Chapter 14

Nikki's turn:

Friday morning. One of those significant days, not that every day wasn't significant, tasks to be completed, life to be lived, people to love, but today was the day that the people at Auburn would tell me if I was just a freshman engineering student or if I could bypass some of that.

When the alarm went off, I didn't want to get out of bed, not just yet, at least. You see, there's this guy laying right here beside me and if I sort of push on him a little he wraps me up in strong and loving arms and we can kiss. Neither of us worries about morning breath. Morning kiss is too important.

So's morning wood. And a little happy morning coupling. Now if he had to go to work and I had to go to school, that would have been sort of like the kiss, a promise of future intent. But this morning Dan doesn't have to go to work and I won't be expected at Mizz Patel's office until nine-thirty.

I kiss Dan. He kisses back. "Let me go for a minute, baby," he says. "I promise I will be back."

"Then we'll both go," I said. Losing a bit of bladder pressure would be a good thing. And in five minutes we were back in bed in one another's arms. I had just squealed my second and his first was oozing out of me when my cellphone played the tune that meant 'Cindy'.

"Hi, Cindy," I said.

"Hi," she replied, "I was gonna call earlier but this beast dragged me into his den and ravished me. You're not already having breakfast are you?"

I giggled. "No, just finished an appetizer. Wanna go to breakfast with us?"

"My Dan and I will be leaving in five minutes." Giggle. "Takes that long to get dressed."

"Don't I know," I said. "We'll be there."

"Breakfast with the Richards family?" Dan asked.

"You don't mind, do you?" I asked.

"Nope, not a bit. Not even with wives who treat us like sex toys."

"I do not! A valued, loving pet, maybe." I giggled, because that's when the cat felt it safe to jump up on the bed. I have two pets. One I just feed, the other I feed on.

"Grrrr," he rumbled, grabbing me.

"Eeeeek!" I squealed. "We need to get dressed." I rolled on my back and pulled his full weight on me. "I am happy to be your possession, Dan, my love."

"And I yours, my beautiful Nikki. Let's go meet our friends."

We saw them turning into the diner parking lot a couple of hundred yards ahead of us, so naturally they were waiting when we parked. We walked in together. Two couples. And the cashier recognized us. "Y'all are together again?"

"Sisters!" Cindy said.

We were seated at a nice corner table and enjoyed our meal, although the coffee wasn't quite as strong as what I was raised on. That's okay. We have the good stuff at the trailer and I can get some of that later.

"You look nervous," Cindy said.

"Does it show?" I replied.

"She is a bit on edge," my Dan said.

Cindy's Dan laughed. "Dan, did you get the 'WIll you love me if I'm just normal?' speech?"

"Oh yeah," my guy said. "From the girl who graduated from high school two years early."

"And an ACT two points higher than mine," Cindy added. "Stop worrying, Nikki. It won't change a thing. Last year did you even imagine in your wildest daydreams that you'd be here?"

I had this same conversation with Dan many times and the answer was always the same. Cindy's right. Dan's right. And he was happy with me when I was just a high school girl, before we found out how things are.

"I knowwww," I said. "But I still worry."

"What is, is," Dan said.

"Profound statement there, buddy," Dan 1.0 said. We laughed. "But seriously, Nikki, you shouldn't worry."

"Thank you all," I said.

Cindy and I giggled as the guys fought over the breakfast tab and we parted ways in the parking lot. Twenty minutes later we parked and Dan and I walked into the Engineering Department building. We met Mizz Patel and she ushered us into a conference room where I confronted my tormenters.

"Good morning," I said, putting on my best smile. Oh, I really didn't fake that, you know. These people have jobs to do and if I don't really make the mark, then I'd rather them tell me now than find out by being irretrievably in over my head in class. There was an older gentleman sitting at the head of the table.

Doctor Stebbins," Mizz Patel said, "This is Nikki. You remember Cindy Richards?"

He nodded. "She's a rather hard one to forget."

"Nikki is Cindy's adopted sister. There are similarities you will soon see."

"How do you do, Miss Nikki?" he said, standing.

I shook his offered hand, then turned. "This is Dan Granger, my husband and an electrical engineer."

He shook Dan's hand. "Aneeta, you said 'similarities'. This exceeds that. This is a parallel universe."

I smiled. Dan and I sat across the table from the Auburn bunch. "Confronting my accusers," I said. Was a good statement. My accusers were smiling.

Mizz Patel led the meeting off. "We're here to present our assessment of MIzz Dominique Granger. Nikki. As you know, Nikki has been accepted for placement at Auburn under our program for gifted students. Our work this week was geared toward determining if she would be a freshman student or if there was opportunity for advanced placement." She smiled at Doctor Stebbins. "We will let Doctors Wilkins and Ramathani lead off."

"You go ahead, Bren," Ram said.

Bren stood. "Good morning Doctor Stebbins. Good morning Nikki. Dan." He fingered a stack of papers. "Doctor Patel, it is fitting that you remind us about Cindy and Nikki's relationship because it shows yet another parallel in math skills. No, they're not the same. Yes, they're almost equally competent, advanced, precocious..."

"Scary," said Ram in that sub-continent lilt.

"Yes, it is scary when you think that a fourteen or fifteen year old can walk in and show up most of your class of graduating seniors. I'm personally relieved that she chose engineering instead of pursuing pure math. I fear the competition. But I digress." He smiled at me. "If Cindy went around the equator in mathematics, Nikki has circumnavigated via a polar route. Both made the trip, but in different paths. Ram and I pulled Cindy's papers and her solutions of the same problems we presented to Nikki were different in their path although they both resulted in correct findings." He smiled at me again, then Dan. "Mister Granger, did she ever use the term '1+1=2! What else could it be?' on you?"

Dan nodded. He was getting happier by the minute. "Yes, she did."

"She treats advanced mathematics in the same way. Correctly, because 'what else could it be?'. Miss Nikki, I'm afraid you'd fall asleep in any of the math classes you'd require for a bachelor of science degree in engineering. We recommend, as we did with Cindy, that you sign up for some more advanced classes while you're working for your degree."

Dan shook his head, muttered "more advanced classes" under his breath.

Ram caught that. "I know, Dan. I get the same feeling."

Doctor Anders delivered the language assessment. They'd learned from Cindy, told me to bring an example of a technical report and an expository article and an essay of a subject of my choice. The interview was benign compared to the math workout. He addressed Doctor Stebbins. "Doctor Stebbins, this is not Ernest Hemingway nor Mark Twain or Virginia Wolff. This, this Mizz Nikki, is somebody I would have been pleased to have graduating with my name undersigning her. I gave her technical report to Doctor Sutton because of his technical expertise on her subject matter. He said it was technically correct. I say it is grammatically correct. Her other examples as well as her discussions lead me to say that I would underwrite her for credit in all the language portions of her curriculum."

Doctor Sutton, Lance, got up. "I will address her use of technology. She's precocious. I have consulted on real-world projects and in training venues and can speak to the capabilities of many people who should have a grasp of the practical that this remarkable young lady shows. I worked with her for four hours. During that time she pulled out an iPad, navigated to her own personal server, through a firewall, and into a process control computer at her home in Louisiana. There she showed me a program she'd written to control the conditions within that house while she and her husband are away. She discussed heating, ventilating and air conditioning controls at length, as well as the gustatory characteristics of felis sylvestris cattus, for which she provided automated feeding and watering. I want her in my labs, not because I hope to teach her anything, but rather like her husband, I wish to give a few ideas and see where she goes with them. Rest assured, though, I will underwrite her for all laboratory credit for her degree."

Now I'm smiling.

Last up was Doctor Stanton. His psychological assessment went right down the path that Cindy said hers travelled. I too am a very poor example of a tender young teen abused by an older man. I added positive discussions of my time with Grandma to the mix, and we finished on a positive note.

"Doctor Stebbins. Nikki. Dan," he said as he stood. "I don't think that she's an axe-murderer. Nikki's normal except for that whole intelligence thing. I think we should keep her." He smiled broadly. I suppose if he'd had a negative report he wouldn't be in here giving it, after all.

Doctor Stebbins bridged his fingers thoughtfully. "Mizz Nikki Granger, I suppose I should just welcome you to Auburn. That's what I am doing. I know that Doctor Patel is going to continue conversations with you about the engineering curriculum you will need to satisfy for your degree. I have a similar report on my desk for your red-headed sister. I expect to confer those degrees myself and I would be terribly disappointed in my staff if I have to wait more than two years."

I let out a little squeal. "Sorry, sir," I said.

He smiled. "My grand-daughter makes that same sound for a whole lot less reason, Nikki. What I want from you and from your sister is that you should participate in such things as laboratories and classes you might otherwise not need. Round out your education, but put your strengths to work for yourselves and others. I expect great things." Turning to the group, he asked, "Is there anything else?"

Mizz Patel smiled. "No sir. I think we're satisfied. NIkki, Welcome to Auburn."

I stood. "Thank you all very much. I look forward to learning here." I was serious. I saw many paths forward from this day.

We left the building after shaking hands, a hug for Mizz Patel. "You never said 'Doctor Patel'," I said.

"Oh, it sounds so formal. I accept it. I am happy with it. But I do not have to wear it every day. Frankly, I would not mind seeing a doctorate in your future, Nikki. Or your sister's for that matter."

I have to smile. I was still smiling as Dan and I walked out into the early summer heat.

"Now you can tell me what you were worried about," he said.

"I know, I know," I said. "Everybody was right."

"Sometimes it's good to trust your family," he said.

"It's good to have a family to trust, guy," I replied. I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my iPhone.

"Go ahead, sweetie," he said. "Everyone is dying to know."

I pushed the button. "Cindy," I said. I unabashedly squealed when she answered. "We're on the way home. Meet me there. We have to tell Tina and Susan." And we talked a few more minutes, then I hung up with her. "Dan! Love of my life, my Dan. You know how happy I am, don't you?"