On the flip side, Paige—despite possessing both high IQ and emotional intelligence—couldn't quite pull that off. Her high emotional intelligence gave her the mindset of an adult.
But having an adult's mind without an adult's ability to actually solve problems... that was likely the root of all her misery.
---
Meanwhile, in a diner just outside the museum, George Sr. had momentarily freed himself from the "trouble" that was Sheldon. He treated himself to an order of fried chicken dripping in gravy.
The TV in the diner happened to be showing highlights from last year's Super Bowl.
Even though he couldn't enjoy his favorite beer since he had to drive Sheldon and Mike home later, digging into that gravy-covered chicken while watching football was enough to make him feel perfectly content.
"George?" A surprised voice called out from behind him.
It was Paige's mother, Linda. She looked much more haggard than she had a few weeks ago.
George, who was happily enjoying his solitude, looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared with a bewildered expression. "You are... uh..."
Clearly, the disastrous family gathering last time hadn't been enough for George to commit Linda's name to memory.
"I'm Linda, Paige's mom," Linda reminded him with a smile, naturally sliding into the booth seat opposite him.
"Right, I remember you, Ms. Linda," George replied, trying to be polite despite his weekend relaxation being interrupted. "And your husband, Ba... Ba..."
"Barry," Linda smiled again, supplying the name.
"Right, Barry. Is he not with you?" George asked perfunctorily, his eyes already drifting back to the game on the TV.
The broadcast had just reached a pivotal moment. Even though he'd seen it live last year, watching the replay was still entertaining for George.
"You mean Barry?" The smile on Linda's face vanished the second her husband's name was mentioned. Her expression darkened instantly. "Who cares?"
Then, just as quickly, the smile returned to her face, as if the slip-up had been a hallucination.
Although George was mostly focused on the football game, he still caught Linda's sudden mood swing.
"You okay?" Gentle-natured George found it hard to ignore the bizarre shift in her demeanor.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Linda said, maintaining a polite, plastered-on smile. "Sorry for interrupting your weekend. Don't mind me."
"Alright then..." George could tell she was hiding something behind that smile, but all he wanted was a simple, stress-free weekend. He had no desire to get meddled in another family's drama.
Usually, thinking about marital disputes just gave him a headache.
Deciding not to pry, George watched the TV while picking up another drumstick. He swirled it in the gravy boat until it was coated, then happily took a bite.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Linda staring at him. She was watching his every move.
That look—like she had something to say but was holding it back—was incredibly uncomfortable.
So, George raised the drumstick in his hand, trying to break the tension. "You want one?"
"No, I need to watch my figure." Linda realized her staring was rude. She quickly apologized, "Go ahead, pretend I'm not here."
She looked away and picked up a menu from the table, looking like she was about to order.
But after staring at the menu for a while, Linda's face suddenly crumbled. Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears. "Apple pie... they actually have apple pie... We came here with Paige last year... and then we went to Vegas..."
Clearly, looking at the menu had triggered some bad memories.
George really didn't want to get involved, but given the state Linda was in, it was hard to ignore her.
Noticing other customers starting to look their way, George reluctantly put down his gravy-covered chicken. He asked seriously, "Linda, if something's wrong, you can tell me. I can be a good listener."
Ignoring a crying woman wasn't exactly gentlemanly behavior.
Even though her emotional breakdown wasn't his fault, George decided to try and comfort her, if only so he could enjoy the rest of his meal in peace.
"You know what? Barry and I are getting a divorce," Linda confessed, tears streaming down her face.
"That's a shame," George sympathized. "Why is it happening?"
"It's because of Paige's education. We have huge disagreements..." Linda wiped her tears and poured out the conflicts she had with her husband.
Finally, looking for guidance, she asked, "Your family situation is similar to ours. How do you and your wife handle things regarding the kids?"
On this topic, George felt he had some expertise. He shared, "We keep our different opinions, but we never argue about it."
"How is that possible?" Linda asked, astonished. "What happens when you have opposite views?"
"That never happens," George said with certainty.
In reality, the Cooper household was similar to the Barry household, but with a key difference.
In the Cooper house, Mary was strong-willed, while George was easygoing. When they disagreed, George, as the husband, usually took a step back.
That was the main reason the Cooper family managed to stay relatively harmonious.
The Barrys were different. Linda was clearly a strong-willed woman.
Her husband, Barry, might have looked quiet, but deep down, he was extremely opinionated.
When two stubborn people live together for a long time, conflict is inevitable.
If it weren't for their genius daughter, they might have been able to just make do. But Paige's situation caused their long-suppressed issues to explode all at once.
Linda seemed to realize this distinction. She looked at George's gentle expression and said, "You're a good husband."
"Uh-huh," George chuckled, not denying it.
"Can you tell me more about how you and your wife get along?" Linda wanted to find a solution to her own family's problems by studying the Coopers' dynamic.
"Sure," George realized what she was looking for. Being a kindhearted guy, he prepared to share some more wisdom.
But before he could speak, Linda suddenly panicked and ducked under the table. "Don't tell anyone I was here..."
With that, leaving George with a bewildered look on his face, she hunched over and hurried out the side door of the diner.
George had no idea what that was about, but seeing the "trouble" leave, he let out a huge sigh of relief. He picked up his chicken drumstick again, ready to finally eat.
"Hey, George! What a coincidence," a familiar voice came from the main entrance behind him.
"Yeah, real coincidence, Barry," George greeted him helplessly as the man sat down opposite him uninvited.
"Did you have company?" Barry asked, eyeing the water glass left on the table.
"No, I didn't," George said. He suddenly understood why Linda had reacted that way.
It was normal for a couple in the middle of a nasty fight to want to avoid each other.
"George, did you know? Linda and I are preparing divorce papers." Barry settled in, looking like he also desperately needed someone to vent to.
"That's terrible," George said, feigning surprise despite having just heard the whole story.
"Actually, the cracks in our marriage started showing a long time ago..." Barry began rambling about his troubles.
Seeing the man in such a state, out of respect, George had to put down his fried chicken once again and resign himself to being a listener for round two.