AA Parenting: The Genius Gene Vanishes

When our son turned one, a top lab found the genius gene in his DNA. I poured money into his development, and my parents were thrilled, pledging to groom him as their heir.
At dinner, I suggested the Little Buffett finance camp.
Mark cut me off, slamming three full glasses down. The first, he slurred, "is to five years of working like a dog, never spending on myself. The second is to my genius son, whose tuition costs me tens of thousands a year!" He downed all three. "And the third is to me, the world's biggest foolwith a wife who only throws money away!"
I was shocked. "Our son has a gift! Should we just waste it?"
My mother-in-law hugged our son. "Calm down. Evelyn meant well. Genius needs special investment."
Marks voice broke. "Mom, I wont have a penny left for your retirement! If Im laid off, well be on the street!"
I pulled out my phone. "Ive already paid the 0-00,000 deposit."
He swept dishes off the table. "Fine! Let your rich family pay! Well link accounts under the 'Fair Parenting' systemevery cent on our son, split 50-50!"
Rage took over. "Fine! Split it! Im not afraid!"
But when the system activated, he was left speechless.
1
The "Fair Parenting" system, endorsed by the government, was famously impartial. Once you were linked, there was no backing out.
"Fine, Evelyn," Mark sneered, his breath reeking of liquor and rage. "You think you're so smart. I'm sick of your family's money-burning approach to education. Let's do it! Right now! Whoever backs out is a coward!"
He opened the app, a blue shield icon on his screen.
His mother lunged for the phone. "Are you crazy? This is humiliating! Who splits the cost of raising their own child?"
"I'll get a job tomorrow, I won't be a burden! But you can't link this system!"
Mark held the phone high above her head with one hand and slammed a thick stack of bank statements onto the table with the other. "Mom, open your eyes! In the last month alonetuition, enrichment classes, some ridiculous 'child development coach'it's been tens of thousands of dollars! My credit card is maxed out! I can't take it anymore!"
He was shouting so hard that tears welled in his eyes.
His mother glanced at the statements, and the color drained from her face. She turned and snatched my phone. "Evelyn, dear, please! Mark is drunk. Don't listen to him. This will ruin your relationship!"
"What will your parents think of us? We'll be more frugal, I promise! I won't even eat meat! Please, I'm begging you!"
A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Thank you for your concern, Mom. But it was your son who just accused me of being useless and demanded we split everything."
My eyes darted to our son, playing on the floor. "Leo!" I shrieked. "What's wrong?"
My mother-in-law froze, whipping her head around to look at her grandson. In that split second, I snatched my phone back from her loosened grip. My thumb slammed down on the "Confirm" button.
Mark, seeing my decisiveness, mirrored my actions with a furious tap.
"Evelyn!" my mother-in-law shrieked, and then her hand flew out, slapping me across the face. The sting was sharp, shocking.
"You can't do this! Cancel it! Quickly!" she pleaded, her tone shifting from anger to panic. "Evelyn, I was just so worried. Please, let's cancel it Did I hurt you?"
I touched my reddening cheek, my gaze fixed on her and her son. "You love me so much, Mom. It's overwhelming."
Mark just scoffed. "It's too late, Mom. We can't cancel it."
"The system is legally binding. As long as Evelyn and I are alive, every penny spent on Leo will be split fifty-fifty."
His mother's face turned ashen. She swayed on her feet, a look of pure, unadulterated panic in her eyes.
Ding.
Two notifications chimed simultaneously from our phones.
[Fair Parenting System Notice: Mr. Mark Davis and Ms. Evelyn Reed, you have successfully linked your accounts. This system is now in effect and is legally enforceable. All parenting-related expenses will be calculated with absolute fairness. This agreement is not affected by marital status. The first settlement will be processed in 24 hours. Please ensure sufficient funds are in your account.]
Mark threw his head back and laughed. "Just you wait, Evelyn! When that first bill comes, we'll see who's laughing then!"
2
That night, I stared at my phone, a knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach. Mark did work hard, and I had always been the one to manage his salary. I knew exactly what came in and what went out.
In the last year alone, the imported, specially formulated milk for Leo cost four to five hundred dollars a month. The "Global Young Scientists" program was sixty-eight hundred a year for two classes a week. And then there were the ridiculously expensive potential assessments, the child development coach
My parents had helped out a lot. The ten-thousand-dollar deposit for the finance camp had come from my mother. But the bulk of the day-to-day expenses they had come from Marks account.
The first payment notification was due at 10 p.m. Was I really about to owe him a huge sum of money? I had just gone on a two-hundred-dollar grocery run yesterday, and I had used his card.
"Scared now?" Mark drawled from the sofa, a smirk on his face. "Too late. You're going to be crying when you see that bill."
At precisely 10 p.m., my phone buzzed. I took a deep breath and opened the notification.
[Fair Parenting System Notice: First settlement complete. Regarding the submitted expense "August 5th grocery purchase of infant food, total $220.00": This expense has been excluded from the cost-sharing calculation. This is for your information.]
I blinked, my eyes widening in disbelief.
At the same time, Mark shot up from the sofa, waving his phone in the air. "What the hell is this? The system must be bugged! Evelyn, what did you do? You're the one who owes me money!"
"Did my hundred and ten dollars just disappear into thin air? This isn't fifty-fifty at all!"
"Don't you dare accuse me of anything, Mark!" I shot back. "How could I possibly cheat the system?"
[System verification complete. The items from yesterday's purchase were not consumed by the target child, Leo Davis.]
"Bullshit!" Mark's face was contorted with rage. "Not consumed by Leo? Then what, did the dog eat it?"
[System accessing smart home surveillance and item recognition data Displaying now.]
The living room television flickered to life. His mother rushed to turn it off, but the power button was disabled.
On the screen, we watched as she hid the expensive, imported formula I had just bought. She then took an empty can of the same brand and filled it with a cheap, generic powder. The scene shifted to that afternoon. She was feeding Leo a bottle made with the cheap, switched formula.
A hot rush of anger surged through me. "Mom! What is the meaning of this? Why did you switch his formula? Why are you feeding Leo cheap garbage?"
Her eyes darted around the room. "Evelyn, Mark, don't misunderstand!" she stammered. "It's not bad formula. It's a special recipe from my hometown, even more nutritious than that imported stuff! I was just afraid you young people wouldn't believe me, so I swapped it. I was only trying to help!"
"Help?" I demanded, my suspicion growing. "If you were trying to help, why did you hide the formula I bought?"
"I" She was at a loss for words.
Mark cut in, his brow furrowed. "What are you yelling at her for? She was just trying to do what's best for Leo! All that imported stuff is probably just a scam anyway! Would Mom ever do anything to harm her own grandson?"
I almost laughed. "Fine. Forget the formula. What about his food? Did you cook the cod and organic vegetables I bought? Did Leo eat any of it?"
3
"Of course I did!" his mother cried, her voice filled with indignation. "I make him a different nutritious meal every single day! It's just that today"
She clutched her chest, her voice catching. "Mark, I went to the doctor a few days ago. He said I'm anemic, that I need to eat better. I know you have a lot on your plate, so I didn't want to tell you. But I was so dizzy today, I just I ate Leo's meal myself. I'm so sorry" She sobbed, her performance utterly convincing.
Mark immediately rushed to her side. "Mom! Why didn't you tell me? Your health is the most important thing!"
I looked at my mother-in-law, whose complexion was healthier than mine, and felt a surge of disgust. "It's a good thing we linked this system," I said, my voice cold. "Every penny spent on Leo needs to be accounted for."
"Evelyn, have you no conscience?" Mark snarled, glaring at me. "Mom is clearly not well, and you're still being sarcastic! It's our fault for neglecting her!"
His mother's sobs grew louder. "Mark, it's fine. It's all my fault. This system it's just trying to tear our family apart! Maybe we should just cancel it?"
"Cancel it?" I stood up straight. "Mom, once you start something, you have to see it through."
"Mom," Mark asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "be honest with me. Has this happened before? With the formula, or any of Leo's other things?"
"No! Absolutely not!" she interrupted, her voice shrill. "Mark, how can you not trust me? It was just this once!"
He seemed to accept her answer. "It was just an accident. All the other money we've spent on Leo over the years was legitimate! I've done the math. When this is all said and done, you're going to owe me at least a million dollars!"
A humorless smile touched my lips. "We'll see about that, Mark. We'll see who owes who in the end."
The next morning, another notification arrived.
[System initiating retroactive review of "Genius Child All-Inclusive Insurance," premium $3,000.]
[Verification has revealed an abnormal beneficiary designation. Ruling: Evelyn Reed's account to be credited 0-0,500. Mark Davis's account to be debited 0-0,500.]
"What the hell?" Marks roar nearly shook the house. "Evelyn! Look at this! This stupid system has lost its mind! We split that premium fifty-fifty last year!"
I stared at the credit notification on my phone, completely bewildered. "System, what's going on? This was already settled."
[System notice: Anomaly detected in the designated beneficiary of the policy.]
"What kind of anomaly? The policy is for my son!" Mark paced the room like a caged animal.
His mother emerged from the kitchen with breakfast, a look of concern on her face. "What's all the shouting about? An insurance policy? Maybe the company made a mistake? Calm down, let's talk this through."
"A mistake?" Mark was incredulous. "Mom, even if they made a mistake, they should be refunding the fifteen hundred to me! Why is Evelyn getting credited while I'm getting debited? This is robbery!"
"Stop freaking out and let's see what the system says!" I snapped.
[System notice: Verifying policy information and modification logs Verification complete.]
[The insured individual has been modified. The currently linked identification and biometric data belong to 'Oscar Davis.']

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