The Theory of Parallelism

Chapter 2

Thaddeus has been acting weirdly. He won't look me in the eye, and when he does, there's something like...guilt in his eyes. Lately, he's been on the phone a lot, yelling into it. Secretly, I see him on the couch, crying. Maybe he's going to get fired or something, but then again, that's highly unlikely. Thaddeus is a big player of the association he works for.

But I've been having troubles of my own. Lynn has a new friend from high school named Ryan. The problem? Ryan's a guy, and I know Lynn has been seeing a lot of Ryan. Would Lynn...? No, she's too good to cheat. Right? And yes, I know I shouldn't put my relationship trouble over Thaddeus' problems about his job, but I can't help it. I'm a teenager; it's what I do.

At that moment, Thaddeus called from his office, "Christopher, come here for a minute. I have a question I want to ask you."

Not knowing what to expect with this random, out-of-the-blue request, I got up from the living room couch and walked over to the doorway of his office. I leaned against the open doorway and asked, "What's up?" I'm normally not so casual with him and when I am casual with him, it means I'm either bored or in a good mood.

Thaddeus' office always reflected his strong work ethic. On the floor was a stack of books that had titles like "A History of Quantum Physics"; even more books of that sort were lined up in large mahogany shelves. Papers covered in his almost calligraphic handwriting were scattered on his desk, and charts probably consisting of various scientific journals' articles were stacked on the leather armchair opposite to him. His numerous diplomas and documents of achievement adorned the walls along with pictures of him with famous scientists and even world leaders. Dr. Thaddeus Armstrong, head scientist of the American Association for Advancement of Science, was certainly an extraordinary person. The only thing out of place was a simple picture that had no frame, unlike the others. It was a picture of myself taken in front of my orphanage when I was a kid and Thaddeus when he was a younger man.

I guess he had noticed my wandering eyes because he smiled and got up, walking over to that tacked-on picture. "You know, out of all of these pictures, this is my favorite."

"Thaddeus, why did you call me here?"

The smile on his face turned into a grim frown,and he looked at me with those guilty eyes. "I've come up with a new theory that I'm going to present to my colleagues. Since I consider you as my equal, may I present it to you first?"

We're equals? "Um, sure," I said. I walked into the office, moved the charts off of the arm chair, and sat in the chair.

Thaddeus sat in his own chair. "Christopher, what do you think about the idea of parallel universes?"

I was blunt. "It's impossible."

"Is it?" he mused, "Max Tegmark didn't think so."

"Tegmark the cosmologist? Thaddeus, the man's theory lacks testability and evidence," I retorted.

He said, "Now hold your horses, Christopher and hear me out. I've done some extensive research. Think about it: if all of the laws ensuring human existence are put into place on Earth and our universe, who is to say that the same, or similar laws can be put into place somewhere else, i.e. another universe?"

He had me pegged.

Thaddeus sighed and said suddenly, "On a side note, I want you to break up with Lynn."

My eyes widened. "W-what...?!"

"You will understand soon enough. Now go on. You have a date with her at the local teen club, right?" A tired grin formed on his face.

More stunned than angry, I stood up without a word and trudged to the kitchen. How did Thaddeus know I had a date? I definitely never really tell him anything about Lynn (or anything for that matter). As if things couldn't get weirder, a god-like figure, metaphorically speaking, must have sensed my thirst because a glass of water was sitting on my placemat on the table. I took a swig of it, grabbed my keys, and headed out to the club.

Glancing briefly into the office of Thaddeus, I read his moving lips as he sat in his chair, not looking back at me. ...I'm sorry?