Ein Treffen in Berlin

Anna speaks slowly. "Zero one seven six. Twenty-three. Forty-five. Sixty-seven. Eighty-nine." She repeats it once more. Thomas types carefully. "I'll send you a message," he says. He writes: "Hello Anna. This is Thomas. The man who fights against chairs."

Anna's phone buzzes. She laughs about the message. "Perfect! Now I have your number." She saves it. "When can we meet again?" asks Thomas. "Are you free next Saturday?" Anna hopes so. "Yes! Saturday is perfect. At what time?"

"In the morning? At ten o'clock? We could go to a market," Anna suggests. "I know a good book market at Mauerpark." Thomas's eyes light up. "Books and morning coffee? Perfect!" He looks very happy. "Shall we meet at Alexanderplatz?" asks Anna. "Yes. At ten o'clock, Alexanderplatz. I'll try not to run into the World Clock."

They go outside together. The evening begins. The street lamps turn on. "I'm going to the subway," says Anna. She points to the left. "I'm taking the bus," says Thomas. He points to the right. They have to part. But they don't move yet.

"Thank you for a lovely afternoon," says Anna. "Thank you for laughing about my chair accident," answers Thomas. They hug briefly. Friendly but warm. "Until Saturday!" they say together. Then they laugh about the timing.

Anna goes to the subway. She writes to Julia: "Thomas is wonderful! Funny and nice. We're meeting Saturday. He ran into a chair! 😂" Julia answers immediately: "I KNEW IT! Tell me everything! Did he mention his terrible sense of direction?" Anna smiles. There's more to discover about Thomas.

Thomas waits for his bus. He feels light and happy. He also writes to Julia: "Anna is perfect. We laughed a lot. Thank you!" Julia sends five heart emojis back. At home, both Anna and Thomas tell their cats about the afternoon. The cats don't care. They only want dinner. But Anna and Thomas don't mind. Next Saturday comes soon. Berlin is beautiful when you meet new friends.