Three elderly men shuffled into the doctor’s office for what was supposed to be a simple memory check. They walked in with the kind of confidence only age can give—the confidence of people who’ve survived enough of life’s quizzes to treat new ones like entertainment.
The doctor greeted them with a clipboard and a smile, ready to begin with what he called “easy questions.” But the word easy clearly had different meanings for everyone in the room.
He started with the first man.
“What is three times three?”
The man straightened up, chest puffed out, as if preparing to solve a world crisis. Then, proudly, he announced:
“Two hundred seventy-four.”
The doctor blinked. The nurse behind the door silently shook with laughter. The doctor scribbled in his notes, choosing to avoid asking how that number happened.
Next, he turned to the second man.
“And you? What is three times three?”
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