Who do people say I am?

He shakes his long blond hair. As I have seen him do so often lately. We are standing next to the water cooler. Even though we have known each other for months, it is the first time I have met him here. So casually, so relaxed. He asks if I want some water.

He opens the tap and lets the clear water flow into a white cup. We used to have disposable paper beakers. But they are now banned. He hands me the mug with the company logo.

While he fills his own mug, I wonder what language he speaks. Have I ever heard him say anything? It must be because we have such different roles in this company. I am expected to deal with chemical and microbiological analyses. Remy is a cleaner. But not just anyone who cleans the corridors, toilets, floors, cabinets and desks. He specialises in cleaning laboratory equipment. Pipettes, incubators, test tubes, graduated cylinders and the likes.

I am still standing with my cup in my hand when he is already back at work. Remy. We were so happy when he came to join us. Cleaning all that delicate equipment and supplies is a meticulous job. How many temps have gone before him? How many have been trained but nevertheless failed? They just made a mess of it. They dropped Erlenmeyer flasks, pushed graduated cylinders off the table, knocked over HPLCs, broke distillation flasks.

Not Remy. He treats the equipment and glassware as if they were precious antiques. You can trust him. Where do you find that these days in a world full of self-interest and lack of discipline?

Not only was Remy very helpful, he also turned out to be a polite, gentle young man. Always attentive, always ready for a chat.

Despite his modest background – it turns out he only ever finished primary school, he was unable to successfully complete any follow-up studies – he holds his own among all the experts, managers, PhDs, analysts, fellows and associate professors. He has a certain natural charm that makes him popular.

Until about two months ago. I don't know exactly where it started. Was it because he grew his hair longer? Was it the white clothes he was going to wear? Whatever it was, he started to stand out. At first, unobtrusively it seems. But gradually you couldn't ignore it anymore. It became too obvious. Remy looked like Jesus.

I mean the Jesus who is so often depicted in popular pictures. In block-buster movies. Long blond locks, white robes, innocent look.

At first people hoped it would be a whim. One day Remy would go to the hairdresser and he would be that old, familiar cleaner again. Without frills, without ulterior motives. Polite, attentive.

Remy didn't go to the hairdresser. Every day he came to the laboratory he seemed to have become a little more Jesus. Some even thought there was a hole in the palm of both his hands.

'He's doing this on purpose' turned out to be the general conclusion of the team. And especially of the managers. They felt ridiculed by Remy's behaviour. Who did he think he was? Did he want to make a statement with his hairstyle and the choice of his clothes?

But what statement then, I kept asking. I got no answer to that. In the meantime, meetings were held, notes were written, proposals were made, voices were raised. There was even a WhatsApp group created with the telling name ‘What would Jesus do?’.

The strange thing is that no one dares to address the issue to him personally. I suspect because he – dressed as the Messiah – still has a certain charisma? Unconsciously, people avoid the new Remy?

And me? I think it's a good joke. At least now something fun is happening in the department. Now we talk about something else than blood samples. About components such as red blood cells, platelets, various enzymes, chemicals or bioactive proteins.

Let everyone dress and behave as he or she sees fit, I believe. Where do you draw the line? Who decides what is right or wrong?

Then I realize that I still have the cup of water in my hands. I take a sip. This is extremely yum-yum, I realize. The water that Remy gave me. It tastes like wine. So full, so rich, so fruity, so sweet.