Chapter 11

"Will you stop fussing about your tie!? It looks fine sweetie." Penny said to William as he was looking at the mirror, making sure his suit and tie are in place.

"I still can't figure out why I can't wear my shirt and hoodie. I mean, what's the use of being Summa Cum Laude if you can't have small mercies like that?" he said earning a glaring look from his mother.

"You are my son and I will not have you looking like your father used to." She said.

"Okay, fine. But I'm taking off my tie as soon as the ceremony is over." He said. "I can't breathe wearing this." William added.

Penny touched William's face and smiled. "You can take it off after we're done taking pictures with the dean of the university and your professors." said Penny.

"Sure mom." he said as he took his phone before going out of his bedroom with Penny following him from behind.

Leonard and Sarah were sitting in the living room when William and Penny joined them.

"Are you done with your hair and make-up?' Sarah said, teasing her brother.

"Shut it!" William said with Sarah sticking out her tongue to him.

"Cut it out and let's go before we hit traffic." said Leonard as he took his keys from his desk. They all went out of the house and into the driveway, getting inside the car and driving off to UCLA for William's graduation ceremony.

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The family arrived at the university with most of the university faculty and staff congratulating William and his parents. Penny felt a deep sense of pride at how far along her son has come. Never in her dreams that she would be married and have high-achieving children, even surpassing what their father achieved when he was their age. When she and Leonard got married, she would be satisfied enough if her children would not do all the crazy things she did when she was young. Now she is here with Leonard, her son graduating at the top of his class and her daughter surely following suit a few years down the line.

The graduation ceremonies started as the graduates and parents listened to the guest speaker, giving some career and life advise to the young crowd about to head out into the world and hopefully change it for the better. The ceremony continued until the time came when they called William to the podium to give his speech. Penny squeezed Leonard's hand as she looked at her son. She can't keep herself from shedding a tear, happy and proud for her son's achievement. She remembered all the hardships she went through when she was pregnant with him, all the sleepless nights, the physical toll it took from her, his first words, his first steps. She recalled the time when she and William were at the supermarket and he figured out their total bill by calculating the prices of what they had in their shopping cart all in his head. From that point on, she knew that her son was destined for greatness.

The crowd fell into a silent hush as William started to speak.

"Thank you Professor Henricksen. To the Dean of the Physics Department, Professor Crowe. To the President of the University, Dr. Walters, to the University Faculty and Staff, thank you for this high honor. I always hear people say that the end is the beginning of something else. I guess for me personally, it never ends. Because when you reach the end, it stops being fun and exciting. Science for me never ends and I hope it never stops being fun. I hope all of you wouldn't stop having fun as I do with your chosen careers."

"I'd like to thank my family for always being there for me even if I often times give them a hard time. Thank you to my father for supporting me in everything and giving me my brain, although I did a lot of improvements on it before I could use it properly. (The crowd laughed at his comment.). You're really the best dad in the world and I wouldn't have wished for another. My sister, who always fall short in getting back at me. Don't worry sis, I may always give you a hard time but I promise you this, I always have your back. (Sarah leaned on her mother's shoulder, shedding a tear at her brother's affection for her.) And most importantly, my mom, who never gets tired of saying how much she loves us. She may not be an academic or a scientist but she's definitely smarter than my dad. (making the crowd laugh as Penny smiled at Leonard, proud of her victory over him.) She may not have letters after her name but she definitely gave me the most valuable lessons in life that I wouldn't learn in any classroom or lecture hall. She instilled in me that no amount of money or scientific award or paper is worth more than your family. That was why when I was around four or five, I started embarking on a social experiment to bring my grandma and grandpa back together. Thankfully, my experiment was a success and my grandparents got back together before the passing of my grandpa four years ago. Getting people together is a talent I got from my mom." (The crowd exploded into laughter).

Penny was touched and became emotional at her son's moving remarks.

"Mom, this is for you." he said as he went down the stage to where his family were sitting. He then took off his medal and put it on Penny while kissing her cheek. Penny smiled and cried at her son's loving gesture as William gave his parents a tight hug while he gave Sarah a high five then rubbing his knuckles on her head before going back to his seat among the other graduates as the entire hall clapped and cheered for him.

After the ceremony, Penny made sure that William took pictures with all of his professors, the dean and the president of the university. She looked at her son and felt proud, not only at how sharp and handsome he looked but also at how advanced his achievements have been.

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart!" Penny said while fixing her son's tie and hair. "There, perfect." she said smiling at him.

"Was my speech okay?" asked William.

"It was perfect sweetie." said Penny, kissing her son's cheek.

"Really? Because I was thinking of laying it on Sarah more but I guess I'll give her this round." he said as he pulled Sarah in for a hug.

Sarah hugged her brother tight. "I won't make a scene because I know this is you day." she said as William kissed her on the forehead.

William's classmates then came over to take pictures with him, doing wacky poses while holding up their diplomas as Penny and Sarah took turns taking the photos with their phones.

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After saying his goodbyes and well wishes to his classmates and professors, William joined his family so they could have an early dinner at the restaurant where Leonard made a reservation the day before. They were walking out of the building when they were approached by a tall man in a black suit.

"Uh excuse me, my name is David Archer. You must be William Hofstadter?" he asked.

They were a little surprised at why and how this stranger knew William. "Uh, do we know you?" asked Leonard.

Mr. Archer smiled. "I'm sorry for the intrusion Dr. Hofstadter and I mean you folks no harm." he said as he gave Leonard his business card. Leonard looked at it and was surprised to see that he worked for the National Security Agency. "If it's alright, may I have a word with your son?" Archer said.

"Why?" asked Leonard as he gave the business card to Penny and William.

"Trust me Prof. Hofstadter, your son is not in trouble or anything." he said smiling, trying to reassure them.

"It's alright dad." said William as he walked several steps away from his family with Mr. Archer following him. "What can I do for you, Mr. Archer?" he asked.

"I'll get right to the point. The agency is always on the lookout for talent to join our ranks and you certainly can do some good over there." said Archer.

"I thought you guys only hire computer scientists and mathematicians?" asked William.

"You're right. Most of our talent come from those academic backgrounds but every once in a while we like to mix it up a little bit. You know, look at things from a different point of view." Archer said.

"Did you just quote Obi Wan to get on my good side?" asked William.

"No. We both know you're too smart for that." said Archer.

William nodded. "I appreciate the offer but I already have other plans with my career." William said.

Archer nodded. "Understood. But if you change your mind, you know how to contact me." he said shaking William's hand. "Thank you for your time." he added before turning around and walking away. William went back to his family.

"So, what did he want?" asked Penny.

"He offered me a job." said William. "But I declined." he added.

"This is a big deal son. I mean, the NSA?" said Leonard.

"Isn't that where that Snowden guy worked right?" asked Penny.

"Yeah. And look where it got him." said Leonard.

"The offer stands should I choose to work for them." William said. "Don't worry mom, if I choose to work for the NSA, I'll send you all of Sarah's browser and phone history." he said making his parents laugh out loud.

Penny jumped and laughed. "Please sweetheart! Please work for the NSA!?" said Penny while looking at her daughter.

"That's not very funny. You're violating my right to privacy." Sarah said.

"If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to be scared of." said Leonard smiling at his daughter.

"You know dad, I really get the feeling that I may not be your child. Like I'm adopted or something." said Sarah folding her arms.

Leonard put his arm over his daughter's shoulder. "Took you long enough to figure it out!" he said kissing her temples as they walked out of the university to the parking lot.