Chapter 7: Science project

December 2003

I was returning home from work. The weeks before the holidays are always the busiest, what with gift hunting, grading tests before the students went home and submitting the year end reports to the faculty. I had only recently been given a chair in the faculty against some heavy competition and I felt the need to justify the appointment.

Things were going great though and I was looking forward to a few days away from the treadmill, time spent with Lillian and the kids. This would be Ronnie's last Christmas before college and we were conscious of the fact that our baby would leave the nest soon.

Once at home, there seemed to be a thousand things that only I could answer, solve or deal with. Martin's internet access did not work (plug the damn cable into the outlet!), Lisa's bicycle had a flat (tomorrow!), and the light bulb in the baking oven was dead (No, not tomorrow! How am I to watch the roast without a light?). After changing the light bulb I was at least eligible for a kiss from Lilly.

"At least, you are good for something," she teased me while Veronika Rosenzweig smiled at our antics. She has been living with us for the past five years, ever since Robert died. The kids love her, and she and Lilly have developed a strong bond. Having her around has really helped Lilly with her job and she was slated for the assistant principal's position after the following summer.

Finally I was allowed to change out of my work clothes and put on blue jeans and a sweater. I scanned the news on the internet and logged on to my favorite story board, but all too soon Lilly called me down for dinner. There, I saw Ronnie for the first time that evening, and she gave me a beaming smile.

"This'll make you proud, Papa! I'll get a special citation for my research project. They sent it out to some big wig professor and he gave it a great big thumbs-up!"

I was elated of course. Ronnie was into science big time and she had asked for my help in compiling a special project in genetics. I had only given her an outline of what to do and she filled in the blanks on her own. She wrote the report all by herself, too.

In a way, she had repeated my secret pedigree analysis of fifteen years back using more markers, better technology and more advanced analysis software. The results were the same: Ronnie shared almost 40% of her alleles with my mother. Well, you can also look at pictures of my mother as a girl and you can tell the same even without a degree in genetics.

"That'll help you with college applications," I said. "Are you sure the big wig wasn't your grandfather?"

"Hah! As if I needed nepotism!" Ronnie shot back. "Let's face it, I'm a genius."

Her mischievous laugh was infective but Lisa and Martin only rolled their eyes in the expression of annoyance they so often showed when their big sister had another achievement to present. Lisa summed up their take.

"So you proved that you're Mom and Dad's daughter. Duh! That's the big deal?"

For a moment my eyes and Lilly's locked but then we smiled and shrugged. It really wasn't a big deal, not anymore, and not for a long time.

June 2008

We are dressed to the nines, all of us. Max and Ruth are sitting next to us and beyond them, Veronika is sitting in her wheelchair. She is a bit wobbly on her legs these days, and the wheelchair is a precaution. My parents are sitting to the right, watching in rapt attention as the Dean asks one student after the other to the stage. Ronnie is one of the first, and when the Dean announces that she is passing summa cum laude we all have tears of pride in our eyes. I feel Lilly's hand pressing into my arm.