In a cozy doctor’s waiting room, three elderly gentlemen—Arthur, Bernard, and Clarence—sat side by side, ready for a memory test with Dr. Halpern. The doctor began by asking Arthur, “What is three times three?” After a moment of deep thought, Arthur confidently answered, “Two hundred and seventy-four!” Next, Bernard was asked the same question, but he grinned and replied, “Tuesday!” The doctor struggled to keep a straight face as the two friends enjoyed their unusual answers.

Finally, it was Clarence’s turn. Having watched his friends carefully, he answered the question without hesitation: “Nine.” Impressed, Dr. Halpern asked how he had figured it out so quickly. Clarence leaned forward with a mischievous smile and whispered, “Easy. I subtracted Tuesday from two hundred and seventy-four!” The room burst into laughter. Arthur wiped tears from his eyes, Bernard slapped his knee, and even the doctor had to put down his clipboard.

After the examination, the three friends strolled down a sunny sidewalk, still laughing and teasing one another about their answers. Arthur insisted his number made sense in a different kind of mathematics, while Bernard maintained that Tuesday was the answer to life’s toughest questions. Clarence simply smiled, pleased that his joke had worked so well. Watching them leave, Dr. Halpern made one final note: their memories might be uncertain, but their sense of humor was outstanding—and their friendship was as strong as ever.