A/N: The words I used in this chapter were drama, magical, and adventure. The summer holiday is Chocolate Pudding Day which is June 26.
I realize that by the time little Hank Booth is 14, coding may be a thing of the past, but it fits my story so I went with it.
It was almost noon on a warm summer day when fourteen year old Hank Booth parked his bicycle in front of his house. Tossing his backpack aside when he entered the mudroom behind the garage, he sighed as he walked into the kitchen and opened the pantry, looking for a pre-lunch snack. "What a day…," he mumbled to himself as he found a package of lunch sized chocolate pudding cups. "I had no idea that Coding Camp could have so much drama! Man…those girls are so ridiculous…"
Sitting at the kitchen counter, he peeled back the lid on one of the small containers and took a large spoonful, sniffing the delicate aroma before allowing the velvety concoction to glide across his tongue. The effect was almost magical. All of the annoyances from that morning seemed to melt away as he enjoyed the pudding. "Hmmm…yeah." He smiled, licking his lips. "Maybe listening to Allie and Kiri bickering about our program wasn't such a bad thing after all…especially if I get to have pudding as a reward for my patience…"
After cleaning out the first cup, he opened another. "And Mr. Shaw just smiles and walks away when they start arguing, doesn't he? But whenever I try to move to a different computer station, they just follow me there. I don't get it…"
Hank was so busy enjoying his pudding he didn't pay much attention to the person who'd joined him in the kitchen until he felt a large hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he met his father's stern gaze.
"Did you ask if you could have some of my pudding, Hank?"
"Oh…Dad! Hi! I didn't think you'd be home…"
"Obviously. I had some comp time coming so I took the day off." He pointed at the opened package on the counter. "Well?"
Glancing at the cup in his hand, Hank gave his father a guilty smile. "Um…well…you see, Dad…Mr. Shaw said today is…um…actually…Chocolate Pudding Day. Who knew, huh? Um…yeah…so, anyway, while we were at Coding Camp this morning, our work groups had to come up with the code for a game where a little mouse is trying to steal some pudding from a big cat, which is kinda lame, right? I mean, I don't think mice even eat pudding…but…anyway…I've been thinking about pudding all morning, so when I found some pudding cups in the pantry…I just decided to eat some. Sorry…"
Shaking his head, Booth chuckled as he helped himself to a cup of pudding. "Chocolate Pudding Day, huh? Well, I guess I'd better help you celebrate, right?"
"Right." Breathing a small sigh of relief, Hank took another spoonful. "Dad, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Booth nodded as he licked some pudding from his finger. "You can always talk to me about stuff, okay? What's on your mind?"
"Well…" Hank hesitated for a few seconds, clearing his throat. "...why are girls so weird?"
I guess the kid is growing up if he's trying to figure out girls, right? Booth smirked as he shook his head. "That's an age old question, buddy, and I don't know if any of us guys will ever find the answer. Basically, dealing with girls is sorta like a never ending adventure, okay? I mean, it's kinda like being Indiana Jones, but after you go through all the crazy mazes and dangerous booby traps, you still can't find the artifact you're looking for…and sometimes you're left with nothing to show for all your hard work."
Pausing as he saw his son's frustrated expression, Booth cleared his throat. "Never mind the example, okay? Why don't you tell me about what's going on? Why do you think girls are so weird?"
"Well, there's these two girls in my coding group, okay? I know them from school, and I was pretty pumped about being in a group with them because both of them are really smart and also really good at computer stuff. In fact, Kiri's coding team won first prize in a contest at the state STEM competition, and Allie wrote code for the school's robotics team."
"Okay…but…is that what makes them weird?"
Hank rolled his eyes at that silly question. "Nah. What makes them weird is that even though they're best friends, they've been constantly arguing with each other about stupid stuff while we're supposed to be working on our projects. I don't know how they could win any sort of team event when they can't even agree on basic coding steps…"
"Well, I have to admit…your mom and I tend to bicker some, but we still manage to get along." Booth shrugged slightly as he tore the lid from another pudding cup. "I'm not sure that it makes us weirder than normal…"
"But as far as I can tell, Allie and Kiri don't argue a lot when they're at school, okay? They always seem to get along fine in class and in the cafeteria…but when they're working with me at camp, it's like they're always mad at each other! They're constantly on each other's nerves! Like maybe one of them will come up with an idea on how to set up the code for our project, and if I like it, the other one has to shoot it down and come up with something else that's 'better', and then they want me to choose which one I like, which is a no win situation, right? And then, if I suggest something, they both seem to try to outdo each other when they say that they 'looove' it…they go way overboard with the praise, you know? They just gush and act so dumb, which is totally different than how they act at school! It's like they're overly competitive or something, and that keeps us from working well as a group. I feel like we never get anything done. In fact, I think it'd be easier if I worked by myself!"
Hmm…it sounds like those girls are competing alright…but Hank doesn't realize that he's the prize! Booth nodded as he listened to his son's complaint. "Yeah…I can see how that sort of behavior might make things uncomfortable." He thought things over for a few seconds. "Have you thought about asking Mr. Shaw if you can change groups?"
"That won't work. On the first day of camp he explained that he'd assigned groups randomly, and he said he didn't want to change the people in them because in the real world we need to know how to work with all kinds of people…that we wouldn't always get to choose who to work with on a project."
"That's true…"
"And, it's only for another week, okay? Like I said, Allie and Kiri know what they're doing when it comes to coding. That's not the problem. It's dealing with their stupid disagreements…"
"Yeah." Booth sighed, fidgeting with his spoon. "So here's what I think, okay? I think you're gonna have to step up and be the leader of your group. Whenever those two girls start to bicker, you need to put your foot down and tell them 'that's enough' and that it's time to move on to the next step."
"But won't they get mad at me?" Hank grimaced slightly. "I want to stay friends with them…we'll probably have classes together next year…"
"You can be firm but friendly, okay? And they might not like it, and they might get mad, but as long as they know it's not personal…that you're focused on the results, and not on putting them down…they'll come around in time, especially if they're as smart as you say they are. That sort of skill in dealing with others is something that leaders need to learn. You have to redirect their focus back to the problem at hand, instead of spending energy on their personal issues. It'll take a couple of times for them to figure out you mean business, but I think you'll be happier with the results in the long run if you try to handle it that way."
Hank was still doubtful about that being the right solution. "I'm not sure I'm really a leader, though…"
"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out, right? Might as well give it a shot. You don't really have anything to lose." Booth picked up the empty pudding cups and put them in the trash. "Okay, since we've already had dessert, how about I make us some sandwiches for lunch? Then maybe me and you can go hit some balls at the driving range…"
"Sounds like a plan, Dad."
Oooooooooo
Brennan smiled as her husband entered the kitchen later that afternoon. "Did you two have fun at the driving range?"
"Yeah. Hank can really smack a golf ball, you know? He might end up being pretty good at gold someday. I guess all that hockey practice has helped him out."
"Perhaps." She paused suddenly as she looked at the magnetic whiteboard affixed to the refrigerator. "Why do we need more pudding? I just bought some two days ago…"
"Oh…" Taking her into his arms, Booth raised an eyebrow at her. "Me and Hank ate it when he came home from Coding Camp. I was helping him talk through a problem that all Booth men have faced from time to time…"
"What problem? It must've been a difficult conundrum if it required you to eat all of the pudding."
Booth sighed dramatically. "The problem of how to handle it when women fight over us…"
Rolling her eyes, she scoffed as she pretended to push him away. "Be serious."
"I am being serious. From what Hank told me today, these two girls in his coding group are showing off, trying to get his attention…you know, trying to prove that they're the alpha female to gain his favor. The thing is that Hank doesn't really understand what's going on. He just thinks they're acting stupid and he finds it really annoying."
"I see. I must admit to being impressed with your understanding of the anthropological forces at work." She ran her hands over her husband's broad shoulders. "Well, he will be a handsome man when he reaches adulthood, so I suppose he'll encounter that quandary several times in his life. I hope your advice was adequate."
Booth smiled as he gave her a kiss. "I guess we'll have to wait and see…"
Brennan snuggled closer to her husband. "Booth?"
"Hmm?"
"Now that we're in a monogamous relationship, do you miss having women fight over you?"
He laughed happily. "Nope…you won that war fair and square." He gave her a sassy wink. "However, if you want to exert your dominance over me later this evening…you know, just to keep me in line…"
She giggled as she turned away and picked up a dish towel. "We'll see…"
Oooooooooo
A week later, Booth came home from work and made his way to Hank's bedroom. "So I see you survived Coding Camp. How did things go with the two girls?"
"It was okay, I guess." Hank pushed his chair away from his desk and turned to face his father. "I kinda changed the script a little bit from what you suggested, though. When they started arguing again, I told them that I was there to learn coding, and since they were so good at it, maybe both of them could help me out. They kinda argued at first about how to teach me, but eventually they worked it out, and I actually learned something…"
"That's good. Sounds like you handled it well."
Frowning slightly, Hank shrugged off the compliment. "I guess so."
Booth entered the room and sat on the corner of the bed. "So what's wrong?"
Hank slumped in his chair. "You're gonna think it's really dumb…"
"Tell me anyway…"
"Well…Mr. Shaw had some of the high school robotics team members come visit the camp yesterday and today…you know, to help us with advanced coding and stuff…and there's this one guy…Barry…who's an ace coder, and Allie and Kiri were so caught up in falling all over him to get his attention that they ignored me completely! I mean, who cares if the guy is a senior who happens to be tall and good looking? Who cares if he has an internship lined up with a top gaming company next summer or that he's been admitted to MIT already?"
"Hmm..." Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought you said those girls were annoying, and you'd rather work by yourself…"
"Yeah…" Hank nodded as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's what I thought, too…until they left me for another guy…and then I wished they were back bothering me…"
Booth tried to hide his smile as he sympathized with Hank. "Well, son…that's the way it goes in life. Fame is fleeting and women are fickle…but trust me…chocolate pudding will always make you feel better. Why don't we go have some, okay? Maybe while we're eating it you can tell more about what a bum that guy Barry is. I mean, what kind of name is that? Barry? Seriously? Give me a break…"
"I know, right?" Hank smiled as he pushed himself up from his chair. "Thanks, Dad…"
"For what?"
"For not laughing too much about how things turned out with Allie and Kiri. Maybe someday I'll finally understand girls…"
"In your dreams, buddy…in your dreams."
Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura
