Chapter 13 - The Science FairBy February, spring was beginning to tease the edges of the Texas winter, bringing bright blue skies and blooming daffodils to the suburban lawns. It was also the month of the annual elementary school science fair.
For weeks, Lily had poured her heart and soul into her project: a working, scale-model planetarium driven by small gear systems and illuminated by tiny LED lights, demonstrating the orbits of the inner solar system.
On a Saturday morning, Mark and I walked into the crowded school gymnasium, which was buzzing with the nervous energy of fifty children and twice as many proud parents.
Lily stood behind her display board, wearing a bright blue sweater and clutching a clipboard in her small hands. When she saw Mark and me walking through the double doors, her face lit up with a brilliant, breathless smile.
“Grandpa! Dad! Over here!” she called out, waving frantically.
We walked over to her table. The cardboard display was neatly painted with deep indigo and silver stars, and her model rotated smoothly on its motorized base, powered by a clever little circuit board Mark had helped her solder in the garage.
“Good morning, young lady,” Mark said, leaning down to inspect the rotating planets. “Looks like professional engineering work to me. Should I be worried about future competition?”
“Only if you don’t pay your subcontractors well,” Lily joked, reciting a line she had clearly heard me say to Mark a hundred times.
A few minutes later, the judges—two local high school science teachers and a university professor—walked up to her table. Lily straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and began explaining the mechanics of gravitational pull and planetary orbits with absolute clarity and confidence.
She didn't stumble. She didn't look around nervously or second-guess her words. She stood tall, secure in the knowledge that whatever happened, her family was standing right there behind her, listening.
When the judges moved on to the next table, Mark reached out and pulled Lily into a tight, proud hug.
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“You were incredible, kiddo,” Mark whispered against her hair.
“Thanks, Dad,” Lily beamed, looking up at both of us. “And thanks, Grandpa. For teaching me how to look at the stars.”
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