So I've finished reading Atlas Shrugged, after 3 months.

You think of yourself as a capitalist? I'll leave you with one paragraph from a book that I personally regard as philosophically more significant than the bible:

Did it ever occur to you that there is no conflict of interests among men, neither in business nor in trade nor in their most personal desires - if they omit the irrational from their view of the possible and destruction from their view of the practical? There is no conflict, and no call for sacrifice, and no man is a threat to the aims of another - if men understand that reality is an absolute not to be faked, that lies do not work, that the unearned cannot be had, that the undeserved cannot be given, that the destruction of a value which is, will not bring value to that which isn't. The businessman who wishes to gain a market by throttling a superior competitor, the worker who wants a share of his employer's wealth, the artist who envies a rival's higher talent - they're all wishing facts out of existence, and destruction is the only means of their wish. If they pursue it, they will not achieve a market, a fortune or immortal fame - they will merely destroy production, employment and art. A wish for the irrational is not to be achieved, whether the sacrificial victims are willing or not. But men will not cease to desire the impossible and will not lose their longing to destroy - so long as self-destruction and self-sacrifice are preached to them as the practical means of achieving the happiness of the recipients.

I my humble opinion, this one paragraph sums up the core of what business is about better than anything I've ever read before. I have plenty to say about this, but my priorities are pretty defined at the moment - slotting everything together perfectly takes time, and patience is a nice trait to have...

On Saturday morning, something happened that I'm not quite sure what to make of.

I was in Stellenbosch doing maintenance on our flat (I've since rented it out to 3 Swedish exchange students, but that's another story). One of the problems was a non-cooperative set of blinds, for which I needed a few small plastic parts, along with a few of the cloth blades. A friend recommended a place called "Wonder Blinds" in the industrial area for said parts. And so I drove there...

Being Saturday, only a few businesses were open. I couldn't find Wonder Blinds immediately, so I drove around the block, and noticed a sign at Demtex Fabrics that said "blinders, opgemaak" (blinds, made up). Ah, I thought, and parked in front of the building. As I walked inside, I noticed that the place was almost deserted, save for two people: The one was a middle-aged lady behind the counter, and the other was a younger lady (about my age) standing sort-of in front of the counter. Nothing strange, except the girl was smiling, looking at me as I walked in - so much so that I wasn't sure who to say hi to, because it was almost as if she was sort-of greeting me. I smiled back, out of simple reflex; for a brief moment, these same reflexes told me she was a sales lady, but then I realised that she was holding a purse, and logic aimed my attention at the lady behind the counter.

"Goeie more (Good morning)", I said. "Ek is op soek na 'n paar onderdele (I'm looking for a few spare parts)". I held up the stuff I had in my hand.

"Onderdele?! (spare parts?!)", the girl asked, chuckling. She was mocking me, the cheek! "Wel, wat anders noem mens dit? (well, what else would you call them?)" I replied. She was smiling broadly now, and I think I was too. It was then that a guy appeared from within an office, looked at the stuff I had in my hand, and politely explained that they only supplied roman blinds (as opposed to my vertical ones). He recommended Wonder Blinds, obviously, but said that he doubted that they were open on a Saturday, and explained to me how to get to them. I thanked him, and walked out. When I got into my car (which is a classic 1971 Mercedes currently missing the front-left hubcap, they're damn hard to get hold of), I noticed the girl getting into her car two from mine. She paused, looked at me, smiled again, and got in...

OK, so here's the thing:

A chance encounter like this is nothing out of the ordinary, things like these happen all the time, except: she's the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I've never felt such an attraction towards someone, ever. It was completely eerie, which is why I don't know what to make of it - I've never experienced anything like this before. And that's not all… I'm sure I recognised her from somewhere, and that she recognised me too. I've tried my best, but I can't quite put my finger on it… My best guess is that we were at a graduation ceremony together, I think it was my master's. You know what, now that I'm typing this, I'm almost convinced it was.

It's bothering me so much, but I don't know what to do. All I have is a face (which I'll never forget for as long as I live), the fact that she drives a white Fiat Palio and probably stays in Stellenbosch. How do I know this? She had Stellenbosch number plates, which I noticed as I drove off  (I have this habit of trying to deduce people's life stories from their cars and number plates, try it sometime, it's fun). Nothing else.

Do I try to track her down?
How?
Why?

Unbelievable. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.