wunderkind
a wonder child or child prodigy.
a person who succeeds, especially in business, at a comparatively early age.
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Frank sat heavily in his chair. A can of cheap beer was held loosely in his hand and his other grazed the remote. He was considering changing the channel, but part of him was hooked on the show. He was not sure why. He did not have any real interest in the subject matter. But he watched.
The show was a new games how in which all the contestants were children. Gifted children. The kind who could rattle off facts about any number of subjects as easily as they could breathe. Kids with talent. Kids with drive. Kids with a bright, infinite future.
Frank remembered being one of those kids.
Had the show been on the air thirty years ago, Frank could have been a contestant. Sure he probably wouldn’t have won, but even a game show for kids can only have one winner. At least he would have given the winner a run for his money.
His eyes lazed around the living room. He wondered, not for the first time, what had happened. Where had everything gone wrong? He had wanted to build robots for a living. He could have done it too. As a child, he had always been good at building things. He had even built simple machines out of Legos that actually worked. He should have gone far.
So why was he sitting there, drinking a beer and watching kids act smart? Why was he fixing computers instead of building robots? Not even fixing them, really. Just compensating for the stupidity of other people. He sighed as he watched a kid get another answer right. The boy acted like it was the best thing in the world. Frank used to be able to feel like that. Not so much anymore.
Maybe that was it. Maybe that was why he was stuck where he was. He had lost that drive. That zest for life. The eagerness only children can really have. He shifted in his seat. Maybe…maybe he could get it back somehow? Sure it was a little late, but maybe there was a chance of reigniting his old potential. Maybe there was still time to do what he always wanted to do. To make something of himself. To really remind himself that he was once called brilliant. A genius, even.
All he had to do was turn the TV off and put his drink down. Get up and find his old robotics and computer science books. He was sure they were around somewhere. He could brush off his old skills and really do something great. Other people had gotten a late start in life, so why couldn’t he?
He just…needed to gather up the energy to do so. Work had been long and tiring. A night of proper rest would do him good. He could gather up all the books and start relearning everything on the weekend. He nodded slightly. Yes, on the weekend, he would get his life back on track and reignite his old potential. But for now, he relaxed into his chair and watched the game show.
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Ah, the child with limitless potential that turns into a completely average adult. Such a depressing trope. And it exists for a reason. An unfortunate reason, but a reason nonetheless. I'm sure you can all figure out what that reason is.
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