by John Zakour
Looking at Tina, Tammy, and Polly, I asked, “Do you guys have any ideas as to who could be playing around with our system?” I asked them.
“Honestly, I think the best place to start is with Cousin Earl,” Tammy told me.
“Why do you think Earl’s behind it?” Tina asked. “After all, he’s been a loyal cousin all these years. Right Grandpa J?”
Grandpa appeared. He nodded. “He has been. But people change over time…”
Tina stayed persistent though. “Maybe it’s Doctor Rose, the guy who is Dexter’s grandpa. Didn’t you, um…steal his woman?”
Polly landed on Tina’s shoulder. “You know what…you’re growing on me kid!” he smiled.
Tina pointed to her shoulder. “Actually, it looks like you are growing on me.”
“Oh, nice come back!” Polly said. “Yep, you can tell some of my brains and wit are rubbing off on you.”
“Actually, I didn’t steal Rose’s woman,” Grandpa interrupted. “We just kind of traded.”
“Then why don’t we check him out first?” Tina asked.
“Because we don’t have a direct way into his lab and business like we do with Earl,” Tammy explained “If Maya wants to visit Earl to talk about her grandpa’s work, he’ll understand and let her in. Doctor Rose won’t be so easy.”
I pointed to Tammy. “What she said.”
Grandpa nodded. “Yeah, Rose and I go way back, but that’s not a good thing in this case. Even the best scientists can let matters of the heart interfere with matters of the brain.”
Tammy nodded. “I know how that goes!”
“Me too!” Polly agreed.
We looked at Polly.
“I have a very active love life,” Polly said. “In the circles that I used to fly in, I’m considered to be quite attractive.”
“Aren’t male birds brighter and more colorful to draw predators away from the females?” I asked. It was more of a rhetorical question since I knew it was true.
“I still stand and fly by my statement,” Polly said.
“Fine,” Tina shouted, in an attempt to quieten Polly. “Let’s start with Earl. I really like the name.”
“I do too!” Computer remarked. “Not sure why. It seems so common and yet so manly. Anyway, I’ve just talked with Cousin Earl’s assistant. I’ve scheduled an appointment for Maya and Tina to meet with Earl in his lab tomorrow at four.”
“Wait, why not me?” Tammy asked.
“You are older and unrelated. I told Earl’s people that Maya and Tina are doing this for a school project,” Computer replied.
“Oh, good thinking!” I smiled at Computer.
“I’m a computer, that’s what I do!” Computer said.
“What’s the name of Earl’s company again?” I asked.
“He changed it a lot trying to find one that would really sum his company up well,” Grandpa J said. “He’s now calling it Lemon Computers Science Stuff.” Grandpa sighed. “Yeah, he’s never been really creative or that bright.”
“Yep, now I see why you didn’t leave him your lab!” Tina commented.
“Yep,” Grandpa said. “I know stuff!”
Chapter V
The next school day couldn't go by fast enough for me. Though, I did enjoy math class. We had a special math teacher called Mrs. Mars for our lesson. She talked a bit about real and imaginary numbers which are a pretty advanced concept. I was amazed by all the wonders of math. Numbers are infinite which means their possibilities are endless.
After that, I did look forward to lunch. That’s when Dex, Tina and I, along with Chad, Harry, Halley, and Wendy usually sit at our table and talk about perfecting our robot, Seb. Of course, we also talk about life. Well, except for Chad. He mostly brags about how rich he is. Even though, neither Chad nor his family had ever done anything for that wealth. Chad’s great-grandfather was a hunter who lived in the country. He shot at a possum, missed the possum and struck oil on his land. He was as shocked as anybody.
On my way to the lunch room, I was intercepted by Ivy Jones., the meanest of the mean girls in our school. At least IMO.
“So, how’s the robot team coming along?” Ivy said, trying to make small talk with me. “We’re going to beat that jerk from Tinker Town. Right!” she declared. “Have you thought of making Seb’s wheels a little bigger though? It might make him faster,” she added.
While Ivy may have been a mean girl to the max, she was way smart too, which made her even scarier to a lot of kids. Also being smart, I just took Ivy in my stride.
“That’s a great suggestion, Ivy! I’ll run it by Dex. He loves to be involved in all these decisions…”
“Of course he does. He acts over-confident to make up for his under-confidence,” Ivy said. “Still, the kid is smart and handsome.”
“Oh, I hadn’t noticed,” I replied coyly.
Maya Message: I was so lying. I had noticed. But I wanted to seem cool around Ivy.
“Oh, please don’t play coy with me. I invented coy!” Ivy said. “I see the way you look at him with gaga eyes. And I don’t mean like the amazing singer. I mean like a lovesick baby.”
Maya Message: Okay, so much for staying cool around Ivy.
“I don’t think babies can be lovesick!” I told her.
Ivy looked at me with her arms crossed and her eyes judging. “I know you like him. That’s why I’m giving you a heads-up.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know this robot competition is important to the entire class. If we win, it will look great on our resumes,” Ivy said.
Maya Message: SERIOUSLY! What kind of thirteen-year-old has a resume? Well, a smart one I guess.
Ivy continued. “That’s why I’m not going to make Dex mine during the competition. But once it’s over, win or lose, I am going to make Dex my regular boyfriend!”
“Ah, I’m pretty sure Dex will have a say in the matter!” I told her.
Ivy shook her head. “No, no he won’t.” She pointed to her face. “Not when I have this! I have plastic surgeons stop me in the mall to ask if I’ll model for them. I have the perfect face. And it’s a hundred percent all natural. I don’t even use makeup.”
I wanted to say something witty. Instead, I said, “Okay, good luck with Dex!”
Ivy laughed. “When you’re me, you don’t need luck!
Maya Message: Yeah I think she had a point. Grandpa always says you make your own luck by working hard and not giving up. I felt pretty certain that Ivy would do both.
Chapter VI
After school, Tina and I biked to Cousin Earl’s Lemon Computer Science and Stuff HQ. We needed to check Earl out to see if he might be putting computer viruses into our system. Sadly, though, my mind was distracted by Ivy.
“She really said she doesn’t need luck?” Tina asked.
“Yep,” I said, pedaling along.
Tina nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. Ivy is kind of the total package… pretty and smart. Plus, she is the star of the softball team…” Tina looked at me. “But you’re super smart and cute… and you have a neat lab…”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said half-heartedly. “I have a cool lab that Dex would love, but I can’t show it to him…”
“You could, but K9 would blow a circuit!”
“He’d blow most of his circuits.” I smiled. “Plus, I think even Grandpa J would get angry if I let the grandson of his arch-rival into my tip-top secret lab.”
“Yeah, Grandpa J is cool but not THAT cool!” Tina told me.
“I’m just not sure I can compete with a girl like Ivy…she has me beat on all levels except the brains department, and truthfully, she’s pretty strong there too.”
Tina took a deep breath. I could tell she was thinking about what to say next, which was unusual for Tina. As Polly would say, Tina liked to talk first and think later, which he liked. I usually liked it too because you always knew how Tina felt. No beating around the bush with her. She would mow through the bus; she’d even mow through the
forest to make her feelings clear. I knew she had some great Tina wisdom for me. Something that would make me feel better about being me.
“Yeah, this could be trouble for you!” Tina said.
Okay, then again, maybe she didn’t have any helpful advice. It was one of those times where a nice white lie might have helped. Something to prop up my spirits and my ego.
“Say what now?” I asked her.
“Look, you know you’re my BFF. The first person I text each morning. The last person I text at night. Right?” Tina said.
“Yeah…” I nodded.
“Well, as a BFF, I feel obligated to tell you the truth. Therefore, I’m going to lay a truth bomb on you!”
“Ah…okay,” I said, pedaling more slowly.
“You’re a great girl. You have a lot to offer,” Tina told me, actually seeming to think about what to say. “But Ivy offers a lot too. Yeah, she’s not as smart as you, for sure. But wow, that girl is good looking. I mean, I’ve seen models stop and ask her for beauty tips. She has thousands of followers on Instagram already. You’re pretty for sure, but she is BAM in your face beautiful.
She doesn’t even have to look both ways when crossing the street because traffic just stops for her.”
As Tina spoke, I formed a mental picture of Ivy in my head.
Having a BFF like Tina meant sometimes you had to listen to the truth. To be honest, the truth can hurt. Tina must have noticed the look on my face because she said, “Look, I’m not telling you this to hurt you. I’m telling you this to inform you. It’s how life works. When you’re super good looking like Ivy, you do get certain advantages, especially around boys and men. Some guys are just shallow, and they just go for good looks.”
“Okay…” I said, figuring there was a BUT coming, or at least something to raise my spirits.
“I don’t know Dex that well. The kid is so formal and tightly wound up. I’m not sure if he’s one of those guys who finds looks more important than everything else. If not, you may have a shot…”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of my chances. Not exactly a pep talk. But I had to admit that it seemed like the truth.
“Okay, so your point is, let’s hope Dex prefers less good looking girls?” I asked her.
Tina laughed. “No, of course not. If he were that shallow, you wouldn’t stand a chance. You’re a deep girl; you need a deep guy. I’m just saying…hopefully Dex prioritizes other things besides looks. I mean, looks are important. It’s what we make our first judgments on. It’s what hits us first about a person. But looks aren’t everything to everybody. You and Dex have a lot of common interests. He’s almost like a male version of you in some respects. Both of you have nutty grandpa inventors. Use that. He loves robots; you love robots. Ivy knows robots, but she doesn’t love them.”
“That’s true…” I said slowly and then pedaled even slower. “Dex and I have similar goals and interests…”
“So it would seem. Do those goals outweigh Ivy’s sheer magnetism? I don’t know; none of us know. But you need to keep plugging away. You can’t beat her in the looks department, so you need to out-geek her.”
“I can do that!” I said proudly.
“Yeah, you bet you can! That’s my girl!” Tina told me. “Embrace your you, let your geek flag fly around Dex. I know you normally try to rein it in, which is good around most people. But with Dex, that’s your shot!”
“Do you think I have a chance then?” I asked.
“I always think you have a chance!” Tina replied. “Not sure it’s a great chance. That depends on Dex, actually. If he doesn’t see what you two have in common, then that’s his loss.”
“Thanks,” I told Tina. “It’s so weird being attracted to a guy who can drive me crazy!”
“Nah, that’s how attraction works sometimes. Don't fight it. For once, don’t super analyze it. Go with the flow. What happens, happens. The world is big, and you are young!” Tina smiled.
Maya Message: That’s what I love about Tina. She might not be as book smart as the rest of our class, but she really has common sense smarts. Or as Polly says, street smarts. Plus, she tells you what is on her mind nice and straight. I value that in a friend.
Scientifically speaking, what she said about attraction does make sense. Humans may be advanced animals, but we still share a lot of characteristics in common with animals. Often our first sense of attraction is based on looks. Does the other person look healthy? Do they look pleasing? Our brains process this without really knowing it. Then when people get closer, scent (or smells) can also come into play.
Of course, humans have higher brain functions than most other animals (though Dolphins are way smart). So we can use other parts of our brains when deciding who to ‘like.’ It’s just that sometimes, it can take time for the logical part to kick in.
“Thanks, Tina, you always tell me how it is.” I smiled at her. “I guess I can hope that Dex makes the right choice. Though, sometimes I’m not sure he’s the right choice for me,” I added, thinking out loud. “I guess, as my Aunt May says, time will tell.”
Tina grinned. “Yeah, time usually does tell.” She reached over and patted me on the back. (This was easy for her to do since she was biking without any hands on the handlebars. Yeah, she had amazing balance.) “I know you’ll find somebody really great when the time is right. We both will!”
I laughed. “I just hope it’s not the same guy!”
Tina shook her head. “Oh, it so won’t be. We have pretty much opposite tastes. For instance, whenever Dex talks, I have to do everything within my power not to hit him or tell him to be quiet. But I refrain for your sake.”
“Plus, hitting people is bad form…” I said. “And rude and would probably be referred to as assault…”
Tina nodded. “Yeah, my mom’s a lawyer. She told me the same thing. Besides, as I said, I would never hit the boy you like. Even I must admit that talking like a pompous butt face isn’t enough to warrant being hit.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said. “I think it’s part of Dex’s charm. It’s not like he talks and acts the way he does to be intentionally weird. It’s just who he is. Remember, he has a super cool inventor grandpa, too. I think that’s part of our bond.”
Tina smiled. “Yeah, they do say it takes one to know one. But you are as far from pompous as they come. You’re sweet. With your brain, I don’t know how you stay so nice.”
“As Grandpa says, you can get more flies with honey!” I told her.
“True, but who wants flies?” Tina said. She pointed down the street. “Actually, we should fly and by that, I mean…hurry. We don’t want to keep Cousin Earl waiting!”
Chapter VII
Lemon Computer Science Stuff headquarters was a tall silver tower filled with windows, and it sat on the outskirts of town. The tower was surrounded by a little moat. (Not making this up.) To cross the moat, we had to be cleared by two guards.
Biking up, we came to the guard station halt sign. The bridge to cross the moat was pulled up, so we really had no choice but to halt.
One of the guards, a tall, muscular man wearing a suit and sunglasses, met us at the halt sign.
There were also three nasty looking dogs tied to the gate. I’m a dog lover. I love all animals. But these dogs looked like they meant business.
“Names?” the human guard barked.
“Maya Wise…” I replied.
“Tina Quick!” Tina said quickly.
The guard snickered. “Interesting last names.”
“And strangely fitting,” Tina replied. “She’s wise, and I’m quick.”
The guard nodded without really listening as he picked up a clipboard and looked at his list. “You’re on the list.” Turning to the other guard, he said, “Drop the bridge, Buddy.”
“Is Buddy his name or are you two close?” Tina asked.
“Both,” the guard said.
The bridge slowly lowered. Tina and I quickly biked across. Not sure why we went so
fast. I guess because we were afraid the guards might raise it again. Crossing the bridge, we were still a good hundred yards away from the main building. A couple of flying drones seemed to trail us as we biked towards the building. If we sped up, they sped up. If we slowed down, they slowed down.
Tina looked up at the drones and said, “Big brother may not be watching, but the older cousin is!”
“I guess you can’t be too careful when you’re rich,” I said.
“He’s rich, but that’s because of your grandpa’s inventions!” Tina commented.
“Maybe so,” I sort of agreed. “But Cousin Earl’s business sense made a lot of money for both Grandpa and our family too. I give him credit for that!”
“You’re so nice, Maya!” Tina said.
“I try!”
“Have you met Cousin Earl before?” Tina asked.
“Mom and Dad say I met him a couple of times at family events when I was really young. He certainly was at Grandpa’s funeral, but that’s a blur to me. I do sort of, kind of remember a short, chubby guy with a really nice suit and a pleasant smile telling me what a great man Grandpa Jack was. He told me it was an honor to work with him. It didn’t really register at the time.”
“That’s understandable,” Tina said. “Stress and sadness and all…”
“Yeah, Grandpa had a recording of himself at the funeral. He told us he wanted us all to celebrate his life not mourn his death…” I smiled. “Little did I know.”
“Yeah,” Tina replied.
We parked our bikes outside a large double door that led into the silver tower office building. A well-dressed pretty, but not overly pretty, blond middle-aged woman met us at the door.
“You must be Maya and Tina!” the woman said, offering us her hand.
“Yes, I’m Maya!” I shook her hand.
