Mary walks in, drying a dish. “Sheldon, what are you working on? And why does it have ‘MPC’? That’s not a particle collider.”
“That’s the problem,” he snaps. “In physics, if I input the correct variables, I get a precise outcome. But here? I’ve accounted for Emotional Volatility (E), Time Since Transgression (T), Maternal Guilt Factor (M), and Residual Anger (R). But the final variable—S for Stubbornness —keeps breaking the equation.”
Sheldon considers this. “That’s a high cost.”
“Take it or leave it, MPC.”
“What?” comes her muffled voice.
“I recalculated,” Sheldon says. “And I arrived at a new conclusion. You’re not a variable. You’re a constant. A constant I took for granted. I’m sorry.”