Back home

"Goodbye, guys. I will miss you," I bid farewell to everyone I had met on this amazing holiday. I hugged each of them tightly, feeling the emotions welling up inside me.

Luckily, I soon departed with the others; otherwise, tears might have started flowing then and there.

After flying home with the Feders, I was dropped off at my house.

"I will miss you guys. I hope I can visit you again sometime in the future," I said, already beginning to feel their absence despite them being right in front of me.

"Bye, Lenny. Thank you for the good time," I said as I hugged him tightly.

"No problem," Lenny replied, tousling my hair with his hand before driving off.

I unlocked the door with my key and entered the house.

The house was quite dusty, understandable since it hadn't been lived in for a week and no one had cleaned it.

It was currently 8 a.m., and my parents and siblings were expected to arrive between 3 to 4 p.m., if they were on schedule.

With nothing else to do, I read some books and cleaned the house.

After two hours, cleaning was finally completed. I ordered some food and ate at home.

As the clock ticked on, it was soon a quarter past 3 p.m.

I heard the door click open, and my parents entered.

"We're home!" Dad announced loudly, his usual routine after returning from a trip.

"You're back!" I exclaimed, rushing to hug my parents.

"How was the holiday with Lenny? He seems like quite the character," Dad asked eagerly, with Mom listening intently. Haley, Alex, and Luke were already upstairs, trying to sleep due to jet lag.

"It was amazing. I had such a great time," I replied enthusiastically, my voice fluctuating with emotion as I recalled everything that had happened with Lenny and the others.

"That's wonderful to hear. Are you hungry? Would you like Mom to cook you something?" Mom asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Please," I pleaded with Mom. The delivered food was fine, but Mom's cooking was always the best. It wasn't just about the taste; it showed me how much they cared.

After dinner, cooked lovingly by Mom, I went to bed early.

The next few days were quite routine. I mostly studied and prepared myself for the upcoming continuation of college after the holidays.

Time flew by quickly with reading, and soon school started again.

I arrived at school as early as possible, eager not to miss any classes. The classes, however, were somewhat disappointing, covering mostly familiar material.

During classes, I had some interesting discussions with Paige.

After classes ended, I headed to Sheldon's laboratory.

"Hi Sheldon," I greeted the tall man standing in the lab.

"Hello, Gabriel," Sheldon replied in his usual manner.

"What are you working on?" I asked curiously as Sheldon typed away on his computer.

"I'm coding an AI to help adjust the room temperature," he replied, still focused on his screen.

It was rare to see Sheldon this talkative. Glancing at his computer, I quickly understood why.

He seemed stuck on the AI algorithm. Sheldon was proficient with computers, but it wasn't his specialty. In that regard, I was far more skilled than him.

He knew it too but would never admit it; his pride wouldn't allow it.

The mistake he made was actually quite simple: he forgot or chose not to include a map of external conditions, like weather. It might seem unnecessary, but it's crucial.

"May I continue?" I asked Sheldon like this. If I asked directly, he'd likely refuse.

"If you want to," Sheldon replied somewhat reluctantly, stepping aside.

I proceeded to input the necessary code into the computer.

Starting the algorithm, I watched as the room temperature adjusted itself.

"Why did it work with the map included?" Sheldon asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice that he tried to conceal. He wanted to hide it, but I knew he was intrigued.

"It's standard for most household AIs. In extreme weather, AIs can malfunction and potentially overheat or freeze you. If a tornado or similar event approaches, the map sends an alert to the AI, prompting it to shut down," I explained, perhaps unnecessarily, but I enjoyed feeling superior to Sheldon.

"Okay," Sheldon replied, thanking me in his own way. He rarely says thank you, so any response from him was significant.

Afterward, feeling bored with Sheldon's thermostat play, I headed to Leonard's experimental room.

"Hi, Leonard."

"Oh, hi Gabriel. How was school?" Leonard asked, more comfortable to talk to than Sheldon.

"It was quite boring. What are you experimenting on?" I inquired, curious about the objects on his table.

"I'm working on superfluid helium. Interested in taking a look?" Leonard invited.

"Absolutely," I agreed eagerly. There was so much to learn here.

I watched Leonard's experiments with superfluid helium. Helium reaches this state only at temperatures close to absolute zero, around -273 degrees Celsius, the coldest possible temperature.

Observing the experiment, I learned a great deal.

It was quite enjoyable.