Hate & love

008

The sun is shining fiercely through the window when I wake up the next morning. What time is it? I sleepily peek at the clock radio. 8 a.m. With a jerk I lift the covers, lean forward and sit on the edge of the bed. I run my hands over my face.

One thing is certain. I need to find a way to avoid Gaard. Not forever of course. But maybe until the next millennium.

I yawn, stretch and desperately need a hot shower right now. My body relaxes a little at the thought. With a motivated movement, I go into the bathroom and five minutes later hold my left hand under the jet of water. I patiently wait for the desired temperature and quickly hop in the shower. I let the warm water run over my face with relish, hold my head under the jet and shampoo my hair thoroughly. They want to be cared for, that's clear, and that's exactly how my long brown hair should look. While the warm water is pattering on my back, I quickly brush my teeth. I know it's not nice to spit the toothbrush water down that far. In the end it still lands on its feet. I turn off the water, grab a towel, and rub my hair halfway dry. Then I tie the towel around my waist and get out of the shower. The bathroom is full of steam. I wipe the fogged up mirror with the back of my hand, which always drives my father insane, and my mind drifts away. The whole course of yesterday evening gives me the feeling of being ignorant...

"Annie, are you there?"

This is Mina. Why so early? Otherwise she is always a late riser. phew! I quickly reach for a shirt, slip on it and open the door.

"Tomorrow, may I use the toilet for a moment?"

"Of course!" She rushes past me. I hope she doesn't have to spit. I shake my head, go into the bedroom and get dressed.

"Let's go get ice cream in this nice weather."

"Eating ice cream sounds good." I look at her pretty dress. My thumb is pointing up.

"Good, you look!" She beams.

"Now we'll have a decent breakfast first," she murmurs. "I hope you're hungry?" She eyed me questioningly.

"I certainly can't get a bite down."

"What's the matter?" She leans forward conspiratorially. "Let me guess?" This time she can't help but laugh. My brother. Right?” I nod my head in agreement.

"Your brother is impossible," I complain to her. Still, I find that my thoughts keep coming back to him.

"Poor Noodle," she whispered. "Then we'll have breakfast later." She pauses for a moment and looks at me seriously.

We sit in front of the steps of the bungalow and I tell her everything while the hot sun warms our faces. It's another hot sweaty summer day. So hot and humid that you'd rather stay at home. The air is so full of pollen that my eyes sting.

"I still want to go to the hospital." Suddenly we spot two figures coming our way. We watch as the two gasp past us.

"If you want to go to the hospital, we have to hurry. The bus only runs every 2 hours. Phew!... it's hot again," says Mina, demonstratively looking at her watch.

With our hands in our pockets, we are bored waiting for the bus that is supposed to take us to the hospital. Finally.... I clamp the ticket between my teeth We are looking around for a seat when the bus driver puts the car in gear. I casually drop into an empty seat by the window and lean my head against the cold pane, close my eyes and think of Gaard.

Half an hour later, the bus rolls out of the driveway and stops right in front of the hospital. I look at my watch. Already 10.00 a.m. As I exit, I wipe my sweaty fingers on my pants and my courage sinks straight into my slippers. I steel myself inwardly for what I'm about to do. I have a few minutes left. Some time to come up with something. I need to speak to my father. There's no way Gaard can keep watching over me. He's rude and not in control.

We walk through the swinging glass door, turn left and look around searchingly. The reception is directly in front of the elevators. We approach it with determination and a blond woman greets us in a friendly manner when I ask for the room number. I shake my heels as we have to wait in front of the elevator. I rub my stomach impatiently.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked. A fine line slowly digs between her brows.

"Yes everything is okay." I glance over at her and try to smile. My father's room is on the fourth floor. When the elevator doors finally open, we get in and go to the 4th floor. A short time later we walk down the long hallway. I take a deep breath in front of my father's room and slowly open the door. I stick my head into the large room and let my eyes wander over two empty beds. He wanders higher, to the large TV sticking out from the ceiling.

"Typical, my father is not here," I say to Mina. She nudges my side.

"Annie, I'm really thirsty.

"Not now," I say.

"What do you mean. I'm extremely thirsty. Do you have something to drink with you?" Laughing, she collapses into one of the armchairs in the hallway. "I didn't mean to whine, but my throat is so dry and my tongue is the size of a salami!" I watch her the whole time and I have to hold back a laugh.

"Don't worry!" I answer quickly and get the soda from my pocket, squirt a few drops on a tempo, unfold it and stick it to my damp forehead. Then I hand her the bottle. The heat is unbearable and the sun is beating through the large glazed window front.

"Stay like this," Mina screeches, taking a long gulp from my bottle. Then she reaches out for her camera, takes the protective cap off her lens and points the camera at me. I toss my hands through my hair, pout, and pose for Mina. With her finger on the shutter button, she snaps multiple shots of my facial expression. I sink against the hot window and stretch my body as she snaps more pictures and looks at me through the lens.

Suddenly a door across the way opens roughly and I press my hand over my mouth in shock. A nurse comes towards me with long strides. Her clear grey-green eyes look down at me in amusement and I giggle in embarrassment.

"Who do you want?" Her lips twitch before breaking into a small smile.

"To Mark Wooder, but I can come back later." Her grin widens as I quickly rip the handkerchief from my forehead.

"You don't have to. Your father is going to have a CT scan. He'll be right back," she says, giving us an encouraging look.

"CT, what is that?" I look at Mina and then at my watch to make it seem like I have something important to do.

"Computed tomography can be used to identify injuries. It shows the organs and tissues in different shades of gray, similar to an X-ray but with much more detail," she explains to me. This is exactly the picture I suspected. Images from inside the body.

"There's someone for her," the nurse announces over her shoulder, a good distance away from us. I turn around and see an AOK chopper coming towards us and know immediately who she means because I recognize the man in the wheelchair. My father laboriously moves forward with his arms - which supports the circulation. He's getting closer and closer, his eyes never leaving me. I watch him in silence and with a smile he motions a mocking bow with his fingers.

"Hy sweetie!..., have you been waiting for me for a long time?" I shake my head and he holds out his left hand to Mina. With a gallant wave of his other hand, he tells us to go into the room and I step towards the large window for a better view. There is a statue on the south wall to the left of the window. Some excellent statue. Looks like Hercules from here.

I turn to my father with a grin. "How are you today? Just tell me you've gained weight again?" He lowers his eyes to his stomach and glares at me.

"Not funny, Annie!" He's a bit sensitive when it comes to his weight.

"I was just kidding." I smile and turn to him and kiss his cheek.

"Annie, I'm having surgery in the morning. General anesthetic. That sounds creepy, doesn't it?"

"Oh my god! Nightmare on the operating table." Normally he's not that nervous, but here in the hospital he has a lot of time to think.

"Does he have problems with that?" Mina asks me softly.

"No, you're the problem. He hates you."

"He hates me?" I ignore her killer stare and put my head on Mina's shoulder reassuringly.

"It was meant to be a joke, nothing more."

"It doesn't sound like a joke though."

"Have a good time, you two," my producer asks, quickly hiding something under his pillow.

"What are you hiding there?" I suck in air through my nose and take a closer look at the pillow because I'm curious now. I reach for it in a flash and wince when he puts his hand over mine.

"Hands off!" I stare at him for a second, inexplicably dizzy, and lace my fingers together. Finally, I watch in amazement as he places "Shades of Gray" in his lap. He can't be serious, can he?

"Do you know the book?" he asked me interested.

"Of course, all women do."

"Do you know it then?"

"I've been reading. All night."...Annie, please get me the second part, there's something wrong with the guy." I back away from him and catch Mina's eyes. She smiles cruelly at me. Oh no, I'm sure I'll be teased about that for the next fifty years.

Before we leave, I blow my father a kiss on the forehead. Then the door closes behind us. This time we don't take the elevator and totter down the floors in the stairwell.

"Let's go!" I call to Mina. After the third lap I noticed that walking up and down the stairs is damn exhausting.

"So so!" Mina nods slowly.

"Don't say a word!" I roll my eyes and grin at her.

As soon as we left the hospital, we are again exposed to the heat and I wonder what we are doing here in this awful heat. I take a long sip from my soda bottle and when I've quenched my thirst we walk down the shady side of the road. People storm into the city from all directions and crowds can be seen at the ice cream parlors. We should use the opportunity for a long stroll, Mina beams at me and so we stroll through the narrow streets. Then the road bends to the left and there is no shade at all. Desperate and sweating, we continue until we stop under a shady tree to take a little break.

We walk along the river to a bridge, lean over the parapet and watch the swirling water. I look to the riverside path and discover an ice cream parlour. Of course, on such a hot day, a good ice cream should not be missing, which is why the "Little Ice Age" lures us with its delicious ice cream creations.

"How about we have an ice cream first?" Leaning on the railing with my elbows, I turn to Mina. "In order!" Taking a deep breath, she fiddles with her dress and we start walking.

A cluster of people, all wanting to enjoy an ice cream, gather in front of the ice cream shop. A snake quickly forms from the grape. The queue always lurks where there are many people. So we stand in the back and wait.

"How long will it take?" Mina complains. She reluctantly points to the family in front of us, who, to our displeasure, are buying several sundaes. It's finally our turn and looking at the filled ice cream counter makes me hungry. We sweet tooths have 24 super tasty ice cream flavors to choose from and seconds later I'm holding a cone filled with vanilla and lemon ice cream scoops.

"Well, is it nice to lick the ice cream?" I ask Mina and look at her mischievously. She grins back and only answers: "What do you think?" And sticks out her tongue again and demonstratively runs it over the ice ball. I proceed to sticking mine deep into the ice ball until the ice really melts on my tongue.

Everyone in the village knows everyone and Mina is greeted from all sides. You constantly hear the "Moin" and have the feeling that you are related to half the village across many corners. We continue walking at a leisurely pace, more exhilarated and happier than a few minutes ago, and we talk quietly. As we turn the next corner, I look around in astonishment. What is it? I can hardly believe it. Is this where she wanted to go? Mina is over the moon when we reach the flea market. She sullenly notices my hesitation.

"It's way too hot," I curse. I would never have dreamed of strolling through a market in this heat.

"But the offer has it all," complains Mina and makes a hollow hand gesture over the stalls. "First of all, we go all the way across the market, look at what interests us and then maybe grab the second course." I stare at her in horror and feel like I'm choking. I hold my hand to my neck and shield my eyes with the other hand, looking out over the stalls shimmering in the heat.

"So!" Mina says and looks at me expectantly. We discuss it for a while and she tries to convince me that there are a lot of cool things to see and doesn't give up.

Actually, I think flea markets are great because you can often get cheap things that are traded for a higher price in the shop. You also get treasures that you won't find anywhere else. I guess half of all people decided to spend the day at the flea market this year. We browse through the wide range of individual locations with odds and ends, jewellery, scarves, bikinis and various summer items. The offer is almost endless. It includes everything a junk heart desires, from good old porcelain from grandma's days to new trousers. The culinary offer leaves almost nothing to be desired. There are many small food stalls where people cook and sizzle. And here there are also partially covered areas, which make dawdling in the shade a real pleasure even on a hot day. I take a deep breath and exhale the air again.

I gracefully stop in front of a jewelry stand and direct my attention to a pair of cute silver marmot earrings.

"You absolutely have to buy it," Mina whispers and looks over my shoulder. I take my time and hold up the cute earrings for a closer look. I will buy the earrings. I slowly pull my thin pants towards me, rummage around for my purse and pay for the earrings. Mina has also chosen a pair of earrings. They look like a large piercing stud connected to a curved silver bar. I'm beaming, she's beaming and the new earrings cost us 10 euros altogether. We stroll around a bit more. I could have stopped and eaten something, because everywhere you can find the tastiest things. I've only missed one meal, and yet it's getting harder and harder to ignore the empty feeling in my stomach. And then I stop. My eye falls on the cards on one wall, with a large selection of different egg toast pancake dishes.

"I'm hungry." I raise my hand and nudge Mina.

"Hey!" She's just undecided for a moment. "Pancakes?" she squeaks, purposely looking past my hungry eyes.

"Help!...the smell of good food is getting stronger." Surprised, she spits out her chewing gum and can't suppress a laugh. I push past Mina and watch the pancakes being made at the counter. "Well, I'll order a pancake now." We sit under an umbrella in the shade and I wrinkle my nose as a delicious smell hits my nostrils.

"Hm!..., that smells delicious." My mouth waters as we sit down on a bench and the sweet scent fills my nostrils.

"Here!" I choke out, handing her a napkin. The spread has been so liberally mixed onto the pastry that more than half of it slips off again.

"Difficult to eat," says Mina.

"Yes!" I dab my index finger into the sweet sauce and then lick it off. "Do you come here often?" I put my hands aside and look at her questioningly.

"From time to time."

Suddenly Mina jerks her head up and I prick up my ears. A very plump woman with lusciously colored curls sits noisily next to Mina. With her really fat butt, she squeezes herself onto the bench next to her, grinning. I don't move and notice the sparkle in Mina's green eyes. She flattens her hand on the table to contain her anger. The woman is really after her because her butt is now half hanging on Mina's hips. If I had to pick the worst person around here, I think with sarcasm, it would have to be the creature next to Mina, with the sausage fingers.

"Hey!" I say to Mina as she tries to put another bite into her mouth. She pauses, mouth open, eyes fixed on me. I raise my left arm to form a magical sign. "Let's get out of here," I say, dropping my hand again. Mina gets up. I look up and follow her gaze, which lingers on Mrs. Moppel's features. "I'm actually not hungry anymore." I wipe my greasy mouth with the napkin and stand up.

"Neither do I, but I just remembered something. We still have to go shopping."

We keep strolling - we keep to the left, take the left exit and leave the flea market and it doesn't take more than ten minutes to reach a supermarket.

"I like to go shopping here." Mina looks at me beaming and we stroll through the aisles with the shopping trolley. Things are getting really interesting in the spirits department. For the first time we really learn what exorbitant prices are being asked and examine the wines and read the labels carefully. Mina decides on two bottles and carefully puts them in the shopping cart. "Alcohol again?" My head flies around to her.

"We're going to make ourselves comfortable tonight," she mumbles and winks at me.

"I do not know?" Can I give her a pinch of truth? Because I didn't tell her everything, and with the tequila d**g last night, Gaard could probably have done anything to me. And this rascal doesn't even have a guilty conscience.

At the meat counter we carefully examine the offers and after a few minutes we decide on manicured fillet. When we want to choose fresh vegetables, our eyes fall on a blonde saleswoman who is just about to weigh tomatoes.

"I'm going to the spices!" A smile plays on my lips. I would like to bake us some delicious bread. For this I need flour and spices. A quick glance at the shelf is all it takes to find the spices I need. Satisfied, I put them in the shopping cart and push it to the checkout. Mina's hair stands on end as she stands next to me. Her cheeks are flushed and she digs desperately for the purse in her pocket. She's definitely patting her pockets.

"What's going on?" I blurted out. She makes a face like she suddenly has a toothache and I look at her critically.

"Damn!... The bastard who stole my purse, may lightning strike the sh*t. Oh, man, what a bummer!" She swallows and squints at me dejectedly.

"Was there a lot of money left?" I ask. My voice sounds busy.

"Yeah, about...she falters in the middle of a sentence. "About sixty euros." Her eyes dart around the room, never lingering on me.

"Maybe you're lucky and the purse will be handed in at the lost property office." But that's too annoying. The wallet usually contains the most important documents. I raise my hands and let them rest on her shoulders for a moment.

"Let's pay and go home first." Mina rolls her eyes.

"Do you still have enough money with you?" I pull out my wallet. "Yes, it's still enough for shopping.

I put the groceries on the conveyor belt at the checkout. While the belt slowly moves all the goods forward and the reader beeps bravely to itself, we still have some time to take a look at the fellow buyers. And curious as I am, I also look at what they put on the treadmill. Tons of chips and chocolate, ready meals and pizza. Plus a case of coke. Delicious. Fruit at most in the form of applesauce and vegetables are so practically stored in cans. Everyone should be saved according to their own style. I just always find it interesting what types of food people put on the treadmill..

We're standing with the shopping bags between two badly parked vehicles in the visitor's parking lot of the supermarket. "Damn, I forgot the flour." I look at Mina morosely.

"I'll get the flour." The corners of her mouth twist. "I have to go to the bathroom anyway."

"Wait!" You need it. I toss my wallet at her and look at her for a split second. Did she really just smile a little, or is it just a dimple in her chubby cheeks.

While Mina follows the call of her bladder, I inconspicuously let my eyes wander around and after a few minutes a dark gray car pulls up next to me. I can't see who is sitting in it as the windows are blacked out. The driver's side window slides down to reveal a face with sunglasses on. I recognize Connor immediately. The brief look that meets me and the hint of a smile on his lips tells me clearly that he is a lout.

"Hey, Annie!" he greets me cheerfully. I nod to him as he lifts his dark glasses. I almost expect to see Mina somewhere and look around searching. "Would you like me to take you with me?" he asks while starting the engine.

"I'm waiting for Mina. She's still shopping."

"No problem...we'll just wait. He gives me a quick smile and pulls the car into a parking space.

"How long are you staying here?" he asks when he gets out.

"I do not know yet." As I continue speaking, there is uncertainty in my voice. "My father is in the hospital." I look at the floor and then back at his face.

"I'm sorry for that!" I suddenly feel tears welling up in my eyes and furtively wipe them away and gasp for air.

"Shhhh! His hand glides lightly down my arm, strokes my back briefly and I slowly calm down.

"Sorry," I whisper, still teary-eyed. He lifts his head and looks in a different direction.

"There you are, Mina," Conner reproaches her and at the same time pushes a hand over to her.

"Take your hands away, Connor." Her green eyes narrow to slits for a moment. What's up with her all of a sudden, I wonder?

"Get in, I'll drive you home!" She involuntarily takes a step back, laughs softly and shows him her claws.