Chapter 4 - Adelaide

   Despite a few questions and comments that seemed at least a little bit serious? Though admittedly, not many. The proceedings descended into catcalls, jeers and shouts. A chant of "flat earth... flat earth..." rose up from the large crowd of doctoral candidates and graduate students associated with the field(s) of his paper.

   The MC of the proceedings and goings on? Had to thump the microphone with his finger for a bit, to get everyone to quiet down and be admonished for their childish behavior. That every academic has the right to present his views, however strange or even incorrect? Was an accepted and holy right. After all, would not the earth still be the center of the universe that everything orbited around, were this not so.

   Joe shook his head, and shrugged. The hell could you even do. This, was the academic version of fighting city hall. You go in there and give them hell, but in the end? Fighting city hall rarely produces results. Well, not results desired, at any rate.

   Once proceedings returned to something loosely passing for decorum once again, The MC asked Joe if he had any parting remarks. Joe simply stated that if anyone wished to meet privately, and discuss the matter in any bit of seriousness? He welcomed it, and would not "out" them for it. He also thanked whoever had anonymously slipped the equations and notes under his door when he was out, giving him the time of day.

   "And to that kind soul, whoever you are? Thank you. You tried. I appreciate it."

   And, that was that, and it was now in the bag. He had a light weightlifting session for himself. He'd already did his usual routine for the day earlier? But... exercise felt good, and calmed his restless energy that was now a slight anxiety. As always, that worked.

   He checked in with Ada, and had messages from Barge and... Adelaide. No real surprise there. They had an on again, off again, sort of what he thought of as a "serial" relationship. She showed up. They were "on". She did her disappearing act? They were "off" again. This had been going on long enough, that he no longer took any real notice. Chasing her when she was off? Produced no real result. He merely accepted it, as something that simply is what it is.

   Adelaide was a couple years younger than he was. Well? Several years actually. She was a graduate student in mathematics. He honestly liked her. Perhaps loved her, even. But... who knows the way the relationship both went and didn't at the same time. He certainly thought Adelaide was pretty enough. Just that little bit pretty enough, that he felt like he was just slightly punching above his weight. But, not so much so that he felt like it was hopeless.

   She liked him back, physically. Like most women though, she was not looking to get married young. And women in college? Even more so along that route. A lot of men just liked "pretty" and cared about little else. Joe though, valued intelligence and education for a girlfriend. He needed that. He liked talking to someone close to him, that didn't just smile and go along with whatever he said. She had her own opinions.

   She was tall for a girl, and they both enjoyed working out. He liked that about her, too. If not for the on again, off again, no rhyme or reason deal? Things were otherwise fine. He called her before he did Barge.

   "Hi Carp."

   "Hi honey. Where you at? I'm about to go meet Barge for dinner. Care to join in? I just got done presenting my paper."

   "I know you did. I was there."

   "I didn't see you."

   "I was in the back, off to the side. I just wanted to see how it went. Curiosity."

   "Great. My own girl? Went Pluto attendee on me. Guess I can't really blame you. No one's going to want to be seen with me for a while, once this gets out."

   "Its not my field, but... I honestly thought... I guess I don't know enough about that stuff, to... really have an opinion. I mean, the math seemed interesting. You'd think someone would at least take a glance at it all, just on that."

   "I suppose I'll find out. Soon. Honestly not holding my breath on it. Where are you? I'll walk you to the cafeteria hall."

   "Oh. I'm... actually here."

   "Adelaide? Wherever you are? Is naturally... here. To you. Frame of reference for me, dear. Where is... here."

   She chuckled.

   "I'm at your apartment, silly. I was going to say hello, and... you didn't change the code on the lock."

   "And why would I do that, anyways."

   "You're not mad I'm here, and let myself in then."

   "Adelaide. If you were going to rip my apartment off? I figure you'd have struck long before now. The hell I got anyone needs anyways."

   "Hmm. Did you miss me?"

   "Adelaide? Not the first rodeo on this for us. You come, you go. I've tried telling you I miss you? I've tried acting like its no big deal. Neither one produces any results, one way or the other. What would the point be."

   "I... think you missed me."

   "And why is that."

   "I watched some music on the bed? And you named the screen... Ada."

   He scrunched his face up. Shit. Ada? Was his pet name for Adelaide. She was one of the few women excelling in graduate mathematics courses, and Ada had been one of the few women in history, ranked among the male mathematical geniuses. Ada Pascal, relative of the famous Blaise Pascal. He now felt silly, and he knew she knew, and it made him feel sillier. Damn it.

   "Maybe... I named it Ada? Because I was having fun, cussing it out."

   "Uh huh. I think its... very sweet."

   "Do I just meet you at the cafeteria hall? Or..."

   "Silly to backtrack here. I'll lock up. Meet me at the library, in front."

   She acted like nothing was amiss. It was always like this. She just... showed up one day, as if the intervening time she was gone? Hadn't happened. Smiling. Leaning her head on his shoulder. He had gotten used to the whole routine of it all.

   When they were about to go into the cafeteria hall? She kissed him lightly.

   "And what was that for."

   "Aw. I thought you were very... brave about presenting your paper. You knew you were going to get tomatoes thrown at you. You did it anyways. You really believe it."

   "I do."

   "And? You kept your poise. I was impressed."

   "Glad someone was. Now, if I could just land someone in my field? I'd feel like I scored a point."

   "Maybe you will eventually. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know."

   "No? They say it burned down in three, though. You going to spend those three days with me, before they burn me at the stake? For scientific heresy."

   She laughed. She had a light, almost musical, lilt to her laughter. One of the things he liked about her.

   "Sure."

   Dinner went well enough, at first. Someone back in that commercial kitchen? Sometimes made large trays of pork roast. They were adept at making it butter soft, and not the least dried out. Dripping with grease and succulent fat. A lot of people were so concerned with eating fat? More for himself, they didn't know what they were missing. They always had seasoned carrots, he mixed those up into the pork roast.

   Eventually, a few snide comments came to him as people walked past. Barge asked finally how it had gone.

   "Hmm. Back in the middle ages? They used to have this way of really appreciating a person, to let them know they just thought the world of them. They had this thing in town square? Your head and wrists were through it, and... everyone gathered around, yelled and threw rotten vegetables. I think it was called... a pillory."

   Barge chuckled.

   "Oh, It went that well, then."

   "Better even. Just no pillory, or actual vegetables. Everything else? About the same. I'm thinking I'm about to be scheduled for a good old fashioned burning at the stake, while they read the list of heresy charges off."

   Barge and Ada both chuckled. Barge shrugged when asked what he thought about it all.

   "I have good news, and bad news. Which one you want first."

   "The bad news. Get that out of the way."

   "Well. You might have to try again with something else, to try to land an approval for your doctoral thesis, I'm just guessing here."

   "Oh, you think? And what's the good news."

   "Its winter. So there's that."

   "Huh?"

   "Its winter. Its cold out. So? The first few seconds of being burned at the stake? Really should be quite pleasant."