Prizes by Erich Segal Read Free Book Online

excited, carrying a very old book which describes Mozart covering all the furniture in his house with pieces of paper on which he had written his calculations.
    Fortunately, Mom and Dad came to an agreement that I could do an hour of music a day and—as a special treat—two on the weekends.
    Peter watched them fight without saying a word. Later, he came to my room and said, “Boy, am I glad I’m not smart.”
    By her ninth birthday Isabel was so well-grounded in mathematics that Ray could introduce her to the sacred temple in which he was merely a humble acolyte. He presented her with the same copy of
Physics for Students of Science and Engineering
by Resnick and Halliday that he himself had used in college.
    She immediately began to read the first chapter.
    “This is terrific, Dad. I wish you had given it to me sooner.”
    Though he was elated by Isabel’s reaction and longed to plunge into physics with her, Ray had apparatus to build for Professor Stevenson that was due the next day. He never used to leave things to the last minute, but he had different priorities now. Recharging himself with black coffee, he set out for the university after the eleven P.M. news.
    He returned on the fringe of morning and wearily turned the key in the lock. He could hear the sound of classical music emanating from the living room. And the lamps were still on.
    Dammit, do they think I’m made of money? he thought to himself.
    He entered irritably, only to find Isabel sprawled out on the living room floor, candy wrappers scattered everywhere. She had propped the textbook against the sofa and was working furiously with a pad and pencil.
    “Hi, Dad,” she called cheerfully. “How are things at the lab?”
    “The same boring stuff,” he replied. Then added, “Shouldn’t you be asleep? It’s almost time for the big bad wolf to knock on your door for morning studies.”
    “I don’t care.” She smiled. “I’ve been having a great time. The problems at the ends of the chapters are really neat.”
    Chapters? How many had she read? He sat down beside her on a hassock and asked, “Tell me what you’ve learned.”
    “Well, since I did the linear motion chapter, I know that acceleration is the first derivative of the velocity.”
    “And what’s the derivative?”
    “Well,” she answered eagerly, “take for example a ball you throw into the air. Its initial speed greatly slows down when it leaves your hand because of gravity, and comes to a stop at the peak height of its path. Then gravity pulls it back down again faster and faster until it hits the ground.”
    Of course, Raymond thought to himself, she’s a quick learner. He knew she had a photographic memory. But how much did she
understand
?
    He probed carefully. “How come you have all these different speeds?”
    “Oh well,” she volleyed back. “At first the ball gets faster from your upward throw, and it takes time for gravity to determine its speed completely. So the acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity. And that, Dad, is the first derivative. Any questions?”
    “No,” he murmured barely audibly, “no questions.”
    April 20
    Sometimes, when Dad is working really late at the university,Peter taps on my door and we sneak down to the kitchen and raid the fridge. Then we sit and talk about all kinds of stuff.
    He asks me if I miss the “outside world,” so I sort of joke that I see it through a telescope when we do astronomy. But I know what he means.
    He told me that he was going to a summer camp that specializes in soccer.
    I know he’s dying to make the school team, and I think our folks are just great to give him this chance to excel in something I can’t do at all
    He’s so excited at the prospect that every chance he gets he uses our garage door as a goal and kicks the ball against it. Unfortunately, Dad started to notice the scuff marks and really bawled him out.
    I had a terrible nightmare last night, and when I woke from it, I couldn’t