28:PM

Charles decided to see if he could live without worldly possessions. He said that giving them up one at a time was the scientific way to do it, which made sense to Doreen because she had bought him a subscription to Nature the previous Christmas, and since then he had been fascinated by the scientific method. Doreen’s friends suggested that she give him time, then they suggested that she draw the line at items important to her. Her friends made no suggestions at all for one week, when Charles packed their cell phones into the garage. When he brought them out, her voicemail was full of messages saying This has to stop.

That night, Doreen watched Charles dismantle the ceiling fan. “This has to stop,” she said.

“You only concern yourself with larger things,” he said. “You didn’t notice the week I went without socks.”

“I do your laundry. I notice everything.”

“Speaking of, I have the clothes dryer on schedule for next week.”

The base of the ceiling fan came down in one piece, and he wrapped the globes carefully with newspaper before unscrewing the blades. He lay them in a neat stack and arranged them all in a box.

“The girls are talking about you again,” Doreen said.

“Those women need to learn a thing or two about compromise,” Charles said.

He took the ceiling fan away. Doreen looked at the bare wires dangling from the ceiling and wondered how a scientist might see them.