Abhijat couldn’t help agreeing that it was a poor position in which to find themselves.
“What we must understand,” Dr. Cardiff said, directing his comments at Dr. Cohen, but hoping his words would also reach his dear friend Dr. Mital, whom he knew to be both tortured by the uncertainty over the collider and full of frustration with his fellow citizens, “is that because they don’t know the science, for our neighbors this is a matter of trusting that we have no nefarious motives, that we’re not being blinded to some danger by our own career aspirations. And that sort of trust is a difficult thing to ask of people when the stakes are so high.”
In the next issue of the Herald-Gleaner, there appeared yet another letter to the editor — this one by Dr. Abhijat Mital, theoretical physicist, National Accelerator Research Laboratory.
To all of my friends and neighbors who ask, What good is this science? To what practical purpose? I say this: We don’t know what will be revealed to us by the experiments made possible by the Superconducting Super Collider.
We don’t know, and that is exhilarating. It is the worst kind of stagnation of the imagination, of passion for life, and of curiosity to suppose that we already know everything worth knowing. What is progress, I ask, if not a belief, a faith in the idea that there is always more to know?
And, at the home of Ms Lily Winchester, a letter bearing an airmail stamp and a postmark from Siberia arrived.
My dearest Lily,
While I have been impressed by and obliged to you for your very thorough reportage on the matter of the proposed super collider, I do hope that you will not overlook the opportunity to engage in all of the wonders attendant with discovering your own world as a young person growing into adulthood. This is a wondrous time of change in which you find yourself, and I trust that you will always keep your eyes open to the astonishing possibilities of your own life, your own world. I do hope, also, that you will try to go easy on your mother. She has her reasons for opposing this, and my hope for you is that as you grow, you will begin to understand the shades of grey that exist in a world that can often seem deceptively black and white. Now I must take my leave of you, for I am about to set off on a great trek across Siberia to join the Nenets people in their annual reindeer herd. I will be on the lookout for a special gift for you, to be delivered in person when I next return.
Your loving father,
Randolph
CHAPTER 14. In a Distant and Barbarous Land
April 9, 1988
Mr. Winchester,
I write to you on behalf of the Nicolet Ladies’ Auxiliary in hopes that you will consider accepting our invitation to serve as the keynote speaker for our annual garden party and luncheon. Your account of your expeditions will make a thrilling addition to our program, and we would be honored by your acceptance.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Albert Steege
Nicolet Ladies Auxiliary,
Luncheon and Garden Party Committee Co-Chair
April 11, 1988
Mrs. Steege,
Thank you for your recent correspondence. My husband is away on an expedition and out of contact until next month, when I expect to speak with him briefly by phone from the Lulimbi Research Station. At that time, I will share with him your invitation. Thank you for your interest in his work.
Sincerely,
Rose Winchester
May 24, 1988
Mrs. Steege,
Many thanks for your recent invitation to serve as the keynote speaker for the Nicolet Ladies’ Auxiliary Club’s annual garden party and luncheon. I apologize that my travels have prevented me from responding sooner. I would be delighted to accept your kind invitation. Your suggested date is most amenable, as it will correspond with my next visit home. You may contact my wife Rose to arrange further details for the event.
Yours in a spirit of everlasting adventure,
Randolph Winchester
It was with relief that the editor of the Nicolet Herald-Gleaner included the following article in the next issue, happy to note that it had nothing at all to do with the collider.
NOTED EXPLORER RANDOLPH WINCHESTER TO ADDRESS NICOLET LADIES’ AUXILIARY
Noted explorer and local resident, Randolph Winchester, husband of Twelfth Ward Alderman and mayoral candidate Rose Winchester, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Nicolet Ladies’ Auxiliary garden party and luncheon. Mr. Winchester’s many expeditions have taken him around the world, to Africa, India, Manchuria, and elsewhere. A member of London’s Travellers Club and New York’s Explorers Club, Mr. Winchester’s lively accounts and photographs of his numerous expeditions have appeared in Popular Explorer Magazine, The Explorer’s Journal, and the Royal Geographical Society Magazine.
Mr. Winchester will share stories and photographs from his many expeditions at the luncheon. Mrs. Albert Steege, co-chair of the event, notes, “We are thrilled to have Mr. Winchester as our keynote speaker for this year’s annual garden party and luncheon. Mr. Winchester’s accounts of his explorations through the wild parts of the world will be a stimulating addition to the afternoon.”
For more information about the event, please contact the Nicolet Country Club, Ladies’ Auxiliary Committee.
The shades on the great plate-glass windows of the Nicolet Country Club’s dining room had been drawn, the room lit dimly by chandeliers that hung over each table. Around the room, ladies in pastel suits and floral dresses took their seats as indicated by small place cards.
A low chatter filled the room. Randolph, Rose, and Lily were seated at the table beside the podium, as were Meena and Sarala, whom Randolph had invited as his special guests. Randolph’s invitation had also been extended to Abhijat, but he had been unable to join them, Sarala found herself having to explain, as he was working through the details of an important new paper likely to occupy him all weekend. She smiled apologetically and surveyed their banquet table, momentarily transfixed by the vast number of plates, glasses, and pieces of silverware that made up her place setting. In the center of the table were still more dishes holding cream, butter, salad dressing, salt, and pepper, all perfectly arranged, all perfectly confusing, a kind of chaos in which, she imagined, some dedicated observer might find order.
Mrs. Albert Steege took the podium, the room quieting as she leaned, smiling, toward the microphone. “Thank you all for joining us today for the annual Ladies’ Auxiliary luncheon and garden party.”
From her seat beside Randolph, Rose looked about, noting the conspicuous lack of any garden nearby. She supposed that by “garden party,” Mrs. Albert Steege and her co-chairs intended that at the conclusion of Randolph’s remarks, the ladies might adjourn to the flagstone patio overlooking the golf course, and from there admire the well-maintained fairway.
Mrs. Albert Steege continued, “We are delighted to have with us here today, as our keynote speaker, noted explorer Randolph Winchester, who has only just returned from his most recent expedition to regale us with tales of his adventures in the wild. Please join me in welcoming our distinguished guest.”