Family reunions. Theodore abhorred them. Forced to stay in close proximity with a bunch of strangers for three days just because they were blood relatives or bound to blood relatives by a marriage license or regular coitus. He didn't like them and they didn't like him yet here they are.

"Teddy! Picnic time! Put on your shoes."

"Can't I stay inside? There's sunlight out there."

"If you hate sunlight that much bring an umbrella for shade. Now move. All your cousins and aunts and uncles and everybody is waiting to see how much you've grown."

Theodore groaned in protest but he cooperated. His mother was scary and had held him down to put on his shoes once... he wasn't going to win here. He got dressed and took a math textbook and spiral notebook with him. His only shield to familial small talk. They took a basket and blanket and convened where the large gathering was already in full swing. Children playing freeze tag, music playing, and barbeque with the smell of delicious food wafting from it... now this is all quite lovely in theory but Theodore disliked crowds.

His mother placed the blanket over a picnic table and Theodore quickly sat and got to work.

"Teddy! This is supposed to be a vacation with family! Go have fun!"

"Math is fun. Besides school doesn't care what our weekend plans are. That's why they give us weekend homework."

He continued to solve complex math problems. Few people bothered him. A couple adults stopped to say a few hellos and marvel at how he'd grown and wow nine years old already! but all he said was a quick "hello. I have to do my math homework now." and they'd scuttle off with a "that's too bad hope you can have fun later." and they'd push on. Theodore was not a social butterfly and adults aren't very good at dealing with children to begin with. A small group of his older female relatives had gathered and were talking. They were away from him but not far enough away that he could not hear.

"That Sharon! how does she deal with that boy! He's so anti-social!"

"I know! He'll never get by in this world with the kind of attitude he's spouting."

"He's so smart. That looked like college level math he was working on."

"Maybe that's the problem. Maybe he's getting too big for his britches. Uppity. That's why it's dangerous to let children go too far ahead in their studies."

"well maybe not that but there has to be a balance between the social and academic and she's just not giving him that."

"how can she? She got him out here and he hides behind math! He's at a picnic and he's doing everything he can to avoid fun!"

"Maybe he thinks math's fun."

"now that's just tragic."

"i heard he likes to pull apart calculators and old broken computers..."

"oh dear. Those kind of destructive tendencies are definitely a red flag."

"please, he's not torturing kittens, he's messing with a bunch of junk."

"well, the little techrat isn't doing much for himself. That's how you get dumped in trashcans."

He could hear every word. He wasn't deaf but apparently they thought children become hard of hearing the moment you start talking about them. He sighed in resignation. He should at least move around a little so his mother didn't look like she'd raised a hermit. He closed his textbook and put it in his bag. He kept his notebook and writing utensil and walked around looking for a new place to settle.

"Teddy! Honey I'm so glad you decided to play with everyone! They're starting a game of hide and seek. You like hide and seek right? Hello everyone! Don't forget Theodore okay?!"

Before he could really react his mother had pushed him into a group of his family's children. Trapped. Mother meaned well... Theodore was pretty sure if it had been red rover or freeze tag she wouldn't have done this. She knew he didn't like those. He liked hide and seek, sort of. It's the lesser of many evils.

"All right. Theodore's new so he'll be it."

"I don't want to be it."

"Well too bad. You gotta because you didn't play earlier."

"I had homework! And I'm not good at being it! I won't find anybody and you guys could be stuck in your hiding places for hours!"

"that's stupid."

"It's true. If I'm it, I'm not playing."

Theodore was obviously getting upset but no one wanted to be it and children are cruel creatures so no one was going to back down in this situation.

"What's going on? You guys are being annoying."

A young man, in his teens? Twenties?, walked up and quieted them. Older kids tend to have that sort of power.

"Cousin Eric! Rory's new so he has to be it but he won't play if he has to be it and that's not fair!"

"I'm not good at being it. If I'm it nobody will have any fun."

"Well, do you want him to be it if it means you won't have any fun?" Eric said this with a slightly annoyed, slightly bored air. "Personally, I think he did you guys a favor in telling you. He coulda just done it quietly and you guys would be mad at him for sucking, so leave him alone."

"Then who's gonna be it? Everyone else already did their time."

"Shut up and stop complaining. I'll be it then you guys can play something else when we're done."

The others cheered and were excited because Eric was older and never played with them so this was a big deal.

"Alright I'll count to 30 then start looking."

"Cousin Eric you're supposed to count to 100."

"...i'll count to 30... then start looking."

"okay."

Theodore was relatively quiet this entire exchange. Eric started counted and all the kids started running for cover. Theodore quickly looked around and took a blanket off the ground. He ran for the farthest picnic table and slumped the blanket across it as if it were haphazardly flung to the side. He hid under the table blocked from view by the blanket. He opened his notebook and sketched while he waited.

Eric found the other kids relatively quickly and about half an hour was spent by all searching for Theodore.

"We can't find him!"

"This is boring. Let's just call all clear and go eat."

"All right. olly olly oxen-free! Game's over! You guys go do whatever."

The other children scurried away, not even waiting to find out where Theodore had been hiding. Eric grabbed a couple of sodas and headed over to Theodore's table.

"You still under there? Game's over. Got you a soda. Clever hiding place."

"thank you. you knew where I hid?"

"I knew where everyone hid. I was peeking the whole time."

"That's cheating."

"So? If they wanted someone who'd play fair they should have been 'it' themselves. They wouldn't so they had to play by my rules."

"If you knew where I was why'd you let everyone search for so long?"

"why not? They deserved it after the rotten way they acted. You can get out of there now."

Theodore got up and sat at the table and continued to work in his notebook.

"Whatcha working on?"

"I'm designing a laser gun and a time machine and a new entertainment system and a better mousetrap but right now a laser gun mostly."

"All that and a laser gun? ha. That's cute."

"The math is solid. I just gotta get the designs right."

Mmy god. that's an actual design of an actual laser gun. You're pretty amazing. You could be rich one day soon with your brain and talents."

"You're the only one who seems to think so."

"oh yeah?"

"yes. You and mother. I don't like family reunions. Everyone's judgmental and loud. I brought a textbook because they don't bother you when you have to do homework. But they still talk about you. The only reason I got up and played was so no one thought badly of mother... they called me tragic, and a red flag, and a techrat."

"Well they suck. One of 'em was probably MY mother, she's a busybody like that... techrat huh? Why's that so insulting?"

"When people compare you to a rat it's usually in insult."

"Well, you should use it. Make it cool. Own it."

"...I'll think about it."

They sat quietly for a spell. Theodore worked in his book and Eric finished his soda. The sun started to go down so Theodore went to his mother and Eric went to bring his car around for his mother.

"Hello Teddy dear! Did you have fun?"

"Not really. The day was emotionally depressing and exponentially depreciated my self confidence. Children are cruel and uncompromising."

"Oh. I'm sorry baby."

"It's not your fault mother. You didn't give birth to them."

"Oh Teddy. Alright. Let's go to our room. We'll head home tomorrow morning."

They packed up the basket and began to walk up to their hotel.

"Heading out techrat?"

Cousin Eric drove up, his mother sleeping in the passenger seat.

"Yes. Our hotel's a couple blocks up."

"I can give you a ride. My mom drank too much and is out like a light. A two minute detour won't kill anyone."

"Oh that's lovely. Thank you so much Eric. Teddy?"

"Thank you cousin Eric."

They went on their way.

"It's actually a good thing I ran into you, Techrat. I forgot to get you my contact information."

"for what?"

"You're smart. A genius actually. And I'm going into business. It'll be good to have a genius in my corner."

"makes sense."

"How about that Teddy? That's very sweet of you Eric."

"Not at all. Just being savvy."

"Techrat. Is that a nickname cousin Eric gave you Teddy?"

"I suppose so."

"It's cute. It suits you. You're so good with gadgets. Here we are! Thank you again Eric. It was lovely seeing you. Teddy?"

"Thank you cousin Eric. See you next year."

"Here's my card. We should keep in touch. See you next year Techrat."

Eric drove off to his family's hotel.

"What a nice boy. And he thinks you have a bright future Teddy. Well, that's obvious just knowing you though. Well, let's go to our room huh?"

It was a tiring day for Techrat. But networking with family is always tiring he assumed.