Gold Meddling
A Short Story
From the luxurious Suite Impériale at the Ritz Paris, Chad and Marguerite sat in buttery soft Louis Vuitton leather seats, swirling, sniffing, and sipping their cognacs. With eyes focused on the room’s massive, ultra-high definition screen, they watched as France’s Télévisions network zoomed in on the face of their son, Eugene, perched victoriously atop the Olympic podium. The powerful melody of their national anthem filled Stade de France, where Eugene stood, with a starred and striped banner above his head, his hand over his heart, and a gold medal around his neck.
What a sensory overload for the proud parents.
With the cheers from the international crowd, the glint of the medal sparkling in the sunlight, and the pride of fans in the stands celebrating Eugene’s victory as if it were their own, Chad and Marguerite imagined people the world over talking about their son and his greatness at that very moment. The Olympic decathlon champion is, after all, recognized as the World’s Greatest Athlete.
As the couple watched Eugene bask in the glory of his victory, their memories flooded back to a time before the boy was born. In those days, Chad and Marguerite had only the dream of a perfect child.
Both of them had stood atop figurative podiums themselves in their respective careers — Chad as a hedge fund whiz who was a gifted statistician and businessman, and Marguerite as a world-class beauty and professional model. Together, they had amassed fabulous fortune and fame. By a relatively young age, the couple had accomplished and grown to possess everything they’d ever wanted in life.
Everything, that is, except for a child to complete their picture-perfect family.
The odds of them having a gifted child were pretty damned good, at least if genetics were any predictor. “Imagine the places our little baby will go if they inherit my looks and your brains,” Marguerite said, while beaming.
Chad smiled back, but only for a second. “Wait! Wait! Wait! What if genetics conspires to give him my looks and your brains instead? Isn’t that equally probable?”
Chad and Marguerite had gotten where they were in life by being extremely competitive. Both were arrogant, and both cared a lot about what society thought of them. “What if he is not perfect? What if he isn’t the best?” the couple asked in horror, worried what others would think of them if their baby wasn’t “All World” at everything.
The fear of imperfection loomed over them, driving them to seek out the help of the renowned geneticist, Dr. Gregory Mendelson, to ensure that their son would be nothing short of spectacular. Better than the other children he grows up with, and more importantly, better than the children of their own peers, who they were driven to lord over.
It was a risk they refused to take.
With the help of Dr. Mendelson, they carefully picked from a menu of traits that they believed would make Eugene the absolute best.
First, of course, they chose the best of their own characteristics to pass on to Eugene, enhancing his physical and intellectual abilities. Her looks and his brains.
Then, they made sure to eliminate any of their own undesirable traits. Chad’s nasal-sounding voice and Marguerite’s propensity to stutter.
And finally, they included some hidden genetic gems from further back on their family trees. The athleticism of Chad’s 2nd grandmother on his father’s side. The personality of Marguerite’s 3rd great grandfather on her mother’s side.
All of this was possible thanks to DNA mapping, and a genome-editing technology known as CRSPR.
With determination in his eyes, Dr. Mendelson got to work crafting an exquisite combination from the palette he had to work with, editing the genome of the embryo, his eyes focused and determined as he created a flawless blend of beauty, brains, and athleticism. With each edit, he could feel the weight of the couple’s expectations and desires for their child. As he finished, a smile spread across his face, knowing that this embryo would become the embodiment of perfection, a shining star in a world of competition.
Nine months later, Eugene would be born, an awesome amalgamation of the family’s best traits and hidden strengths.
As expected, Eugene grew up to excel in all aspects of his life. He was the best at everything he pursued, winning awards and accolades along the way — not just in athletics, but across a spectrum, including spelling bees, dance competitions, and band battles. Even pie-eating contests, video game tournaments, and fashion design shows.
But as Chad and Marguerite held their television remote controls and watched him stand on the podium that day with the gold medal around his neck, the fastest, strongest, and most-skilled athlete on the planet, they wondered where they had gone wrong.
They questioned why they were not by Eugene’s side at this moment of triumph, instead of being relegated to watching the ceremony alone on television in some distant hotel room, away from the competition, the glory, and the cameras.
Why had Eugene given away the family tickets to the event to some random strangers? And why had he insisted that Chad and Marguerite stay as far away as possible from the stadium?
Apparently, Eugene had also inherited their ultra-competitiveness, their arrogance, and their worry for what other people thought. He was embarrassed by his father’s nasal voice, and by his mother’s propensity to studder. What would others think if his parents weren’t “All World” at everything?
It was a risk he refused to take.
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