204. The Puzzle

I am about two kilometers out of town when a car stops for me and, for a change, I accept the ride. I am not hitchhiking—just strolling along.

Inside the car are Adam, a Lebanese flight engineer and Eve, his French wife (my names for them). They treat me to a cheeseburger (no kidding!) in the beach town of Byblos while we discuss Life (in English).

Back in the car, Adam says he has a hobby. He likes to make little twisted wire puzzles. You know the kind-- where two pieces of heavy wire are entwined in such a way that they can be untangled if you know how to do it. Would I like to try to take his latest model apart?

Why not? But I know from experience as a kid, I'm usually not very good at this kind of puzzle

He hands the tangled wires to me over his shoulder as he drives.

I glance at the puzzle and immediately see how to work it—and slide the pieces apart.

"Tell me when you finish." he says.

I tap his shoulder and hand him back the two separate pieces of the puzzle and he almost runs off the highway!

"How did you do that?" he asks, "It's the most difficult puzzle I have ever designed. It would take an expert at least twenty minutes to solve it!"

I tell him that I'm usually very dumb about working that kind of puzzle, but in this case I could see how to do it immediately.

Like I said, it's THAT kind of a day.

...