field. It was only a second operation, performed by Leni Büchter, a true magician in hand surgery, and the devoted care of a certain Nurse Anne, née Rohde’ – he made a slight bow in the direction of Anne, who looked away – ‘that removed this obstacle and finally secured Richard Hoffmann for our field …’
‘My God,’ Robert whispered to Christian, ‘does he have a fancy way with words! I should get him to go over my German essays, that would certainly be something for Fräulein Schatzmann.’ Fräulein Schatzmann – she expressly insisted on being addressed as ‘Fräulein’, even though she was on the verge of retirement – was the German teacher at the Louis Fürnberg Polytechnic High School Robert attended. Christian had also been one of her pupils before he transferred to the senior high school in Waldbrunn and he could well remember Fräulein Schatzmann’s strict lessons, which were full of tricky grammar exercises and difficult dictations. With a shudder he recalled the Schatzmann ‘ORCHIS’ rule, which she would always write on the blackboard inred chalk, to remind the careless and forgetful pupils whenever there was an essay to be written: Order – Risk – Charm – Interest – Sense; eventually Christian, on some vague suspicion, had looked the word up in his father’s medical dictionary and then, together with other pranksters in the class, had stuck a photo of a naked blonde together with a fairly explicit drawing on the blackboard before the next essay was due … Fräulein Schatzmann’s reaction had been unexpected; in a steady voice she told the class – which was waiting on tenterhooks; some of the girls were giggling, of course, and had flushed bright red, as always – that there were clearly some pupils in 10b who had learnt something in her classes, and to a certain extent had taken the ORCHIS rule to heart … Unfortunately Fräulein Schatzmann had confiscated the picture of the blonde – ‘that, gentlemen, comes under number two of my rule’ – much to the chagrin of Holger Rübesamen, who had swapped it for a high price: two football pictures of Borussia Dortmund …
‘I’m hungry,’ Ezzo whispered. ‘Is this going to go on for long?’ But Müller seemed to have got into his stride, speaking with expansive gestures, stepping back- and forward, sketching things in the air, making his owl-eyebrows hop up and down and patting his lips with his signet ring whenever he got a laugh.
‘When are we on?’ Christian asked.
‘Your mother will give us a sign.’
‘And our instruments?’
‘In the next room.’
‘I can’t see a piano.’
‘There, just behind your uncle.’ Indeed, there was a piano in the corner behind Meno.
‘I haven’t even had a chance to warm up, you were already all seated when I arrived, damn it. I thought there’d be the usual chit-chat to start with and then things would gradually get going …’
‘You can play that at sight, Christian. But remember the sforzatoon the A when Robert comes in the second time. I’m starving, and there’s all those lovely things over there …’ Ezzo nodded towards the cold buffet that had been set up along the opposite wall.
‘What? Have you had a look?’
‘Yummy, I can tell you. Loin steaks, cut very thin and fried till they’re crisp, you can see the pattern marks of the grill, and then rice’ – Ezzo pointed furtively at three large dishes with stainless-steel covers – ‘but not Wurzener KuKo stuff, I’m sure it’s from the other side.’
‘You’ve already had a taste?’ Robert, who had leant back a bit, whispered to Ezzo across Christian’s back.
‘Mmm, yes.’
‘You have? Didn’t you say earlier that you had to go to the loo?’
‘Shh, not so loud … I did … But when I came back I discovered the fruit bowl, and there happened to be no one around – look, just an inch to the right of my father and you’ll see it … Can you see it?’
‘The big blue one?’ Christian
‘My God,’ Robert whispered to Christian, ‘does he have a fancy way with words! I should get him to go over my German essays, that would certainly be something for Fräulein Schatzmann.’ Fräulein Schatzmann – she expressly insisted on being addressed as ‘Fräulein’, even though she was on the verge of retirement – was the German teacher at the Louis Fürnberg Polytechnic High School Robert attended. Christian had also been one of her pupils before he transferred to the senior high school in Waldbrunn and he could well remember Fräulein Schatzmann’s strict lessons, which were full of tricky grammar exercises and difficult dictations. With a shudder he recalled the Schatzmann ‘ORCHIS’ rule, which she would always write on the blackboard inred chalk, to remind the careless and forgetful pupils whenever there was an essay to be written: Order – Risk – Charm – Interest – Sense; eventually Christian, on some vague suspicion, had looked the word up in his father’s medical dictionary and then, together with other pranksters in the class, had stuck a photo of a naked blonde together with a fairly explicit drawing on the blackboard before the next essay was due … Fräulein Schatzmann’s reaction had been unexpected; in a steady voice she told the class – which was waiting on tenterhooks; some of the girls were giggling, of course, and had flushed bright red, as always – that there were clearly some pupils in 10b who had learnt something in her classes, and to a certain extent had taken the ORCHIS rule to heart … Unfortunately Fräulein Schatzmann had confiscated the picture of the blonde – ‘that, gentlemen, comes under number two of my rule’ – much to the chagrin of Holger Rübesamen, who had swapped it for a high price: two football pictures of Borussia Dortmund …
‘I’m hungry,’ Ezzo whispered. ‘Is this going to go on for long?’ But Müller seemed to have got into his stride, speaking with expansive gestures, stepping back- and forward, sketching things in the air, making his owl-eyebrows hop up and down and patting his lips with his signet ring whenever he got a laugh.
‘When are we on?’ Christian asked.
‘Your mother will give us a sign.’
‘And our instruments?’
‘In the next room.’
‘I can’t see a piano.’
‘There, just behind your uncle.’ Indeed, there was a piano in the corner behind Meno.
‘I haven’t even had a chance to warm up, you were already all seated when I arrived, damn it. I thought there’d be the usual chit-chat to start with and then things would gradually get going …’
‘You can play that at sight, Christian. But remember the sforzatoon the A when Robert comes in the second time. I’m starving, and there’s all those lovely things over there …’ Ezzo nodded towards the cold buffet that had been set up along the opposite wall.
‘What? Have you had a look?’
‘Yummy, I can tell you. Loin steaks, cut very thin and fried till they’re crisp, you can see the pattern marks of the grill, and then rice’ – Ezzo pointed furtively at three large dishes with stainless-steel covers – ‘but not Wurzener KuKo stuff, I’m sure it’s from the other side.’
‘You’ve already had a taste?’ Robert, who had leant back a bit, whispered to Ezzo across Christian’s back.
‘Mmm, yes.’
‘You have? Didn’t you say earlier that you had to go to the loo?’
‘Shh, not so loud … I did … But when I came back I discovered the fruit bowl, and there happened to be no one around – look, just an inch to the right of my father and you’ll see it … Can you see it?’
‘The big blue one?’ Christian
Similar Books
