Einstein's Lost Lecture

The following incident happened a long time ago, I was a young lad who studied at Princeton at a time when Einstein used to teach. In one of his lectures he told us this interesting story that changed my perspective on life altogether. I now recount what I can remember.

“I was travelling in a bus once, across California on my way to Vegas. I had heard so much about the place, that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about when I noticed a strange man sitting next to me. I say strange because he didn’t seem to recognise me which was unusual at that time. It was very rare in those days, for me to travel without passersby pointing, staring and asking for autographs. He was wearing a hat, a coat and all the usual ornaments that went with a gentleman of the time. He sported a beard which was white in patches and had a very calming presence that drew me to him. In any event, I was relieved for I could at last, be myself.

The bus by now had passed through various landscapes mostly barren and interspersed with some patches of parched rocks. I kept glancing towards the gentleman on my right who seemed to be in deep contemplation about something. I was intrigued to say the least, so I started up a conversation.
“Hello there. Heading to Vegas?”, I asked. To this day I have no idea why I asked him this, I guess something within me compelled me to do so.
He looked up for a moment and then at me with a pair of penetrating brown eyes that seemed to have a mischievous twinkle in them. “Yes. As a matter of fact I am. I’ve been told many wonderful stories about the place. I want to see it for myself.” He replied in a deep, yet melodious voice. I instantly felt a connection, it was as though we were off the same mind.
“Interesting. Me too!” I said, barely able to contain my excitement. I was a senior man after all, and it was ill befitting a man of my stature to be excited by such trifles. So I pretended to be unmoved.
“What do you do?”, He asked.
“Oh, you know, I teach a bit and do a bit of science.” I said not revealing too much. I didn’t want to spoil this return to the normalcy that anonymity provided. I had forgotten what it was to be a regular person and this was a welcome relief.
He seemed to sense my guardedness and like any true gentleman didn’t pursue that line of questioning. He instead asked me another question out of the blue, “What is your stance on God?”.
The question took me by surprise and I was startled to say the least. What was my stance? To be completely honest, I always believed in a higher power but wasn’t quite sure, I couldn’t say so with any form of conviction. So I answered truthfully. “I’m not sure. I want to believe in the existence of a higher power. But I can’t be certain.”
“Hmm. Interesting. I myself am quite certain. But it doesn't matter. I see we're almost at our destination. Do you fancy a few games of roullete?". He asked. The bus had just reached Vegas by now.
"Sure. I said but I'm not sure I can afford to play more than a couple of rounds."
"Don't worry. I can fund us. Whatever we win, you can use to pursue your science or teaching or whatever it is that you do. I'm fairly well off myself and don't need the money. But I definitely need the amusement." He replied mysteriously .
"That's too kind. But I must protest." I said. I was excited by the proposition, for as famous as I was, I was desperately in need of money, and wasn’t very rich. Yet I couldn't help but think there was a catch. Where money is involved there is always a catch. I learnt this the hard way.
"Don't worry." he said and added rather mischievously, "I have a feeling you'll gain more than just money today." "What do you mean?" I said rather sharply. "Oh nothing. I just get these gut feelings sometimes. Could be nothing." He said trying to calm me down. I was genuinely intrigued but a bit annoyed at his presumption. My desperation for the money, my curiosity and his strangely calming presence got the better of me and so against my better judgement, I agreed to meet him at the roulette table at the Electric Casino after dinner at half past eight.

We met after dinner at the table and as promised he paid for the game. The dealer spun the table, and I said, with now excitement bordering on insanity, "Six!", and dropped the ball onto the spinning table. After turning for what seemed like an eternity, the ball ever so slowly rolled across to finally reach six. "Yes!!" I screamed. I felt that this was my lucky day and I could do no wrong. I turned to my friend, he had the same strange mischievous smile. "Good job. You've won the first round, you want to carry on ? Or quit? " He asked. "I feel like I'm unstoppable today. Bring it on. Let's go again." I said excitedly. He gestured to the dealer and made the payment. And so the dealer spun the table again. This time I said “Eleven!" and watched the ball drop onto the revolving table. After another agonising wait, the ball slowly tricked on to, much to my surprise and delight, eleven. Many people now gathered around the table and there was a palpable excitement in the air. I felt that I could do no wrong. I had the same feeling while discovering the theory of relativity, suddenly everything made sense. I asked my friend to deal again. After a few more victorious rounds, my strange friend with the same mischievous look, asked "you want more? Or are we done?". I was now drunk with not just my ill deserved victory but also the steady flow of martinis being served to the table, and thought I was invincible. So I told him that he was right, my perspective had indeed changed and asked him to continue.

There was now a slight flicker in the tubelights as we played on to the late hours of the night. The next round went against me and I thought to myself that it was perhaps just an isolated singularity. I continued playing and a few rounds in, I was in free fall. The crowd that had gathered around and were rejoicing in my victory, now slowly parted, till at last I was alone with the dealer and my curious friend. My friend excused himself to use the men’s room and it was just the dealer and I now at the table. I couldn't continue for my financier wasn't with me. I was feeling miserable, I had just lost everything, and though nothing that I lost was really mine, I was still gutted. I had won it hadn't I? Wasn't it mine? My head was now a swirling cesspool of thoughts ill becoming of a world reputed scientist. What once had dreamt and conjured of such sublime thoughts as unification of the universe, photoelectric effect, the equivalence of mass and energy, was now swarming with ways to get back that lost money. I was awoken from my reverie by a waiter, a little anxious and hesitant to approach. I looked at him inquiringly, and asked him, "Have you seen that man who was with me? "He looked a bit frightened and responded not without hesitation, “Professor Einstein? That gentleman asked me to give you this note.” I was slightly disconcerted at having being identified and thought to myself, “I hadn’t told him who I was, perhaps my fame did follow me here after all.”. Thus reassuring myself I took the note from the waiter’s trembling hands. I opened the note, and what was written there shook me to my very core.
“Dear Albert,
I know you once said and truly believed that God doesn’t play dice. But sometimes I do and what’s worse, I sometimes lose.

With You Always
”
A life changing perspective indeed. “

There was pin drop silence in the lecture hall, you had to be there to feel it, I don’t think there was a thought in anyone’s head. The bell rang and lifted us from our thoughts or the lack thereof. Professor Einstein’s wasn’t the only perspective that changed that day.