"Um... think of it this way," she says. "Math is really just a pretty small set of pretty simple rules called axioms. All the interesting stuff like calculus and linear algebra, somebody had to figure out how to do, just based on those small simple rules. Mathematicians look at the rules, and everything that everybody else has already figured out about how they work, and they figure out new stuff from there. It's kind of like science, but with pure logic instead of the physical world."

Bella thinks about this. "Huh," she says. "That sounds interesting. I don't know about fun, but if you think it's fun you should do it."

"It is really fun!"

"Okay then," says Bella. "Math for you, something to be figured out later for me."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yes. An incomplete but totally good plan."

"Hey, never underestimate the importance of the 'figure out what the heck you're doing' step," she says.

"I never do," says Bella.

"Good! It is vitally important and nobody ever gets anywhere by skipping it."

"You mean the movies lied to me?" giggles Bella.

"That is their job."

"Professional liar movies," snickers Bella.

"It's true," she says solemnly. "Ask anybody. If they don't know what you're talking about, you know the movies are doing a really good job."

Bella bursts into helpless laughter.

Elizabeth giggles.

"I like you," Bella declares when she's simmered down some. "Do you want to keep me when you grow up?"

"I think I might!"

"Even though I don't think math is fun for me?"

"How boring would it be if all my friends were math people?"

"I don't know," says Bella. "It would certainly be very mathy. Maybe that would be a plus." And then she giggles at her unintended pun.

Elizabeth sporfles.