Chapter 24
Newton Academy
Penny read the letter again. The client had written demanding that the work on refurbishing her lounge and kitchen, must be completed by the 25th of November, as she wanted to put her plans in operation for the coming Christmas festivities in December. Penny snorted in derision, 'Are you for real?, just how on earth are we to manage that, when you cannot make up your damn mind what colours, flooring and wallpaper you want for your lounge?, and now you also tell me that you want the natural beech finish for the skirting instead?.', Penny summed up in her mind, Then speaking out loud to herself, "Honestly, I've a good mind to pull out, then let's see you do it all by yourself by the 25th?".
She picked up her phone intending to give the client a piece of her mind, but then thought it might be better to ring them and explain that the client must make a decision on these things, as soon as Penny had regained her temper.
It was so aggravating though, already they had plastered, painted and tiled the walls and ceiling in the kitchen, when the client decided to change the cooker she had chosen previously for a bigger one, which entailed installing a bigger cable to power the thing and thence walls had to be chased and floor dug up for the larger cable, and by the time this was done the whole kitchen had a covering of dust, and this, despite Penny, and her girls, Kelly and Sandra's best efforts to cover everything up. So the whole kitchen had to be decorated again, after plastering and tiling once the chases had been filled.
Penny sighed, if she ever finished this contract it will be the very last time she'll do any more work for this client.
Just then her phone rang, and Penny picked it up hoping it wasn't the client.
"Hello, Penny Hofstadter's designs , may I help you?", Penny said, crossing her fingers.
"Hello this is St David's school Secretary, I'm ringing about your Daughter, Honey Marie Hofstadter, the Principal has requested that you attend a meeting with her at 10:45 tomorrow Morning. Please observe the appointment, as it is quite important that you attend.", and before Penny could ask the reason for this meeting, the Secretary had rung off.
Penny was utterly stunned for Honey Marie had only gone back to school after the Summer recess 6 weeks ago, whatever mischief had Honey Marie been up to, as the Secretary had sounded as though it was quite a serious matter.
Penny remembered her schooldays and how her mother had lost count of the times she had had to go to see the School Principal about Penny's bad behaviour. Bad behaviour that Penny greatly feared that any of her Daughter's ever finding out.
Leonard stepped back from his board, in order to get a broader view of his equation. When Sheldon's voice behind him made Leonard jump.
"You may have ingratiated yourself to Dr Gablehauser and President Siebert, but you are not fooling me, I must congratulate you and ask what method of sucking up, did you use to get all the new equipment you now have in this lab?. When I myself have received nothing at all in spite of the important ground breaking work that I have achieved", Sheldon angrily accused.
"First of all Sheldon, All, the labs have been upgraded with new equipment, while all you need is a board and a marker, and perhaps you would like to enlighten me on the advances in science you have successfully achieved", Leonard replied, irked by Sheldon's accusations.
Sheldon opened and closed his mouth a few times, which reminded Leonard of a goldfish, then the violent twitching started contorting his face.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Sheldon finally spat out testily after several minutes had passed.
"OK Sheldon perhaps you would like to help with this equation as I think it's wrong somewhere", Leonard asked him.
"I will do that only on condition my name heads any paper you may submit on this discovery", Sheldon demanded.
"Well that's fair enough Sheldon, by all means then", Leonard told him as he indicated the board.
Sheldon began to pore over the board, and the more he read, the more the look on his face changed from triumphant superiority, to utter consternation, as he gradually realized that the equation was utterly beyond his capability to comprehend. Finally unable to take the truth of the situation that Leonard, evidently to Sheldon, was even more advanced in physics than Kripke was, when Sheldon had to collaborate with him on a project. He had used back then, the excuse of frequent coitus with Amy, to remove any suspicion that Kripke might have had over Sheldon's inadequacy, but this time Sheldon was totally and utterly stumped, and finally unable to take the humiliation he threw his marker to the floor and stormed out, saying as he passed Leonard. "You Sir, have written what is simply complete Balderdash, and I refuse to be party to such an infantile jape.
When Honey Marie returned from school, Penny was a little puzzled. For Honey Marie's demeanor seemed no different than usual, and rather than put pressure on her Daughter, Penny decided it would be better perhaps, to leave any likely discipline until she had got the full details from the Principle tomorrow.
The next day Leonard accompanied Penny to the meeting and once introductions were made and they were seated, the Principle, a Mrs Hill explained.
"first of all I understand Dr Hofstadter, that you have been educating your Daughter through her pre- school years?," Leonard nodded, " Well it might explain why we have this dilemma, though I must apologize about this matter, but we really should have noted Honey Marie's problem last term, but as you may be aware her regular teacher Miss Prentice had health problems during that year and so we were forced to use a succession of temporary staff to stand in for Miss Prentice.
Penny sat there and wished Mrs Hill would get straight to the point, and tell them what the problem was with Honey Marie.
"Three weeks ago, Miss Prentice had given the pupils two test papers, one a simple spelling test while the other was an arithmetic paper, the pupils were set 45 minutes to complete both tests, and your Daughter completed both in under 10 minutes, we were not quite sure of the actual time, but Miss Prentice after about 10 minutes, had noticed Honey Marie idly staring out the window, so after Miss Prentice had advised your Daughter to get on with the tests, Honey Marie informed her that she had finished, and when we checked her test papers later we found her answers were 100% correct", Mrs hill told them in what was rather a droning voice and Penny's mind had wandered as a result, and Penny had been idly looking out the window and was in the process of studying a curiously shaped cloud, and was deciding what it most resembled, (Penny's wandering mind, was a common occurrence with Penny whenever a school Principle or teacher would try and educate her), and Penny had failed to grasp exactly what Mrs Hill was trying to tell them, at first.
Mrs Hill Droned on,
"After a few days we gave Honey Marie another test for 12 year old's, of mathematics and trigonometry, she completed that one in 15 minutes," Penny struggled to stifle a yawn, Mrs Hill continued droning,
"and yet again all her answer's were correct.
Yesterday we gave her a mathematics test for high school exam students, and she took 40 minutes to complete that one, and though this time not all were correct, though she still had more than enough correct marks for a pass, about 98%, also Mrs Prentice informs me that Honey Marie's reading is exceptional for a 6 year old girl, in fact while her classmates are still on rather elementary reading material, your Daughter was seen by me in the library, reading the Silmarillion, by Tolkien."
, at this Leonard interrupted, "Yeah that's right, I remember she wanted some background information to the mythology of the Lord of the Rings, so I advised her to look that book up",
Mrs Hill went on, "I have been an educator for 35 years," at this, Penny almost giggled as Mrs Hill sounded just like the Principle in the movie 'Uncle Buck', only, without the wart.
Mrs Hill then resumed her droning, after turning a weather eye on Penny.
"And I have never before seen such ability in a student, as I have seen in your Daughter, I'm afraid our problem is," (Here Penny resisted the temptation to shout 'Finally',) "we are unable to teach at the standard your Daughter requires, Therefore I would like you to consider sending Honey Marie to the Newton Academy for gifted children, as you will see from their prospectus here,", She said as she handed them a rather thick booklet, "that they specialize in teaching Science, Physics and all the branches of Mathematics, and I recommend to you that this will benefit your Daughter immensely." Mrs Hill finally finished, then stared at them quizzically, as though trying to determine how serious they were, over their Daughters educational needs.
Once they had returned home a highly delighted Leonard, and a numb with shock Penny, sat and mulled over the Newton Academy Prospectus, though after approximately 3 minutes, Penny needed a large something to help her get over the shock, and half a pint of Vodka later and Penny began to worry.
Every bullying incident that Leonard suffered from other children while growing up, a Genius struggling to cope with normal schoolchildren began to cross her mind until Penny, panicking at quite how she was going to cope with a gifted child then lashed out at the nearest scapegoat.
"This is your fault! Why on earth did you have to show her all that stuff. Answer me this?, Just how is Honey Marie going to have a normal life now, all you have done for her is to get her bullied by every other kid around," Penny raged.
"Penny it will be OK, believe me. You and Me together we'll watch out for her", Leonard soothingly told her.
"What!, Just like your parents did for you, Leonard?" Penny angrily reminded him.
"Well! Perhaps you would rather She ended up like your friends, huh, just remind me what are they doing now?", Leonard asked her.
Penny reluctantly began to think about her old friends, most of the fit guys she knew were farm labourer's, or no hopers like Kurt, The girls too, Sylvia, mother of two and married to a farm labourer, and had never even left Nebraska. Della, five children and divorced, Sharon, Penny hadn't seen her since the night she stole TJ from Penny. But not one of Penny's old friends had got very far in their careers. In fact out of all of them only Penny herself had achieved anything at all, and Penny knew all too well much of that was only thanks to Leonard's support and help when she was a waitress at the Cheesecake factory, frankly if it wasn't for Leonard She would have soon been forced to return home to Nebraska with her tail between her legs, and as she finally admitted to herself, that there was no way that she would let Honey Marie make the same stupid mistakes that Penny had made, in her life. Then Penny rushed towards Leonard in tears, "I'm sorry Honey. It's just that I'm so scared", she wept.
"Penny, please listen to me, Honey Marie has parents that love her to bits, we are not at all even remotely like my Mom and dad was, and thankfully now my Mom has changed for the better, our Daughters have four Grandparents that also love them very much. So Honey Marie is not as alone as I was, when I was growing up, she has enormous support behind her every step of the way," Leonard reasoned.
Penny glanced up at Leonard, and a smile gradually appeared on her face as she meditated on the enormous amount of love that Honey Marie had behind her.
"I'm sorry Honey, I should have thought of that", Penny admitted.
"Hey, it's only because of your love for all our Daughters that you worry so. So never apologize for doing that," Leonard told her.
And at that the couple embraced.
Leonard was not at all surprised to see Amy standing on his doorstep, and at the worried look on her face, Leonard guessed that Sheldon was still struggling mightily to accept change.
I'm so sorry, but I'm desperate, Sheldon's really having a hard time lately," Amy began.
Leonard did not want to sound churlish by pointing out the fact that Sheldon Cooper gives everyone around him a hard time, and only nodded in agreement.
"Do you know?, he even rang Cambridge University himself to point out their mistake in offering the Physics chair to the wrong name and the name they were actually looking for was in fact Dr Sheldon Cooper, PHD. Only for the official at the other end of the line to inform him that they only offer these high Honours to persons who are highly respected among their colleagues, and who have contributed much to the advancement of Physics as Dr Leonard Hofstadter has achieved on more than one occasion. And we do not hand it out to persons like yourself who frequent common drinking establishments such as that known dive of the ne'er do well, the Rose and Crown. And I wish you Physics students would curtail these silly pranks and stop disrupting others in the carrying out of their duties", Amy related, then, now tearfully, she continued, "Sheldon just calmly put the phone down and wept, and now he has retreated to the bedroom and refuses to come out."
"Oh no!, he hasn't started buying cats yet has he?", Leonard asked her.
"Thankfully no, but I really don't know what he will do next?", Amy admitted fretfully.
"I am at a loss as to what to suggest, first it was Dennis Kim, then Kripke and now he has realized that I myself, am more advanced in my studies than he realized, and what with the offer of the chair from Cambridge. Well?", Leonard surmised.
"added to that, some of us are so busy with our families now, things are bound to change, and unfortunately for Sheldon we can't turn the clock back," Penny added.
And so they talked together but were no nearer a solution for Dr Sheldon Cooper, than they were at the start.
And it wrenched Penny's heart as she saw the anguish on her Bestie's face as she returned home.
Newton Academy was named in honour of Sir Isaac Newton and in the tradition of educational establishments in England they used English titles for the head of staff, so instead of Principle Dr Peregrine Leyton' Smythe PhD, It was Headmaster, Dr Peregrine Leyton' Smythe PhD, and as he informed them of his name, 'Peregrine', Penny very nearly wet herself as she could have sworn he had said his name was Pelican.
Though the Pelican, as Penny had forever after knew him by, quickly dismissed Penny as a gold digger, who had fallen in love with Dr Hofstadter's wallet as soon as he had opened it, but as Leonard was explaining to him about the plight of the teaching staff at St Davids, as they struggled with the higher academic requirements of Honey Marie, Penny nodded and smiled in agreement with Leonard and as the Pelican caught sight of the look of adoration on Penny's face for her husband, the Pelican was forced to admit to himself that he could not have been more wrong about Mrs Hofstadter.
"Our policy at Newton Academy requires all students to take an entrance examination, as this will not only weed out those who are weaker in educational ability, and I hasten to assure you, after what you have told me as well as the learned opinion of Mrs Hill, in her letter, that I do not believe your Daughter falls into this category, Therefore the examination will help us in this case to determine the academic level your daughter has attained to at present", The Pelican informed them in a rather pompous manner.
Leaving Penny to wonder what he would have made of a much younger Penny if she attempted his entrance exam.
Three days later Honey Marie took the entrance exam and was only the fifth student and also the youngest, in the illustrious history of Newton Academy to achieve a 100% exam result, and to the delight of Dr and Mrs Hofstadter, Honey Marie was formally enrolled as a student of Newton Academy.
Penny, as they were on their way home had an idea and asked Leonard if he would drive to Sheldon and Amy's house, and as Leonard changed direction for Sheldon's house, Penny talked over her idea with Honey Marie, before calling Amy, and telling her that they were coming over and also to fill Amy in on Penny's plan.
Amy was stood at the front door as they drew up, and Penny fervently hoped her plan would work for Amy's relieved smile made Penny even more fearful if her plan was to fail. The couple sat with Amy in the lounge as Honey Marie climbed the stairs to Sheldon's room and knocked on his door announcing her name, before Uncle Sheldon, bade her enter.
After half an hour an excited Sheldon Cooper came bounding down the stairs and handed Honey Marie all his algebra exercise books and anything else he could find that would help propel Honey Marie to academic fame, after all what better reward could there be than for Dr Sheldon Cooper to teach, and to pass on the sacred knowledge of Physics to not only his favourite niece, but also a proud student of Newton Academy itself.
Amy, once Sheldon and Honey Marie had headed for the dining room with their books, rushed over and gave Penny the biggest hug she had ever given her, and thanked Penny profusely, over and over again.
