Chapter 35

I was still in the chair when I woke the next morning. It wascold and raining and my laptop battery had exhausted¹ itself. Ishook my head to test for a hangover but it seemed that myalcohol-processing enzymes² had done their job adequately. Sohad my brain. I had unconsciously set it a problem to solveand, understanding the importance of the situation, it hadovercome the handicap of intoxication³ to reach a solution.
I began the second half of my life by making coffee. Then Ireviewed the very simple logic⁴.
1. I was wired differently. One of the characteristics of mywiring was that I had difficulty empathising. This problem hasbeen well documented in others and is, in fact, one of thedefining symptoms of the autism spectrum⁵.
2. A lack of empathy would account for my inability to respondemotionally to the situations of fictional⁶ characters in films. Thiswas similar to my inability to respond as others did to thevictims of the World Trade Center273/290terrorist attacks. But I did feel sorry for Frank the firefighterguide. And for Daphne; my sister; my parents when my sisterdied; Carl and Eugenie because of the Gene⁷–Claudia marriagecrisis; Gene himself, who wanted to be admired but hadachieved the opposite; Claudia, who had agreed to an openmarriage but changed her mind and suffered as Genecontinued to exploit it; Phil, who had struggled to deal with hiswife’s infidelity and death and then to win the love of Rosie;Kevin Yu, whose focus on passing the course had blinded himto ethical⁸ conduct; the Dean, who had to make difficultdecisions under contradictory⁹ rules and deal with prejudiceabout her dress and relationship; Faith Healer, who had toreconcile his strong beliefs with scientific evidence; MargaretCase, whose son had committed suicide and whose mind nolonger functioned; and, critically, Rosie, whose childhood andnow adulthood¹⁰ had been made unhappy by her mother’s deathand her father problem and who now wanted me to love her.
This was an impressive list, and, though it did not include Rickand Ilsa from Casablanca, it was clear evidence that myempathy capability¹¹ was not entirely¹² absent.
3. An inability (or reduced ability) to empathise is not the sameas an inability to love. Love is a powerful feeling for anotherperson, often defying logic.
4. Rosie had failed numerous criteria¹³ on the Wife Project,including the critical smoking question. My feelings for hercould not be explained by logic. I did not care about MerylStreep. But I was in love with Rosie.
274/290I had to act quickly, not because I believed the situation withRosie was likely to change in the immediate¹⁴ future, but becauseI needed my jacket, which was, I hoped, still in the rubbishbin where I had thrown it. Luckily I was already dressed fromthe previous evening.
It was still raining when I arrived at the bin¹⁵, just in time tosee it emptied into a garbage truck compactor. I had acontingency plan, but it was going to take time. I turned thebike around to head for home and crossed the road. Slumpedin a shop doorway¹⁶, out of the rain, was a hobo. He was fastasleep, and he was wearing my jacket. I carefully reached intothe inside pocket and extracted the envelope and my phone.
As I remounted my bike, I saw a couple on the other side ofthe street watching me. The male started to run towards me,but the woman called him back. She was making a call on hermobile phone.
It was only 7.48 a.m. when I arrived at the university. A policecar approached from the opposite direction, slowed as it passedme, then signalled a U-turn. It occurred to me that it couldhave been summoned to deal with my apparent theft from thehobo. I turned quickly down the bicycle path, where I couldnot be followed by a mo-tor vehicle, and headed towards theGenetics building to find a towel.
As I opened the unlocked door of my office it was obviousthat I had had a visitor, and who that visitor had been. Thered roses were lying on my desk. So was the Father Projectfile, which had been removed from its home in the filingcabinet. The list of father-candidate names and sampledescriptions was on the desk beside it. Rosie had left a note.
Don, I’m sorry about everything. But I know whoTable-Napkin Man is. I’ve told Dad. I probably shouldn’thave but I was very upset.
I tried to call you. Sorry again. Rosie.
There was a lot of crossed-out writing between Sorry againand Rosie. But this was a disaster! I needed to warn Gene.
275/290His diary indicated a breakfast meeting at the University Club. Ichecked the PhD area, and Stefan was there, but not Rosie.
Stefan could see that I was highly agitated¹⁷, and followed me.
We reached the club, and located Gene at a table with theDean. But at another table, I saw Rosie. She was with Claudiaand seemed very distressed¹⁸. I realised that she could besharing the news about Gene, even prior to a DNA¹⁹ ratification²⁰.
The Father Project was ending in total disaster. But I hadcome for something else. I was desperate to share myrevelation. We could resolve the other problem later.
I ran to Rosie’s table. I was still wet as a result of forgettingto dry myself. Rosie was obviously surprised to see me. Idispensed with formalities.
‘I’ve made an incredible mistake. I can’t believe I’ve been sostupid.
Irrational²¹!’ Claudia made signals for me to stop, but I ignoredthem.
‘You failed almost every criterion of the Wife Project.
Disorganised, mathematically illiterate²², ridiculous foodrequirements. Incredible. I considered sharing my life with asmoker. Permanently²³!’
Rosie’s expression was complex, but appeared to includesadness, anger and surprise. ‘It didn’t take you long to changeyour mind,’ she said.
Claudia was frantically²⁴ waving at me to stop, but I wasdetermined to proceed according to my own plan.
‘I haven’t changed my mind. That’s the point! I want to spendmy life with you even though it’s totally irrational. And youhave short earlobes. Socially and genetically²⁵ there’s no reasonfor me to be attracted to you. The only logical conclusion isthat I must be in love with you.’
Claudia got up and pushed me into her chair.
‘You don’t give up, do you?’ said Rosie.
‘I’m being annoying?’
‘No,’ said Rosie. ‘You’re being incredibly brave. I have the bestfun with you, you’re the smartest, funniest person I know,you’ve done all276/290these things for me. It’s everything I want and I’ve been tooscared to grab it because –’
She stopped but I knew what she was thinking. I finished hersentence for her.
‘Because I’m weird²⁶. Perfectly²⁷ understandable. I’m familiar withthe problem because everyone else seems weird to me.’
Rosie laughed.
I tried to explain.
‘Crying over fictitious²⁸ characters, for example.’
‘Could you live with me crying in movies?’ said Rosie.
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘It’s conventional behaviour.’ I stopped as Irealised what she had said.
‘You’re offering to live with me?’
Rosie smiled.
‘You left this on the table,’ she said, and pulled the ringcontainer from her bag. I realised that Rosie had reversed herdecision of the previous night, and was in effect rolling backtime to allow my original plan to proceed at an alternativelocation. I extracted the ring and she held out her finger. I putit on and it fitted. I felt a major sense of relief.
I became aware of applause. It seemed natural. I had beenliving in the world of romantic comedy and this was the finalscene. But it was real. The entire University Club dining roomhad been watching. I decided²⁹ to complete the story accordingto tradition and kissed Rosie. It was even better than theprevious occasion.
‘You’d better not let me down,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m expectingconstant craziness.’
Phil walked in, his nose in a plaster cast, accompanied by theclub manager. She was followed by two police. The managerpointed Gene out to Phil.
277/290‘Oh shit,’ said Rosie. Phil walked over to Gene, who stood up.
There was a brief conversation and then Phil knocked him tothe floor with a single punch to the jaw³⁰. The police rushedforward and restrained Phil, who did not resist. Claudia ran upto Gene, who was slowly rising. He appeared not to beseriously injured. I realised that under the traditional rules ofromantic behaviour, it was correct for Phil to assault Gene,assuming he had in fact seduced³¹ Rosie’s mother when she wasPhil’s girlfriend.
However, it was not certain that Gene was the culprit. On theother hand, numerous men were probably entitled to punchGene. In this sense, Phil was dispensing³² romantic justice ontheir behalf. Gene must have understood, because he appearedto be reassuring³³ the police that everything was okay.
I redirected my attention to Rosie. Now that my previous planhad been reinstated, it was important not to be distracted.
‘Item Two on the agenda was your father’s identity.’
Rosie smiled. ‘Back on track. Item One: let’s get married. Okay,that’s sorted. Item Two. This is the Don I’ve grown to knowand love.’
The last word stopped me. I could only look at Rosie as I tookin the reality of what she had said. I guessed she was doingthe same, and it was several seconds before she spoke³⁴.
‘How many positions in that book can you do?’
‘The sex book? All of them.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘It was considerably³⁵ less complex than the cocktail³⁶ book.’
‘So let’s go home,’ she said. ‘To my place. Or your place ifyou’ve still got the Atticus Finch³⁷ outfit³⁸.’ She laughed.
‘It’s in my office.’
‘Another time. Don’t throw it out.’
We got up, but the police, one man and one woman, blockedour path.
278/290‘Sir,’ said the woman (age approximately twenty-eight, BMItwenty-three), ‘I’m going to have to ask you what’s in yourpocket.’
I had forgotten the envelope! I pulled it out and waved it infront of Rosie.
‘Tickets! Tickets to Disneyland. All problems solved!’ I fannedout the three tickets, took Rosie’s hand and we walked towardsPhil to show him.

1 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

2 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

3 intoxication   

n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning

参考例句：

• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。
• Predator: Intoxication-Damage over time effect will now stack with other allies. Predator:Intoxication,持续性伤害的效果将会与队友相加。

4 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

7 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

8 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

9 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

10 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

11 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

16 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

17 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

18 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

19 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

20 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

21 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

22 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

23 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

24 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

25 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

26 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

27 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

28 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

29 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

30 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

31 seduced   

诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷

参考例句：

• The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。

32 dispensing   

v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

34 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

35 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

36 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

37 finch   

n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀，金丝雀等)

参考例句：

• This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
• In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚，它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。

38 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。