Every afternoon when Professor Herbert Allen walked home from the university, he was occupied with the book in his hand that he never saw anything around him. When he reached home, his wife would say, "What happened today, Herbert?" and he would answer, "Nothing."
The truth was that if anything did happen, he didn't know it. He was much too busy brushing up on Voltaire, Hegel, or some other philosopher. Still, he gave his wife the same answer every day. She knew in advance that he would, but she asked anyway.
One day, however, Herbert had a different answer ready for his wife. It was all because of the weather. That afternoon the spring weather was so beautiful that he left the university earlier that usual and went to the park. Of course, he carried a philosophy book in his hand. As long as he had to read this book anyway, why not in the park? he sat down on the bench under a tree, made himself at home there, and started to read. Around him were people enjoying the sunshine. The trees were covered with leaves; the flowers were all in bloom; every now and then a bird sang. It was a lovely day.
Professor Allen was about to begin the second chapter of his book when a man said, "Well, hello. The last time I saw you was in Philadelphia, wasn't it? Remember? But what are you doing here? Do you live in this town? I'm here to see about something for my office. I've been up to my ears in work."
"Why, I ---" At first Herbert didn't know what to say. He hadn't been in Philadelphia since 1952, when he went there with his wife to visit her cousins. The man was mistaken, to say the least. Herbert had never seen him before.
The businessman must have noticed the strange expression on Herbert's face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Don't you remember me?"
"Are you one of my wife's cousins?"
It was the other man's turn to have a strange expression. "I... I don't think so."
"Then I don't know you, " the professor replied calmly. "The only people I know in Philadelphia are my wife's relatives."
Excuse me," the businessman said. "I obviously made a mistake."
"That's all right," replied the professor and returned to his book. He had read only five minutes when, all of a sudden, a lady with a little boy spoken to him. "Pardon me, sir," said the lady. "You look like a kind person. Will you keep an eye on my little boy while I go across the street to the drug-store? I'll be back in five minutes."
Before he could say anything, the woman was gone. The professor put his book down and looked at the child. The child looked at the professor. "What's your name?" asked the boy.
"Herbert Allen. What's yours?"
"Allen Herbert."
"Really? That's very interesting." The professor thought about this coincidence for several minutes.
"I want some ice cream," the boy said, pointing to man selling it nearby.
"All right," said the professor. "Come with me." He took the boy to the ice-cream man. "What flavor?" he asked the boy.
"Chocolate."
The professor did not notice that the boy war wearing a white shirt. Almost immediately there were spots of chocolate on it.
"Oh! Look at him!" cried the child's mother when she returned. "You're to blame for it!" Why did you let him have it?"
"He wanted it," Professor Allen said timidly.
"He could have done without it!"
"I'm not used to being around children," the professor confessed.
"That's obvious," said the woman. "What am I going to do? I have to meet my mother-in-law here in ten minutes. If she sees Allen like this, she'll tell my husband I'm a careless housewife, not to mention a poor mother. I'll just have to take him home and change his shirt. I can't get rid of those spots here. I should have known all along not to leave Allen with a stranger." She hurried away angrily, pulling the chocolate-covered boy after her.
"That was a close call," Herbert told himself. "I thought for a minute she was going to have me arrested."
Once again Professor Allen opened his book. It was extremely interesting. For the time being he was able to forget the woman and her little boy.
Just fifteen minutes later someone touched his arm and asked, "Can you let me have a quarter, mister? I'm broke and I haven't had anything to eat all morning. I've had my heart set on a nice big hamburger all day. It's all I think about."
The professor, his mind deep in thought on a statement by Voltaire, did not understand. "What did you say? You broke something?"
"No, no!" the man answered. "I said I'm broke. I need twenty-five cents for a hamburger."
The professor looked in his pockets. Finally he shock his head. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I don't have a quarter. Can you make a fifty-cent piece do?"
The poor man looked at the professor as though he couldn't believe him. "I... I suppose so," he replied. He took the fifty-cent piece and, thanking the Professor, hurried away, shaking his head.
For the next half hour, nobody interrupted Professor Allen. However, he didn't read his book. There was too much to see: a big fire in the store down the street, an automobile accident at the corner, and a military parade that matched right in front of the park. In fact, all these things happened at the same time. It goes without saying that he had no time to read.
At 4:30 P.M. his alarm wristwatch notified him that he'd better go home. Two years before, his wife had given him the watch; before that he was always late for dinner. The professor got up from the bench in the park and starred home.
When he reached the house, his wife opened the door for him. "Where have you been?" she asked, "and what have you been up to?" She seemed slightly annoyed. "The president of the Philosophical Society telephoned. The meeting tonight has been cancelled. I tried to reach you at the university, but you had already left."
"I had? Oh! Yes. Now I remember. It was such a fine afternoon that I went to the park."
His wife's attitude suddenly changed. "You did? I'm very glad, Herbert. The fresh air and sunshine do you good. You should go to the park every afternoon that the weather is nice."
"I can't go that often."
"Then go every other afternoon. You're too hard on yourself; always studying. Did you see anything interesting in the park?"
Professor Allen smiled. Today he would have lots of things to tell his wife.
"I know, I know," Mrs Allen went on before he could speak. "As usual, you didn't see anything. Sometimes, Herbert, I wish you'd take your nose out of your books long enough to look at the world around you. Frankly, it's a lot more interesting."
Her husband nodded quietly, then went into the living room and sat down. He didn't feel up to arguing with her. And besides, maybe his wife was right. She almost always was. Maybe nothing really had happened in the park that afternoon. Perhaps he had gone to sleep and really just dreamed it all. Yet it had been so exciting that he'd just as soon believe it was true. He felt rather regretful. He was so absentminded that he couldn't trust his own ability to rememeber anything, not even something that happened an hour before!
Herbert was about to remove his coat when he saw a spot on his sleeve: Chocolate ice cream! He smiled. It hadn't been a dream after all. Everything had really happened. He got up from his chair and hurried into the kitchen to tell his wife.
