1. Reconnecting
At Brunos
The Italian restaurant Benvenuto , or simply Brunos as we call it, seemed to have had a facelift in my absence. It looked freshly painted with a number of flowerpots decoratively placed to make the faade most inviting. As I entered the place, I could see that the furniture had been rearranged to make room for more people without cramping the space. All said and done, the interior had not lost its charm and elegance.
Of course, the most important event I was looking forward to was meeting George. What a delight it was to see George beaming at me and waving his hand in welcome. As always, he was seated at our favourite table waiting for me. George was unusually relaxed. He is normally in a highly excited state. As I approached our table, he gave me a warm smile, looking at me steadily as though he wanted to inspect my appearance in every detail.
Alfie, you have not changed a bit, said George. I mean it unlike some people who say that for the sake of formality.
I know you mean it George. And you havent changed either, I said returning his steadfast gaze. Age cannot wither you, nor custom stale your infinite variety , I paraphrased Shakespeares quotation from Antony and Cleopatra.
What are you talking about? George was mystified.
Well, that was Shakespeares remark about Cleopatra, I answered.
Oh, Cleopatra, whose face launched hundred ships. You compare me to her! George was amused.
George, it was Helen of Troy whose face launched thousandnot hundredships. It was my poetic way of saying that you havent changed in all these years.
Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, who cares? Beauty queens, if you have seen one, you have seen them all!
But, George, neither of us has seen a single beauty queen in all our lives, I remonstrated.
Fortunately, this inane exchange came to an end as we saw Bruno emerging out of the kitchen and making his way towards our table, a big smile playing upon his face. How wonderful to see our good old friend Bruno Beltramettinot just the owner of the restaurant, but chef, headwaiter, entertainer, and philosopher all rolled into one.
Dont tell me that I havent changed, Bruno addressed us. We all change; we just dont want to admit it to ourselves, that is all.
Who said you havent changed, Bruno? You have grown younger, pal, laughed George.
All right, you win. You always have the last word, dont you? smiled Bruno. You know, honestly this place is not the same without you two. I am so glad you are back. Let us celebrate, food and drink on the house. What would you like?
You decide, Bruno, said George taking the lead.
Vegetarian food for me, I added. I have become a vegetarian.
Since when? George raised his eyebrows.
Since a couple of years, I answered. It is good for healthand for conscience too.
This man is impossible, suddenly changing over to vegetarianism, groaned George. All right, let me be a vegetarian too for today, Bruno.
Why not, I will make some delicious ravioli. Normally, we fill it with crab or lobster meat. But for you vegetarians it will be assorted cheese spiced with herbs. They will be simmered in special creamy mushroom sauce, my own creation. And you can have excellent Frascati wine to go with it, Bruno went back to the kitchen. Soon enough, a waiter brought two plates of toasted cheese for us to munch on and a bottle of chilled white wine without label to go with it.
You must have had some gorgeous time, Alfie, judging from the post cards you were sending me from all over the world, remarked George after having nibbled a bit of the toasted cheese and taken a couple of sips of the wine. I couldnt reply since you never mentioned your address.
I didnt know my own address either, George, since I was wandering without planning my next step, you know. As you say, it was fantastic, especially visiting the haunts and habitats of the greats like Galileo, Newton, and the ancient Greeks too.
You must tell me all about it sometime, Alfie. I cant say I didnt have a nice time either visiting a couple of universities, balancing work and pleasure. I was not weighed down by responsibilities since my three students you met have graduated and are well-placed. I am yet to take some hapless kids to do their doctoral research.
You must have had plenty of free time, then.
Yes and no. I filled my spare time with writing a book on the Universe.
The Universe! I exclaimed. That is wonderful, George. How is it coming?
I shall tell you in a minute. First, let us have something to eat, said George spotting the waiter coming out of the kitchen.
The waiter brought our steaming hot ravioli in sauce, accompanied by side dishes of garnished vegetables. We started eating slowly, enjoying every morsel punctuated by sips of the delicate wine. Food is the soul of happiness, isnt it?
Ah, the book on the Universe, George speared a piece of ravioli with his fork and waved it in the air excitedly. You know, Alfie, the study of the Universe is a continuously evolving process. I dont mean the evolution of the Universe. Of course, that happens too. But, the entire cosmic journey has progressed along a meandering path from its early beginnings to the modern era. It is the blossoming of human knowledge, human beliefs, human mind, and the science created by the human intellect. Even the early myths were an attempt to explain what was observed in the sky. I want to describe this exciting adventure starting with the ancient times and ending with the most recent findings. Do I have to add that the quest is one without end?
George seemed to be a little bit tired not so much by having spoken about his book at length as by the cosmic journey he was envisaging. He sat back and took a long pull at his wine.
That sounds fantastic, George. I too was excited. How far have you progressed with the work?
George silently bent down, picked up his briefcase, and pulled out a bound volume of typed manuscript.
Here, I am handing over to you the preliminary draft of the book. No, no, dont open it now. Go home and read it at your leisure and let me have your feedback. We can meet regularly and discuss the contents, style, and presentation. It will help me with further drafts and the final version. What do you say?
That is great, George, really great, I said with feeling. What is the title of the book?
I havent decided it yet, Alfie, answered George. You could help me with that too.
Aha, a book in search of a title, I remarked. Like Luigi Pirandellos play, Six Characters in Search of an Author ! The way it happens in the play, maybe the book will also evolve as we keep changing the possible titles.
You are absolutely crazy, you know that? George shook his head. Incurably mad!
Bruno came over and placed on our table another bottle along with three small liqueur glasses.
Here is Limoncello from Amalfi coast, one of my favourite digestivos , announced Bruno as he poured the chilled yellow liqueur. By the way, I couldnt help overhearing a bit of your conversation as I moved around, you know. Not eavesdropping for sure. What is this Universe book? Can I understand it?
Before George could respond, I answered Brunos query. You bet, Bruno. You guys must have forgotten what I told you long ago. The great Rutherford once told the equally great Bohr that a good theory should be understandable even by a barmaid. Since unfortunately I dont see any barmaids around, I must say that a good book should be understandable by a restaurant owner, that too an intelligent one like you, Bruno.
