Chapter 9

'If I try this board of equations and plug in it into the third equation on the third board' Charlie said thinking out loud. He was so concentrated on what he was doing he didn't even notice Larry enter. Larry stood back and observed his younger colleague. He loved Charlie like a brother and it pained him to see Charlie going through this. He had to admit though it was amazing to watch him work. He knew where every previous equation he had written was and had it all interrelated and Charlie flew from board to board. Larry would've quite enjoyed it if wasn't for the fact that he knew Charlie was doing this because he couldn't deal with whatever happened between him and Amita (which must have been pretty serious considering there are very few things that would cause Charlie to do this). Larry figured that now would be a good time as ever to try to get him to eat

"Charles, I see you're working on P vs. NP again. Think you're close to a breakthrough?" Larry asked figuring it was good to start out with small talk. Charlie just kept scribbling "Your father made you a sandwich " Larry said waving the plate at Charlie when he thought Charlie had turned around to see him but he looked past him to the chalkboard hanging above the one Larry was blocking

"No, that doesn't work maybe if I try this…" Charlie mumbled under his breath turning back to the board in front on him, still not acknowledging Larry's presence

"Charles, stop for a moment" Larry said walking over to Charlie and taking his (Charlie's) hand in his own and urged to get him to put the chalk down but failed

"Larry. I'm sorry, I didn't even notice you were here" Charlie said as he felt someone's hand on his "Not that I don't appreciate you stopping by but I really must finish this before I lose my train of thought" and with that Charlie took his hand out of Larry's and placed it back on the board and continued writing

"Charles" Larry spoke to him again "Please stop. I know you think you're on the track of solving this but you're not"

"How do you know what's in my head!" Charlie snapped at Larry and regretted it for a moment but then the numbers came back into his head and went on writing

"Charles, please stop writing. Eat some food, take a shower and then go to sleep"

"I can't Larry not until I finish this part of the equation" Charlie said looking over the chalkboard and erased it with a sigh that was mixed between sadness and frustration/anger

"Charles! Go inside the house right now!" Larry uncharacteristically snapped yelling at him

"Maybe if I try the first board plugged into the SECOND equation on the third board" Charlie said aloud seemingly lost in his math again

"Charles please" Larry begged. The last time Charlie did this he came out of the garage looking so cadaverous, Larry was seriously concerned about his health.

"There…no that doesn't work either" Charlie said erasing the board and throwing his chalk down and walking to the middle of the room to his stack of about 200 papers. Lifting up half the stack and then going to the third page down he looks over the equation, puts the stack back down and walks back over to the board, all the while not acknowledging Larry was still there

"Charles, you're going to work yourself sick. Please come inside" Larry tried begging one last time letting all the emotion he was feeling, show in his voice. Charlie paused then, for a moment, before going back

Larry seeing that it was useless, placed the food down on the stool, turned around and left the garage murmuring a prayer for Charlie's safety knowing fully well what was going to happen to Charlie if someone doesn't stop him soon