Disclaimer: This is my first fiction ever. For the full disclaimer that I will use for all of my future fictions, you can click on my profile. Enjoy!
"Seriously, Sam, Punnett squares shouldn't be any trouble for you. I mean, you're in Honors Biology."
Thus began the weekly tutoring session. Freddie held up a notebook covered with Punnett squares. They were quite straightforward, really – a square divided into four equal sections, with the maternal genotype along the top and the paternal genotype along the left side.
"Yes, I read the syllabus." Sam rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault if the old geezer isn't giving enough examples. I learn by experience, after all."
"Okay, here, I'll give you an example. You know about dominant and recessive traits, right?"
"Sure."
"So for eye color, blue is recessive and brown is dominant. Say the paternal genotype –"
"The what?"
"The dad's genes that the kid inherits."
"Fine. Go on." It was a touchy subject for both of them.
"So the paternal genotype is capital-b, lowercase-b. He has brown eyes. Now the maternal –"
"Let me guess. Mom."
"Right. The maternal genotype is capital-b, capital-b. She also has brown eyes, but doesn't have the blue-eyed trait at all."
"Yeah, yeah, get to the point. What eye colors do the kids have?"
"So all the kids have brown eyes."
That wasn't a very good example, he thought, but it'll be good enough.
"It's getting late," he said. This wasn't strictly true, but the tension in the room from the dad discussion was getting to be unbearable. "I'll just, uh, continue the teaching next week. Maybe get some more examples."
"Hold on. I have a question." Sam actually did look curious.
"Sure, anytime." What could he say? If he disobeyed, he'd probably have to cope with some sort of injury.
"My eye-color genotype is lowercase-b, lowercase-b, right?"
"Simplistically, yes. You have blue eyes."
Sam breathed. "Hey, I got it right." She smiled. It was a beautiful smile.
"Yep. Anything else?" He regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth.
"What's your genotype?"
Of course she would ask. "Well, Sam… I think my dad's eyes were blue. But my mom's eyes are brown. So my genotype would be capital-b, lowercase-b."
Sam continued. "So, I'm asking you a question now. If, hypothetically, the paternal genotype was capital-b, lowercase-b and the maternal genotype was lowercase-b, lowercase-b, what would be the probability that the child would be a girl and have blue eyes?"
"Whoa, you're a quick study." He thought about her question.
Oh. I get your drift. You're asking about if I were the father and you were the mother. Smooth, Puckett.
"There would be a fifty percent chance of the eyes being blue. And there'd be a fifty percent chance of the gender being female. And I must say… if she ended up looking like you, she'd be quite a wonder to look at."
He got a double-fist in the arm for that.