Two single ride tickets for BVG – Berlin Metro were still
sitting on my work desk until very recently. In some sense like breadcrumbs to help
steer through memories of that evening.
It was September. I had just travelled 1800kms just to have
dinner with my host family in Freiburg, Germany. The look their face when I
walked in the room made every single mile I had traveled worth it. Now, I was
flying out to Berlin. The city I adored. The first city I set my foot in, in
Germany.
I amazed right from the day I landed with the differences
between the East and the West. The history, architecture, Jewish quarters,
abandoned building turned into art studios, concentration camps, falafel and
beer on the street, the dome of German Reichstag and the silent witness to all
the river Spree – that serpents through
the city.
When wheels touch down at Berlin Tegel, all that I
experienced as a 21 year old, flashes in front of my eyes. As I walk down the
walkways in the airport, I remember, the last time I walked through these, I
was looking for Air France’s customer service office as they had misplaced my
bad.
I make my way through the gates and exit the airport. And I
wish if I could get another chance at making an entrance, another chance at
seeing her through the sliding doors for the first time. I am expecting her to
be there and I am excited. But I haven’t seen her in 6 years. It has been 8
years since we parted ways.
The tattoos, piercings, and haircut, she has changed since I
saw her last. She is wearing all black and an orange colored scarf. Her
piercings reflect the light from the overhead tungsten lamp at the arrival
terminal.
Then I think about myself, what about me – a business suit
instead of torn jeans, a roller suitcase instead of a backpack, and a credit
card instead of cash. Tonight I have a
hotel to check in versus someone’s bachelor pad. Things do change.
As I make my way to her, I remind myself it is a business
trip and we are going to have a drink and that is that. And then she hugs me.
We jump on a metro to get to my hotel. I drop my bags and we
are out on the streets of Berlin. Bus – Train – Taxi, we finally make it to
Kreuzberg – a so called hippy neighborhood close to the wall. Well, at least
what remains of the wall.
We sit down by the river and try to catch each other up on
our lives and the 6 years that have gone by. There is a rescue operation going
on in the background. Someone jumped off the bridge and emergency services are
looking for him. 30 odd minutes pass by
and we realize that we are all caught up. Once the adrenaline of meeting
someone after so long drains off, we realize it is pretty cold by the water so
we decide to walk. Walk by the great Berlin wall.
It is too cold so we must duck into a bar. A dingy, smoky
place. She orders and we now have beer. There aren’t too many people there. I
couldn’t tell you what we spoke about but in that moment it felt engaging. You
know when you rather not blink because you may miss something, it felt like
that.
The charm of the evening is just overwhelming. I try to
recollect how the 22 year old felt when he met her in this city and if I could
be 22 just this once. And she brings me
right back to my senses, when she say “Bist du Ok? Was ist loss?” – simply put
– “Are you ok ? What’s up?”
I am fine but I think I need to walk a little. Clear my mind
perhaps. We walk over to the Spree and we are standing by the river again. It
is some ungodly hour and I don’t want to know how long before Sun shows up on
the horizon. Standing by the river, looking at the Alexander Tower – I say “We
are finally here.”
A promise, rather a wish both of us made / had when we were
together – We ought to have a night on town in Berlin – she once said. I
seconded.
And this is it but it is nothing like the 22 year old and
the 19 year old imagined it to be. You know that time in your life when you
think anything is possible and it really is in that moment.
In between hopping bars that stay open all night long, and
getting something to eat, jumping on and off of Metros – somewhere in between
we realize we have grown up. And as the first light of the morning is about to
descend, we are ascending on the escalator at the metro station – ‘Under Den
Linden’, coming up on Brandon Burger Tor. The Berliner Gate. A place that is
very special to me.
I clasp her hand tight as the gate begins to come into sight
of our vision and we can feel the sun rays on our persons.
Just like a kid trying to shut his eyelids tight in hope of
going back to that dream he was woken from – I close mine for a second. She
notices me and smiles like she always does.
We are now right in front of the monument. I sip on the last
sip of the remaining coffee and light a cigarette and she steals a drag.
I realize that I have a meeting in an hour. I must get back.
She has to work on a paper. Sun light - now floods the sidewalk, the rood, and
all those nooks and corners one could hide the evening before.
It is time. She looks me square in the eyes and says – “Find yourself and you will find happiness. I
am going to do it myself. One is meant to do it individually.”
I want her to get on the metro first. As she hands me those
two tickets for BVG – Berlin Metro, she vehemently explains where I need to change
the trains, which street I need to turn on to get back to my hotel. Then she
hugs for one last time and doors closed behind her.
I jump on the train in the other direction.
We ran into each other in three different countries but
Berlin is where we met for the first time. So in some sense it is poetic that
we met there the last – at least for the near future.
Neo
