He was used to spending time alone, reading or
going for walks in the nearby woods, imagining he was Henry David
Thoreau, observing nature, lost in his own thoughts. Whenever he
was forced to spend a few trial days with potential foster
parents, he affected a sullen and despondent mood, saving a
tantrum or explosive outburst for the last day of the test
period. He had gotten by just fine on his own, and he didn't need
anyone, or anything, except maybe his science fiction novels.
Clayton and Clara Dodson, the owners of the orphanage, had had
their hands full with Peter. Eventually they stopped sending him
off to potential homes. The youngster pretty much took care of
himself and was always willing to help out around the orphanage.
One day the Dodsons's acceptance of Peter went from resigned to
delighted when he burst into the house and told them he had
invented the world's first truly portable computer. Peter had
recently begun to hang around with the "gear heads," students who
were involved in clubs fostering fans of rockets, automobile
engines, and electronics. At the club meetings he met several
kids like himself - bright, introverted; some of them would
eventually become his first employees at Wallaby, right out of
high school. During his senior year, while checking out some of
the other student projects an hour before the science fair, Peter
met two gawky fellows who had built a device they called the
All-In-One Computer.
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