Ma Gugu found Charlize working on her computer in the library by the large bay window with view on the garden. It was almost 10:00 p.m. “Lizzie, I need to talk to you.”
Charlize looked up and removed her reading glasses. “What is it?”
Looking at Charlize, Ma Gugu felt a pride swell inside her bosom. She’s so pretty, and talented, and smart too. Ma Gugu took a seat across from the desk and related to Charlize Lindiwe’s story.
– “He should see a doctor. Would you like me to call—”
– “I don’t think that’s necessary. He didn’t appear to be hurt. I just want to know if he can stay the night here.”
Charlize leaned back against her chair. “Of course, Ma. He can stay here until he feels better.”
The sound of a car coming up the driveway interrupted their conversation. Charlize looked at her nanny, “Who can that be?”
After a few minutes, they heard the front door opened, some voices and Kwanele, the butler, appeared outside the library’s door. “Miss Lizzie, Dr. Pieter Coetzee is here to see you.”
Charlize mouthed Pieter? to Ma Gugu
– “Who’s he?”
– “My boss. The director of the Institute.” then to Kwanele, “Have Dr. Coetzee wait in the living room, would you? Tell him I’m coming.”
Ma Gugu stood up. “I’ll tell Mbali to prepare some tea and biscuits.”
The old tall bearded man stood up when Charlize walked into the large living-room, “Direkteur,” she said in Afrikaans, “what a surprise. You should have called, I could have gone to your house—Please sit down, would you like a cup of tea or something stronger?”
The man sat back down. “Please call me Pieter, tea would be perfect. What a beautiful house you have.”
– “Thank you. It belonged to my grandmother.” Charlize took a seat across from him and nodded to Mbali to serve the drink.
– “How are your parents?”
– “They’re in Vredefort for their anniversary.”
– “Are they much often at Hopeland?” said Coetzee referring to the de Vrieses’ farm north of Pretoria.
– “Quite. They’re spending their time between here and the farm.”
Coetzee shook his head. “Pity all the recent farm attacks against our people while the government looks the other way. Did they have any troubles?”
– “We had a few incidents but fortunately nothing serious.”
Coetzee nodded and squirmed in his chair. “I’m terribly sorry for dropping by like this, unannounced, but there’s a delicate matter I’d like to discuss with you.”
Charlize’s heart beat faster.
– “Oh nothing bad, Charlize, on the contrary, it is a matter that could only flatter you.”
Charlize was still waiting, smiling.
The director cleared his throat and took a sip of tea, “Do you know who Richard Greene is?”
Charlize felt insulted. “Of course dir—uh, Pieter. He’s the most famous string theorist on the planet.”
– “Good. So you remember talking to him during the inauguration of the Institute?”
Charlize frowned her eyebrows and laughed, “Talking to him is not quite how I would describe it. If I remembered well, we’d only shook hands during the staff introduction and he might have asked me what I was doing at the Institute, that’s all.”
The director seemed surprised. “Oh, that’s it?”
– “That’s it.” said Charlize wondering now what this was all about.
Coetzee cleared his throat one more time. “Well, anyway, he seemed quite taken by you.”
– “I beg your pardon?”
– “You know that we have invited him to come advise us on the directions to take in our researches—” Charlize was going to answer but Pieter held up his hand, “and that we were in competition with a few renowned institutes for his visit? Well, two days ago I got a call from his assistant and Richard Greene had decided to come here, at our Institute. To tell you the truth, he’ll be arriving in Johannesburg in an hour.”
– “Well, that’s a great news for us and—”
Coetzee held up his hand again. “You’re right, Charlize. This is a great victory for our newly built Institute, for the physicists—I dare say, for you and your colleagues—and for how South Africa will be viewed by the international community of scientists.”
Charlize had had enough of this beating around the bush. “With all due respect Pieter, I still don’t see what this have anything to do with your visit here on a Friday night.”
Coetzee looked away, “His assistant had made it clear to me, not in so many words, that Greene had chosen our Institute only because of you.”
Charlize was speechless.
Coetzee leaned forward. “Charlize. I’ve been thinking for two days on how to approach you with this and couldn’t come up with anything. But now that Richard Greene will be landing soon, I’m just gonna have to come out and say it. Charlize, I would appreciate it if you could spend some time with him, you know, show him the town, have dinner with him, take him to a braai—”
Charlize was up on her feet. “Pieter! How could you? I’m a physicist and—”
Coetzee was also standing up now, “Charlize, please, let me finish. What’s so terrible in that? You would be spending time talking physics with the smartest man on Earth. You would be having dinner with the most renowned theoretical physicist on the planet like you said it yourself. What if I’d asked you to have dinner with Newton or Einstein were they alive, would you have been mad at me too? Please Charlize, no matter how I say it, it would never come out right but I beg you to think rationally. Who’s to say you wouldn’t have hit it off between the both of you anyway? Who’s to say you wouldn’t do anything in your power just to have the chance to talk to the man who might be the discoverer of the final theory? What’s changed? The only thing that’s changed is the fact that you know he wants to get to know you better, that’s all. What’s the harm in that? Do you know how many of your colleagues, not to say physicists from all around the world, would love to be in your shoes right now?”
Charlize kept her eyes on Coetzee, her arms crossed. She dropped her head and moved it from side to side.
– “Charlize, please. He wouldn’t be here for more than a week.” pleaded Coetzee.
Charlize threw her head back. “All right, Pieter. I’ll do it.”
The director almost jumped, “Yes! Thank you Charlize. Thank you in the name of the Institute. You’ll never—”
– “Pieter, I think you’d better go before I change my mind.” she said softly.
Coetzee was caught off guard. “Oh, of course, my liewe. Do I have your permission to give your home phone number and address to his assistant?”
She nodded.
Coetzee hesitated, “Thank you again Charlize. You know, had someone told me that Richard Greene was attracted to my daughter, I would be jumping up and down on my stoep right now. Goodnight, Charlize.”
– “Goodnight, Direkteur.”
Charlize sat back in her chair and watched Kwanele walk Coetzee out. Her thoughts went to Richard Greene. What a nerve, did he just assume that I wasn’t in any kind of romantic relationship or did he just not care and think I will be enraptured by his intelligence and fame? She had read all his books, watched all his interviews, and studied all his works although she couldn’t follow all the mathematics and everytime, she would see the same man: a haughty, showy, affected, arrogant… very arrogant man.
