“What’s in that box?” Schrodinger’s wife Anna asked him one day. “It smells like something died in there.”
“It’s an experiment, Anna. You wouldn’t understand.”
Maybe not, but the only thing a man likes more than telling a woman she’s wrong is proving how right he is.
Sure enough, he continued talking. “There’s this guy called Rontgen. He came up a way of looking inside things without looking inside. He calls them X rays. Nothing I expect a woman to understand.”
“Right,” Anna said. “So, we are not taking this thing to Ireland. Hilde agrees with me. And I love her a little more than you right now.”
When she put it that way…. “I’ll get rid of the box. Then, you can both make it up to me?” He waggled his eyebrows at her, in an early 20th century kind of way.
She rolled her eyes at him in a way which will live forever.
Boys and their toys….
Author’s aside:
While researching this story, I found out that Schrodinger was involved in an open, menages a troi relationship.
1) Polygamy was easier for men back when women were property. Now, it is only legal in some parts of the world. I continue to feel that women should be allowed to have multiple husbands (if they want it) for as long as it takes to even the score. I won’t judge, ladies.
2) Schrodinger’s cat is a physics joke. Schrodinger took issue with uncertainty as posited in quantum physics. Strictly to debunk those theories, he put forth a scenario where a cat in a box might or might not be dead, until observed. He never actually tortured cats. I mean, he had two wives. At the same time. One of them would have noticed.
…Maybe he would have had a little less trouble with scientific uncertainty if he could have been a little more certain who he was married to.
I bet everyone in the early 20th century was thinking it.
Anne Higa 
Interesting – did not know that about Schrodinger. Glad he didn’t actually harm any cats!
Hari Om
While fully aware of the cat in box conundrum – had never researched the man to discover the threesome situation.
Even if it were permitted, I’d give the husband thing a miss – I mean, c’mon, I decided even one was a waste of my time!!! YAM xx
LOL. Same here. I was thinking of adding that I was joking. But of course I’m joking. Well except for not judging people usually. But that historical fact was too funny not to use!
Hmmm, a thought-provoking question with a convoluted answer involving photons. I did smile at the man’s completely correct comment: “.. . nothing I would expect a woman to understand.” Not much at all is expected of such as him.
Such a fun blending of fact with fiction. Nicely done!
“X” selection of the day:
Ha ha, I enjoyed the eye-brow waggling and eye-rolling.
Black and White: X for Xanadu
Yeah, people as property is uncool. Even more so with forced marriages or child brides. If polygamy is at least a choice by a consenting adult, that’s an improvement.
Sucks for the cat, even if it wasn’t an actual cat. That physics is like the philosophical question about the tree falling in the forest.
I love letter X posts! Always such variety.
It’s hard to believe the alphabet part of the blogging challenge is over for 2021. Down to the after survey, reflections, and the “road trip” sign-up.
Plus, I’m taking part in the Bout of Books read-a-thon in May. So much excitement!
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author