I know private is a word that has often been used to describe Audrey, but I'm amazed at how many people she affected in her life. I want to share one small story: I remember the first time Audrey ever hugged me. Understand, she's a private person, but even more so with physical affection.
I remember I was over at her house, we had spent the entire day planting flowers; she loved flowers. She shared with me all the research she had done.
At the end of day, we were both exhausted and a bit frustrated and she said to me point blank, Well, did you learn something today or not?' And I said of course I did. The way she left us is tragic, but in these situations of chaos, it's instinctive to ask why, to look for answers. I prefer to just be so thankful she left us with a lesson, that our time is so short. Every moment we can spend together in love, and cherish together, (it's) so important to do that.
Maybe we can learn about the interaction of Audrey with the friends around her by studying their comments about her this P.K. as quote by Wells in Spectator. Just to try to understand because we don't really know her hopefully someone else can add to this or add other quotes.
1. Use of "private" twice in first paragraph and in a contradictory way. First "she isn't as private as you think" then "understand she was a private person" but odd use of private the second time we don't think of a person as being "private" with their hugs or physical affection. "All the people she affected" seems a normal compliment even platitude except it contrasts with the need to focus again on him and the first hug. This I find unusual on end of people have hugged me I am not sure I would remember the "first hug" we usually remember a first kiss though. Double use "affected/affection" first paragraph. Again take note of that emphasis on word private.
2. As has been pointed out where is the big flower garden nobody can see it in photos. But ok next "She shared with me all the research she had done" VERY interesting to me note he doesn't say research about flowers. Did Audrey share some other kind of research with him? "I remember" and again "I remember" a stretch but it feels he is remembering something else or something more left unsaid. I know we all do that all the time.
3. Mood description both "exhausted" and "frustrated" he applies to himself and Audrey both.
4. "Point blank did you learn something today or not?" This doesn't feel to me that it is about the flowers has something to do with the research which again I don't think is about the flowers. "And I said of course I did" but no mention of what the research was, why she is querying him if he has learned anything, and we don't learn what he learned which you think would be the point to the story, the story never really arrives anywhere.
5. "Point blank" um I realize there was no gun but still - a sudden event and this is echoed by the sudden shift from his assuring her he has learned something to the "tragic" event. It was "chaos" we don't usually describe something as chaotic that he don't experience. Something happened to do with instinct that was "instinctive".
6. Advice "not to look for answers".
7. Spending "every moment loving and cherishing".... an elderly employer turned friend? Think for a minute whether anyone in her chess club or coffee club would say they had any inclination to spend every moment loving and cherishing Audrey. Yet here and elsewhere his advice is let's move on. Note also that Audrey's love is for the flowers which we can't locate all possibly an metaphor for the research and as we know possibly a complaint that she was more focused on other things.
8. In line with the focus on "research" and "learning" she left something with P.K. a "lesson".
9. "Our time is short" well Audrey didn't really live a short life. There was a short space of time between the research being shared and her death whenever that was. And it is a platitude (if you will bear with me) that hides what she really left with him, the results of the research.
10. He does seem jealous of her affections maybe just a normal or almost normal mother complex. Remember he emphasized that he was the only one invited into her house although one message on the memorial page that said "you invited us into your home" belies that - and anyway how could be possibly know for sure? And on WS if him in one comment he seemed to have a pretty full run of the house including medicine cabinets and bedroom (when someone asked about meds) he could really answer that? Wow.
11. In my link a few posts ago there is a list of researchers that P.K. worked with it is including a lot of Iranian scientists. All good but in these very fraught times would anyone know if any of the research P.K.'s group (well at that point he is a young member of it of course) has nuclear applications I mean in any sense, timers, triggers, anything? That anyone would be watching, trying to steal etc. while they are doing their work. Becomes it sounds like a superb group of researchers.
