant memories that her brain set about eliminating. Except for just one.
And it was in that instant that Dr. Choi understood what she had to do. Her mind lit up, just like a room that has been forgotten over the years and is suddenly open and clean for other people to stay there. And what took the stay from her mind was the distant memory, but still remembered, of the cloning project in which the scientist Louisa worked with dedication. Before the death of her firstborn.
—That is! —Doctor Choi yelled in the solitude of her room. —The answer was always right under my nose!
And it was not a lie. Now by picking up on her previous project again, she might be able to bring her daughter back. Maybe it wouldn't really be her daughter, no one could ever match Clara's personality. No one could ever fully compare Clara, but it was enough that she looked a little alike and Choi would be enormously happy. She was satisfied with finding her. The result of all the arduous research would be a girl similar —physically— to her daughter, Clara. As if she were an identical copy of her daughter. Like when she had first observed the waitress in that cafeteria.
Rising from her bed for the first time all day, Dr. Choi began to arrange herself to head to the only place on earth where she could turn her dream into reality: the laboratory hidden inside the forest that surrounded the glamorous city. She washed her face and dressed in a beautiful white coat that would protect her from the cold winter that was beating outside. Walking through the kitchen of her home, she grabbed the car keys and sped to the transport. She couldn't waste any more of the precious time she had left over. Now, in her mind only manifested the single task that perfectly explained her insignificant existence: creating the DNA that Clara's clone would carry.