All the other times when I saw him, something I always really loved about Oddvar was that he was so chill, you know what I mean? Like, he sort of treated me like a scientist, or like, he always seemed to have this distance, this remove. But now that he was in my house, like, now that he was in my world, it was like ALL of that was gone. He was acting like a totally different person. Everything was fucking magical to him. He was moving through the house like I had touched every object with fairy stardust or like he was walking through an enchanted forest. And I offered him a sparkling water—like, just a normal fucking sparkling water—and he accepted it like: Wow, amazing. Wow. I mean, he really wasn’t doing himself any favors in terms of putting Patrick and Mo at ease.

And after a while of giving him a tour of my place—I showed him the studio, which he totally lost his shit over, and the gym, and the pool, and he was drooling over everything, like, treating me like I was the president or something giving him a tour of the White House—I finally asked him, like: Yo, Oddvar, what do you mean you quit working at the seed vault?

And Oddvar just gets this big smile on his face, and he goes, like, rapid fire: It was so stupid! LOL. What was I thinking! That place was never gonna work. You can’t save the world with a bunch of fucking SEEDS.

And I was like: Oddvar, what are you talking about? The seed vault has been your whole life.

And he was like: I know! So STUPID! But I’ve still got time to do something worthwhile! I’ve still got time to turn it around!

And I was like: Is this all just because of the flood? I thought you said they were going to fix it?

And Oddvar was like: Sure, yes, they “fixed it.” So what? How long until it floods again? How long until the next crisis? I’m done being an idiot. What kind of life is it to collect seeds in the middle of a mountain?

And I was like: Oddvar, whoa, but come on, you can’t just give up like that.

And Oddvar was like: I’m not giving up! Not in the least! I’m not giving up on the future. I’ve just realized that even at its best, the seed vault was always theoretical. Meanwhile, you’re right here! And I could’ve lost you! The whole world could’ve lost you!

And I was like: Oddvar, I told you, it’s fine. I forgive you.