the mathematician

2 rolls one day.
two fruit cups the
next and so on and
so forth until he had
himself convinced she
was in love w/him that
it was somehow in the
numbers.

he had the equation for
love. it was ever changing,
ever evolving, ever grasping
toward the unknown, the next
level, the next layer, the next
next to that. and as a matter
of both principle and fact,
Herbert was sure this
knowledge would
somehow make
the world a
better place.

he could never get the equation
quite right on paper, though. it
was there in front of him each
weekday while going through
line for lunch, but it was so
elusive.

one afternoon, Herbert didn't
show up at the cafeteria
anymore.