Page 99 - A Life - my Live - my path

Computerization of the cyclotron

seconds, the 'enter' option lit up. His desk was laid out
lengthways. You had to walk several metres to get in front of
him. I crossed the threshold and saw him with my note,
which he was holding high in the air and on which he had
highlighted in yellow all the sentences that were causing him
problems. He looked at me and said: "What do you want me
to do with all this?" I began my explanations, which,
contrary to what one might think, were anything but a
lecture. After more than thirty minutes, he concluded:
"Remember, written words remain. Go with the flow and
wait". Before leaving, he looked at his watch and said, "You
made me miss my lunch!"
I was relieved, because he could lose his temper very
easily and sometimes had a temper tantrum. In summer,

with the windows open, you could hear him in the other
buildings. He could be quite impressive. Personally, I had
the opportunity to go into his office several times, but he
never raised his voice. He always spoke to me normally and
I often looked up to him.
The adventure of computerizing the cyclotron ended
badly, as I had predicted, but without any responsibility on
my part - quite the contrary.
One day, the boss's right-hand man - not summoned me -
but invited me into his office to tell me that I was right, that
my actions were all justified, but that the wider context was
such that he couldn't agree with me.

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