Chapter Ten
The Gentle Giant
A pair of large, worn shoes, crowned by tattered pant cuffs stepped into Cameron's narrow view of the pavement. He felt the firm grasp of helping hands under his arms as they assisted him to his feet.
"Monsieur, faites-vous du mal?" asked the man who had rushed to Cameron's assistance. Cameron noticed that his French was heavily accented. His face was creased with concern.
Thanks to the marvels of the IHT, Cameron could hear any language in his own tongue. It was strange that he heard this man in French. "Yes, thank you, I'm all right" said Cameron as he brushed the slush from his clothes.
The man took Cameron by the elbow, then leading him towards the door of a building. It was a small cafe. "Come inside, catch your breath," he said in accented English.
They entered the cafe and the young man gestured to a small table by the window. It was piled with books and papers. There was a carafe of steaming coffee on the table as well as a small platter of hot bread and a wedge of cheese. "My name is Gustav, Gustav Gundersen," said the smiling young man as he extended his hand.
"And I'm Cameron Rush." He shook the large hand. For the first time, he was able to take in Gustav's appearance. He was a big man, maybe 6'-3" or 6'-4" and powerfully built. His longish blond hair showed definite signs of thinning on top. He had a jolly smile.
"Please, have a seat." Gustav turned toward a waiter who had watched the whole affair from a window at the far end of the cafe. "A second cup, please, Maurice." As he seated himself he said, "Rush? Are you from Scotland then?"
"The United States, actually."
Gustav's face brightened even more. "Ah, the United States of America! I, myself, am from Scandinavia, but I have relatives in the United States. They are medical doctors, like I hope to be. They live in Wisconsin — a city on the Mississippi River called La Crosse. Do you know it?"
Cameron shook his head. "I'm afraid I've never heard of it," he lied. He didn't know anything about La Crosse back in the eighteen hundreds. It was best to claim total ignorance than to be eliminated from the game because of a dumb mistake.
"Of course not! It is a large country. How foolish of me!"
"Not at all."
Maurice arrived with the second cup and filled it for Cameron. "Drink," said Gustav, "Warm your insides." He slid the tray towards Cameron. "And put something in your stomach."
Cameron had noticed the well-worn nature of Gustav's clothing. He was sure that Gustav had very little money. Cameron found himself feeling badly about taking any of Gustave's food. He had to remind himself that it was all just a simulation. There was no need to feel bad. He also knew that refusing to share these meager offerings would be impolite.
"Perhaps a bite, thanks." The warm bread with the mellow brick cheese was wonderful, and the coffee was strong but invigorating. IHT food had improved immensely over the past few months.
"So, what are you doing in Paris, Mr. Rush?"
"Please, call me Cameron."
"Only if you call me Gustav."
"Agreed," said Cameron with a broad smile. He really liked this affable hulk of a man. "What am I doing here?" He thought a second, then continued cautiously, "I'm trying to find a friend. I'm to meet her at the rooms of one of your fellow students, Marya Sklodovska. You wouldn't happen to know where she lives, would you?"
The gentle giant laughed a deep laugh. "Now I don't feel so bad for thinking you would know La Crosse. There are more than 12,000 students here at the Sorbonne, Cameron. I'm sorry to say I cannot help you." The expression on Gustav's face turned from merriment to thoughtfulness. "But wait, Sklodovska? That's Polish, is it not?" Cameron nodded. "I don't know this Marya Sklodovska, but I may be able to help. Let us eat and drink a while longer, then I will take you somewhere where you might be able to locate this woman."
A half-hour later the two were braving the elements, as Gustav led Cameron away from the Sorbonne. "Very few people are around. Christmas is Sunday, you know," he said through the woolen scarf wrapped around his face. Spurts of steam erupted from the scarf as Gustav spoke. "But I know a place on the next street that is a favorite of the Polish students. Perhaps your Mademoiselle Sklodovska is there. If not," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, "who knows? Maybe someone knows where she lives."
The bitter weather chilled Cameron to the bone. He started to shiver. "It is cold, is it not?" asked the big Scandinavian medical student. "But don't worry, my friend, the coffee house is just around the corner."
It seemed an eternity before they opened the door to Cafe Tatry. The blast of warm air that greeted them felt as if a furnace door had been opened. The shop was small. Eight or nine tables crowded the available floor space. The room was warmed by a tall, tile-covered stove in the center of the shop.
A group of three young men and two women was seated at one table, laughing and talking loudly in a language Cameron took as Polish. Strange, thought Cameron in passing. Away from the others, at another table, sat a solitary young man, buried in his studies.
Immediately, Gustav unwrapped his scarf and opened his coat. "Unbutton your coat, Cameron. As it tried to trap in the warmth of your body, it is now trapping the cold from outside. Unbutton your coat and let the warm air of this fine establishment circulate about you."
Cameron thanked Gustav and did as he suggested. Cameron peeked at his IHT. It was now 10:45. He had to be to Marie Curie's garret by noon.
Without hesitation, the gregarious student approached the table of young men and women. "Hello, my name is Gustav," he said in French, the language all the students at the Sorbonne needed to master to study at the university. "My friend here," he motioned Cameron to follow, "has come all the way from the United States of America to see a young woman. He is to meet her at the rooms of Mademoiselle Marya Sklodovska…" Gustav left his sentence open-ended, hoping that one of the young women might answer, "I am she." But, the hoped-for reply was not forthcoming. Gustav continued, "Perhaps one of you knows her and can direct us to her lodgings?"
There was only silence as the five young people looked at each other. They then began to talk amongst themselves. Finally, one of the women said with a shrug, "We are sorry, but we do not know of this Marya Sklodovska."
"Perhaps I can help," came a voice from behind them. It was the young man buried in his books.
Gustav thanked the young people for their help before he and Cameron crossed the room to the young man's table. The papers spread on the table were covered with complex mathematical equations.
"Gustav Gundersen."
"And I'm Cameron Rush."
The young man rose and gave a short bow of the head and shoulders as he spoke, "Josef Bronka."
"Mathematics student, I see," said Cameron.
"Physics, actually, but mathematics is our universal language. It is the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. Someday, knowledge of physics will allow man to put artificial moons in orbits around our planet, and set foot on the moon, and even travel to the distant… Ah! Listen to me ramble! I am sorry to impose my ideas upon unsuspecting strangers."
Cameron smiled and said, "You did not impose. And, I must admit that I agree. Man will go to the moon and beyond! You must believe it, too."
Josef looked at Cameron in wonder, "You speak with such certainty — with even more conviction than I myself. It is as if you have seen this with your own eyes, not just as possibilities raised by equations and charts scrawled across some piece of paper."
"No one can see the future, Mr. Bronka." Cameron hastily covered his indiscretion, "But anyone can believe in it. Now, with fear of being rude, may I ask if you know Marya Sklodovska's address? I'm afraid that I must be there by noon today, and it is now nearly eleven."
"Yes, of course. She was a fellow student of physics. Being a woman, you know, the Russians who rule our homeland would not allow her an advanced education. She was mostly self-taught and attended classes like the rest of us at 'The Floating University'."
A puzzled look clouded Gustav's normally jolly face. "What is this 'Floating University'? You studied on a boat?"
"No, no, I am sorry. It looses something in the translation. How can I explain?" He stroked his chin as he searched for the words. "By 'floating' I mean that it moved from place to place, you see? One day it might be in someone's barn and the next in an attic of some shop or the storeroom of some factory. The Russians do not want us Poles to be educated. If they found we were having classes and exchanging knowledge, we would be in trouble."
Gustav looked concerned, "I was unaware of such a thing as this. It is a crime!"
"It is a way of life," said Josef. "Only education will lift us from our oppression. And how can you have education without communication? Without the free flow of ideas?
"Ah, there I go again! I do ramble so. About Marya then, when she first came here to study physics, she was so far behind and her French was so poor, that most anyone else would have given up. But she is an amazing woman. Not only did she catch up in her education, she graduated first in her class! Now she is working on a second degree. This one is in mathematics. And I believe she will be close to the head of her class again." He sat back down at his table, jotted something on a scrap of paper, and handed it to Cameron. "That is where she lives. It is only a ten, maybe fifteen minute walk from here."
Cameron glanced at the note and then handed it to Gustav. "Could I impose on you to guide me to this address, Gustav?"
"I was about to ask if you would mind if I came with you. I would very much like to meet this amazing woman."
"That's great," said Cameron. He extended his hand to Josef. "I really appreciate your help, Mr. Bronka. Thanks again."
In turn, Gustav offered his hand. "Josef, we must talk further about your country. We are all students of the same world, are we not? We must talk to each other — get to know each other — before we can live as one people. May I stop by again sometime?"
"I would be honored," said Josef Bronka.
Gustav gave Cameron a slap on the back. "It is time to button back up, my friend. We have a good walk ahead of us."
– End Chapter Ten –
