Episode 15: The Cupids

(June 4^th, 2013) What’s the special role of the Scienticks’ colleague Frieda Meier and their supervisor David Sondermann in this story?

When Walter Bauer received a violin from his mother at the age of four, he found the notes on the strings by himself. When Walter’s music teacher recommended that he apply to the music school, he did. Walter knew it would have been be easy for him to get in, and it was. His mother reasoned, “Wally, you have the perfect pitch. It’s a Gift that cannot be trained. Every orchestra will want you.”

Walter knew that deep inside he was different from the other boys. He didn’t understand why they spent so much time doing their homework and wasting energy arguing with their parents for wanting to play soccer.

For Walter, doing homework was simple, like eating breakfast. Playing with other boys was strenuous, like waiting for the rest of the class to learn the fingering of a song. Deep inside, Walter knew that it was more than just his talent that made him different. In his mind, there was the world and then there were the children, who he had met at Home Camp.

It was called Home Camp because all the children were similar to each other, like a family, explained Benjamin the camp counsellor. He called it the place for the Gifted. Everyone had a Gift and they were unique. But the thing that drew Walter close to Home Camp was that he felt he belonged.

Ever since the first time he had attended Home Camp at the age of four, he hoped that his mother would take him back there again in the next summer. This she did. And in return, Mrs. Bauer received a modest remuneration from Benjamin every summer. They kept that information away from Walter.

It was at Home Camp, where Walter knew he was meant to be something greater than a violinist. It was at Home Camp, where Walter met Wendy who played the cello.

They didn’t speak to each other much. That was because Benjamin and Ixod had grouped them together in the music session. Instead of speaking, they played music and listened through the voices of their instruments. It was a relationship based on a conversation in musical growth. Walter drowned in the romantic music of Chopin, while Wendy tackled the virtuosity of Mozart’s scores.

The sound from Walter’s violin grew warm and mellow. It was a perfect compliment to Wendy’s strength on the cello. He softened the sharp edges for her and she expanded the gentleness in his tones. Together, for a brief period in their lifetime, they were the golden pair at Home Camp.

So, in the summer when Walter and Wendy were 17, Walter became furious when his mother said to him, “Wally, we are leaving the city, to bring you to a better school.” It was also the last year of Home Camp for Wally and Wendy’s year.

“We have bestowed and nourished the Gifts in you. Now you are ready for the world and to find your own homes,” Benjamin said to the Home Camp graduates.

Walter panicked. He took Wendy to the closest coffee shop and tried to have a conversation with her without their instruments.

“Wendy, will you come with me?” Walter’s voice was gentle, as if he was afraid to disturb the precious space between him and Wendy.

Wendy reached over the table to rest her hand on Walter’s. She whispered, “Wally, I have been invited to play at the Science Gala next year. I must stay and rehearse the repertoire with the rest. You must understand that, don’t you?”

Behind the mirrors in the coffee shop, Benjamin and Ixod sat hidden.

“The table sensors indicate a differential response between the subjects,” said Ixod.

“The male’s temperature has increased dramatically,” added Benjamin.

“But curiously, not the female’s,” said Ixod. “This recording shows the opposite of how she is reacting. It’s impossible to know how she feels simply by looking at her actions.”

“That’s incredible! Based on the chair sensors when they played together, her attraction level to him was as high as his,” added Benjamin.

“An attraction dependent on a common factor, it appears,” said Ixod.

“When the common factor is removed, the attraction is non-existent,” said Benjamin. “She doesn’t love him.”

“Who is the best candidate at the Science Gala?” asked Ixod.

“A PhD student in Neuroscience called David Sondermann,” said Benjamin. “Ambitious, driven, A-type personality. He is the best fit for the equation.”

Ixod nodded and watched Walter storm out of the store. She asked, “What about the subject male’s next candidate?”

“This will be a tricky one. We’ll have to organise a regional science fair in their town, let her win the travel award to bring her there.”

Ixod scribbled down some notes and asked, “What’s her name?”

“Frieda Meier,” said Benjamin.