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1 " David sat in the teacher’s lounge. Two other shlemiels sat on the other side, getting coffee. Sports, movies, conversation. He would have to join the group.The new assistant principal was to join them this afternoon. Just say hello. He got up and got coffee.David held the hot coffee and pretended to drink it. Didn’t want to spill on his white shirt.Then a tall slender woman walked in with the main campus principal, Edmond, and she looked around. Now would come the meet and greet. Fresh meat.Edmond turned to him. “This is David Bar David, Doctor Bar David. Math.”The thin woman reached out her hand and David shook it. “My,” she said, “such a warm hand.”“But a cold heart,” he said. "
― , Segment of One
2 " Sol sneered. “The Unabomber was a mathematician.”“What Ted Kaczynski did can barely be called math,” David said. “Boundary conditions! Totally irrelevant.”“He had a PhD.”“From the University of Michigan. I don’t know if that even counts. And don’t think I don’t know that it was his brother who turned him in.”Sol looked at him closely. “Whose name was David. That’s your name, right?”“I would never turn you in.”Sol shrugged. “Of course not,” he said and drove on. "
3 " What else can it predict?”Now the other jocks encircled her like a bullseye.“Any event with data,” Holly said and really felt the need to leave. This was a set-up.Big Bob grinned. “Like when I’ll get a date?”Holly’s smile slid across her face. “Low probability events are hard to forecast.”“Huh?”Josh punched his shoulder. “She means, you are not likely to get a date. "
4 " You were kind of mean to Brittany,” Holly said.“Was I? Trying to be protective, I guess. I have a problem with cheerleaders, sorority sisters, gangs, committees, groups, anything pack-related.”She shrugged. “Yeah, you’re not really a joiner.”I was never much for cheerleaders or jocks myself, especially in high school. I always knew that kind of popularity was short term, but when you’re a teenager it seemed like the most important thing in the world. But Holly was only twelve. "
5 " David watched Sol finish the can of beans. Sol always ate fast. He overate. Since he was eight.Sol leaned back in the wooden chair against the wall, under the window. Baby brother. Sol could have been anything he wanted to be. Nothing mathematical, nothing quantitative, of course, but anything else. A beautiful boy, a wonderful brother, they got along well.Then when Sol turned eight years old, age of a new beginning, their mother obsessed over him, ignoring David.Obsessed over Sol and his underwear. Over and over, a regeneration, a newness. Changed his clothes constantly, had him on her lap every minute possible. She put him in bed and tucked the covers in every night. She refused to let their father do it, so he always took care of David.But, of course, David needed no help and Sol always needed Ruth to take care of him.Sol was still being breast fed even when he finally went to kindergarten. Then Ruth slowly increased regular, solid food. But before bed, Sol had a nightcap, mother’s milk. Their special time. Their unique closeness took a turn from breastfeeding to something else. By the time Sol was in third grade, he was one of the fattest kids in class. Then the brothers became a real team.Now here he was. David and Sol still together, on a mission given by the Creator. It was perfect. "
6 " They all looked at Holly. She turned to face the cheerleader and said, “You need to learn that some things are more valuable than good looks. Data manipulation is more important than big boobs. Analytics is more useful than lip gloss.”Wow, she said that? Everyone laughed a bit, surprised, shocked. Holly turned and headed toward the concert hall. Grinning. "
7 " David let go and started shouting, “The bullets! The bullets! The bullets!”His head pounded. His ears roared. "
8 " Yeah,” Fred said and turned to the skinny teenager waiting on him. “Give me two bear crawlers and two chocolate eclairs.”“I thought Mimi made you promise no donuts.”Fred looked surprised. “This is not a donut, it’s a bear crawler. And this is not a donut, it’s an eclair.”I rolled my eyes. "
9 " Dr. Bar David?”A young man with black eyes and curly hair came toward him. Carrying a digital recorder. He looked familiar.“Richard Falco, North Richardson High. I took algebra and Calc I from you.”“Oh, yes, of course. Good to see you.”“I’m now reporting for Anchor Media. Just started a couple of months ago.”David started walking away. “Good for you. What a good course of action.”“Listen, I need to get a couple of quotes anyway. I wonder if—Oh, wait! I’m so sorry. You were at the North Richardson school shooting, five years ago.”David nodded. And began to panic.“That’s why you’re here, right?” the stupid student asked. “Protesting gun laws?”“I really need to be going, now. Good luck with your interviews.” Hyperventilating.Richard grabbed David’s shoulder. “But Dr. Bar David. Your story, tragic as it is, ends up being the reason for this whole public gun melting, right? A few words from you about—”David lost it. “Listen! My whole life changed that day. When that meshugener killed my entire family, my wife and my son, in an instant! With a gun he purchased the week before!” David grabbed the kid’s throat. “I do not want to talk about it. Don’t mention me in your article. I will sue you! Leave me alone.”Richard swallowed and nodded, fast. “Sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry—”David started shouting, “The bullets! The bullets! The bullets!”His head pounded. His ears roared. "
10 " Holly rolled out of bed and took off her purple and pink pajamas. Jeez, how babyish they were. For Christmas, she’d ask for something more grown-up. Not a leather teddy, but something more grown-up. She was not sure what a leather teddy was, but she heard girls talking in gym class and would have to Google it. "
11 " David turned on the TV and sat on the couch. He could grade the Calc I homework but that always depressed him. It would almost put him in mourning, sitting Shiva, but it had to be done.He would get up early in the morning and do it. He chuckled.The TV had a stupid dog commercial. Cocker Spaniel mix. Same kind of mutt Miriam brought into their marriage. She was a dog person. Named it Lucky.Lucky died of poisoning while David was at home one afternoon. Somehow the dog had gotten into Clorox. Not so lucky.That had been their only fight. David did not want to get another dog. Claimed it would remind him of Lucky.When David was little, about eight or nine years old, he had learned Clorox would kill a dog. Their neighbor had a German shepherd. Sol would throw rocks at it when they walked to school.One day the dog got out and bit Sol, and if the neighbors had not stopped it, the dog may have mauled Sol to death. The dog’s name was Roxx, short for Roxanne. It was found dead a couple of days later. Poisoned.David was not a dog person. "
12 " I got in my car and started it up and sighed. The radio station was about to do some Bartok crap and I couldn’t stand that atonal stuff, so I flipped it off. I’d rather head back to my place in silence. "
13 " Hair brushed and face washed, Holly put her jeans and top on, a plain, blue, cotton shirt with cute thin stripes. She had no bra because she had no boobs. She didn’t even have her period yet. Such a little kid. The other girls talked a lot about bras and boobs and periods. "
14 " Holly screwed up her nose, like she always did when concentrating, which was all the time. My granddaughter was heading for a nose job. "
