“Apologies for the interruption.” Dean heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s not easy being this devastatingly handsome and popular.”
I chuckled. Bender or not, Dean was self-possessed and charismatic, two things no amount of smarts was ever going to give me.
“So, Xander Ford, we have an application process to join our illustrious club. You must answer me these questions three.”
Dean handed me a clipboard and a pencil, and I studied the questions.
The solution to (dy/dx) = e(3x–2y)+ x2e(-2y)
A 2 kg object is pushed with a force of 10 N across a frictionless surface. What is the object’s acceleration?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Within minutes, I’d solved all three. I handed back the clipboard.
“That was fast!” Dean said and scanned my answers. His smile collapsed.
“Something wrong?” I asked tightly.
“Not exactly. It’s just…you answered the third question. With math.”
I frowned. “Was I not supposed to?”
Dean chuckled, then saw I was serious. “Question three is a joke. FromMonty Python and the Holy Grail?”
And that, my friends, is how you go from being a genius to a fool in less than a minute.
The back of my neck burned. “Is that a movie? I don’t watch TV or movies.”
“Hey, no sweat.” Dean chucked me on the arm. “Our club does movie nights once a month. We’ll get you caught up.” He shook his head in awe. “I can’t believe you actually answered question three.”
“Well, um, I applied the Strouhal number formula for the cruising flights of insects and birds to create the equation. Without exact figures, I had to estimate—”
“Hey, I’m joking.” Dean laughed. “You passed the test. In fact, you overshot it bya lot. Where did you say you went to school again?”
“I didn’t, but it was Langdon School. It’s a private academy in Bethesda.”
I may have been socially incompetent, but I knew better than to tell him I’d already been to college.
“Never heard of it,” Dean said. “I’m guessing you were president, king, and emperor of your math club.”
“I was on the row crew, actually. I’m looking to try out for the team here.”
He stared. “You’re joking.”
I glanced around. “Not that I’m aware of…”
“Holy shit!” Dean’s face broke out into what I’d soon learn was his customary grin. “If this isn’t your lucky day! You happen to be looking at the coxswain for our Royal Pride crew.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. But crew here is like football in Texas. You gotta be good. You any good?”
“I like to think so.”
“Coach Daniels is holding tryouts down at the Academy marina all day Saturday. Meet me at the gym Saturday morning and I’ll showyou around.”
“I’d appreciate that,” I said, touched by his kindness. “Thanks, Dean.”
