Mason received an innovation commendation for his team's autonomous navigation project.
Daniel stood to applaud.
I clapped too.
Mason had worked hard.
Whatever his parents had done, he deserved recognition for his own efforts.
When he returned to his seat, Vanessa leaned over and kissed his forehead.
Daniel squeezed his shoulder.
The sight hurt in a way I hadn't expected.
Not because I wanted Daniel back.
Because I could see, with brutal clarity, the father he was capable of being.
He had simply chosen not to be that father to Eli and Owen.
The final award remained.
The auditorium grew quiet.
Professor Arthur Whitcomb, the championship's lead judge, approached the microphone holding a gold-embossed envelope.
He was a distinguished older man with silver hair and a warm, deliberate speaking voice.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “this year's championship has produced some of the strongest academic performances we've seen.”
Applause.
“However, we have encountered something exceptionally rare.”
