Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
Author:Alexander McCall Smith [McCall Smith, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780593316009
Amazon: 0593316002
Publisher: Pantheon
Published: 2021-05-03T23:00:00+00:00
the mathematician
His gifts as a mathematician were spotted when he was four. His father, holding up four fingers, said to him, âAndrew, take four from seventeen. I know thatâs a big sum butâ¦â
Before he could finish, his young son, still lisping in the accents of early childhood, had given him the answer. âThirteen.â And then had asked, quite casually, âDaddy, is snow composed of crystals?â
They arranged for him to be seen by an educational psychologist, who, when the appointment was made, warned, âBe prepared for a disappointment: many parents believe their child to be exceptionally bright. I have to bring them down to earth, you know.â
But in this case, after spending an hour with Andrew in his child-friendly consulting room, he said, âMr. and Mrs. Macmillan, I have to tell you: your four-year-old is, quite frankly, astonishingly talented. His mathematical understanding is profoundâreally profound. Probably that of a sixteen-year-old. Remarkable.â
âWe knew that,â said his father, sounding matter-of-fact rather than smug. âBut itâs nice to have it confirmed.â
They were determined to give him a normal childhood, encouraging him to do the things ordinary boys of his age did. They lived in Cambridge, Britainâs great mathematical centre, and he won a scholarship to a school that offered special tuition in the subject. The head of the mathematics department said, âHeâs something special, this boy.â He looked at him tenderly. âBut heâs lonely, isnât he?â
His parents knew that. They did their best to facilitate friendships, but Andrew remained solitary. Then at seventeen, when he was in his first year of mathematical studies at Kingâs College, he became friendly with a student of land management. This young man, Hugh Holderness, came from a large farm in Norfolk, where his parents raised rare breeds of sheep. He was the temperamental opposite of Andrew, being one of the most popular and gregarious members of the college. Women liked him, for his attractive personality as much as his good looks, and he was almost always surrounded by flocks of admirers. But he was kind to Andrew, and would often include him in his social occasions.
âOdd chap, that guy,â said one of Hughâs friends. âHe follows you round like a dog. And you canât get him to talk about anything normal, can you? Iâve tried. Cricketâzilch. Girlsâzero. Beerâditto. What goes on in that head of his?â
âMathematics,â said Hugh. âHeâs a mathematician. Thatâs what theyâre like. Theyâre on a different planet.â
When they graduated, Hugh went back to the farm in Norfolk. He did not see Andrew for over a year, but then he invited him to come up to a party he was holding to celebrate his engagement. He had met a girl called Stella, who had been working as a groom with his parentsâ horses. She came from Durham, where her father was a pharmacist. She was considered a bit loud, and a bit brassy too, but that was what Hugh liked. She would make a good farmerâs wife, he thought.
Andrew came to the party. He watched from the edge of the room while people danced.
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