Sgt. Vincent Trent smiled to see his middle daughter, 11-year-old Velma, with her head stuck in a book … all five of his children were great readers, but Velma was precocious, and had no problem slipping textbooks that her almost-18-year-old sister Vanna wasn't using and getting off into them.
So, inevitably …
“Oh, I get it,” Velma said as she was looking through one of the science textbooks Vanna was not using at the moment. “Science, technology, engineering and math – STEM – but shouldn't it be STEMP, though?”
Vanna looked up.
“What?”
“If you have bio-technology, you gotta have plants in there. Nothing is more alive and technology heavy than everyday plants.”
“Well, kinda,” Vanna said as she came over to look at what her sister was reading. “Plant science is covered in both general biology and botany, but I do kind of see what you are talking about. Interestingly, artificial intelligence largely focuses on human-facing and somewhat replacing applications, but there are a lot of scientists who use plant science as a model for different intricate systems.”
Nine-year-old Milton came over.
“Well, this sounds interesting,” he said. “Plants are really interesting when you think about all they are doing below the ground. Fighting wars and sending supplies and working with allies and stuff!”
“What?” eight-year-old Gracie said as she came over. “What in the world are you reading, Milton?”
“It's true, Gracie,” Vanna said. “There's this documentary on the secret life of plants – I mean, when scientists think about technology that works within living systems and how to make technology that works in living systems, the secret life of plants plays into it – maybe I can get this for us on YouTube.”
Vanna pulled up the video as 21-year-old Melvin walked through on his work break.
“What are y'all watching?” he said.
“Stuff on the secret wars of plants!” Milton said.
“Kind of,” Vanna said. “Original natural pesticides and chemical warfare are included.”
“What?” Melvin said.
“That's what I'm saying!” Gracie said. “Plants help us live! They produce oxygen and suck up our carbon dioxide and give us food, and y'all have them out here looking like all they do is just get into fights and stuff!”
“Well, Gracie,” Melvin said, “you gotta remember that boys and girls are often interested in different things about the same subject. It's like we have Mom and Dad. Dad and I make allies among our neighbors and in business, but he and I would hurt someone if necessary to protect you, so, boys tend to be a little more interested in the power and protection stuff as they are becoming men.”
“Oh yeah,” Gracie said. “Thank you, Melvin, because it was getting confusing. I guess plants have to take care of protecting their little seed babies too.”
“Yep,” Melvin said.
Sgt. Trent just smiled … in his generation or any before, it would have been hard for five beautifully African-hued children in America to just sit and have time and resources to have such a conversation, but, it was 2020!
“Lord, I thank You that I was born in 1977, not 1877, not 1777,” he said, “and I pray that you strengthen me and my elder son so that, in a world in which fools are trying to turn this clock back to 1920 and got a pandemic for their trouble just like there was then, we can keep the family safe in every way.”
We are on the same thoughts with this prompt, too. I wrote about plants.
Cool! Let me go check out your take!
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