Ein Treffen in Berlin

Story Summary

Twenty-eight-year-old art teacher Anna sits nervously in a Berlin café, waiting for her blind date. Her friend Julia has set up this meeting with Thomas, a thirty-year-old bookstore employee who shares her love of books and cats. Wearing her lucky red scarf, Anna mentally rehearses what she'll say.

Thomas arrives by walking straight into a chair, which breaks the ice in the most adorable way. They order coffee and food from a hilariously slow waiter who moves like he's underwater. What starts as awkward small talk quickly blossoms into lively conversation about their shared interests.

They discover their cats are equally crazy: Anna's Picasso only eats expensive food and fetches exclusively blue pens (why only blue ones?), while Thomas's Hemingway sleeps on his keyboard and sends bizarre emails when he's not looking. These cat stories spark laughter and create an instant connection.

Anna shares funny stories about teaching teenagers who have creative theories about art - like thinking Mona Lisa smiles because she forgot her homework. Thomas confesses he almost drank cat food this morning after accidentally putting coffee in Hemingway's bowl.

Time flies as they chat over Erdinger wheat beer. Two and a half hours pass in what feels like minutes. When it's time to leave, they eagerly exchange numbers and plan a second date at a book market near Mauerpark, with Thomas joking he'll try not to crash into the World Clock at Alexanderplatz.

The story ends hopefully as both text Julia to thank her for the perfect match. Though their respective cats couldn't care less about their romantic adventures, Anna and Thomas know they've found something special. Berlin becomes even more beautiful when you meet someone who makes time disappear.