Mr P and Mr B

There I fell in love with his daughter but soon found him much more interesting company.

Since my friends and those guys said he was a master “ 'n meester” I abandoned the nursery school and left my engineering 2nd year class for his very ill-attended parallel lectures.

Uncle Peter gave us some little integration problem on a semi-circle and somehow I got it mixed up puzzled was looking my half circle on it's side it was in the 1st and 4th quadrants. As he was walking through the class and to us way at the back he saw my effort and said “have you switched your x and y axes around?” This really impressed me and had me doing it in other classes too.

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He has to bend down to get through the lecture hall's door. Uncle Peter sat on a knee high chain so our eyes could be level I asked advice whether to choose a career in engineering or in mathematics. He said he would agree mathematics was a good idea under the circumstances.

So it came that I visited at his office quite regularly and later also at home each of us choking away on our pipes.

Engaged in deep philosophy and wisdom dragging on our pipes pensively he smokes a Kaiser I liked my Petersen and BB mixed with Rum & Maple. His tobacco is Piet Retief I think. Since then I have given up smoking it's more than four years now.

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A very very big man a big heart as well as must be around 7 feet or more. A giant of a man but in fact sensitive and gentle. When younger he was an international amateur wrestling champion and they say that he played provincial rugby.

Once I found him on the campus where he had to push his bike to work the pedal was broken off. A good strong mountain bike with a steel bolt broken clean off. He was examining the damage he said it happens now and then. His pride is two beautiful big BMW motorcycles.

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Uncle Peter had a large house on a hillside it was like a fort a mountain stronghold. Solid. He built it himself. There was a very steep stairway outside and the open balcony looked out over Pretoria. His custom-made living room chair was like a throne and for a lapdog he had a rottweiler. Quite serious. He did carpentry he had to make his own furniture like beds and tables and benches.

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He had really bad migraines and even though he didn't drink at all he got the black dog. Often very melancholic and pessimistic and with very little faith in himself for research although everybody knew he was one of the most intelligent around. I know the two sons as well, both are brilliant and as I hear very rich that's not bad going for mathematics.

Auntie G is a saint to put up with this guy I can think he could get really difficult and not a pleasure at all. And I tested her patience too.

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I was in a welfare-kind-of place for a few years Uncle Peter came to visit sometimes one always appreciates it. Once I was a speaker at a church-kind-of function he attended he came especially almost 50km on his motorbike. He also was so kind as to attend my doctoral defense.

Uncle Peter has finally retired I don't know where he is now. The last he said was he would phone me back he hasn't yet and they don't live there anymore.