On the first Saturday after graduation Simon and Mr. Rappleye drove to the University of Virginia
“Zimon, I vish to know a leetle beet abowt you.” Grosskopf’s accent was so light and polished that there was no difficulty in understanding him. Simon felt as if he were in the presence of royalty.
“Well Sir, I just graduated with honors in all my basic courses. Additionally, I took private study with Mr. Rappleye here in which we covered advanced chemistry; college physics 1 and 2 as well as an introduction to Einstein’s primary theorems.”
“Yez, yez. Zat is all vell und gut.” He replied with an air of irritability. He seemed to feel that this interview was taking up too much of his valuable time.
“Zat information I can aqvire from your rrrecords. Vat I vant to know isss, Whoo…arrrre…you?”
The last three words were spoken so deliberately and with such an intense penetrating look that Simon felt momentarily frightened. If he had learned one thing over the past couple years though, it was that first impressions are very rarely correct. People can be far deeper that we suspect and this Sour Kraut was not what he appeared to be.
Simon straightened in his chair, allowed a grin to bloom on his face and said, “I am a young man with a gift for practical jokes. Helping people not take themselves too seriously is the thing I do best. I think beyond the paradigms and see possibilities no one else does.”
He leaned forward as if preparing to share a secret with a friend.
“I can help you. What I don’t know, I will learn. What you don’t know, we will discover. What can’t be known, is left to God.”
Mr. Rappleye took in a sharp breath. No one, ever, spoke to Grosskopf in this disrespectful manner. He was one of the top three physicists in the entire world. His work on quantum physics alone had brought new innovation in computers, manufacturing and medicine. It was a tribute to his loyalty that he maintained contact with the high school teacher despite their radically different accomplishments. Yet they were close, having met when their fathers worked together on military contracts years before.
“Rolf, I am very sorry, the boy…”
“Iss pair-fectly korrect. He can hilp me.” Grosskopf turned from his friend and looked Simon directly in the eye.
“You arre rroode, air-rogint und brilliant beyond your years. I’ve not zeen zuch a talent zince…vell zince myzelf. You vill come to ze univerzity und schtudy vit me. Your tazk vill be to keep me honezt. No zhort cuts, no bad re-zearch. You may not belief it but I lost zix months of ze last year because no von vass villing to tell me zat ze idea I vass vorking on had a zimple mistake vith ze addition! Qvatschkoepfen!”
“Professor,” began Simon in a far more subdued tone, “I am honored that you want me on your team but I have a small problem. My mother wants me to go to a community college and get my general education there. It would be two years before I came to UVA.”
Rolf looked at the young man thoughtfully.
“Tell me, vaht does your father think?”
“My dad died when I was a kid. It was just me and Mom and Grandma while I grew up.”
The older man, though only in his late fifties, once again seemed to peer right into Simon’s brain. This time he returned the gaze and found to his wonder a smile behind the harsh expression. Simon reciprocated the offer of respect.
“If zere iz von zing, zat ve Germans underztand better zan mozt people, it iz honor und duty. Go und do az your muhzer vishes. Zere vill be a plaze for you vehn you come beck.”
If it were possible, Simon became even more fixated on doing well than before his meeting with Grosskopf. Every waking moment was spent with his nose in a book or working out complex mathematical problems. There was a slight lapse on the regular classes at Virginia Western, managing a low B average. He was less than concerned now about English Literature since his acceptance at UVA was assured (thanks in no small part to the German’s considerable influence and threat to move all his work to UCLA). There seemed but a moment before he was a newly minted Associate of Science and heading for real discoveries.
August arrived with its hot muggy air that drained every ounce of energy from the body and mind. The only relief was an air conditioned room or dip in the cool lake. Grace decided it was the perfect time to head for the mall and get Simon his new school clothes.
“Ma”, he began in exasperation, “I’m 20 years old. I think I can buy clothes for myself.”
She barely heard him as her mind was chained to a pair of denim shorts which had been marked down 10%.
“MA! Will you go look at dresses or something? I love you but really, I don’t need your help with this.”
“What was that honey?” she muttered and then ploughed ahead with her thoughts; “I think these would look good on you. You’ve always had such cute knees.”
“Okay, that’s it. Ma, I wear 34X34’s. You can buy me 3 pairs of jean, two slacks, and some knee-length shorts. I’ll go get ev…ry…thing…e…l…s…e.”
At that moment his attention was distracted by a very attractive red-head across the store. She was trying out some running shoes and jogging in place to Simon’s great enjoyment. Grace suddenly became quite aware of her son’s focus and followed his gaze.
“She’s very pretty”, Grace said in an off-hand tone. “Have you ever seen her before?”
“She looks a little familiar”, he answered without breaking the hold his eyes had on the beautiful girl.
“Isn’t that Nancy Josephsen? You remember, she came to your 6th birthday party.”
“No Ma, Nancy’s family moved to Georgia
Simon chuckled to himself. Those days seemed a lifetime ago. He certainly wasn’t the same person anymore. The slightest wave of nostalgia flowed over him as he considered all the trouble he used to get into. Man that was a lot of fun.
The young woman continued her shopping and Simon could not help but stare. He didn’t think he had ever seen such graceful movement before. She glided from place to place and everyone else appeared ungainly compared to her. He was certain that she must be a dancer, a ballerina, because no motion was wasted or off-balance. His look hardened into the hungry leer of a wolf spotting a lamb.
The store loudspeakers blared out an announcement about a one hour 50% sale on cotton socks which grabbed his mother by the ear and led her off to hosiery. Then soft rock muzak billowed its usual dull fog over the customers. It was an older song which Simon kinda recognized. The words however seemed to be written just for this moment.
Hello, I love you
Won't tell me your name
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game
Three years had gone by since Simon last had a date. That one had not ended well. A bunch of football players had tried to jump him in the middle of the gym. After that he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t look the girl in the face. She seemed relieved when he made a lame excuse and went home early. After that his experiences with women had been few and far between. Of course, if any of the girls at school had looked like this one, he would never have graduated.
She’s walking down the street
Blind to every eye she meets
Do you think you'll be the guy
To make the queen of the angels sigh
He cut across the housewares department to get in front of her at jewelry. She was absorbed in a lacy blue and gold dress and didn’t see him there smiling. As she passed he caught the faint whiff of vanilla and cinnamon. It may have only been the frosted rolls she carried in a bag but to Simon it was the most intoxicating perfume ever.
Hello, I love you
Won' t you tell your name
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game
Never shy before, Simon was stunned to discover that he had no voice. She was two steps away. Three steps.
“Hurry!” he thought, “before she gets away.” A bullfrog climbed from his throat and croaked something akin to, “Hoe-oh”.
The girl slowed and turned her head to see who had spoken but there was no one around. In a panic Simon ducked into the changing rooms behind him. Peering through the door slats he could see her look, shake out her long ember-red hair and move off to another part of the store.
She holds her head so high
Like a statue in the sky
Her arms are wicked and her legs are long
When she moves my brain screams out this song
“Idiot. You stupid, childish idiot. All you have to do is say ‘hello’.”
Hello
Hello
“She’s just a girl. A beautiful, fine, hot girl who’s so far out of your league…”
Hello
Hello
He took a huge breath and let it out slowly. He’d never been affected like this before. Part of him wanted to rush up and talk to her. The rest of him was quite glad she was out of sight.
Hello
Hello
Hello
Hello
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