I watch him tapping, from the corner of my eye. Left hand. Pointer to pinkie. Sequentially. Beginning and re-beginning. Defeated, intent, scowling, jubilant. In my imagination he is a poet, counting syllables. Writing haiku in his head, as he waits in traffic for the light to turn green.
‘You've got to be kid- Well, crud, what just happened there? I ran out of syl-‘ - Rick Riordan, The Hidden Oracle