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Having cleared the table and done the dishes, Ulrike thought she'd find Carmen ready and waiting. The door to the bathroom was open and the light was on, but Carmen wasn't there. She wasn't in the living room either, so Ulrike peeked into the bedroom and found Carmen standing in her underwear in front of her extensive wardrobe. "You aren't ready yet?" she asked in surprise, and walked over to her partner. Hugging her from behind, she nuzzled her long dark brown locks, inhaling the fresh scent of Carmen's shampoo. And as she let her hands glide over her partner's curvaceous body, she wished that they could cancel the party and stay home. It would certainly be a lot more fun. In fact, she could think of several things they hadn't tried yet, and she imagined that Carmen would certainly enjoy the adventure.
"I don't know what to wear," said Carmen absentmindedly.
Halting for a moment to get herself back into the present, it took Ulrike a few seconds to catch up to Carmen's statement. When she finally did, she asked incredulously, "Wow, you've got a three-metre wardrobe and you can't find anything to wear?" and knowing that she had to postpone her sweet fantasies, she let go of her partner.
"I can't wear high heels yet, so I can't wear a dress," explained Carmen.
"Then wear pants," said Ulrike, not at all understanding the problem. She wouldn't be caught dead in a dress, and high heels … she had tried the high heels of her girlfriend as a teenager … after just two or three steps she stumbled and fell, twisting her ankle and spraining her wrist in the process. After that, she had decided that high heels were definitely not for her, and although she found women in high heels rather sexy, she couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to walk around in such torture devices. It just didn't seem healthy.
"I don't have that many pants," argued Carmen.
"Great! Then the choice should be even easier," countered Ulrike and flopped down on the bed.
Levelling an exasperated glare at Ulrike, Carmen shook her head and said, gesticulating, "You just don't understand these things."
Grinning, Ulrike admitted, "True. I don't."
About half an hour later, Carmen was finally ready to go.
"You look gorgeous!" said Ulrike as Carmen took a last quick look in the mirror in the hallway.
Smiling at the compliment, Carmen still shook her head, "I do not. In the red dress I would look gorgeous."
"Nope," countered Ulrike, "In the red dress you look delicious."
Carmen laughed. "You're incorrigible."
As they were riding the lift down to the ground level, Carmen asked, "By the way, what are you going to wear this afternoon?"
Raising her eyebrows, Ulrike glanced down at her front and then turned her gaze back to Carmen. Before she could say anything, Carmen remarked, "Please, don't tell me you were planning on wearing these!"
"Why not?" asked Ulrike.
"They are men's clothes!" Carmen stated in a voice that portrayed her annoyance at having to state the obvious. Sometimes she truly couldn't fathom why Ulrike was behaving as if she were dumb, especially when it came to fashion.
"Um, no, the shorts are actually unisex, if I remember correctly."
"It doesn't matter," said Carmen, "They look like men's shorts."
"You've never complained about my clothes - except for the boxer shorts," said Ulrike surprised.
"I do not complain about your clothes, Ulli. As long as we're in private you can wear whatever you like, and I actually find it rather attractive on you - except for the boxers. But we're going to see my parents and I'd rather you wear appropriate clothes."
"Wow, I didn't know an invitation to your mother's birthday included a certain dress code," said Ulrike as she pushed the lift door open and held it open for Carmen to exit.
Rolling her eyes, Carmen walked past Ulrike and headed for the front door.
Strolling through the luxurious departments of the KaDeWe, Ulrike wondered what on earth had possessed her to agree shopping here. Sure, the luxury temple with its magnificent entrance hall was a feast for the eyes, but considering buying anything here seemed ridiculous to Ulrike. The only times she came here was when her aunt came for a visit.
Since Ulrike and her brother Norbert had been children, her mother had taken them to the restaurant 'Silberterrasse' whenever Tante Hedwig and Onkel Herbert visited. Nevertheless, neither her aunt nor her mother used to buy anything here. They contented themselves with a stroll through the departments, enjoying just marvelling at all the luxury items while Onkel Herbert took the children to the nearby zoo. The ritual had continued even when Ulrike and Norbert were long grown up, though her brother stopped accompanying them to the zoo when he was 17. To the restaurant, however, he would still come even after Onkel Herbert died. No wonder, thought Ulrike, her brother would never pass on the opportunity of a free meal.
"Look at these," Carmen roused Ulrike from her musings, presenting her with a pair of very feminine looking slacks.
Shrugging her shoulders, Ulrike said, "I don't think the colour suits you, but if you like them…" She wondered why Carmen would even stop in the clothes department. "Gosh, I hope she doesn't mean to suggest buying clothes as a birthday present for her mother," Ulrike mused.
"I wasn't thinking of me, Ulli. I think they would suit you very well."
Ulrike's eyebrows shot up. "Me?! Are you kidding? I'm not going to wear anything with flowers on it."
"All right," said Carmen, rolling her eyes, "How about these," she pointed at a pair of pink summer pants.
"I'm not going to wear pink either," Ulrike stated adamantly. Didn't Carmen know by now that she wouldn't wear pink if her life depended on it? She was sure she had mentioned it more than once.
"Gosh, you are hard to please," said Carmen while she browsed through the slacks on the rack. "But look, they come in blue as well," and she pulled the hanger from the rack and presented the slacks to Ulrike.
"They don't have proper pockets," Ulrike pointed out. What was going on here anyway? Was her partner seriously trying to get her to buy a new outfit?
"Why on earth do you need pockets?" asked Carmen, truly not understanding why Ulrike was being so picky. To her these slacks looked perfectly fine, and she thought they would suit Ulrike just nicely.
"For my wallet and my keys," Ulrike responded, feeling as if she were stating the obvious.
"You won't find a proper pair of pants with pockets big enough for your enormous bunch of keys."
"They fit in mine," Ulrike said, pulling her bunch of keys from her pocket to prove it.
"Yeah, but they are men's shorts," said Carmen with a dismissive gesture.
"No, they are unisex, as I've told you already," argued Ulrike. "Look, it's almost noon and I still don't have a birthday present for your mother. Why don't you just let me wear my things and find me a present for your mother instead?"
Carmen, however, wouldn't budge. And thus, half an hour later, they left the women's wear department with a large KaDeWe bag, which contained a tank top in khaki, a short sleeved shirt and a pair of slacks in beige, and a gold-coloured belt.
Bemused, Ulrike wondered how Carmen had managed to persuade her to buy the belt. Although, she did still remember all too vividly how Carmen had brought her the belt to her changing cubicle. Of course, Ulrike had refused to wear anything like that, but Carmen had stood there in front of the cubicle, her hands braced on either side, looking at her with those captivating brown eyes and told her in a sultry voice how hot she looked in the new outfit. Whenever Carmen used that particular voice on her, it sent warm shivers down Ulrike's body. However, at that moment under the given circumstances she had felt rather like a trapped rabbit. And then Carmen had surprised her by joining her in the cubicle and drawing the curtain. Then, surprising Ulrike even more, she had started to show her appreciation with a sensual kiss. Carmen had already half undressed her when Ulrike finally came to her senses as she heard voices from the adjacent cubicle. Carmen said she didn't mind, but Ulrike did, and to escape h
er lover's grasp, she had agreed to buy the damn belt if Carmen agreed to postpone their adventure till they got home.
Now, Ulrike wondered if Carmen had planned this all along. And while Carmen led her through the vast labyrinth of departments, Ulrike surmised that she would have to work on her defences.
"What do you want in the chinaware department?" asked Ulrike as Carmen slowed down and looked around. Getting almost everything she needed for her flat at IKEA's, Ulrike had hardly ever been in any department store's chinaware department, and she wondered why Carmen would drag her here.
"You'll see," said Carmen, smiling. "Ah, there they are!" And she breezed towards a shelf on which an assortment of porcelain items with a rose design were displayed.
Even though Ulrike would never have bought anything like this for herself, she did think that the items with the yellow roses looked rather pretty. She was pleasantly surprised, when Carmen told her that her mother loved yellow roses. She had numerous varieties of yellow roses in her garden and she already had many pieces of china with the yellow rose design. Carmen had bought the confectionery dish on foot and a silk scarf for her mother, and she thought that the little porcelain box would be a nice addition to her mother's collection.
Picking up the little box, Ulrike mused, "Hm … It's pretty, but she'll know that you chose it. I would never think of buying anything like this."
"What does it matter who chose the gift as long as it's pretty?" asked Carmen.
"Perhaps it doesn't," said Ulrike, looking ponderingly at the little box. "But I'd rather buy something practical."
Carmen looked at Ulrike, deadpan. "My mother has no use for tools."
Rolling her eyes, Ulrike explained that she wasn't thinking of tools. "Didn't you say that the gorgeous paintings in your flat are your mother's creation? Does she still paint?"
"Yes, she does," said Carmen absentmindedly while she was looking at a candle holder of the same pattern. "I think I'll get her this for Christmas. It's beautifully made."
"If she is still painting, couldn't she use something like paint or brushes?" Ulrike mused that if she was going to an effort with the gift choosing, she would really rather be true to herself and buy something of her own choice. A present that would let Carmen's mother know that she had given it some thought, a gift that would be more meaningful somehow.
"She has everything she needs," said Carmen as she put back the candle holder.
"You can never have enough paint as a painter," argued Ulrike, liking her idea more and more. "What kind of paint does she use - acrylics or oil?"
"I've got no idea," said Carmen. "But I'm sure she would love the little box."
Sighing, Ulrike said, "Okay, I'll take the box, but I'd like to have a look at the artists' supply department if there is one here."