Excerpt from The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

My reflections were interrupted by Rosie emerging from the bedroom wearing only a towel. This was my favorite costume, assuming "no costume" did not qualify as a costume. Once again, I was struck by her extraordinary beauty and inexplicable decision to select me as her partner. And, as always, that thought was followed by an unwanted emotion: an intense moment of fear that she would one day realize her error.

"What's cooking?" she asked.

"Nothing. Cooking has not commenced. I'm in the ingredient assembly phase."

She laughed, in the tone that indicated I had misinterpreted her question. Of course, the question would not have been required at all had the Standardized Meal System been in place. I provided the information that I guessed Rosie was seeking.

"Sustainable scallops with a mirepoix of carrots, celeriac, shallots, and bell peppers and a sesame oil dressing. The recommended accompanying beverage is pinot gris."

"Do you need me to do anything?" "We all need to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow we go to Navarone."

The content of the Gregory Peck line was irrelevant. The effect came entirely from the delivery and the impression it conveyed of leadership and confidence in the preparation of sautéed scallops.

"And what if I can't sleep, Captain?" said Rosie. She smiled and disappeared into the bathroom. I did not raise the towel-location issue: I had long ago accepted that hers would be stored randomly in the bathroom or bedroom, effectively occupying two spaces.

Our preferences for order are at different ends of the scale. When we moved from Australia to New York, Rosie packed three maximum size suitcases. The quantity of clothes alone was incredible. My own personal items fitted into two carry-on bags. I took advantage of the move to upgrade my living equipment and gave my stereo and desktop computer to my brother, Trevor, returned the bed, linen, and kitchen utensils to the family home in Shepparton, and sold my bike.

In contrast, Rosie added to her vast collection of possessions by purchasing decorative objects within weeks of our arrival. The result was evident in the chaotic condition of our apartment: potted plants, surplus chairs, and an impractical wine rack.

It was not merely the quantity of items: there was also a problem of organization. The refrigerator was crowded with half-empty containers of bread toppings, dips, and decaying dairy products. Rosie had even suggested sourcing a second refrigerator from my friend Dave. One fridge each! Never had the advantages of the Standardized Meal System, with its fully specified meal for each day of the week, standard shopping list, and optimized inventory, been so obvious.

There was exactly one exception to Rosie's disorganized approach. That exception was a variable. By default it was her medical studies, but currently it was her PhD thesis on environmental risks for the early onset of bipolar disorder. She had been granted advanced status in the Columbia MD program on the proviso that her thesis would be completed during the summer vacation. The deadline was now only two months and five days away.

"How can you be so organized at one thing and so disorganized at everything else?" I'd asked Rosie, following her installation of the incorrect driver for her printer.

"It's because I'm concentrating on my thesis, I don't worry about other stuff. Nobody asks if Freud checked the use-by date on the milk."

"They didn't have use-by dates in the early twentieth century."

It was incredible that two such dissimilar people had become a successful couple.

TWO

The Orange Juice Problem occurred at the end of an already disrupted week. Another occupant of our apartment complex had destroyed both of my "respectable" shirts by piggybacking on our washing load in the shared laundry facilities. I understood his desire for efficiency, but an item of his clothing had dyed our light-colored washing a permanent and uneven shade of purple.

An excerpt from The Rosie Effect, a novel by Graeme Simsion, reprinted with the permission of the author and Simon & Schuster. Visit www.RosieBooks.com for more information and to order your copy today.