Gifted (Camren)

Chapter 2.

C

I immediately head to Google cause, google knows everything! I search Trachtenberg method and lone and behold Lauren was right. I can't get them out of my mind, her or Mary. They seem like some pretty incredible people, I mean c'mon it's already interesting enough that they know what the Trachtenberg method is I'm interested in knowing what else they know.

M/L

"For the record, I didn't wanna go to the stupid school in the first place. And the boy in the next row acts inappropriately for someone who's a child."

"I'm sorry. I'm still passive aggressively ignoring you."

"Other kids answer questions. They don't get in trouble." Mary try's pointing out

I look up from my work "You didn't get in trouble for answering questions, you got in trouble cause you yelled at the Principle."

I head to the front of the boat and start up the engine, "Oh you'll get a kick out of this, I googled 'Kids who yell at their principals' and you'll never guess statistically how many do it."

She perks up a bit and asks "How many?"

"None." I say back to her, she deflates.

"Laur, I'm sorry I really am sorry."

"Yeah right." I turn back to Mary "you can't show off like that at school babe."

"I knowwww"

"You promised you wouldn't and on the first day-"

"I know, I know I screwed up." She looks down for a bit... "Do you think maybe this boat needs a test drive?" She smiles up at me

I sigh and fix my sunglasses trying to hide my grin, I can't with this girl. "Go get Fred." I say

She turns off running down the dock. "Don't run." I say to her. I hear her halt in her stride, then I hear her little feet hit the dock in a fast pace again. I smile, this kid will be the death of me.

-
I drive the boat away from the dock and watch as the area around us disappears and everything turns into crystal clear water. I watch as Mary cuddle Fred in her arms on the seat in front of me. She watches as each passing wave crashes and another begins.

We get to our little space, our island. I prop up a chair and umbrella as Mary begins her search of sea shells, she loves coming here. This is the only place she looks and acts like a kid. She runs around the sand, plays in the water, collects sea shells, flys kites. I love her like this, I love her.

She makes her way towards me and sits on my lap, when she gets tired she wants to cuddle. I secretly love this side of her, neither her or I are very good at expressing our feelings we think that's gross but with each other it's welcomed.

"Fred loves to watch the sandpipers, I think he'd like to catch one but he'd regret it. He's not a killer, he's a lover." Mary falls back against me and laces our hands together inspecting my fingers and playing with my rings.

"Lauren?"
"Yeah bug?"
"Would my mom have wanted me to go to this school?"
"I can only guess, but I'll tell you what. She would have wanted you to have friends."
"Idiot friends?"
"She would want you to have compassion for others. Like a cat can have for a sandpiper."
She chuckles, "but what if they don't like me?" She asks.
"Then they're idiots." I say, she leans back and we watch the afternoon sun in peaceful silence.

//
C

"Good morning class" I say as I enter my classroom.
'Good morning Ms. Cabello' the class says in unison
I see Mary is a lot less perky than the rest of the class I lean over towards her and say "Good morning Mary" she looks up at me less than amused. "Good morning ms. Cabello" She says in a sing song tone mocking the class.
"Okay. Good morning."
-

"And for show and tell I have the best cat in the history of the world" Mary lean over to open the box and pull him out. "Not only is his name Fred, he only has one eye. That's right! Count em' it'll always be just one."

Someone from the class asks "how did he lose the other one?"

"Don't know, I wasn't there. Just found him in a trash can next to a bottle of alcohol or something. He is a smart smart cat, but no one realizes it. No one understands him. No one." I watch as she speaks so highly of this one eyed cat. She's pretty remarkable.
-
"Alright class, take one and put your name on the top right hand corner so I know who did such a good job. Try and write neatly, think about the answer, don't just ya know guess. Work out the problem-" before I'm done explaining Mary says she's done. Not to my surprise.

"Ok, I thought you might finish quickly so-" I pull out another sheet for her "little something extra"

I head to my seat and watch Mary remain focused on her work. She's actually working out these problems. I figure it'll take her the rest of the class so I continue my work, not long after I hear her whisper 'Done' I look to her and find her looking at me already and a small smile on her face. I send one back.

/

After class I do the stupid thing of trying to find out where these incredible math skills had to have come from and it ain't just the Trachtenberg method. So I head to Google once more, I do the most basic and obvious search first 'Lauren Jauregui' not much other than some conference and board meetings, she looks to have been or is currently a professor which wouldn't be too far fetched as to how Mary has these skills but I'm not convinced. So I continue further and try to search 'Lauren Jauregui mathematician' nothing. What does come up is 'Taylor Jauregui Mathematician' it sparks my interest so I click on it. Could it have been her wife? I'm stunned when I click one article.

"A Mind for Math: Is Taylor Jauregui the missing female variable that finally solves the Navier-Stokes Equation?"
Is the title of the article and I gasp, damn this chick is a math genius! I continue on wanting to know more of her great findings and career this far, only to find ... "Oh no.."
"Renowned Mathematician Dead of an Apparent Suicide" is the title of the following article I find. I read on and find that her sister Lauren was the one that found her.

-
Later on that night I find myself in front of Ferg's bar making my way inside. I scan the room quickly and find who I am looking for at the bar. I tap her on the shoulder.

"Hey! Mary's teacher....." she tries to find the memory of my name
"Camila." We both say at the same time
"You lied to me." I deadpan
"Okay.Care to narrow it down?" She says
"I'd like to know the truth about Mary, my student...your niece."

We end up settling at the corner of the bar in a booth, I pull out the algebra exam I had Mary do during class that day as Lauren begins to tell me the truth.
"I was running ridiculously late for a date and my sister shows up with Mary. She never just showed up unannounced. She never showed up with the baby. She said she wanted to...talk. She said she needed to talk. I told her I'd talk when I got back, I think I figured showing up late to my date would hurt my chances at gettin' laid. I came home and Mary was on the couch and found Taylor on the bathroom floor. I mean there was no way I coulda known, but...I shoulda known. Six and a half years later me and Mary are still hanging out." She says then take a big gulp of her beer. Not having talked about this, her sister to anyone much less me a stranger, but with me she said it was just...easy.

"What about the father?" I ask
She scoffs, "Taylor was so socially awkward she didn't date enough to know a good guy from a bad guy. This particular guy didn't last a month."
"And no grandparents?"
She shakes her head "Dad died when I was eight, and mom" She scoffs again "long story short she turned her back on Taylor when she got pregnant."
"Why?" I ask
"She didn't fit into her plan. She's an exacting woman, my mother. Uncompromising. Very Cuban."
"Do you mean like? In demeanor?"
"No like, she is. She's Cuban, very headstrong. Set in her ways."
"So, Mary is a genius?" I say
Lauren just nonchalantly nods her head. I sigh.