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December 04, 2005
Let me drive
I had decided to drive to Providence on local roads only. Something about the fog didn't sit right with me, our headlights couldn't cut through it in the night, and I've never liked highway driving anyway. This meant that every hour or so, we'd have to pull over and tensely stare at the map to make sure we were still on the right track. Cynthia wasn't happy about it.
"Why can't you drive on the freeway, like a normal person?" she said. "Let me drive, for Chrissakes."
"I'd rather not," I said.
I tried to change the subject, talk about something else, something that didn't have to do with driving.
"Have you heard about Schroedinger's cat?" I asked.
"Of course I have," she said. "You've mentioned it once already tonight. There's nothing to say about it. Will you watch where you're going?"
"I just wonder if it's true. I mean, the idea that observing something changes the state of what you're observing."
"That's an oversimplification of the thing," she said. "That's what people say Schroedinger's cat is about, but it's really about more than that."
"I don't know," I said. "I think that's what it's about."
Cynthia smacked both her palms on her lap, hard. "Turn! Turn! You missed it!" She bounced up and down in her seat.
I missed it. And now the road was too narrow to swing back around easily.
"Why can't you go back?" she said. "You missed it. Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you," I said. "I want to find a turnoff. A gas station or something. Don't want to do a U-turn right now."
"I can't believe this," she said. I wasn't looking at her but I could tell she was shaking her head.
"Hey," I said. "Hey. Remember that thing you said last night?"
"What thing? I can't talk about anything until you turn around."
"Remember? About what you worry about."
"No." A rabbit dodged in front of the car, it seemed impossibly close, but somehow I didn't hit it. Then Cynthia said, "Yes. You told me to stop, that it was ridiculous. I'm not worried anymore."
"Okay," I said. "I've just been thinking about it."
We were both silent for a while. Then an Exxon came up on the right.
Posted by tony at December 4, 2005 11:03 AM
