III

Vika bore the whole situation badly; I really hope the walk to the chapel would serve her of some consolation, for no matter how badly I tried to cheer her up or draw her attention away, she just got more upset and detached. When we meet in the evening, we shall discuss our further actions no matter how low-spirited we feel.

Thinking about how today’s evening would go, I didn’t notice how I ended up next to the wide, blocky building, standing a little separate from nearby houses.

Muting on long, panoramic windows gave it a nice, country look and were of bright blue colour, contrasting with the white bricks of the walls. Inside I could see people going back and forth and…telegraph machines! Oh, how good it is, that the words for “post” and “telegram” ended up to be under the influence of anglicism, for I was able to read the entrance signboard and entered without doubts.

While waiting in a small queue, I was thinking about how I should explain my request to the worker. My feeble Russian was of no use, and English might as well just confuse them. By the time it was my turn, I prepared my small envelope and, taking a deep breath to say “I speak Russian really badly”, stepped forward.

“Hello. I’m Arne. I bad speak in Russian,” – and handled the envelope.

I think all the Gods of all religions saw my today’s struggle and asked a mighty Fortuna to aid me in such a task, for the man, a short, old worker took his uniform cap off and, looking at my name written next to the “absender” line, replied in perfect Hochdeutsch:—

“Well, we can try in German. How can I help you, Herr Lehmann?”

To say, that my eyes went wide, is to say nothing. It astonished me how long I took to act. Such a frozen reaction marked the extent of my weakness under unbelievable shifts of the day, for the only thing I managed to reply was: “Please, send it by express post”. The confusion on the postman’s face, who clearly was expecting a bit more sentences from a fellow German speaker, supported by inpatient whispers of the small queue already formed behind, brought me back to action.

“Please,” I began, with a sudden feeling of easiness from speaking mother language, “I came to send the letter to Cologne. As I said, with the fastest delivery option available. However, I could not but take this opportunity to ask you more about this city. Under the circumstances, which I wish not to talk about here, dear sir, and with the best intentions I’m kindly asking you to share a cup of midday coffee with me.” 

I spoke fast and confidently, one would even say, with passion. It was no wonder that the postman was surprised, or even awed. And after a short pause, clearly calculating something, he replied:—

“It would be of much pleasure. If you don’t mind waiting, in fifteen minutes there is a lunch break, that lasts for about an hour.