❝Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.❞ 

Charles Kuralt

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"Al washes a car in six minutes." Mr. Feeny tells the class, "Fred washes the same car in eight minutes. How long will it take Al and Fred to wash the car together?"

"Piece of cake." Cory said confidently.

"Think about it, Mr. Matthews."

"I don't have to think about it, Mr. Feeny. It's simple." Cory said and Elena scoffed.

"You can barley remember what five times four is, so how is this simple?" She asked incredulously.

"It is anything but simple Mr. Matthews." Mr. Feeny informed him.

"But I have the answer." Cory said immediately.

"I'm not interested in the answer, because I'm more interested in how you arrived at the answer." And you couldn't possibly have arrived at the correct answer so rapidly."

"But I did. I've arrived, I'm here. I'm ahead of you."

"Oh, well then if you're ahead of me what is the answer?"

"Seven." The said in unison.

"That's not the correct answer." Mr. Feeny told him.

"Apperently, seven is the answer to everything in Cory world." Elena commented.

Cory thinks seven is always the right answer, it's weird. She thought to herself.

"But it has to be." Cory insisted, "Al speeds Fred up, Fred slows Al down. So the answer is halfway between six and eight. Seven."

"That is not the correct answer." Cory and Mr. Feeny said in unison once again.

"But it has to be." Cory insisted.

Elena's eyes wander around the class as she tried to think of a way to solve the question. She wouldn't admit that a butterfly on the windowpane caught her attention and kept her from trying to answer the question.

"No, it doesn't." Stuart jumped in as he walked to stand in front of Cory's desk with his calculator.

"Why not?"

"Fred can't slow Al down. Even if Al washes most of the car and Fred just washes a hubcap the total time still has to be faster than Al's time alone. So if Fred is 25% slower than Al, and 25% of 6 minutes is... Anybody? It's a minute and a half which leaves us with four point five, four minutes and a half is the correct answer. Hold your applause, please."

"Mr. Minkus, you're wrong." Mr. Feeny informed him.

This isn't going to end well, Elena thought to herself.

"Wrong?" Stuart asked in shock, "As in not right?"

"You know the laws of averages better than I do. It was bound to catch up with you." Mr. Feeny smiled sympathetically but Stuart was frozen in shock.

When he did move, however, it was to walk out of the class.

"Where are you going?" Mr. Feeny asked.

"Nurse."

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday," Elena commented.

Stuart was usually looking for reasons to stay in class, not leave.

"Minkus, you're wrong," Shawn repeated as he watched Stuart walk out of the class.

"I've been waiting to hear those words since pre-school!" Cory said happily.

"Does anyone else have any thoughts on this problem?" Mr. Feeny asked the class.

Elena smiled as she watched Topanga, she'd shut her eyes and leaned her head back as she hummed, "I'm channeling the ancient Egyptian mathematician who first solved this problem."

"Tell him I said hi." Elena smiled.

"And tell him to stay away from my Lena," Shawn added.

"He's not even alive!" Elena said in exasperation.

"As long as he knows you're mine."

"Not yours."

Topanga cut off their banter as she gurgled loudly before grabbing her pencil and scribbling something down on her paper.

"Check, please." Shawn snapped his fingers, pointing at Topanga.

"Yeah, you don't need to tell him I said hi."

"All right, Miss. Lawrence. Let's see what you've come up with." Mr. Feeny said as he walked over to her desk.

"Well, oddly enough you and your metaphysical lab partner have arrived at the correct answer." He said in shock.

"Let me see that," Cory said as he moved to grab her paper but Topanga growled in his face.

"Nice demon," Cory squeaked out in fear as he pet her hair.

"Interesting isn't it Mr. Matthews." Mr. Feeny said as he folded Topanga's paper, "Mr. Minkus didn't get the correct answer but Miss. Lawrence did. You would do well to consider that in your search for your answer."

"She's cheating." Cory whined with a frown, "She copies off of dead guys."

"I wish I could cheat off of dead guys." Elena sighed.

"It's okay Lena, I'll always let you cheat off me."

"Thanks Shawnie, that's sweet but I need to pass."

"Yeah, I figured at least one of us has to be able to put food on the table for the kids."

"What, so you're gonna be a trophy husband?" Elena asked.

"I guess he'd be more of a second-place trophy, I mean after Tyler and all." Cory laughed.

"Shawn isn't killing my husband!"

"Yeah! I'm going to be her husband!"

"That's not happening either!"

"Can I be the best man?" Cory interrupted their debate, Elena turned to him with wide eyes.

It's like they ignore everything I say, She thought to herself.

"Although I do not necessarily believe in the concept of marriage, I would be honored to be your maid of honor Elena."

"Topanga!"

Not her too.

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"Okay, we've got everything right in front of us. We got a car, we got water, we got brushes. And we got Al and Malibu Fred." Cory said as he held up two of Morgan's dolls.

Shawn, Cory, and Elena were sat around the dinner table as they tried to figure out the answer to Mr. Feeny's question.

As they were discussing the question they heard a knock on the backdoor. They turned and saw a disheveled Stuart Minkus.

"Minkus?" Cory asked.

"I was. I used to be. Who's got the right answer? Yes, Mr. Minkus. That's right, Mr. Minkus." Stuart rushed out as he stomped inside.

"Clam down Stuart," Elena told him as she watched him in shock.

"That's correct, Mr. Minkus." He repeated.

I didn't know one question could do this to a person but then again it is math, Elena thought to herself.

"Get a grip, Minky," Shawn said. "So what? So you're not a genius anymore?"

"Right. Now I'm just a brainless pathetic moron without a clue."

"Trust me. It's not so bad," Shawn reassured him.

"Shawn!" Elena sighed.

"It's just a word problem, every problem has to have an answer. There has to be an answer. What's the answer, Matthews?" Stuart growled in Cory's face.

"In my opinion, seven."

"Look at me. What have I become? A brainless pathetic moron."

"We just went over this material," Shawn sighed, Elena would be lying if she said she didn't have to stifle a laugh.

With that Stuart turned on his heel and ran out the backdoor.

"The new Minkus, I like him!" Shawn clapped.

"Hey, I see you guys got the car ready. I'll order the pizza and you and your little friends can pick it up, okay?" Eric laughed as he pointed to the pink toy car on the dinner table.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me, guys. I saw my mom looking at her Let's Have Fun with Liver cookbook," Shawn smiled in relief.

"But she's got her bowling league tonight, Shawn," Cory frowned.

"No, that ended six weeks ago."

"No, it didn't," Cory insisted.

"Yes, it did," Elena jumped in.

"Shawn, Lena, my mom's in that league and she's been going every Wednesday night."

"Well, my mom hasn't," Elena told him.

"I don't know where she's going but it ain't bowling," Shawn said.

"You guys all set? I'm about ready to leave," Amy said as she walked into the kitchen with her bowling bag.

"For bowling, right?" Cory asked.

"Yeah. Like every Wednesday night. I'm going upstairs to say goodnight to Morgan."

"See?" Cory turned to Shawn and Elena.

"I'm telling you, the league ended 6 weeks ago."

"He's right Cor, my mom's been home every Wednesday."

"If there's no bowling league why is my mom going out with this big, heavy-" Cory cut himself off when he was able to lift the bag up easily, "Eric, something's wrong. This doesn't weigh anything."

"Maybe Mom forgot her ball," Eric suggested as he dug through the bag only to pull out a pair of red heels.

"And if those are bowling shoes there should be a number on the back just above the spike heel."

Cory then pulled out a card, "La Buggy-a," He tried to read.

"La Bugia? That's that fancy dinner place seniors always take their prom dates," Eric informed them.

"Why would Mom be going there? Maybe Mom's dating a senior. I mean, everybody else is," Eric trailed off angrily.

"Well, someone got dumped," Elena laughed.

"Good one," Shawn gave her a high five while Eric just rolled his eyes.

Soon enough they heard Amy coming down the stairs and rushed to stuff everything back into her bag before running back to the dinner table and trying to act casual.

"Hey, keep your eye on your sister and I'll be home around 10:00."

"Okay, maybe it's not as bad as it looks," Cory tried to reassure himself.

"I sure hope so because this looks pretty bad," Shawn laughed.

"Does it look as bad as liver?"

"No." Shawn answer immediately.

"Why is she going to La Bugia?"

"Is there trouble in paradise?" Shawn asked softly.

"Between my mom and dad? No way! They're so happy, it's disgusting. They're always kissing and being romantic."

"Are they?" Eric questioned, "Or is Dad always kissing and being romantic? Remember this morning he came in with a rose for her she didn't even care? And he poured coffee for her and she just walked away. And that kiss she gave him this morning before she left was nothing more than a pity kiss."

"Believe me. I know what they look like." Eric frowned.

"The main thing is, she picked Wednesday nights. The one night that Dad has his managers' meeting." Cory pointed out.

"You think she loves somebody else?" Cory asked Eric.

"You guys better tell your dad," Shawn told them.

"Tell him what? We don't have any proof."

"Get proof. Don't you guys watch NYPD Blue? Tail her and talk dirty."

"Shawn, you need to stop watching so much TV."

"Hey, I'm practicing for my job as your trophy husband."

"We'll be back as soon as we can. Here's the 20; order the pizza, watch my house and guard my sister. And if I'm killed on this mission find out the answer to that car wash problem from Feeny and have Topanga channel it to me." Cory told the two before running out the backdoor with Eric.

Shawn and Elena looked over at each other before Elena went upstairs to get Morgan, this was going to be a long night.

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"Okay, what do you have?" Shawn asked Morgan as they sat on the couch playing poker.

Elena had gone to the bathroom and so Shawn saw this as a golden opportunity to have Morgan play something other than dress up and have tea parties.

He was not in the mood to have more lipstick smear over his face. Although, Elena did say he looked like a cute clown that hated his job so at least he got a compliment out of it. Kind of.

"Two mommies and three daddies"

"A full house?" Shawn asked in shock as he looked over at her cards.

"Full House? I love those Olsen twins," Morgan smiled.

"Hi Daddy," Morgan greeted as Alan walked in through the front door.

"Well, hey, sweetie. What are you doing up? It's, uh, 10:15."

"Shawn was teaching me how to play 5-card-"

"Go Fish." Shawn cut her off with a nervous smile.

"Hey, Mr. Matthews," Elena greeted as she walked back into the living room.

"Hey, Lena. Where's Cory and Eric?"

"They went to the library," Shawn answer immediately and Elena gave him a look.

"Would that be the public library the one that closes at 9:00?"

"No, no. The other one," Shawn smiled as though it were obvious and Elena really wanted to flick him on the forehead.

Maybe that would knock some sense into him, she thought.

"I'm going to put Morgan to bed and then you and I are gonna talk a little more. Then I'll drive you home Elena," He smiled over at the girl before turning to Shawn with a suspicious look, "You too Shawn."

"Kind of a relationship-building thing?" Shawn said with hope in his voice.

"No.

"Great. First time in my life I'm in trouble with someone else's dad," Shawn sighed as Alan walked up the stairs with Morgan,

"I told you not to teach her how to play poker!" Elena slapped his arm.

Shawn gave her a nervous smile and sighed in relief when the front door opened again, "Guys! Your dad just got home."

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs putting your sister to bed," Elena told them.

"What did you find out?" Shawn asked them.

"Nothing good. Mom Was at the club." Cory frowned.

"She was dancing with some guy. In those red shoes! She was snuggling up with him in a dark booth." Eric huffed.

"Who was it?" Shawn asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't tell."

"Neither could I. There were lace curtains and plastic grapes hanging all over the place."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea."

"I can't keep this a secret, Eric. You know me, I'll crack. Dad will say, 'Good night, son.'

and I'll say, 'Mom was with another guy!'" Cory yelled out and Eric quickly slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Shh! Look, I mean, you're right. We'll have to tell him." Eric started but Shawn cut him off.

Cory, Eric, you know we're always here for you. Just not right now." Shawn smiled as he pulled Elena towards the door.

"What did you do?" Elena asked suspiciously but Shawn chose to ignore her question.

"Oh, by the way, I told him you were at the library."

"Great lie, Shawn. The library closes at 9:00." Eric rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. He knew that, too." Shawn said nonchalantly before throwing his arm of Elena's shoulders and pulling her outside.

"We can't just leave!"

"I think we already did."

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"Al washes a car in six minutes. Fred washes the same car in eight." Mr. Feeny repeated as he walked into class, "How long will it take them to wash the car together? And the answer is still not seven, Mr. Matthews."

"I know, sir."

"What else do you know." Mr. Feeny asks.

"I know why you gave us this word problem."

"To suck the fun out of our lives." Shawn guessed with a smile.

"Yeah that, but the main reason is to get us to stop thinking like kids and start thinking like adults." Cory explained, "I know that there's not always one right answer. There may not even be an answer at all."

"Startling. And how did you arrive at that conclusion?" Mr. Feeny smiled proudly.

"I found out that sometimes we need to learn to think differently. That's how Topanga knew. Because she thinks differently, really differently."

"Well, Mr. Matthews," Mr. Feeny smiled, "In all the time we've known each other, I don't think I've ever been so impressed."

"Thank, Mr. Feeny." Cory smiled as he watched Mr. Feeny walk back to his desk.

"In the course of your education, you have been taught to look for the right answer; but you also must know that in life, many times the right answer is, that there isn't one. This is an especially valuable lesson for you, Mr. Minkus." Mr. Feeny said as he turned to face Stuart, who'd filled the blackboard with numbers and calculations, "So, I'm afraid your calculations are all for naught."

"Not necessarily," Stuart disagreed as he took a step back and looked over his work once more, "I think I may have inadvertently discovered the secret of time travel."

"Oh, just accidentally?" Elena asked in bewilderment, "How does anyone even do that?!"