Professor Wang walks down the corridor from his office to the lecture hall eyes straight ahead. He never looks at or acknowledges anyone he passes. He walks with stooped shoulders and with a slight limp.
It is rumoured that he suffered corporal punishment during his childhood in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It is also rumoured that he was one of the discovers of modern technology.
Outwardly, his is not an imposing figure. The moment though, when he steps into the lecture hall, all that changes. He stops at the front of the room and waits for silence. Once given, he repeats the sentence he spoke in his previous lecture.
Then he continues talking, explaining, describing, and extrapolating without pause, without any visual aids or prompts... 90 precious minutes long, which fly by in seconds. He talks about quantum physics, laser theory, the future of medicine... who would ever have thought such science could be understandable, let alone interesting.
The lecture is over. He turns and stares straight ahead at the door, his escape, his exit,. He pauses momentarily, clears his throat, and nods his head. It is almost a bow... to what... to his students, to science, or the emptiness he leaves behind?
Photo by Linus Mimietz on Unsplash
(This post is part of my "Growing Up & Growing Old" project.)
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