Chapter 45

45

ALAINA

I was in heaven. Being at a huge robotics convention with my students was a dream come true. The excitement in their eyes and the buzz of activity all around us filled me with joy. Last night at the hotel went as well as I had hoped. The kids were thrilled to jump into the pool. I was immensely grateful for the number of parents who had volunteered to come along. Managing a group of energetic kids at a hotel could have been a nightmare, but their presence made it smooth and enjoyable.

Now, it was the second day of the convention, and I was walking around with my class, taking in the various exhibits. The atmosphere was electric, with displays of cutting-edge technology, interactive booths, and robots of all shapes and sizes. I could see my students' faces light up with inspiration and curiosity, and it made every bit of preparation and effort worth it. They were getting some good ideas that they wanted to try once we were home. I wasn't sure it was entirely possible, but I was willing to try.

As we stopped at one exhibit showcasing a robot that could solve complex puzzles, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I turned around and saw a guy I hadn't seen since college.

"Alaina? Is that you?"

"James? Oh my gosh, it's been ages!" I exclaimed, genuinely surprised and pleased to see him.

James had been a classmate at MIT. We had shared several courses together. He looked a little older, but still had that same easygoing smile. He gave me a warm hug.

"Damn, girl, you look good," he said with his eyes raking over my body.

It made me just a little uncomfortable, but I simply smiled. "You look good, too," I said less enthusiastically.

"Do you live here?" he asked.

"No, I live in Chicago. I'm here with my class."

"You're back in school?" he asked with confusion. "Getting another master's degree?"

"No, my third-grade class." I laughed. "I'm the teacher."

"You went into teaching? Wow, I always thought you'd end up at a tech company or something."

He looked stunned and almost disappointed to hear I was teaching now.

"Yeah, well, I fell in love with it," I replied with a smile. "I've always loved working with kids, remember? That daycare near campus was my favorite part-time job. I'm teaching at a STEM school. It's so much more fun teaching young minds about this stuff instead of just doing it."

James nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "I remember now. You were always so great with those kids. Honestly, you're probably the best teacher in the world. Certainly the hottest teacher."

I blushed at the compliment, feeling a bit flattered. "Thanks, James. That means a lot."

"So, are you free tonight? There are several people from our MIT graduating class here. We're planning to go out for drinks and catch up. It would be great to have you join us."

I hesitated. "I'm here with my school, so I don't think it would be appropriate for me to go out tonight. I've got to help keep an eye on the kids. But I'll think about it."

Just then, Rafe came running up to me, his face flushed with excitement. "Ms. C! You have to come check out this other exhibit! They have a robot that can draw puppies!"

James glanced at Rafe and then back at me, raising an eyebrow. "Is he one of your students?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied, ruffling Rafe's hair affectionately. "James, this is Rafe. Rafe, this is an old friend of mine from college."

"Nice to meet you, James!" Rafe said politely before turning back to me. "Come on, you have to see it!"

I laughed and turned to James. "I'd better go. It was great seeing you. Maybe we'll catch up later?"

"Sure, I'd like that," he said, smiling. "Take care, Alaina."

It was nice to see James but something felt off. He had never given me that kind of attention when we were in school together. He was always chasing after the women he knew would be happy to have a one-night stand with him. It made me feel icky.

"Do you see it?" Rafe said excitedly, pulling my attention back to what was in front of me. We stood and watched the robot for a few minutes.

"That is fascinating," I said. The robotic arm whirred and clicked, manipulating a pen across a large piece of paper. Rafe's eyes were round with wonder, reflecting the soft light from above.

"Yeah, it's so cool!" he said, clearly at a loss for words. "Can we build something like this? We can teach it to draw Beau!"

"I think we might be able to try." I nodded. "We'll have to see. I think we'll have to take a vote when we're back in school. We can't build all of these things. I know it's exciting and I wish we could, but we'll have to pick one or two projects."

Rafe pouted a little but nodded understandingly. "Okay, but this one gets my vote." Just then, his face lit up again. "Oh! I know! What if we made a robot that could help us vote on which project to do?"

I chuckled, heartened by his inquisitive and innovative spirit. "That's actually a great idea, Rafe. We'll definitely discuss it when we get back. I want you to make sure you are keeping an open mind to everything you see here. You might just come across something you see that's even better than this."

"Hmm," he said. "That's true."

We continued to walk through the convention. I kept a close eye on Rafe, who was darting from one display to another, his energy seemingly boundless. He was so excited about all of it. This was why I was teaching. I loved seeing the world through their eyes. I remembered when I was his age and so full of curiosity. We didn't have STEM back then, but I wished we would have. It would have been like feeding my brain.

Suddenly, Rafe bolted off, his small figure weaving through the crowd with impressive agility. I hurried after him, my heart racing slightly. I was shocked he ran off without me. I was going to have a talk with him as soon as I caught up with him. Just as I was about to call out to him, I saw why he had run off. There, standing tall and looking slightly out of place amidst the sea of children and robots, was Roan. Rafe launched himself into Roan's arms. Roan caught him effortlessly, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"Dad! You made it!" Rafe exclaimed, his voice full of joy.

Roan hugged him tightly. "Of course, I did. I wouldn't miss this for the world. Or not all of it anyway."

I approached them, a smile of my own forming. "Hey," I said softly.

Roan looked up at me, his eyes lighting up. "Hey. I'm sorry I missed the first day. Did the robots battle yet?"

I laughed. "You know it's not that kind of robot convention. Anyway, you're here now, and that's what matters."

"This is crazy," he said with a laugh. "I had no idea it was going to be this big."

"It's a big deal." I nodded.

"Yeah, it's really something," he agreed, gaze sweeping over the animated crowd around us. I watched him as his hand ran through Rafe's hair affectionately.

He put Rafe down, his gaze moving back to me. "How has it been going?" he asked.

I laughed. "Wild. I'm not sure if we really knew what we were getting ourselves into with this many kids."

"Are they all here?" he asked as he looked around.

"A large group went back to the hotel," I explained. "We've been here most of the day. Rafe wanted to stay longer."

"I bet he did." Roan laughed.

Rafe tugged at his father's arm. "Come see this one, Dad. It draws dogs and we're thinking of building something like it in school!"

Roan chuckled heartily at his son's enthusiasm. "Is that what you want to do? Draw dogs with robots?"

Rafe nodded vigorously. "Not just draw. We can build them to make things, dance, and do our homework."

"No one is doing your homework except for you," Roan said firmly.

"We'll see," Rafe grumbled under his breath but didn't argue further. He grabbed his father's hand and pulled him toward Puppy Drawing Bot 3000, which wasn't its name but it should have been. I followed behind. It was always a joy watching them together.

The robotics section was a hive of activity. It was like stepping into a futuristic world where humans no longer needed to perform their own tasks. There were robots for everything, although none of them were ready to be mass produced or anything.

The displays had them cleaning, cooking, and gardening. Others danced and moved boxes, while a few just blinked with lights and didn't seem to do much else.

"See, Dad?" Rafe said, pointing at Puppy Drawing Bot 3000. "It's drawing! We could build one like it and it could do our art projects!"

Roan watched in amazement, a boyish look of wonder on his face as the robot's arm moved in a way that seemed almost human. As pointless as it seemed to him for a machine to make art, I could understand why Rafe was so excited. His world was going to look like this. For us adults, we were still marveling about the idea a robot would be in our house doing our chores. Rafe was going to be the first generation where it would be as normal as having a cell phone in your pocket.

"That's incredible, kiddo," Roan said. "But remember, machines don't have creativity. They can only replicate what they are programmed to do."

"I know, Dad, but still, imagine all the cool things we could teach it. I bet it could draw cats, too."

"The sky's the limit, buddy."

We spent the next few hours walking around the convention, marveling at the latest advancements in robotics and enjoying the excitement of the students. Roan looked genuinely interested in all of it. I had a feeling this was all very eye-opening for him. But that was the point. We wanted to expose people to the possibilities of what could be.

As we rounded a corner, I saw James once again. He spotted me and waved, making his way over.

"Alaina! There you are. I was wondering if you'd thought any more about that drink?"

I forced a polite smile. "I appreciate the offer, James, but I'm going to have to pass. It's been great catching up, though. Maybe we'll see each other again at the next convention."

James nodded, a bit of disappointment flickering in his eyes. "I understand. Well, next time I'm in Chicago, I'll give you a call. Take care, Alaina." He gave me another hug, which I returned.

"Take care, James," I replied, watching as he walked away.

When I turned back to Roan, his expression had shifted. He was doing his ice-lord thing—his face impassive, eyes cool, a stark contrast to the warmth he'd shown just moments before.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to gauge his mood.

Roan shrugged, avoiding my gaze. "Why wouldn't it be?"

I didn't have time to press further as we were soon caught up in the chaos of wrangling the remaining students and parents to catch the bus back to the hotel. The next ten minutes were a little hectic as we did head counts and tracked down a couple of the stray kids. Once we were on the bus and the kids were settled, I took the seat next to him.

"You sure you're alright?" I asked quietly.

He turned to me, his expression unreadable. "I'm fine, Alaina. Just tired, I guess. It's been a busy couple of days."

I knew him well enough to know that wasn't the whole truth, but I let it go for now. Maybe it would pass.

The ride back to the hotel was filled with excited chatter from the kids. I focused on their happiness, pushing my worries about his sudden change in mood to the back of my mind.