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Chapter 3 - Why Are Parents Always So Difficult.



Unfortunately, the girls didn’t get very far with their investigations that first week of camp.


The STEM camp agenda was so packed, full of exciting and interesting tasks, that their entire attention was taken up pretty much from dawn till dusk. And both girls enjoyed the first learning block - a Robotics unit that involved designing, building and programming a robot, culminating in a huge competition at the end of the week - so much so that they ended up devoting pretty much all their free time to the project. The block was taught by grad students from the engineering school, who also acted as coaches for the various camp teams.


Qianna turned out to be the best designer in their group and, with sketch pad in hand, she was always ready to revise and update their robot’s design to meet every challenge. Quinne, on the other hand, was the most proficient coder in the bunch and ended up spending many hours on her trusty tablet computer. Their teamwork paid off, earning them first place in the Friday afternoon competition when their bot managed to complete all the required tasks a full ten minutes before the next challenger.



“Way to go, guys!” Their coach, who went by the camp name ‘T-Rex’, congratulated them afterwards. “QiQi, that catapult arm you designed worked perfectly. You definitely have a future in engineering if you want it. And, Q, that coding sequence you added at the last minute that got us around the blocker was brilliant. I’m really proud of all of you guys!”


Both girls glowed with pride as they accepted the streams of praise from the coach and their teammates. It felt good to have their talents appreciated, and it felt even better that they had done this thing together. For the two girls who had both seen themselves as outsiders, it felt like they had each finally found a long lost soulmate.


They were both still soaring on that emotional high, walking arm in arm on the way back to the dorm after the celebratory pizza party that followed the competition, when Qianna’s phone begin to vibrate indicating an incoming call.


“It’s my dad,” she announced as soon as she saw the caller ID. “I can’t wait to tell him that we won. He’ll be glad to know my artistic talents helped save the day.” She quickly tapped the icon to accept the call and hit the speaker button so Quinne could listen in on the conversation. “Hey, Dad! Guess what? Our team won the robotics competition. And the coach said my design was perfect!”


“Congratulations, Peanut!” Justin’s voice sounded tinny coming out of the small speaker at the bottom of the phone. “So, I assume that’s the reason why you haven’t called me or answered any of my texts for the last two days?”


“Sorry, dad. I didn’t mean to blow you off. We’ve just been soooo busy,” Qianna was quick to apologize. “Don’t tell anyone, but last night our whole team even snuck out after lights out and went back to the lab to finish working on our bot so we could get it done on time. THAT’s how busy I’ve been.”


“Qianna, I thought I told you to be good and stay safe.” Justin sounded a tiny bit angry as he voiced the anxiety all parents feel for their kids. “Sneaking around late at night without any adults knowing where you’re at does not sound like you were being safe.”


Qianna shook her head and rolled her eyes at what she perceived as her father's overprotectiveness, earning a quickly squelched giggle from Quinne. “Stop, dad. It was fine. There were eight of us altogether, and we only went one building over from the dorm to the lab. Nothing bad happened.”


“But it could’ve. That’s the point, Qi.” They could hear Justin taking a deep breath on his end of the phone call and then he started off again in a less accusatory tone. “I’m glad you’re having a good time, and I appreciate all the hard work you probably put into the project in order to win, but I just want to know that you’re safe, Honey. So, please, don’t be running off without telling someone where you’re going from here on out. Okay?”


Qianna huffed a resigned sigh but eventually responded, “okay, Dad. I promise I’ll tell someone before I go anywhere from here on out. You happy now?”


“I suppose. I just don’t want you to do anything stupid, Sweetie. I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you.”


“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Dad,” the independent young woman answered predictably. “So, did you just call to lecture me, or what?”


“No. I actually called to relay some really great news,” Justin stated, and then paused dramatically before making his big announcement. “Okay, so, hold onto your hat because this is probably going to blow you away. Are you ready? . . . Alex proposed to me over dinner tonight and I accepted! I’m getting married!”


Quinne could hear the enthusiasm in the voice coming out of the phone speaker, but the result on their end of the phone line was the exact opposite. Qianna froze in place, right in the middle of the sidewalk about ten feet from the door to their dormitory. Without any warning, she sank down till she was seated on the curb, the phone held out limply in front of her, and a devastated look on her face. Quinne immediately hunkered down next to her friend, putting a consoling arm around Qianna’s shoulders.


“Qianna? QiQi? Are you still there, Honey?” Justin’s voice chirped out, unanswered, through the warm early summer air. “Qianna, please say something so I know you’re still there.”


Quinne nudged her friend gently and then nodded at the phone.


“Um . . . Yeah, I’m still here,” Qianna answered, her voice sounding dull and inflectionless.


“Well, what do you think, Honey? Isn’t this incredible news? Alex and I are getting married!”


“Alex? Hairy all over Alex? Uses all the hot water when he stays over Alex?” Qianna asked, a note of disdain creeping into her voice.


“No, the other Alex I’ve been dating for four months,” Justin returned sarcastically. “Come on, Qi. This can’t come as a complete surprise. He’s been living here for almost a month now.”


“But isn’t this a little sudden, Dad? You dated Chris for over a year before he moved in and that ended in less than two months. And there was that Channing guy that you dated for over six months. And . . .”


Qianna’s list of Justin’s failed relationships was interrupted by her father’s exasperated explanation. “It’s different this time, Qi. Sometimes you just know when it’s right.”


Qianna frowned at her phone, pausing a moment to think of how to phrase her next question. “Do you really love him, though? I mean, REALLY love him. Like, your socks melting off when he kisses you love? Because if you do, I haven’t seen it.”


“Honey . . .” Justin’s deep sigh could clearly be heard. “Not all love is like that, Qi. And sometimes that kind of love is actually more painful than uplifting. Trust me, I know . . . Sometimes all you want - all you need - is a stable, steady, comfortable relationship with somebody you can rely on. And that’s what Alex is offering, Honey. I can love him for being that person for me. Do you understand? Can you please just be happy for me and support me in this, Peanut?”


“I guess,” Qianna grudgingly relented.


“Thank you, Honey. Now, I’m gonna let you go so Alex and I can have that second glass of champagne to celebrate. I just stepped out so I could call you right away and share the big news. I’ll call you back later this weekend to update you on all the plans, okay?”


“‘Kay.”


“Love you, Peanut. Be good!”


“Love you too, Dad. Nite.”


Qianna ended the call but continued to just sit there staring blankly at her phone. Quinne could tell she hadn’t been reassured by her father’s attempt to explain his decision. She didn’t know the man, or this new fiancé, but she could tell her friend was worried.


“So I take it we do not like this Alex guy?” Quinne asked, finally breaking the silence.


“Definitely NOT!” Qianna insisted loudly. “He’s horrible. He thinks he’s some dope hipster dude but mostly he’s just this shallow, pretentious loser. And he’s got this huge, bushy beard with a long mustache he’s always playing with and curling around his fingers. He looks like a yeti. He’s never said a single nice word to me - mostly he just ignores me completely, except when my dad’s around. And he’s so manipulative. That’s how he got my dad to let him move in - he pretended he was about to be evicted but I later heard him talking on the phone and laughing about how easy it was to get my Dad to agree to him moving in. I’m pretty sure he’s just after my dad’s money.”


“That sucks. He sounds awful,” Quinne agreed.


“He’s horrible,” Qianna asserted. “But the worst part is that my dad doesn’t even really love him. You heard what he said. He thinks Alex is ‘stable’. Is that a good reason to marry someone? I mean, if dad really loved this guy - I mean head over heels loved him - I could deal with not liking Alex. I want my dad to be happy. But I want him to find somebody he can really LOVE. Not someone he’s just settling for.”


“I’m sorry, QiQi. I wish there was something I could do or say that would help,”


“Me too,” Qianna agreed. “Why are adults so stupid sometimes? I mean, I’m only twelve and even I can see this marriage is going to be a huge mistake. Why are parents always so difficult to manage?”


Quinne got to her feet and held out a hand to help her friend up as she answered. “I don’t know. My pops is just as bad sometimes, only he goes to the other extreme. He refuses to date anyone. He always says that he tried the ‘relationship thing’ once and it didn’t work out for him so he’s not going to make that mistake a second time. I can tell he’s lonely, but whenever somebody tries to set him up with a guy he turns them down. I wish he wasn’t so damn stubborn.”


“Father’s can be such a pain sometimes,” Qianna agreed wholeheartedly.


Before they could commiserate further, though, they were interrupted by the arrival of Counsellor Pooh Bear ushering a gaggle of stragglers home from the pizza party. “It’s time to come inside, ladies. We’re gonna have movies and popcorn in the lounge in about a half hour.”


The girls compliantly followed along behind the rest of the group, all of them heading inside and migrating towards the elevators up to their rooms on the floors above. Just as the elevator doors were opening, though, Quinne’s phone began to vibrate in her pocket, so she stepped aside to answer it. Qianna waved at the rest of their group to go ahead while she waited for her friend.


“Hey, Em! What’s up?” Quinne answered eagerly.


“Hey, Girlfriend! How’s science camp? Have you solved the world’s energy crisis and sent the first woman to Mars yet?” replied a voice that was so animated and loud that Qianna could clearly hear the words even though it wasn’t on speaker.


“Not yet, Em. But it’s only been a week. Give me time,” Quinne laughed.


“Well don’t take too long, y’hear? I miss my weekend sleepover buddy,” Qianna could hear the distinct twang of a slight southern accent in the man’s tone. “I mean, here it is, Friday night, and I started to get out my pedicure kit like we always do, and then I remembered you were gone. I almost lost it, Sweetie. Who’s going to help me pick out the right shade of toenail polish with you gone all summer, Sparky?”


“No problem. Go with the sparkly blue. You know that’s your favorite, Aunty Em,” Quinne directed, earning a giggle from the eavesdropping Qianna.


“But I think blue might clash with the new gym shorts I got this week . . . Oh, damn! That’s the doorbell. I think the pizza I talked Drewsie into ordering is here. Can I call you right back, Sparky? Five minutes. Ta!”


The phone went dead before Quinne could even say goodbye.


“That, in case you couldn’t tell, was the famous Aunty Em,” Quinne explained as the two girls walked back over towards the elevator. “He’s the kindest and most loyal guy you will ever meet . . . But he’s also just a tad flighty.”


“I could tell,” Qianna chuckled. “Blue toenails will clash with his shorts?”


They were both laughing outright when the elevator doors sprung open, allowing them to climb aboard.


“If you’d met him, it would totally make sense,” Quinne reassured her friend. “Friday night pedicures have always been our thing. I’ve spent pretty much every single Friday night of my entire life with Em. That’s the night my dad goes out and gets his stud thing on. And then I used to stay at grandma Deb’s on Saturdays if dad needed a second night of fun. You know, I really enjoyed the robotics unit, and I know we’ve been busy and all, but I’m sort of missing all of them tonight.”


“I can relate. I miss my dad something fierce,” Qianna agreed. “And I bet if I’d been there, this mess with Hairy Alex would never have got traction to begin with.”


The girls arrived at their dorm room door and went inside. Quinne immediately flopped down on her bed holding her phone out in anticipation of Emmett calling back. Meanwhile, Qianna advised she was going to go jump in the shower real quick so she could get ready for bed and be in her comfy warm pajamas before the movie started. But, when she got back ten minutes later, all fresh and squeaky clean and dressed only in a robe with a towel wrapping her hair, Quinne was still sitting there staring at her phone and looking a little peeved.


“Aunty Em didn’t call you back yet?”


“No,” Quinne sighed. “Did I mention he was flighty and also easily distracted?” They both giggled at the obviously true description. “I really don’t want to miss his call when he finally does remember, but I would kill for a shower right now too. Do you think you could answer my phone for me if it rings before I get back?”


“No problem. Go. I’ll bring your phone to you if he calls.”


Less than five minutes later, while Qianna was still puttering around, it was Quinne’s tablet instead of her phone that started to ring with that special chime indicating a Skype call was coming in. She trotted over to where the tablet was propped up in its charging stand on the desk, and tapped the icon to accept the call.


“Hi. Sorry, but Quinne isn’t here right now. She just stepped down the hall, I can go get her if you want to hang on a sec,” Qianna said when she answered the call.


“Haha! Nice try, Sparky. But you’ve only been gone a week, I haven’t forgot what you look like this soon, girlfriend!” The man with the big gap-toothed smile on the screen said.


At first Qianna was confused. Why was this person who’d known Quinne all her life mistaking the two of them? But then she looked down at the little inset picture at the bottom of the screen that reflected her own image back at her. With the towel wrapped around her head, concealing her blond hair, and only a small portion of her face showing on the skype screen, it really was hard to tell the difference between herself and Quinne.


Before she could make the situation clear to Quinne’s caller, though, the man had already begun prattling off about a string of incomprehensible gobbledygook. “. . . So, I can’t talk for long tonight, Baby. See Drewsie and I got in this horrible fight last night - over, of all things, how to decorate the living room. But I’m like, Honey, before you found me you thought hanging all your football trophies on the walls constituted decorating, so you’re not really one to talk. Am I right? I mean, I LOVE that man to pieces, but no football player should be allowed to decorate anything outside of their man caves. I am not going with ‘Testosterone Chic’ in my own damn living room. But if I’m to get laid again anytime in the next month, I’m going to have to go make nice with him. Never fear, though, I’ll talk him around to my way soon enough. My ass can be VERY convincing . . .”




Qianna just listened with growing amusement as this outlandish friend of Quinne's revealed more and more intimate secrets about his life. She felt like a voyeur but probably couldn’t have got a word in edgewise to stop him even if she’d wanted to. And, to be honest, she was enjoying the glimpse into Quinne’s life too much to stop. If all her crazy big family were like this man, it must have been a wild way to grow up. Qianna was even more jealous of her friend than before.


“Okay, well, I probably shouldn’t keep you any longer, Girlfriend. I’m sure you’ve got something brilliant and sciencey to get back to. I just missed you so much I had to check in. Make sure you send me some pics of you being a genius to add to my collection,” Emmett finally slowed down a little after talking for a solid three or four minutes. “Oh, and make sure to call your Dad sometime soon, okay? He’d never admit it but I think he’s missing you something awful. Drew and I offered to go out with him tonight on his regular weekend hunting expedition and he actually turned us down. If you can believe it, our resident Stud said he was just going to stay in and read a book this weekend - don’t worry, though, if it gets any worse, we’ll hold an intervention and get him a stripper or something to get him through his depression. You just stay there and keep being brilliant and learning how to rule the world, Baby. We’ll take care of your dad for you. Okay, now I’ve got to go before Drewsie eats the entire pizza without me. Love you, Sparky. Ta!”


Qianna barely had time to say a return ‘Goodbye’ before the screen went blank again. And ten seconds later, while she was still sitting there smiling at the tablet, Quinne came back in with all her shower stuff in hand.


“Sorry, Q, but you just missed your friend. I answered the call and tried to get him to wait for you, but he mistook me for you and thought I was playing a joke. And then he just started talking and talking and didn’t stop till he hung up. It was . . .”


“It was typical Em, that’s what it was. Hahaha!” Quinne didn’t sound too upset about the missed call. “He really thought you were me?”


“Yep. I guess with my hair covered up there’s not much to differentiate between us,” Qianna replied as she finally pulled the towel off her head, exposing her thick, short blond hair.


“That’s crazy,” Quinne was smiling at her friend as she starting getting into her own pajamas. “This just goes to show that we really MUST be related - shit, even our oldest friends can’t tell us apart.”


“Yeah, I just wish you’d been around when I was younger,” Qianna teased as she brushed out her still-damp hair. “I could have blamed all the naughty stuff I did on you and got away with a lot more stuff.”


Quinne laughed and shook her head. “No way. I’d have retaliated and blamed you for my bad stuff, so we would have just ended up in trouble the same amount of time. Although, with the two of us together, I bet we could have gotten into even MORE trouble . . .”


“Movie time, girls,” came the announcement along with a knock on the door, and the topic of how much trouble they might get into was put on hold for the rest of that night.


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Chapter End Notes:

9/23/18 - Hope you’re enjoying my version of the classic Parent Trap story. Keep in mind, MY twins aren’t just cutsie little girls. My girls are brilliant, STEM students, and will be instrumental in figuring out the mystery of how they got separated. And, *spoiler*, it’s not going to be the same as the story you think you know, so hang on and keep reading. TAG

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