Continuation.
Start at number 14 of 21/04/2016 p., Number 15 of 28/04/2016 p., Number 16 of 12/05/2016 p.
... "Beat, bells! Waken! Every night waken, just wait a little to punch at last ..."
Eugene passed his exams to graduate school “excellently”. He was enrolled to the Department of Mathematics of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute on the order of the rector. And Professor Smohorzhevskyy was pleased that everything went smoothly.
- Well, Eugen Eugenovych- summarized he - now work. Integral curves should really work on discontinuous fields. You don’t have many lectures, more practical hours, so the rest of the time - for science.
The situation at the Department appealed to Eugene. The head of Department - Olexander Stepanovych - knew how to organize work without undue fuss, quietly and purposefully. Everybody had strict responsibilities and tasks. Scientific interests were not limited. Olexander Stepanovych interfere in the creative process only when he saw that someone turned aside or chose an easy way to science. He remembered his teacher academician Mykhaylo Kravchuk and often remarked using his words: "You take small, small, colleague..." These words matched him because he was like a farmer, then a professor of mathematics – tall, with some dreaminess in his eyes. . Olexander Stepanovych was not young when came to science. For a long time he worked as a teacher in Vinnytsya region, and only when he was thirty-three he graduated from Kyiv University. But being a student he published several original works. Then, already working at the University of Technology, he was interested in the theory of geometric constructions in hyperbolic space, design problems of hyperbolic geometry, mathematical analysis including differential equations. His works quickly became recognized not only among native mathematicians but also among scientists abroad. So for seven years he rose from assistant to professor. Since then increasing Kravchuk’s tradition, he did everything to develop mathematical research in Polytechnic Institute. And soon Eugene became close friends with professor Anatoliy Vitaliyovych Zmorovych. It made creative atmosphere and inspired for new searches.
- Now - he boasted to mother – everything is like it was with Ferenz List: everything was good as possible, and now it’s much better.
- If only you won’t be tired…- the mother answered with worry in her heart.
- No, Mom, what I am doing now is worth any fatigue. Leonhard Euler the most famous of famous mathematicians became blind three times in his life because of hard work. And when he was blind in the third time he created the theory of microscope. Imagine, the theory of microscope, with no hope to look into it! ..
Working as an assistant Eugene wrote two new works for six months. The department discussed and recommended them for publication in scientific notes of the institute. It was time to take up the thesis. And Olexander Stepanovych and Anatoliy Vitaliyovych reminded that there is no time to linger. But Eugene didn’t think about thesis. He was deepening in his theory - the theory of integral curves of discontinuous field of directions. No, he had to build it. The duty of mathematician for which Rene Ber called, he should take over. Thesis? Thesis can wait. Finally he is postgraduate. There is much time. And again sleepless nights. Chains of reasoning, proves that led to them do not leave him anywhere. He could do those proves in the bus, between the lectures and remember for months. Incredible obsession covered him when he began new theorems. But the work became more and more difficult. He didn’t remember that day to avoid hurt inside. As if the wound opened and waited that he drink or eat something. Then it reminded about itself with burning pain that was unbearable to withstand. Medicines prescribed by doctors did not help.
When the next bout happened the mother did not obey the son and called an ambulance. That car took him to the hospital. At the hospital Eugene didn’t feel better. The same pain, the same high temperature, though he took all the medicines. He was depressed by the thought that doctors keep secret the disease that is late to cure. Then he agreed to the surgery. After the surgery Eugene felt better. Mother brought his favourite cookies, extracts of herbs, but he had no pain. On the tenth day the stitches were taken out and he was allowed to do simple exercises. Professor Phakadze visited him several times. He asked about health and advised to forget about the math.
- I will order to take all the books and notebooks,- he said.
- But without them I will lie sick longer. - And with them - on the contrary ... You'll see.
- Well, if so - write, read! ..
Mother brought and brought old books which were forgotten, even from Germany, notes. Also she brought letters from Sasha. He immediately answered and asked mother to throw envelopes in the mailbox. In one letter Sasha made a declaration of love and became dearer and more cherished.
"You see, Mom, - said Eugene – doctors bring grief to some people, and happiness for others. I have double happiness: finally I will feel good and I have Sasha. There is a third happiness - a passion to study mathematics, which I have never experienced. Give these notes to Olexandr Stepanovych and say that I got to equations of Volterr."
It was time to say goodbye to the hospital. Eugene was so happy that visited all the cabinets and laboratories. And then Professor Phakadze, doctors and several students-interns came into the room.
- Well, you can’t wait? - he asked Eugene.
- No, Olexander Nazarovych. Thank you for everything! ..
- But before you say goodbye, show yourself to future Aesculapians – he showed a bit frustrated students. And he said to them - you saw medical history, here ... – then Phakadze said a few words in Latin. - But the general picture, as you can see - the patient is recovering quickly after the surgery, gaining strength - and he began to speak Latin.
Eugene memorized every word. Especially those that the professor said in Latin. He did not know their meaning, but some intuition forced him to remember them.
Some days the words did not come out of his head. As unproved theorems they worried him even engendered suspicion. Eugene asked her sister to bring him Latin dictionary. He feverishly and quickly translated professor’s conversation and horrified - a malignant tumor? He has cancer! .. He rushed to the encyclopedia and here another horror embraced him: such tumors - sooner or later - death! ..
He was sitting in stupor for a long time. There was no thought that could help him concentrate on something. And suddenly, like an electric current: "What about a mother ... mother? She probably knows? .. And sister ... and the Institute ... they probably said ... - I am the only person who does not know. Oh, crazy humanity! .. "
... "The bells stopped to ring… There is no hope. We easily triumphs over past and future tribulations, we are easily won by those who are with us" ...
But neither at home nor at the Institute Eugene didn’t show that he knew about the disease. He got up in the morning and went to work and came home late. He said to the mother that he was working in the library, though he even did not visit the library. He was just wandering around the city, wandering at random, without choosing a route. And the more he went, the harder becomes the burden of thought. It was painful for him to hear street noise, look at the human flows. Everybody was in hurry, and he had nowhere to hurry. Except perhaps the mother, Sasha who still did not know anything. Then he spent the whole evenings sitting at the table. Mother thought that he was working but Eugene didn’t even take a pen
.It was spring. Cherry trees became to blossom near the house, birds were singing on green oaks. "One more spring - thirtieth - Eugene thought. – One more and probably the last ... and last? May be he will live? At least a few years. Not all people die identically?" But where and whom he could ask. He was about to go to Professor Phakadze - he probably knew everything - but he imagined the conversation and did not go. Then he took a lot of books on oncology in the library. He read and read ... it would be better not to read. He won’t meet spring! With such a tumor it would be good to live to winter...
The thoughts of imminent death overshadowed everything. Eugene deliberately avoided meeting with friends, and when he lectured he tried not to show his state of mind. Even theorems became distant and indifferent. And it struck him: the things that he loved most of all in his life - become disagreeable. Is not it the death? .. But no, until he goes, until he can think, it will not happen. He has spring and summer. During this time he will prove more than one theorem. Maybe they would have happier fate, and they would live longer. Everybody at the department and the dean knew that Viktorovskyy lived the last days. A lot of people wanted to ease his life: someone offered to lecture instead of him because, they saw that he was tired, others showed willingness to assume his graduates. Only Olexander Stepanovych as if knew nothing. He reminded about the thesis. Thesis that was not on the plan which were approved at the department, but new which they discussed with Eugene in the hospital. That plan provided not specific problems of the theory of integral curves for discontinuous fields, but the creation of the theory itself.
- But, Olexander Stepanovych, you should understand me ... - said Eugene.
- In what?
- I don’t need it...
Smohorzhevskyy did not immediately find what to say. He got up from the table, walked across the office and stopped in front of Viktorovsky. His eyes, as always, were embraced by deep thoughtfulness. Suddenly that thoughtfulness disappeared and he said:
- Real thesis, Eugen Eugenovych are written not for ourselves. And we live not for oursekves. You are a mathematician! ..
Something important was in these words, big and necessary. The last words - "you are a mathematician" - summarized everything that was done by Eugene, and more – they gave hope. "Hopes for ill person who could live the last days at his own discretion ..." And other words were remembered: "Without you, nobody will do it. And science for a long time will not have the keys to a new theory." No, Eugene is grateful to Olexander Stepanovych. So to say - we must have the courage. Perhaps life of the science is the greatest tragedy. But her life is eternal and light. No matter how difficult were the last steps he has to pass them, pass in the name of science. Now Eugene lived in their calendar. He had no weekends, no holidays. There was no New Year. Everything had to end in one thousand nine hundred and fifty six... He read it in books on oncology. He felt so in his heart and being. Again he was tormented by pain, he almost did not eat, was exhausted by fever. But he worked. He worked madly and obsessively. At the end of September he already had six chapters of the thesis, and in October he wrote two more. After adding conclusions Eugene submitted his thesis to the department. A week later Olexander Stepanovych came to Eugene and said that the thesis was discussed and recommended for defense. The date of defense was determined-the twelfth of November.
- What if I can not come? – Eugene asked. - Anesthetic doesn’t help any more. And I can’t go, I lie more.
- You did a great job – as if Smohorzhevskyy didn’t hear these words. - You did feat. And not each person can do feat ... – And putting his hand on Eugene’s shoulder, he said warmly and fatherly: - And maybe he can! ..