The first month went by in a blur as the merger at Fenris Investments proceeded at a rapid pace. Penny did her best to keep up with Sophie but the office manager worked at warp speed. Thank goodness Esperit was there to bolster the Nebraskan's confidence at lunch time. The Jamaican always seemed to have a dish or two about the office to share which was surprising since Penny hadn't noticed a moment when the woman was away from her desk.
That's why Penny was surprised when she got to the office and another woman sat in her friend's place.
"Penelope! Thank God you're here," the woman said, her bracelets jangling as she gave an enthusiastic wave.
"Hey Jackie. Where's Esperit?"
"Sick. The woman is, like, never sick and now that we're up to our eyeballs in work this'd have to be the time her immune system lets her down." Jackie got up from behind the desk. "She's all yours, captain." Penny blanched.
"I have to clear this with Sophie first I—"
"Sophie knows. She's busy this morning so had me snag you out here."
"But I don't know what to do."
"Easy peasy. Just greet people and answer the phone. The extensions are listed in the red book by the phone. If anyone hands you any paperwork just put it in this folder and leave it in the top drawer at the end of the day." Jackie smiled at the apprehensive look on her coworker's face. "Don't worry, Penelope, we know you're not Esperit. We'll take it easy on you."
Penny took a few minutes to put her lunch into the refrigerator and grab her IPad before returning to the reception. She raised her seat before sitting and glanced at the extension folder. A bright side to following Sophie around was that she got to know almost everyone in the office. She'd met three of the six senior partners and the others she knew by name so she hoped she wouldn't screw up their calls.
The phone rang. With one motion Penny picked up the receiver and brought it to her ear.
"Good morning, Fenris Investments, Penelope speaking."
XxX
So far so good. Penny's morning had passed uneventfully. Once she got into the groove of things she even managed to update her Facebook status without missing a beat as there really wasn't much else to do. So it was a bit harrowing to find Sophie waiting for her as she returned from lunch.
"Penelope," she said evenly. "The photocopier's saying there's a jam but there isn't nor will it reset itself if turned off or unplugged. Obtain the contract from the files and contact the company for repairs."
"Certainly." The Nebraskan turned to the wall of files. "Well, it's a photocopier so why not?" She checked under 'P' but there wasn't a file for photocopier. It's a Xerox. Nothing under 'X'. Office equipment? Nada.
"Think, Penelope, think," she hissed. Appliances? Copiers? Her cheeks were flushed as she found herself more and more exasperated.
She went to her phone and dialed Jackie for advice but the woman couldn't offer anything beyond what Penny had thought.
"This is stupid," she growled.
"What is?" asked an older gentleman in an Armani suit who Penny recognized as one of the partners. He was just walking by as she had uttered her appraisal of the situation.
"Oh, I can't find a file," she said with a blush. The man chuckled.
"I'm always amazed how Esperit keeps track of everything. What are you looking for?"
"I need the contract for the photocopier."
"I take it you've looked under 'P'?"
"Photocopier, copier, appliances, office equipment, Xerox. I got nothing."
"That's a puzzler," he said as he set his file down on the desk. "What about scanner? I believe the copier also does that."
Penny checked. "Nope. There isn't even a file for a scanner."
"Well that's silly. Check faxes."
"No faxes." Here a frown crossed her boss's brow.
"We have an independent fax. Of course we have a fax." He stepped around the desk and started searching the files but couldn't find a 'Fax' file. He turned to Penny. "You're right. This is stupid."
Together they spent the next fifteen minutes searching the files for whatever terms they could come up with but to no avail.
"Well I'm tapped," the boss said. "Call Esperit." Penny looked up the woman's home number and called.
"Hello, Esperit? It's Penelope. I'm at your desk and can't seem to find the file for the Xerox photocopier….Oh. Okay. Thanks. Feel better soon. Bye." She hung up and went to the wall and pulled out a file. "Success!" she said as she checked its contents.
"So what was it?" asked her boss.
"Main Room–Office Appliances."
"Of course," he replied with a smirk. "Just comes off the top of anyone's head."
Penny grinned. "Thanks for helping." He saluted her with his file and departed.
With a big sigh to release the tension she sat at the desk. Just what she wanted: not only did she appear as an incompetent boob at her job but she also wasted her boss's time as well. Sophie would be mortified if she knew—which of course she would as Penny would have to record her interaction with a boss on her IPad.
"Call first. Type later." She picked up the phone and dialed Xerox.
xTBBTx
The only way Sheldon could tell that time had passed was the amount of pages used in Feynman's sketchbook. For longer calculations the East Texan would go out to his board but he quickly learned he had to be careful with what he wrote. An interesting quirk of the whiteboard was that it couldn't interpret raw metaphysical equations; invariably it would respond with Schrodinger's equation. One time it even seemed to mock the physicist as it modeled a cat in a box to his query.
Nevertheless he was undaunted, partly because he wasn't in this alone. Dr. Richard Feynman was absolutely brilliant and Sheldon often tested the limits of even his own vast intelligence as the two men clashed and compromised as they collaborated. When they took breaks Sheldon would ask the Nobel Prize laureate about a particular drawing they'd passed in a section of the book and Feynman responded with tales from his life which the young man found interesting even if some of the experiences were baffling:
"Once we were out driving in my van in downtown Pasadena when I averted my attention to a beautiful girl walking down the sidewalk. Instantly I slowed down the van and narrowly missed another car, which gave out an angry honk. 'Geeze,' said my friend Al, 'Didn't you see that guy?' And I said, 'No, I only see the women, the rest is all a blur.'"
"I don't follow. Were you cognitively impaired like the time you got a concussion from hitting your head on the sidewalk?"
Feynman always responded to Sheldon's queries with questions of his own concerning the young man's life: his hobbies and interests; his home life including why he was closer to his grandparents than his parents:
"As I said before, Pop-Pop encouraged me to go into science. He didn't call my experiments 'wastes of time' or 'sissy'. I might have been five years old but he treated my ideas with respect. He listened to me. Meemaw listened to me too although the science was over her head. Nevertheless she was there with cookies and affection when I was particularly frustrated with a problem whether it be my siblings, neighborhood bullies or my parents fighting. …I could be me without consequence."
"You could be you and be accepted."
"You could say it that way, I suppose."
Only once did Sheldon experience Feynman's anger: the older man was absolutely floored that he said and did nothing to defend his reputation when Leonard, Raj and Howard sabotaged his monopole experiment:
"What the hell were you thinking? They could have ruined your career!"
"They hadn't expected me to email my findings. I—"
"So it was your fault you got excited? I would have done friggin' cartwheels on the plane if I found the monopoles. Ridiculous, Dr. Cooper. You should have defended yourself."
"I would have lost my friends."
"Damn it, friends don't do that! They talk each other off LSD highs and sit with you through boring as hell lectures. I've ridiculed when their science was shoddy not sabotaged their careers because they were 'anal retentive'. Stupidity in otherwise smart people irritates me and for a bunch of smart men your so-called 'friends' are nothing more than selfish assholes although their stupidity is nothing compared to yours for not standing up for yourself."
It took a long time before Sheldon could be in the same room with the man without feeling shame.
Now they were at a different crossroads as both men found their calculations vastly different from the other. For the sake of peace Sheldon had moved to the whiteboard and continued his work as best he could given the board's limitations. As far as he could tell it was a positive sign he was getting somewhere when Schrodinger's equation came into view. As it was, Sheldon had encountered the infamous cat approximately one hundred and sixty one times before a change came to the end formula: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle!
"Now we're cookin' with gas!" he said with a broad smile.
He ventured into the room with absolute purpose towards the couch only to stop short as Feynman wasn't there! Instead the Nobel Prize laureate stood at the wall as he read from his sketchbook.
"This is a surprise," said the lanky man as he came to stand by his colleague. "A breakthrough?"
"More of a breakout," chuckled Feynman with a glint in his eyes. "I've solved it."
Sheldon was delighted. "It has something to do with Schrodinger and Heisenberg doesn't it?"
"All this wasted time when I had the ruby slippers all along."
"I don't follow."
Feynman smiled as he searched the wall for something Sheldon couldn't see. "I remember one student asking me how I was able to remember all of the equations for the class since I never had any notes and lack your remarkable memory. I told the lad that as long as I can remember the first principles I can always derive what was needed. Remember that." He gave a satisfied sound and with a press the wall opened to whiteness beyond. The two men were silent.
"So what's out there?" Sheldon asked quietly.
"Everything. Nothing. Who knows?" Feynman took a step and felt a restraining hand on his arm.
"Why are you taking the risk?" Sheldon felt sick to his stomach. He needed to do something but wasn't sure what.
In response the older man locked eyes with his companion.
"Because I want to go home, Sheldon," he said simply. He handed the East Texan his sketchbook and pencil and stepped beyond.
Instantly Feynman vanished and the wall began to close. Sheldon realized time was of the essence if he was to follow but his feet were seemingly rooted to the ground. This might not be an ideal life but it was life. Who knew if Feynman hadn't just dissipated or disintegrated or just simply went 'poof' the instant he ventured 'out there'?
The wall closed.
"Excuse me, Doktor?" Sheldon turned to see a short man with wide eyes and dark receding hair standing in front of the couch. "I was wondering if you've seen Doktor Feynman? I have some things to discuss."
"He's not here," Sheldon said neutrally. "Should I see him I'll tell him you're looking for him, Doktor Pauli."
"Thank you." The man indicated the sketchpad. "What have you here?"
"Just some doodles." The man chuckled.
"We all need our hobbies." Pauli nodded his head before going on his way.
Sheldon flipped to the last page of Feynman's work and read. With a frown he flipped to the page before. Then the page before that.
As far as he could make out the equations were all gobbledygook.
xTBBTx
"You look in a mood," Penny said as she took in Esperit's pouty face.
"The catch on the door's broken so someone has to stay here until it's fixed." She pointed to herself. "The last time this happened he didn't show up until five thirty and the whole job took about five minutes to do."
The Nebraskan went to the door and examined the catch and locking mechanism.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. It isn't that difficult. I'll see what I can do at lunch."
"And afterwards I can overhaul your car engine," grinned the receptionist.
"Oh ye of little faith." Penny gave a wave as she went to her desk to deposit her items and boot up her computer. Sophie had given her a stack of forms to scan and archive. As soon as she had seen the database Penny smirked as it was reminiscent of Sheldon's format. It was too bad he didn't live to meet Sophie because she seemed more anally compatible with his idiosyncrasies than even Amy.
Penny finished her work about a half hour before lunch so she grabbed her IPad and went to Sophie's office. The door was open—in fact in nearly eight weeks Penny had only seen it shut three times—and she knocked.
"Enter," said the office manager from behind her computer screen. "Is there a problem?"
"I've finished archiving and handed in the documents to Esperit." At this Sophie looked up from her computer.
"I see," she said after a moment. "You're more adept at this task than I anticipated. In that case I'll have Toby transfer the case logs to you. You'll find a file box at your desk after lunch. Use the Danec database. I'll email you your password and cc it to IT security."
"Alright. So what do you want me to do until lunch?"
"Go to Esperit and have her show you her filing system. From now on if you find yourself with less than a half hour between tasks you will work with Esperit until you feel you've mastered her system." Sophie nodded curtly and went back to her computer.
Penny returned to reception.
"You're mine until lunch," she said to Esperit. "You're showing me your filing system so I don't have to bother you at home."
"Sounds good," the receptionist said with a smile. "I don't know what's so hard about looking up a few files but I'm more than willing to help." The Nebraskan used every ounce of her acting ability to keep an incredulous look from her face.
"How about we start with the files I just gave you?" she said as the third quarter outcome measures came to mind.
"What would you file them under?"
"'Outcome Measures-2013-10-04'," Penny said casually.
"Nope."
"'Outcome Measures-3rd Quarter 2013'?" Esperit's smile became strained. "'2013 3rd Quarter Outcome Measures'?" The receptionist sucked her teeth.
"Maybe we'll start at the beginning," she said diplomatically.
XxX
Penny returned from lunch with the tools necessary to fix the door. Thanks to spending a boring afternoon with Leonard as he went for model rocket supplies she learned of this place that sold a variety of micro tools. She took off her jacket and knelt on one knee to examine the clasp and lock. After a few pokes with a screwdriver she realized that the lock was okay: the clasp had merely slipped from its moorings and needed to be reset.
As they came into the office Penny's coworkers were all eyes as they saw her in the midst of taking the handle off the door.
"Remind me to call you if I lock my keys in the car," joked Jackie.
"Forget that," said an older woman with tasteful salt and pepper hair. "I could use her to break into my ex-husband's place so I can get my food processor back."
Penny reset the clasp and restored the handle, giving it a few test turns before standing with a grin.
"All done," she said.
"How do you know this stuff?" asked Esperit.
"I said I grew up on a farm. I rebuilt the tractor engine when I was twelve. Believe me, this is no big deal."
"That's nice to hear," said a voice.
Penny and Esperit turned to see Sophie standing with her arms folded over her chest.
"If you'd be so inclined as to continue with what you were assigned," she said evenly.
The Nebraskan took her jacket from the receptionist and turned to go.
"Penelope, we have people who attend to inconveniences like the door. In future, keep your instinct to repair in check." She glanced at her watch. "It's one minute after."
Esperit dashed behind her desk as Penny fled to her own.
Sophie looked at the door handle and a flash of a smile crossed her lips before she returned to her office.
xTBBTx
"You seem pensive my friend," Heisenberg said in passing as the two men stood at a now-empty whiteboard. "For quite a while if I had a guess to hazard."
"Dr. Feynman left me a riddle to solve," Sheldon replied. "I'm having difficulties."
"Perhaps I can take a look? Since Herr Doktor has hidden himself away I can offer a fresh set of eyes." Sheldon shook his head even as he held Feynman's sketchbook close to his chest.
"Thank you but no. This challenge is for me and I will solve it."
"Very well." Heisenberg gave a nod and departed for the room.
Once the Nobel Prize laureate left Sheldon's shoulders seemed to curl inwards as he hugged the sketchbook. Since Feynman left the East Texan immersed himself in the goings-on in the room. He'd gone over the range of supersymmetric models with Newton and stood in awe as Einstein thoroughly undressed the Englishman on the topic of gravitons. Then it was off to Heisenberg and Schrodinger and Von Neumann and Tesla and Kepler and various other scientists. These were good times; Sheldon's intellect had never gotten such a workout when he was alive and there were moments when he was so pumped he felt he walked on clouds.
It started as a sudden pang as he solved Einstein's puzzle—the feeling of wanting to share his success with someone. The scientists offered congratulations once a theory was properly vetted through rigorous testing but it wasn't the same.
He wanted Feynman.
As 'time' went on Sheldon realized that it wasn't the man himself he missed—although he liked Feynman as well as he could like anyone—but what they talked about: the irrelevancies that were unimportant to everyone else in the room were gold to the Nobel Prize laureate. Now Sheldon understood why. More and more his thoughts were invaded by memories of Penny's clothes hanging from the telephone wire and wrestling with Leonard at the Bose-Einstein condensate presentation and the office war with Raj and counterfactual nights with Amy.
He even missed Howard.
What frustrated the lanky man most of all was Feynman's last equations as they made no sense and yet they had to since the formula had worked and the man was—somewhere else. This was another thing that gnawed at Sheldon: what if Feynman killed himself by leaving the room? He didn't want to die but he didn't want to stay here.
Sheldon took up the marker and wrote for the one hundred and twenty sixth time Feynman's last formula and proceeded to work his way backwards with the path integral formulation.
The result was Schrodinger's equation.
He tried another path.
Schrodinger.
Another path.
Schrodinger.
He continued doing this until he'd gone through all the variables he could imagine.
Nothing.
With a weary sigh he wrote out the one alteration that got him Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. It still didn't solve anything but at least it was different. In this case different was good and he needed somewhere to start even if it was in the heart of nowhere.
Sheldon set the marker on the ledge and returned to the room. He bypassed people as he made his way to the one place he needed.
"Excuse me, Dr. Hertz, but you're in my spot," he said as he arrived at the couch.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the doctor replied amiably and both he and Doppler left for another seat.
Sheldon sat down and closed his eyes, his hands resting on the sketchbook that sat on his lap. He took a deep breath to steady himself before opening his eyes and reaching into his pocket for the pencil.
He opened the sketchbook to a fresh page and began to write.
xTBBTx
"So how are things at work?" Bernadette asked Penny before she took a sip of wine.
"Infinitely less mind numbing than the Cheesecake Factory. Sheldon was right about that when he worked there for a bit." Here Penny smiled. "It was actually pretty liberating quitting that place."
"Of course you're not going to fly too far," Amy said quickly. "I mean your nest is filled with other cool chicks who like to hang with ya even though you occasionally get a peck on the head when mama returns with a fresh, juicy worm."
"Uh, yeah," the Nebraskan said, unsure as to where this was going. She picked up the bottle opener and stuck it into the cork but instead of evacuating the metal spring went flying and the opener separated from the screw. "Damn it." She pulled on the screw but only a piece of the cork came out. "Double damn." She got up. "Let me get Leonard's. It's a traditional screw."
Here Bernadette chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from Leonard."
"Ha ha," Penny said sarcastically before leaving for apartment 4A. She opened the door to find Leonard working away on Sheldon's laptop. "Still trying to beat his high score at Tetris?" she quipped as she crossed over to the kitchen and got the cork screw from the drawer.
"Something like that," he replied. "Need something?"
"Bottle opener bit the big one so I need a screw. Cork screw."
"You said it not me," he grinned. His girlfriend came over and lightly smacked him on the head.
"Hey, this isn't Tetris." She looked at the screen and saw a bunch of mumbo jumbo math. Leonard clicked on the task bar and the Tetris window opened.
"It's a habit I picked up from home. I close down a game whenever I hear footsteps because I'm reminded of my mother. She even made me feel guilty watching Sesame Street because the character interactions were a waste of time." Penny kissed him on the head.
"Well, your mother's not here so you can watch as much Sesame Street as you want," she soothed as she made for the door.
"Gee thanks." He waited for her to leave before he returned to the equations.
"We are back in business, ladies," the assistant said as she closed her door.
"I don't know if I should drink much more," said the microbiologist. "I have to drive home yet."
"We could always have another sleepover," Amy said brightly.
"I don't know. It's a work night," replied Penny as she popped the cork on the bottle.
"Since when do we let a little work get in the way of fun? Part of the bonding process lies in the three of us sharing the bathroom and the shower as we scramble to make ourselves presentable to the world," grinned the neurobiologist.
"Maybe next time," Bernadette said hesitantly as she glanced at Penny.
"Well we could drink it up tonight, bestie. We don't need Bernadette to have our own fun."
"I was going to have one more glass and that's it." Penny smirked. "Actually I haven't drunk during the work week since the last time we got together."
"Good for you," Bernadette blurted out before putting a hand to her mouth and blushing.
"It's nice to know you make an exception for us," Amy said. "Not that we need to drink to have a good time because we always have a good time so it's not like you need to get new friends or anything."
Penny cocked her head. "Why would I—what?"
"To friendship," Amy said as she raised her glass. The other two women joined her.
xTBBTx
Sheldon sat, oblivious to the sounds around him and pondered his formula. It was convoluted and so metaphysical it made the logical side of his brain cringe but it was the only way this all made sense to him.
Over 'time' he had cannibalized Feynman's formulas up until the point their equations diverged. For the life of him he still couldn't decipher the Nobel Prize laureate's concluding formulas. Suddenly Sheldon's mouth dropped as a thought struck him.
"Perhaps I'm not meant to," he breathed. "This is another door. Another choice." Excitedly he flipped back through his pages of notes and hundreds of pencil sketches Sheldon had made of his family and friends to find what he was looking for. "It was right all along. This is a case of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle! Feynman and I are the same yet not the same so our variables are similar yet different enough to require new calculations."
He turned to a fresh page and scribbled madly. As far as he could tell he was an energy state of some sort and thus was comprised of particles so that he should be subject to the physicalities of spacetime yet he was not. Time didn't apply here.
"When we die we lose the physicality but we retain the consciousness. There are three possible outcomes: at some point we shall lose the consciousness as we revert or contract to our core energy state and a) stabilize out as energy b) blink out of existence. OR we contract to our core energy state with consciousness and a) stabilize out as energy b) blink out of existence. OR our energy is continuing to expand outward and our energy has in its travels acquired consciousness by passing through a physical state. Like a metaphysical Higgs Field it slowed down the energy enough for it to be sucked into physical form."
Sheldon flipped through his notes. "That means everything in the physical universe is flowing with this energy: every star, every tree and rock and person and housefly. But not everything has achieved consciousness like human beings." He cocked his head. "Luck of the draw I suppose."
He continued to write and as he did so came to the realization that where he was now was a result of his having consciousness. So what was next? Was there a next? Sheldon got up from the couch and went to the wall. Heisenberg said that the more one is measured the more the other remains unknown. Position and momentum. In this instance he knew neither. Sheldon was sure he was Sheldon. Everything around him was unsure.
The Undiscovered Country.
So if he was to understand his surroundings he had to let go of his notions of what he was. His hand began to search the wall. If he was to open the wall he had to be the quantum outcome where he was unknown and the wall, known.
He had to believe.
A soft 'click' was heard and the wall pushed outwards to the white nothingness beyond. Sheldon tossed the notebook and pencil on the couch. No one seemed to notice what he was doing or that the wall had opened. He swallowed heavily to steady himself before taking a tentative step, then another, until he ventured beyond. Immediately after he let go of the wall he seemed to be surrounded by a white fog. Sheldon looked behind and could see the room and its inhabitants. Again he took a breath and proceeded forward.
"Dr. Feynman?" he called out.
Nothing. He was alone.
"Hello? Dr. Feynman? Anyone?"
He began to see shapes in the mist and approached what looked like the start of a forest. The trees were tall silver birches and were solid to the touch. Sheldon took a moment to gather his resolve before stepping past the first few trees. Almost immediately the sounds of chatter from the room ceased even as the fog dissipated.
"Dr. Feynman!"
Sheldon moved slowly forward, stepping over roots as he walked the mossy ground. After being surrounded by the whiteness for so long all the browns and greens and silvers were a delight to his senses. He did his best to maintain a straight line, taking his time to gather his bearings from a particular tree or upturned root even as he counted his steps in his head. In all the forest was beautiful but eerie as not even his footfalls made a sound.
Off to his right he caught an obvious indentation in the moss. He looked closer and grinned—it was a shoeprint! Noting its direction Sheldon carefully scanned the ground for more signs and sure enough found a heel print here and a partial toe print there.
"Dr. Feynman!" He caught a flash of movement ahead and rushed forward. "Wait!" His heart rate was elevated although he didn't feel fatigued and surged ahead.
After a few minutes of cat-and-mouse Sheldon came to a halt. Obviously whoever or whatever was ahead had no intention of stopping.
"Fine! Be a poopie head!"
He turned around so as to retrace his steps but was shocked to find that he'd left no footprints in the moss! Sheldon squatted and pressed his fingers into the green, noting that the moss slowly but surely retracted to its previous state.
"Well, Dr. Cooper, time to put your eidetic memory to the test," he mumbled to himself as he set off.
From time to time he found a familiar tree or root but somehow couldn't find his original trail. Moreover as he walked he found his shoes ever so slightly begin to stick in the moss as if the ground was getting swampy.
"This is impossible," he breathed as he came to what he was sure was the first tree he encountered in the forest. Ahead of him was forest as far as he could see instead of the white fog. Sheldon turned again and counted his steps to the next familiar root and there it was.
A shiver passed through his body as he realized he was totally lost.
xTBBTx
Penny smiled as she checked her phone before answering the call.
"Hello Mrs. Cooper," she said brightly as she busied herself at the stove.
"Ah still say the call display takes the mystery out of who's callin'."
"Sometimes it's a blessing to be able to screen calls."
"Ah still don't think it's somethin' Jesus would use but ah'm not here tuh judge. So how are things at work?"
"So far so good. No major catastrophes to report."
"Is that manager of yours still fussin' over the corners on a circle?"
"I swear it's like working for Sheldon sometimes. It's good. I'm learning a lot and Sophie hasn't had to read me the riot act for anything."
"Yuh 'n' Leonard are doin' well?"
"Yup. He's busy working on a project so we make our moments together count."
"Yes, Shelly mentioned yuhr nightly bareback ridin'. Yuh do realize that there are other ways of communicatin' than extendin' the fellowship of the thighs?"
"Of course there are. …And it's not like Leonard and I have sex all the time. …I mean we do have it a lot but not a lot a lot…."
"Just get yuhr priorities straight and yuh'll be fine. Maybe yuh should spend more time lookin' outside the circle if yuh catch my drift? Sometimes a changed perspective works wonders."
"Actually, Jackie invited me out with the other office girls for cocktails this Friday. They go every week to unwind and shoot the breeze."
"The mice are playin' away from the cat."
"Yup. Plus it gives me a chance to know more people. Over the past four years it seems as though I was either with Leonard or Amy and Bernadette. Now that I'm out and about I need a change."
"Change is healthy. Just not too much change else ah'm over yonder paddlin' yuhr behind."
"Yes Ma'am. Oh! That reminds me, I'm learning how to bake. I kept some of Sheldon's recipes because his loaves were always so amazing. Got any advice for a first-time cook?"
"Grease the pan instead of usin' those fandangled sprays. Ain't good for nothin'."
"But it makes it low cal."
"Yuh want yuhr loaf low cal or easy tuh get out of the pan?"
Penny picked up the can of Pam and tossed it into the garbage.
xTBBTx
Realizing that sulking beside his original starting point would do him no good Sheldon decided to make his way towards what he hoped was the wall of the room. As he had nothing else to do he counted his steps: one hundred became a thousand until he'd covered hundreds of miles. He noted that the 'sky' above was the usual whiteness and the overall brightness of the forest was more of a grey morning. The ground seemed dryer so his pace was light.
Every once in a while he called out to Dr. Feynman; Sheldon realized that the chances he'd encounter the physicist were remote but he had to at least try. His shouts never echoed and from the stillness of his surroundings he wondered exactly how far sound carried. Wouldn't it be horrendous if Feynman had been nearby but Sheldon couldn't hear him?
"Dr. Feynman!"
"I'm not a doctor but I am a fine man," said a voice to Sheldon's right. The physicist stopped dead.
"Come where I can see you," Sheldon said nervously as he peered deeper into the forest but could see no one. "I don't mean you any harm."
"And what makes you think I won't harm you?"
"You could have ambushed me but you chose to parlay instead."
The voice giggled. "Parlay. Parlez vous Francais?"
"Je parle un peu."
Again the voice giggled. "Hear that? He speaks French."
"What a gent'man," said a deeper voice in the same general area as the first. If Sheldon didn't know any better he'd swear it was the same man poorly masking his voice.
"I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Who are you?"
"Nobody."
"Everybody is a somebody. What is your given name?"
"Many people gave me many names: son, brother, father, friend, lover, enemy. Take your pick, I answer to all or else I am none."
"Good Lord I'm caught in a bad Shakespearian parody," the lanky man muttered to himself. "But you have a given name."
"I lost it."
The physicist's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you 'lost it'? You mean you can't remember?"
The voice laughed bitterly. "Oh, I remember alright. I remember so much I yearn to forget. I must forget. If you know what's good for you, you won't be asking questions like these."
"I don't understand." Sheldon made a step towards the voice.
"Stay back!"
With a sigh Sheldon turned and began walking.
"Suit yourself," he said. "I've a wall to find."
"Are you mad?! Are you insane?" The voice was keeping up with him. "Nobody goes looking for the wall. The wall finds you." Again Sheldon stopped.
"How does it find me?"
"You have a name. Trust me, it'll find you. But when it does you have to run away as fast as you can."
"Why?"
"You'll see things that will tear your heart and make you want to rip your eyes from their sockets."
"How will I 'see' these things?"
"Beware the wall of sorrow, Dr. Sheldon Cooper," said the voice faintly as if further away.
"Don't go!" Sheldon darted in the direction of the voice but after a healthy run he abandoned his search.
xTBBTx
Feynman Anecdotes on van: fotuvaorg