"Burstein, Michael A - Reality Check" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burstein Michael A)

Reality Check Michael A. Burstein
"Reality Check" first appeared in the November 1999 issue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life wasnТt exciting, perhaps, but for the moment it was very secure, and
David Strock preferred it that way. He stood up at his desk and stretched,
enjoying the comfort of the late morning sunlight coming through the window
of his spacious office. He looked around, taking in once more the size of
the room, the beautiful chairs, the overflowing bookcases, and the view of
Boston outside. Not bad for someone not even in his thirties yet.

He sat down again and hummed to himself as he shuffled the papers on his
desk. This one, another paper for peer review. That one, a proposal he was
writing with his experimental colleagues. Really, he thought, at some point
I need to get back to doing real physics. It had been at least a week since
he had grappled with a problem.

Just as the clock read noon, there was an expected knock on at the door.
"Come in!"

The door opened, and in walked Judith Pell. David smiled as she carefully
closed the door behind her, but left it slightly ajar. "Hello, David. What
do we have today?"

David got up and began walking over to the small refrigerator he kept in
his office, with a microwave oven on the shelf above. Since Judith and he
were the only ones nearby who kept kosher, David tended to bring lunch for
both of them every day. But their schedules meant that they usually only
ate together on Mondays and Wednesdays. "Sanbusaks. From ZaatarТs Oven."

"Mmm." Judith cut in front of David, opened the refrigerator door, and
pulled out the white paper bag which contained their lunch. "What kind did
you get me?"

"Your favorite. The mushrooms and shallots with cashkavel cheese. And an
Israeli salad."

"Good, IТm starving." Judith put the sanbusaks into the microwave and
turned it on. "LetТs eat."

They went out to the separate bathrooms for the ritual washing of the
hands. The menТs room was slightly closer, so David waited for Judith to
return before reciting the blessing over bread. They nibbled a little of
the sanbusaks afterwards, to complete the ritual, but then munched away on
their salads, using the plastic forks provided by the restaurant.

"Did you have a good shabbat?" Judith asked in between swallows of food.

"Yeah. SarahТs still tired from caring for Yitzhak, so I made dinner."