“Hey!” Missy yelled from off-camera.

The air in the Cooper house smelled of meatloaf and mild anxiety. Sheldon, nine years old and already wearing a bow tie that seemed to absorb all the light in the room, sat cross-legged on the floor. In front of him was a small, boxy television. On the screen, a grainy, 480p recording of a university lecture flickered.

Sheldon smiled—a rare, small thing. “Oatmeal is a reliable source of complex carbohydrates. Thank you for the compliment.”

Just then, Dr. Sturgis (Sheldon’s mentor) wandered in. “He’s got a point, John. The Nyquist limit suggests—”

“Barbie’s career trajectory is unrealistic,” Sheldon replied without looking away. “She’s been an astronaut, a doctor, and a princess. That’s not ambition. That’s an identity crisis.”