"Claude, have you seen Jim?"
"Not today."
She frowned. "Bye, Claude. Bye, Patrick." Patrick watched her leave.
"So who's Jim?" he asked.
"Her boyfriend—alcoholic dude, a nice guy. She likes you." Claude drifted along the bar; he knew everyone. Patrick was beginning to feel at home in the Depresso. Amber had come in twice during the week, once with Willow and once with a builder named Art. She had smiled at Patrick, but she wasn't available—although her smile seemed to indicate that any day she might be. I'm on her list, Patrick thought, smiling back.
He finished the Darwin book and started An Introduction to
Mathematics by Alfred North Whitehead. One evening in the Depresso,
Sue came over to his table and asked what he was reading. "Listen to
this," he said.
"Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in battle: they are strictly limited in number; they require fresh horses; they must be made only at decisive moments."
Sue wrinkled her nose. "Too much." She sat down.
"I mean, this book is a classic. What is math, anyway? Right here," Patrick said, patting the cover. "Lays it out. You can learn anything you want from books."
"Why aren't you in school somewhere?"