and a newspaper."
Raising his hands in a mock defensive gesture, Renato grinned and said, "All right, all right. But don't complain when prospective partners walk past you without so much as a second glance."
Grinning smugly, Ulrike said, "Actually, a 'prospective partner' has been watching me with quite an interest just yesterday."
Renato whistled, and waggling his eyebrows he asked, "Was she hot?"
"Very," said Ulrike.
"You going to see her again?"
"Maybe," said Ulrike.
An elderly woman came up to them, asking, "Guten Morgen. Am I too early for my appointment?"
"Guten Morgen, Frau Müller," said Renato, "No, you're not too early. I'm coming." And to Ulrike he said, "I've got to go. Good luck!"
"Thanks, Renato. Ciao," said Ulrike and went to the newspaper shop, and shortly after, with a B.Z. rolled up in her hand and her breakfast in the bag, she headed home.
As she was sitting at the kitchen table, munching a croissant and flipping through the newspaper, she suddenly stopped chewing when her eyes caught a familiar name. Slowly she continued chewing while she read through the article:
Friday night, José Bauer, son of Helmut Bauer from Bauer GmbH & Co. KG, and his sister Carmen were injured after his Ferrari crashed into the road safety barrier in the North Curve of the Avus. Police says the Bauers were on their way home from a family party in Wannsee when he lost control of the car, probably due to the wet conditions and oil on the road. Both were taken to hospital with severe injuries. The North Curve in direction of Kurfürstendamm was closed for three hours.
Could this be 'her' Carmen? Ulrike put her croissant aside and went over to the sideboard in the hall to get the telephone book. Back at the kitchen table, Ulrike started to browse through the phonebook. "Bauer ... Bauer ... ah, here it is." She moved her index-finger over the rows of entries for Bauer. There was no Carmen Bauer, but several C. Bauer, and as she reached for the note, Ulrike said, "Bingo!" The next instant her face fell as she realised that the number on the note matching the only C. Bauer entry without an address meant that it was indeed her Carmen who was now lying in hospital, severely injured.
The newspaper didn't say to which hospital they were taken, but Ulrike surmised that they would have been taken to the Martin-Luther-Krankenhaus as it was the closest - she would go there first and find out. She took the note and the little box she had re-wrapped previously with her and put it back into the KaDeWe bag. Then, remembering that she hadn't finished breakfast, she fetched the croissants and put both, the KaDeWe bag and the bag with the croissants in her bag. Glancing at herself in the mirror above the sideboard, she remembered what Renato had said ... "Verdammt!" now she felt she had to change before meeting Carmen. Annoyed, she hurried into the bedroom and changed into summer jeans and a somewhat classier T-shirt. Then, after giving her hair a cursory brush, she slipped into her moccasins, and grabbing her bag and her keys, she left.
On the way to the hospital, she stopped at a flower shop and bought a mixed bunch of red roses and gyp, hoping that Carmen would like them even if the note and pendant had not been meant for her. At the hospital she found a parking space not too far from the entrance, and grabbing her bag and the bunch of flowers, she headed for the reception.
Relieved that Carmen had indeed been brought to this hospital, Ulrike went to search for the room number she had been given. As she finally found it, she knocked on the door and entered. There were six beds in the room, but only two were occupied, and in one of them sat Carmen, her right leg in plaster.
"Guten Morgen," said Ulrike and closed the door.
It took Carmen a moment to sort out her memory, but before Ulrike could go on to introduce herself, her face changed into a look of joyous surprise, and she said, "You came!"
"Yep," said Ulrike and handed her the flowers. "I read about it in the newspaper. How are you doing?"
Burying her nose in the flowers, Carmen inhaled deeply, and turning her gaze back to Ulrike, she smiled and said, "So, you found my note and the gift."
Rummaging in her bag, Ulrike took out the KaDeWe bag and said, "Yes, I found it." And handing the bag to Carmen, she added a bit shyly, "I wasn't quite sure if it was meant for me, though."
Refusing to take the bag, Carmen said, "Of course it is meant for you. For whom else would it be?"
"How should I know?" said Ulrike.
"You haven't opened it?" asked Carmen astonished.
Ulrike blushed and admitted, "Uh, well, yes, I have opened it. It's beautiful."
Furrowing her brows, Carmen regarded Ulrike searchingly and asked quietly, "Have I misjudged you then? Did I misinterpret the rainbow sticker in your taxi?"
Ulrike smiled, and shaking her head, she said, "No, you haven't."
"Is there someone else?" asked Carmen hesitantly.
Looking down at the bag, Ulrike shook her head. "No."
"I still don't know your name."
Ulrike looked at her and smiled. "Ulrike ... Ulrike Hoffmann."
"Ulrike," said Carmen slowly as if to savour the sound and feel how it resonated within her. Smiling, she looked at Ulrike. "That's a nice name."
Slightly blushing, Ulrike reached for the flowers and asked, "Shall I put them in water?"
"Not yet, please," said Carmen, and instead of handing her the flowers, she took Ulrike's hand.
Stunned, Ulrike looked at their hands. Her own slightly tanned strong hand appeared white and rough against Carmen's dark and slender one.
Caressing Ulrike's hand with her thumb, Carmen said apologetically, "This isn't exactly the setting I had imagined for a romantic first date."
Squeezing Carmen's hand reassuringly, Ulrike said, "We can make up for it when you are well again."
"I'd like that," said Carmen smiling.
###
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