Stephen Hawking

A few years ago, I started to be interested in philosophy and physics, reading books, and listening to university lessons on youtube. 

(That's what I do when doing routine stuff).

In 2017 I made a plate with the solar system and a couple of formulas and a few notations taken from books.
The dish was available for sale in my shop, and only a few people have shown interest in it.
Two in particular.
The first one was a woman who wanted to buy it for a physicist friend, but she was questioning the price; she exactly asked, "why that price?"

A few months later, a couple from England, spending their vacation in Umbria, came to my shop and ordered a complete set of dishes.
Then the husband saw that plate and picked it up, saying that it was the perfect gift for his friend.

I asked then if his friend was a physicist and the man said yes, he's Stephen Hawking.

"Yes, sure!" was my answer, but the man smiled and said, "I am also a physicist, and Stephen lives next to our house; we are friends."

I cannot describe my feeling, but you can imagine.

He wanted to pay for it, but I firmly refused, (How dare you?). So he promised a picture of Hawking holding my plate and asked me to do the same. 

I made that plate when I was reading The Elegant Universe [Brian Greene] and A Brief History Of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes [Hawking].

That's quite odd.

GR