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Chapter 10

Before Howard goes to space, Penny wants to have a baby shower; hence, the girls planned and decorated the rooftop. This will also serve as the engineer's bon voyage party too. The gender wasn't revealed yet, so they put all the colors of the rainbow as a design. It's like a birthday party, with cakes, a piata, and dancing. Everyone is obligated to wear casual attire.

"They all went with Leonard to confront his childhood bully." The microbiologist said.

"Oh, terrific. High school quarterback against four mathletes." While cutting some banners, Penny said to the girls.

"When Leonard gets back, I'd love to check his serotonin levels." Amy interrupted, checking the place for dirty socks and garbage as Sheldon requested.

Penny continued, "Did you know that the guy made Leonard floss with his own shoelaces, pulled his underwear over his head, stapled his scrotum, Super Glued Hershey's Kisses to his nipples, and called him Nancy for three years? He basically ruined Leonard's life."

She saw the shock in Amy's face after she mentioned the hideous things the bully did. Once the decorations are placed, tables are set and the piata is hung on one of the wires, they go down the stairs.

"Shhhhh... Someone's knocking in 4A." Amy stopped the girls from proceeding. "I think it's my boyfriend's bully."

Penny peaked over the corner of the wall. They heard their discussion and were touched that Jimmy said his sorry to Leonard. The guys closed the door, inviting the large man inside.

"Want to have herbal tea with honey?" Penny offered.

The waitress invited the girls for a sleepover the next day and also asked them to help clean out the trash. And the boys are welcome to join the after party plans.

After meeting Jimmy Speckerman, the four of them went back to the apartment to play Batman: Arkham City. As a thank you for standing up for him, Leonard made Sheldon a cup of hot cocoa.

In the middle of the game, Jimmy knocks on their door, apologizing to him while being drunk. The experimental physicist offered him a coffee and let him nap for a while, rejecting Sheldon's symbolic gesture to kill his bully.

Past 12m.n., Howard and Rajesh slept on the floor while Sheldon was asleep in his spot and Jimmy took the beige seat. Leonard is still playing the video game.

"When did I have tacos?" Jimmy woke up, blenching.

"Leonard, a word." Sheldon was disturbed by the smell and went to the kitchen. "I'm not going to say I told you so, but we could have killed him."

He thanked him for the apology, but it seems Jimmy forgot all the things he said while he was drunk, so he asked his bully to leave the apartment. The large guy lifted Leonard violently, which made Sheldon scream, waking the other geeks.

"One move, and you'll taste the bullet of my Glock," Penny shouted at the open door. Beside her was Amy. It was a Glock 43.

The bully let him fall on the floor and immediately ran down the stairs. Penny kept the gun pointed at him and waited at the door until Howard confirmed that Jimmy was out of the building.

In the same way, 15 years ago, he was intimidated because he was small and lacked secondary manly features. Leonard felt Amy's touch on his back and immediately hugged her for comfort. The touch of his girlfriend triggered his tears. He started to hyperventilate, wheeze, and felt his throat constricting. Amy handed him his lucky albuterol inhaler from her pocket. She helped put him to bed once he could breathe clearly.

"Sleep with Penny. I don't want you out this time of the night."

Wearing green long sleeves and slacks, Sheldon put a small ribbon on the gift he bought from the bookstore. He believes it is to repay Penny for the adult book she gifted him years ago, the one that gave him nightmares. He looked handsome, he thought, his hair almost like those in Hollywood.

He walked to the other apartment and found Penny and Amy. Her girl-slash-friend was wearing an umbrella printed white dress with a yellow cardigan. What a site, he thought.

"Sweetie, want to escort us to the rooftop?" He offered both of his arms to them.

When they arrived, he saw Leonard with Rajesh and Red-headed Emily, Howard and Bernadette having an argument with Stuart's date, Jeanie, and Zack would be late for an hour as he was sailing the Gulf of Mexico.

He saw Leonard going in their direction, smiling at the beautiful brunette whom he was currently holding. His roommate kissed her cheeks and whispered in her ears, thus making her smile. Sheldon envies how easy it is for Leonard to touch and please her.

"Be right back, I just need to get your gift downstairs." The experimental physicist looked at Penny. "I also have something for Howard."

Sheldon hit the bar and gave both of the girls drinks appropriate for their well being. He's drinking again. The last time he did, he declared his feelings to the neurobiologist, shamelessly, like a hippy. But now, under a friendship agreement, Amy will stop him from taking alcohol beyond his limits.

From time to time, Amy provides him with water to keep him hydrated. Damn, she's taking very good care of me, he thought.

"Sheldon, do you want to go to your apartment and lie down? I also need to check on Leonard. He still hasn't come back yet. "

"Let's dance first. Then, we'll go home." He hauled her to the dance area, where Howard and Bernadette were smooching each other.

It's not a waltz, but the music is intimate. He pulled her arms to his neck while he held her waist. She's not looking at him, but he watches her every move; her eyes blinking, her chest moving up and down, and her hair moving on his shoulder while they slowly sway.

"I don't care who you are with, but I want you to know that I can't get you out of my heart. I tried everything, but I couldn't. So, what I'm trying to say is, you're my heartworm. The metaphorical kind, not, not the poodle-killing kind. Amy, if you want to be my girlfriend, I really want to be your boyfriend." He ran this thought in his head, but he kept his mouth shut. He can't risk it if she terminates their contract and also, as a respect to his best friend in the world.

He continued to stare at her, thinking how he was living like half a man, who couldn't love, but now he could, with more soul than he ever had. To tell the truth, he loves the way she softens his life.

"Since when do you hum songs?" She spoke, bringing him to reality.

"Are you sure? Sometimes when my brain really gets moving, it makes noise. " He lied with that big fat whoop. "Let's go, it's past my bedtime."

He offered his arm to lead her to the exit. He needs to learn to let her go.

Back to 4A: Leonard is sitting on the couch reading Experimenting with Babies: Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid. He heard the door being opened by Sheldon, followed by Amy.

" Oh, my G- This is my entire childhood. Uh, it's like word for word." He pointed his index finger at the book.

"What are you whining about?" The lanky one said, and he felt chills when Amy gave him a sharp stare.

"Is that all I was to her? Just an experiment... Oh, my God. " His respiration rate increased and the book fell out of his hand.

"Leonard. Look at me, dear. Stay calm and tell me the problem." She went beside him, grabbing his face to focus on her.

"Was my whole childhood just one big experiment?" He put his head on her neck and, in response, Amy wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Her girlfriend's hug is warm and soothing, some of the gestures he longs for.

His existence is a lifelong experiment for his mother. It's like the only purpose of him being born in the world is to be a subject, where Beverly can examine and obtain data on his progress. He was offended and hurt.

Finally, her schedule loosened from all the activities she and the gang had. After eating dinner alone in apartment 314, Amy started to write an email of a very comprehensive review of the books she read in the past three weeks.

Dr. Beverly Hofstadter,

I'm writing this email to clarify some points in the following books:

1. Needy Baby, Greedy Baby

2. The Disappointing Child.

Let me start with Needy Baby, Greedy Baby. It has been established under Maslow's Hierarchy theory of needs that physiological, safety, social, ego, and self actualization are necessary to achieve a full life. To state the obvious, the theory represents a pyramid, which is categorized by different levels starting from the bottom.

Based on your book, you implemented operant conditioning in the psychological aspect of the pyramid for your children, which we all know is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. In other words, it is a type of learning in which an individual's behavior is modified by its consequences or the response the behavior gets. One person cannot level up to the next step if you cease the supply of the ongoing level. In layman's terms, based on the mentioned experience of you and your prodigies, if they are an achiever, you'll acknowledge them and if they fail, you invalidate them, which leads to competition between your offspring as they are motivated that the achiever's incentive is your admiration and praise. To make a point, you condition your children to become needy of your attention and validation whenever you are around. Aren't you the one needy in this story to prove your parenting skills and completely dominate your children's formative years?

You have three children. Didn't you even consider that they all need a different approach to how to raise them? Your cold, cruel method is unsuitable when it comes to the young boy who was also mentioned in the next book, The Disappointing Child.

According to the renovated version of the said hierarchy by Keinrick et al. (2011), they change the ladder starting from the base; immediate physiological need, self protection, affiliation, status/esteem, mate acquisition, mate retention, and parenting. Isn't the failed experiment for one of your children a reflection of your failure at the apex of the pyramid, which can only mean that your research disproved your principle? Additionally, it cannot be used or included in some books about child rearing.

The child in this particular book develops a particular pattern of insecurity and low self-esteem, inability to reach personal goals, or feeling "stuck", fear of failure, assuming the worst, feeling the need to withdraw in social situations, often feeling down, experiencing anxiety and depression, and lastly, being sensitive to criticism. These signs and symptoms only point out to a diagnosis of inferiority complex. Now, if this child becomes an adult, did you consider the effect of your little experiments on his physical and mental well-being?

It was emphasized in your book that you are a neuroscientist and a psychiatrist with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Why didn't you use your titles to help this child or, perhaps, the better way, to help yourself?

You, the mother of this child, failed to provide one of the most important aspects of biological need: mother's acceptance. And since you want to be correct and acknowledge that the experiment continues to change the behavior of this child, no matter how many tests you did, the result remained consistent. Is it appropriate to change the title of this book to The Disappointing Mother?

As a summary of my inquiries:

1. Didn't you even consider that each of your children needs different approaches to how to raise them?

2. Isn't it you the one seeking to prove your way of parenting in these books?

3. Doesn't the failed experiment with one of your children reflect the failure of your parenting skills?

4. Did you consider the effect of your little experiments on the young boy in terms of his physical and mental well-being when he reached adult life?

5. Why didn't you use your titles to help this child or, better yet, to help yourself?

6. Is the appropriate title for this book, The Disappointing Mother?

The reason I am writing this email is to ask you to stop experimenting with your son.

Your timely response is greatly appreciated.

From Leonard's girlfriend,

Dr. Amy Farrrah Fowler, PhD

She hit send.

Thank you for your comments and support.