The Mathematics of Mother's Day
Word Count: 1,245
Minutes: 525,600 (Yes, I got the idea for this LAST year and wrote it today, when I should have been doing homework or housework.)
For the first time in his life, Charles Edward Eppes was dreading the arrival of the "merry" month of May. Not because of the looming finals, spelling only cost a few points from most of his finals and none at all in his math classes.
No, because this would be his first Mother's Day far from the comfort and support (financial support, that is) of his father and older brother.
Charlie had turned 14 after starting at Princeton, but he was still too young to get a part time job. He didn't know anybody he could do chores for. Judging from high school, next month there would be dozens of students who would be happy to pay him to help them study for the finals, but that would be after Mother's Day.
While he didn't spend as freely as his older classmates, he still had trouble saving up his small allowance. Last year, he and Don had gone together to buy their mother a pair of rose quartz earrings. (Earrings that Charlie had noticed his mother wearing at Princeton.)
However, this year, there was no "going in" with Don, and he couldn't bring himself to ask his father for money. He was a math genius after all. He could see how strained the family's finances were.
This meant that he had to come up with a present on his own.
"You could make her something," Professor Fleinhardt suggested. "My mother always appreciated that."
Charlie really admired Professor Fleinhardt, which is why he didn't roll his eyes. "Somehow I don't think that a paper on low dimensional topology would impress her," he said.
"Well," Professor Fleinhardt said. "I admit, I was thinking of a more traditional art project. Perhaps a home made card or a beaded necklace."
Charlie made a face. "You mean, like a normal kid."
"Well…"
"I was never good at 'normal'," Charlie sighed.
Professor Fleinhardt shrugged. "You never know." He paused and pulled his lower lip. "Why don't you go to the library and look in the art section? I have always found that to be a source of inspiration. Perhaps there is a way for you to combine math and, well, normal."
Charlie sighed inwardly. However, lacking any better ideas, he headed for the library. (At least his mother didn't even ask him why he was going to the library, thus sparing his feeble attempts at lying.)
The library at Princeton had enough books on arts and crafts to fill the apartment he and his mother were staying at. However, nothing leaped out at Charlie and said: "Check me out! You can easily learn me in four weeks!"
He gave up and headed for the math section to pick up a topology book. If he could get that low dimensional topology paper published this summer, then at least he'd have some money for Christmas presents.
As he approached the 500 section, his eye was drawn to a cart sitting at the end of one of the aisles. These were the drop off carts because the librarians (rightly) feared the chaos that would result should hurried and harried patrons try to reshelve their own books.
Case in point, this book that had been stowed among the mathematics texts, even though its call number was 736. The title caught Charlie's eye immediately, as it contained a word near and dear to his heart – 'mathematics'.
Specifically, the title proclaimed: Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art By Robert J. Lang.
Intrigued, Charlie picked up the book. He read the introduction and flipped to the table of contents. He skimmed down the list of chapters until he came to Chapter 7: Pattern Grafting, and he was captured by a word near and dear to his mother's heart.
A thrill went through him. He could do this! He could combine 'math genius' and 'normal kid' and it would only take some paper.
He found out that it would actually take a lot of paper. The folds were tricky and the illustrations weren't as clear as they could be.
However, he persevered. He knew he could do this.
It was math.