Growing up in New Jersey I remember an old man who lived next door. Everyone said that he was a genius but I just thought he was a funny old man. He used to make faces at me when he went out to check his mail; although sometimes he got mixed up on which mailbox was his.

He lived in a quaint two story home and was seldom seen unless you knew when to look for him. Albert loved to hibernate like a bear. I soon found out that he was a night owl, and that he liked to play his violin on the front porch late at night. And so the relationship between Albert and I began.

I loved his hair. He used to let me comb it sometimes; although it never did any good. He'd play his violin for a while then he'd stop and write something in his notebook. After that we usually sat in silence for a while.

People in the neighborhood said that he won the Nobel Prize in 1921, and if you wanted to know how fast light traveled he was the one to ask because he had written some kind of story about it. In fact my history book at school even said that Albert had one of the greatest mathematical minds of all time. So, I used to get him to help me with my homework; and man was he smart.

He worked many jobs when he was younger, and even worked at a patent office as a clerk. Although he tried to teach at universities he was turned down many times.

We used to sit on his front porch late at night and look out at the stars. He could sit for hours just looking and thinking. Albert said his specialty was "the electrodynamics of moving bodies," whatever that meant. But lately he had been more interested in Quantum Mechanics. Okay, so some of our conversations were one sided; but I sure enjoyed listening to the old funny man anyway.

Albert loved to sail, and he sailed for many years. But after his wife passed away he slowly gave that up. He never cared for money, titles or distinctions, he just loved his work and life.

The genius next door to me hadn't been born in the United States, he was born in Germany in 1879. He arrived in the United States in 1933 and became a United States citizen in 1940. He said that he felt like he had finally settled when he moved to Princeton.

I use to cut his grass and he loved watching me do it. He would sit and giggle as I made my endless trips around the yard with his lawnmower. Then he usually stopped and made several more notes in the notebook.

Then in 1955 he got sick and went into the hospital. The next day he passed away. I sure miss old Albert. I know he was a genius and famous and all; but I really miss sitting with him and listening to him talk, and also the funny faces he used to make.

In case you're wondering Albert Einstein was the genius next door. Albert was cremated the day he passed away and his ashes were scattered around the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. I'll bet everyone in heaven is sitting around listening to the genius who used to live next door to me.

Note: This is a fictional account of living next door to Albert Einstein.

Learn more about this author, Kevin Lamb.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Short stories: The genius next door?
We want to hear your view. Write now!