A Scene by Selim Tezel
Faculty Housing Unit at the University of Gottingen, Germany, Mathematics Institute 1922
Bernhard: why are you here?
Helga: i couldn’t sleep
Bernhard: (silence) what is going on?
Helga: … i don’t know
Bernhard: you have been acting strange lately
Helga: …i am sorry
Bernhard: and distant
Helga: i am sorry, i am so sorry
Bernhard: …do you want to talk?
Helga: i … i don’t know i don’t know, i am just confused, i just need some time, may be i need to be … alone please
Bernhard: you want me to leave you alone here?
Helga: no… yes, just a few minutes please, go to bed no need to stay out here, in the cold
Bernhard: what is this about?
Helga: please, please Bernhard please
Bernhard: do you miss your parents? miss your sister?
Helga: yes, yes i do …
Bernhard: … but there is more to it
Helga: …
Bernhard: are you not happy here? at Gottingen, not happy with me…?
Helga: no, no it is not that, i am happy, happy to be here and with you, i am just confused,
Bernhard: confused about what?
Helga: please Bernhard, i beg you give me some time to think and work this out
Bernhard: work what out? what is on your mind, woman?
Helga: please don’t yell
Bernhard: what is on your mind, i said. what the devil is this about?
Helga: i cannot tell you
Bernhard: you cannot tell me?
Helga: you will get angry, you will get so angry
Bernhard: what did you do woman?
Helga: nothing, nothing! i swear to you i did not do anything wrong…
Bernhard: what then? what in heavens name are you doing here in the dead cold of the night all by yourself?
Helga: (starts crying) oh God…
Bernhard: compose yourself woman! put it together before i lose my whatever is left of my patience…
Helga: i…
Bernhard: “i”, what?
Helga: i don’t know what to do?
Bernhard: try speaking up
Helga: if i tell you, you will be mad, but i promise you i did nothing wrong
Bernhard: did someone hurt you? did someone do something?
Helga: no , no not like that
Bernhard: then what is it ,woman?
Helga: i beg you don’t yell, the neighbors, i pray, i pray you keep your voice down
Bernhard: speak then
Helga: if i tell you, you will want to leave Gottingen
Bernhard: what are you saying?
Helga: if i told you what is bothering me, you would want to leave this place and i know i know how hard you worked to get here
Bernhard: why would i want to leave? what are you saying? say it woman, say it!
Helga: Herr Hilbert…
Bernhard: Herr Hilbert? Herr Hilbert, what?
Helga: …
Bernhard: what are you saying? what about professor Hilbert? what did you do?
Helga: i … i did not do anything, i swear to you i did not do anything…
Bernhard: what then? what are you saying about Herr Hilbert…
Helga: i know how much he means to you. i know why you came here, why we came here. i am so sorry…
Bernhard: what happened with Herr Hilbert?
Helga: i was coming home with groceries,
Bernhard: when was this? what happened?
Helga: three days ago
Bernhard: and then what
Helga: i was crossing the street when i saw Herr Hilbert on the other side of the street greeting me
Bernhard: and so?
Helga: he said, … he took out his hat, bowed down, took my hand and said he would like to help me with my groceries
Bernhard: so what?
Helga: i refused but he insisted, he said he also had something important to say
Bernhard: important?
Helga: i thought he meant something important … about you…
Bernhard: and?
Helga: and we walked…and talked
Bernhard: and, so?
Helga: then when we turned a corner…he said he is in love…with me
Bernhard: what?
Helga: he got on his knees
Bernhard: on his knees? what?
Helga: he got on his knees and he said he is in madly love with me, …even gave me a flower
Bernhard: flower, what flower…
Helga: i don’t know, i don’t remember what kind of flower, i didn’t know what to do, i just thanked him for helping with the groceries and ran away
Bernhard: did anybody see you?
Helga: no, no Oh God i don’t think so
Bernhard: it makes no sense
Helga: …
Bernhard: why would Herr Hilbert do this?
Helga: you don’t think
Bernhard: think what?
Helga: you don’t think i am pretty enough for someone like Herr Hilbert to fall in love with me?
Bernhard: not that, i did not mean that…
Helga: what are we going to do?
Bernhard: i don’t know, i don’t know. let me think about it, none of this makes any sense
Helga: do you think i am making it all up?
Bernhard: are you?
Helga: no, no, how can you even think of such a thing?
Bernhard: what if you are imagining all this?
Helga: is that what you think?
Bernhard: i don’t know what to think?
Helga: you think your wife is making up stories? stories about Herr Hilbert? don’t i know what this man means to you? don’t i know how many years you have been working hard to come here, to Gottingen just to be with him? to hear his lectures…
Bernhard: may be your mind is playing tricks on you. you have been away from your parents, all this year…is that possible?
Helga: i don’t know, i don’t know, i don’t think so, what are you saying? that i am going crazy? i am not making any of this up…
Bernhard: then we are in trouble
Helga: what are you going to do?
Bernhard: i don’t know…what should i do?
Helga: i think you must talk to him
Bernhard: how? how does one bring this up?
Helga: he is the one who took a wrong step… he is the one to be shamed
Bernhard: you want me to confront him?
Helga: at least learn, what he was hoping to do…
Bernhard: is it not obvious…?
Helga: may be he was drunk?
Bernhard: was he drunk?
Helga: no, no he was as sober as i have ever seen him…
Bernhard: what else did he say…?
Helga: nothing, nothing, there was no time it all happened so fast, as soon as i knew what he was saying i ran away
Bernhard: so why wouldn’t you tell this to me right away
Helga: i don’t know… i did not know what to do. it is Herr Hilbert we are talking about, it is your career, it is our life…
Bernhard: …that is it?
Helga: …what else?
Bernhard: i feel there is something else…
Helga: what?
Bernhard: you were flattered…
Helga: what are you saying…?
Bernhard: you were flattered that Herr Hilbert would do this. take the time to chase you, to confess his love, that he would be “madly” in love for you…
Helga: NO, NO, … no
Bernhard: or may be yes! i don’t need to be an expert in psychoanalysis to know that you were flattered, Helga!
Helga: no, no nothing like that, please stop torturing me
Bernhard: why then are you confused? why then after three days i am hearing all this…
Helga: i told you…(starts crying again)
Bernhard: stop it, stop! keep your womanly tricks to yourself, pull yourself together!
Helga: what are we going to do?
Bernhard: i am going to think of something. i will ask around
Helga: ask around, no please no!
Bernhard: i will have to be discreet. i need to hear if anyone else knows anything about Herr Hilbert’s misdemeanors…
Helga: what are you saying?
Bernhard: i recall a dean of the academy once joke what a skirt-chaser Herr Hilbert was in his younger years. i thought it was just a joke. a man so divine, so immersed in purest rational thought, such a genius of the highest caliber unlike anything Europe and the world has seen… i thought the dean was trying to lighten Hilbert’s serious heavy aura, with some silly jokes. but may be genius comes with a dark side…
Helga: he can be my grandfather…
Bernhard: oh you don’t know men… you are of age now and honey, you are… beautiful.
(she smiles for the first time)
Bernhard: i cannot fault him for falling for you. but to act on an impulse like that, like a teenager. that i find unlikely and hard to believe
Helga: i am not making it up
Bernhard: sadly, i don’t think so either
Helga: lets talk to Frau Hilbert
Bernhard: you mean, you and i together we go to Frau Hilbert and tell her that her genius of a husband has a crush on you and has confessed his love at a street crossing
Helga: bent on his knees…
Bernhard: (trying to suppress a smile) go away…
Helga: you mean she wont believe
Bernhard: it sounds too absurd…
Helga: may be there were others, in the past i mean, she might understand
Bernhard: or we might make ourselves her enemy, slandering her husband
Helga: … she seems so nice
Bernhard: … and so motherly to all around her
Helga: so in loving companionship with her husband
Bernhard: i hear she scribes all his brilliant mathematical papers
Helga: with her beautiful handwriting
Bernhard: oh, that beautiful exquisite handwriting
Helga: we cannot hurt her
Bernhard: we cannot do this we cannot do this to her or … to mathematics
(they start laughing a bit, then louder and louder until they are on the floor with laughter)
Bernhard: Herr Hilbert, …. in love … with my 21 year old beautiful wife (laughing hard)
Helga: the greatest genius in Europe… in love with me (laughing hard)
Bernhard: and there is nothing i can do about it….(laughing hard)
and there is nothing we can do about it….(laughing hard)
Helga: for the sake of mathematics, there is nothing…we can do about it(laughing hard)
Bernhard: for the sake of mathematics… (laughing hard)