5 August 1539

The Friends Pub in Milan, Italy was the location. It had been about 6 months since I had to pack up from our 5 year home in Pavia and move the family out to Milan. I wouldn't have said that it was our first choice, but I always try to keep a good character about switching things up a bit and gaining new wisdom threw new experiences and new friends. That's exactly what I was doing on this day. After the first week starting my new job, my coworkers invited me to their Friday afternoon weekend initiation pub crawl. This was the first stop on the list. The food was okay, the company was good, and the beer was better. I was starting to get the feeling that I was going to like this new town. After a couple rounds and getting some food in our stomaches, it was time to walk to the next pub. As we all walked out the door, a tall man had a simple grin on his face entering in the opposite direction. The man looked awfully familiar, but the grin did not. You know that feeling where you wanted to say something to someone and it is right on the tip of your tongue but you can't remember what it was? That is how I felt, I knew that I knew this guy, he was to familiar for me not to recognize him. I had only been here for a week though, so I am not sure if I maybe just had one too many pints at the first stop. After taking a few steps in the direction of my friends, I thought to myself, "Why did you move here? Did you not want to take risks? Experience new things? Gain new wisdom?" So, as a result, I yelled to my coworkers, who were all ahead of me at this point, that I had to use the restroom and that I was going to catch up with them at the next pub. What I was really doing though, was going back to have a conversation with this man to see where I might have known him from. Upon walking back in, I saw the distinct man sitting alone at the bar. The perfect opportunity. I went and sat two seats down from him and ordered another pint, hoping that he would look my way and recognize me also and say something. Five minutes passed by with no words said when finally I turned to him and said, "excuse me sir, you look awfully familiar. Would we have happened to cross paths in the past?" "I don't know, " he said, "I have met a lot of people in my life before and they all come and go as quick as a bankroll on the roulette table." I laughed because I could relate. Then, after about a seven second pause, it hit me. That is where I knew this man from! The casino in Pavia! I then leaned over to him and said, "15 years ago in the Pavia casino, I believe we met at on the blackjack table, do you remember me?" "I try to forget everything about that casino as much as possible, but as a matter of fact, I do remember you!" he exclaimed, "boy, have some things changed in the last 15 years." I remembered that he was having some family issues at the time and was hesitant to talk about them. Fairly reluctantly, I continued on to ask him how his family and life had been and what had brought him to Milan. "Same reason anyone else would come to this small town" he responded. "I had to do the unexpected, make decisions that were not ideal, but had to be done. The year after we met, I had received my doctorate in medicine and applied to College of Physicians in Milan because at the time, my mother had still lived here. A couple months later, I had received a message that my application had been denied. They said that it was because of my illegitimate birth certificate, but I heard rumors and knew that they were true. It was actually because of my reputation as a difficult, unconventional, uncompromising, and aggressive nature. As a result, I moved to Sacco and started my own private practice. Long story short, I could not provide for my wife and myself due to the lack of business. I could've made more money on a bad day at the poker table than I could have in Sacco. Thus in April of 1532, we reverted again to changing locations and trying a new way of life. Again, I would've hoped that way included me being able to practice medicine at the College of Physicians, but my application was again denied. I did not have enough money to start my own practice again, thus I reverted to gambling." "Oh, so now you are back on your feet and are doing well!" I interjected. "Well, yes and no. I am back on my feet, but not because of the gambling. The gambling was so bad that it got to a point where I had to pawn my wife's ring, move to Milan, and enter a poorhouse." "Oh my gosh," I exclaimed, "I am so sorry to hear that, when I met you in Pavia, you were doing so well, I had no idea that it was that much of a prob.." "IT IS not a problem!" he interrupted. "It was, but I am over it now, I am on to bigger and better things." (He still had a little bit of a temper problem as I remember him from before). "I am sorry, I was not trying to offend you in any way." "It's okay" he said, "I know that I get worked up about my failures." "What do you mean failureS (plural)?" I asked. "Well, despite my recent success with my patients and the support from them and their loved ones, my application was again denied in 1537. My three older siblings died from the plague like the rest of the town when I was little. Also once I was in university, my father died thinking that I was a brilliant student but was un-liked and criticized. Also I found out he was friends with Leonardo da Vinci!? I could have learned so much from the both of them if I wasn't so arrogant all the time! BUT, but my old friend, the tides seem to be turning in my favor! Two years later after my second rejection, the college overturned their legitimate birthing clause and admitted me! This same year I have managed to publish my booked called The Practice of Arithmetic and Simple Mensuration. I feel as if this year has really sparked my interest and allowed me to get my feet underneath myself. I have been working with a man named Tartaglia who works a lot with solving cubics. This field of mathematics has really peaked my interests. I am sure you have no idea what I am talking about when I say I am trying to solve cubic and quartic equations by radicals, do you?" "Actually I am currently studying mathematics at the University of Oxford, so as a matter of fact I do." "Oh really? Well then... " "CHAD!! Come on lets go!! I thought you said you were going to the bathroom!!!" My coworkers interrupted the conversation. "Cant you just wait one second? I am having a conversation!" "No, come on! You are going to get left behind," as they continued to pull me out of the pub. "It was nice to see you again, Girolamo! I hope to see you again soon. Good lucks with all of your cubics!"

Sources:
- O'Connor, J J, and E F Robertson. “Girolamo Cardano.” Cardan Biography, School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland, June 1998, www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Cardan.html.
- Boyd, Andy, and John H. Lienhard. “Engines Of Our Ingenuity.” No. 1950: Girolamo Cardano, University of Houston, 1988, uh.edu/engines/epi1950.htm.

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