1 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson, 2 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: Minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or 4 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: condition as ten minutes will permit. Mini novels on steroids. 7 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: This week we meet the Smites. The Smites have do 8 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: a large portfolio and an almost desperate need to travel, 9 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: even during the height of the COVID scare back in 10 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: the late summer of twenty twenty, when they decide to 11 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: take a little trip down to the Bahamas. While up 12 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: at Mit, their only child, David, works eighteen hours a 13 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: day on his messenger RNA research in the hope of 14 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: finding a vaccine for the dreaded virus. Only child over 15 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: the roar of the plane's engine, she shouted, do you 16 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: think we're going to die? We're not going to die, Hu, 17 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: We're not going to die. I think we're going to die. No, No, 18 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: I think he's going to figure out a way out 19 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: of this. Just try and relax. The thirty year old 20 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: six seater Beach Bonanza, owned and operated by Half Ass 21 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: Island Airways of Freeport, bounces around in the sky like 22 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: a beach ball on a stormy sea. I told you, 23 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: I told you we should have taken that damn mailboat. 24 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: I know, Sweets, I know you've mentioned it a time 25 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: or two. Just try and take it easy. They wanted 26 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: to go from Exuma to Beminy a pleasant four hour 27 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: mailboat ride through calm, turquoise blue Caribbean waters, or a 28 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: quick twenty minute island jumper. He pushed for the island 29 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: jumper on half Ass Island Airways. We'll be at Big 30 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: Mics in time for lunch. Big Mics where the fish 31 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: tacos were insanely delish and the salty margarita's to kill for. 32 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: He knew if he got a couple of those big 33 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: margaritas into his wife, she'd be an absolute tiger. Once 34 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: they checked into their room at Beminy's Big Game Club, 35 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: where they had a membership and first DIBs on the 36 00:02:54,800 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: waterfront suites. Not that the Big Game Club or anywhere 37 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: else they'd stayed or eaten on this trip was crowded. 38 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: They could have any room and any table they desired. 39 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: Seven months into the COVID nineteen scare, just about nobody 40 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: was traveling. The Smites had spent a couple months holed 41 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: up in their Central Park West duplex, and when that 42 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: grew claustrophobic, they'd skidaddled in their range rover out to 43 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: their digs in the Hamptons, where they'd remained until departing 44 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: for this little island hopping getaway a few days ago. 45 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: Like so many, the Smites were scared to death of 46 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: the virus, but they also possessed an almost fanatical need 47 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: to travel. Sitting still made them nervous, drove them to 48 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: states of extreme anxiety and depression, and so when their son, 49 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: a chemist who worked up at MIT, told them a 50 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: vaccine was still months away, they decided to gopher broke 51 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: and fly to Eluthra, then Eluthra to Ezuma, and now 52 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: Ezuma to Beminy. Although right now Beminy and Big Mics 53 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: looks like a stretch, that antique beach Bonanza spelled Beach 54 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: Bacch on the Half Ass Island Airways website is in 55 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: a heap of trouble. Early this morning, a powerful tempest 56 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: had developed out in the Atlantic one hundred miles southeast 57 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: of Ezuma. Very warm water, super humid late summer air, 58 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: and a hot, stiff breeze blowing across the ocean from 59 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: Africa had all mixed together to form a massive, fast 60 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: moving electrical storm. Nature, in other words, was on the 61 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: move and feeling really volatile. At the small international airport 62 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: terminal on a Zuma, the young pilot assured the middle 63 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: aged American couple that the storm was still well out 64 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,239 Speaker 1: to the southeast, that if they boarded and buckled up asap, 65 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: they'd be safe and sound on bemony lickety split. Two 66 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: bad bored and buckled turned into almost twenty minutes on 67 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: the tarmac, fussing first with refueling and then with flap 68 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: and rudder problems. The beach, as any idiot might suspect, 69 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: had a plethora of mechanical problems, so by the time 70 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: they taxied, the wind had shifted and the Bonanza had 71 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: to take off to the southeast instead of to the northwest, 72 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: which meant the thunderstorm was just about smacking their faces 73 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 1: as they lifted off the runway. But the pilot, a 74 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 1: cocky Bahamian kid who'd only recently started to shave and 75 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: who'd been a star striker on the national soccer team, 76 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: banked that Bonanza hard left and quickly got their journey 77 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: pointed in the right direction. It's all good, mon, he 78 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: shouted back to his two white knuckled passengers. We'll be 79 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: out running and no problem, good christ said Missus Smite. 80 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: Just relax, honey, said mister Smite. It'll be okay, sweets, 81 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,679 Speaker 1: it'll be okay. Well that was about ten minutes ago, 82 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: and now there's somewhere west of Andros where the pilot 83 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: had considered landing, but air traffic control told him the 84 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: winds were way too intense. Best to head due west 85 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: toward the Florida Keys to escape the path and the 86 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: wrath of the storm. But right now there's no escape 87 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: in sight. The creaky old Bonanza is at the mercy 88 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: of fifty mile an hour winds and seventy five mile 89 00:06:55,960 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: an hour gusts. Rain splatters the windows, and lighting bolts 90 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: tear through the black sky at the edges of the wings. 91 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: It's almost high noon, but so dark out there, it 92 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: could be the middle of the night. We're definitely going 93 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: to die, shouts Missus Smite. Mister Smite is not one 94 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: hundred percent confident they won't, but he bucks up, squeezes 95 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: his wife's hand and assures her all will be well, 96 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: just a little bump in the road, well in the sky. 97 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: They married back in their late twenties, soulmates, selfish, self absorbed, 98 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: very late boomers, desirous of living an affluent, decadent lifestyle 99 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: filled with well paying jobs, a luxurious midtown apartment, a 100 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: stable of fancy cars, dinners out at only the finest restaurants, 101 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: and of course, lots of travel to only the most 102 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: expensive and exotic locale. Duel. Six figure incomes and copious 103 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: amounts of cash made all their dreams come true. They 104 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: did not want children, both from divorced, disaffected parents. They 105 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: generally viewed children as painful, demanding, and expensive. In addition, 106 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: children destroyed your independence and any possible hope of day 107 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:32,079 Speaker 1: to day autonomy. Now, the Smites have always had a 108 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: very aggressive and colorful sex life, so back in their 109 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: prime they took great pains to avoid pregnancy, alas when 110 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: she was thirty two when he was thirty four, a 111 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: pregnancy nevertheless occurred. At first, they were like, no problem, 112 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 1: we'll get an abortion. Shed a few tears and move on. 113 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: Nothing to it, well, almost nothing. As the date of 114 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: the pro pro grew closer, a strong maternal instinct began 115 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: to overwhelm Missus Smite. She could not go through with it. 116 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: She feared the abortion would destroy her carefully constructed emotional 117 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: and mental well being. And so a young Smite arrived 118 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: in the world. They named him David Allen after his grandfathers, 119 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,199 Speaker 1: and they loved him, but well, not much enough. They 120 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: believed it was enough. But mostly David Allen Smite was 121 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:39,959 Speaker 1: left in the care of others, grandparents, Nanni's o pair's babysitters, 122 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: next door neighbors, teachers. David went to Dalton through eighth grade, 123 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: then up to Shout in Wallingford for high school, before 124 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: enrolling at MIT in Cambridge. He majored in chemistry, earned 125 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: both a bachelor's and a master's degrees, and went to 126 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 1: work for the university on m RN research. Mom and 127 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 1: Dad took a little interest in any of this. They 128 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: found their son's intellectual pursuits utter Dollsville, and of course 129 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: they were busy with banking and finance, buying fine artwork 130 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:21,079 Speaker 1: and eating at eleven Madison helicoptering out to the Hamptons 131 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: and jetting off to Crete, Fiji and the Forest of Knives. 132 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: While Mom and Dad scratched the surface of their shallow lives, David, 133 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:36,959 Speaker 1: whom they had nearly aborted, immersed himself in the extraordinary 134 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 1: world of messenger RNA. He slowly and deliberately began to 135 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: understand how ribonucleic acid might be used to produce powerful 136 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: vaccines without replicating the virus. With properly coded messenger RNA youngs. 137 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: Mite reasoned it might be possible to teach the cells 138 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 1: in the body how to create an immune response against 139 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: an invading virus. So when COVID nineteen popped up in 140 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: China in twenty nineteen, David Smite had Big Pharma pounding 141 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: on his Mit office door in Building two, just across 142 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: from Hayden Library, pounding on his door. In the months ahead, 143 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,199 Speaker 1: David worked sixteen and eighteen hours a day and ultimately 144 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: played a prominent role in the development of Maderna's COVID 145 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 1: nineteen vaccine that saved the lives of millions and slowly 146 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: began to strangle the original virus and its subsequent variance. 147 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: Now virtually no one knows David Smite's name, but an 148 00:11:53,720 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: unsung hero. The brilliant young chemist most certainly is an 149 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: only child. David is also about to become a twenty 150 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: nine year old orphan. The cocky young Bahamian pilot struggles 151 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:15,239 Speaker 1: to control Half ass Island Airways absurdly old beach bonanza. 152 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: A tremendous blast of wind strikes the fuselage. The plane 153 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: wobbles and gets tossed sideways. The pilot smashes the side 154 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: of his head so hard against the cockpit window he 155 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: is rendered unconscious. His hands fall from the yoke, his 156 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: feet slip from the petals. The plane begins to spin 157 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: and tumble. The sensation of the airplane falling causes Missus 158 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:48,319 Speaker 1: Smite to scream. Mister Smite screams even louder. This they 159 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 1: both believe cannot possibly be happening, not possible, not to them, 160 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: not to the Smites. They've lived such lovely, privileged lives. 161 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: But when mister Smite throws back the thin curtain separating 162 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: the cabin from the cockpit, he knows in an instant 163 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: they are all entirely and completely fucked. The pilot has 164 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: slumped to the floor. The beach Bonanza is falling out 165 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: of the sky, and before the Smites can even say goodbye, 166 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: the airplane, moving it well over one hundred and twenty 167 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: five miles an hour, slams into the Atlantic Ocean fifty 168 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: two nautical miles southeast of Miami Beach and disintegrates upon impact, instantly, 169 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: killing all aboard Half ass Island Airways Flight thirteen no 170 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: longer bound for beminy, sad and tragic. Yes, but at 171 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: least those Smites gave the world David Allen smite. Yep, 172 00:13:54,160 --> 00:14:09,679 Speaker 1: at least they did that. Hey, thanks for listening to 173 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: this original audio presentation of Only Child, narrated, of course 174 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 1: by the author. If you enjoy today's story, please take 175 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: a few seconds to rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast, 176 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: and then go to Thomas William Simpson dot com for 177 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: additional information about the author and to view his extensive canon. 178 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: The Ten Minute Storyteller is produced by Andrew Plaglici and 179 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: Josh Colotney and as part of the Elvis Durand Podcast 180 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: Network in partnership with iHeart Productions. Until next time, this 181 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: is Bill Simpson, your ten Minute Storyteller.