Chapter Text
And I won't look back, there'll be no regrets
I'll keep my head up, even if I'm fed up
'Cause I'm getting closer, oh, I know, oh, I know
– Alice Merton, Hit The Ground Running
Martha's mom had contacted her again.
This time with the help of a letter to the parents, which Bartosz had pinned at the refrigerator door.
She had always hated assemblies at school.
Who came up with the glorious idea of putting all pupils together in one room and torture them with prattle?
Wonderful.
Back then the assemblies had made her - at least - a little bit grateful for her voluminous hair.
While being at school, she used to listen to a lot of music, to mute all the negative feelings the building and the people inside caused her.
She had came up with a way of hiding her headphones under it.
“Don't you dare throw them away!” Bartosz had told her one day,
while he reluctantly helped her with clearing-out old stuff, she wanted to donate.
His suddenly interest in the “It's old enough to be vintage and that's cool”-walkman,
had convinced her to keep the almost antique thing.
Her old mixtapes were securely saved, on a shelf in her and Aleksander's bedroom.
She would never get rid of them.
Katharina Albers no longer represented a real danger to her, but attending a school meeting,
even after all these years, just for the purpose of accompanying her child, still triggered her.
It triggered her up to the point, that she started complaining out loud weeks prior.
Katharina still made those three-minutes-plus audio messages,
Regina still reacted not, but at least she listened to them.
The new room in the hotel was done. Regina had sent her a photo of it.
You should've called the room Katharina Martha's mother replied.
You wish Bartosz's mother texted back.
She even considered adding an emoji, but no this was another matter of principles.
They smiled, when they passed each other in the grocery store.
They exchanged polite “Is my kid at your house?” and “What's for dinner at yours?”.
When Regina drove Martha home, she even got out of her car for a few minutes awkwardish small-talk.
As frequently as she wore the purple nail polish, she also wore the deep red lipstick.
But all those situation didn't mean, they were friends, no.
They behaved like friends would, but no, they were not.
Or were they?
Be that as it may, Regina didn't bothered to feel excited about a school assembly, were a person, who was her non-friend
(or whatever she should name their relationship at this point) held a presentation about whatever.
“Just don't go, Regina,” Aleksander told her.
He leaned against the kitchen counter, while she stood in front of the fridge.
Her arms crossed and her eyes gleaming mean at the piece of paper, as if it was to held accountable for all the trouble in her life.
“I can't – or are you available?” she hissed at him.
Stuffing his hands in the pocket of his trousers, he shook his head.
“See!” she exclaimed, throwing the ingredients for the meal, they were about to cook on the worktop.
“You know, I would if I could,” he said in earnest.
His sad tone caused Regina to move towards him, “Yes, I do, Aleksander.”
She put his face in her hands and her thumbs caressed his cheeks affectionately.
“It's not your fault,” she said in a much friendlier tone. He doesn't deserve my harshness.
“But stop, I am trying for once to be angry at you!”
“For once,” he repeated chuckling and drew quotations marks with his fingers in the air, right before he leaned in to kiss her.
“I am staying in the passenger seat!” Bartosz insisted,
while his mother pulled her car into the driveway of the Nielsen's.
Would you take my kids with you to the assembly? Katharina had asked her.
p l e a s e ? she had added seconds later.
But Regina had already typed Ofc, I am always here, if hbic nielsen needs my help.
“Is this your car?” Mikkel asked quizzically, while he stood in front of Regina's silvery AMG.
“No,” she replied in a serious tone. She lowered her sunglasses, “I stole it.”
The boy's eyes grew big.
“Idiot,” Magnus hit his little brother against the back of his head, “Of course, it's hers!”
Regina flinched at the gesture and smiled apologising at Mikkel.
The boy looked not very convinced, as if he was doubting, that the woman in front of him was telling a lie.
Magnus high-fived Bartosz to greet him.
“Thanks for the ride, Frau Tiedemann,” Magnus nodded at her.
“Sure,” she replied. Likewise fascinated and scared about how much he equally resembled the teenage versions of his parents.
“Regina!” Martha was the last one to leave the house.
The girl ran over to her and engulfed her in one of her glomping hugs, “Thank you so much for your mail!”
Regina lightly patted her back, “Your essay is impressive.”
In the corner of her eye, she witnessed how Bartosz rolled his eyes at them.
Over Martha's shoulder she warningly raised her brows at him.
Her son shrugged with his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets, like his father had done the evening before.
Who was copying from the other here?
She had no idea any more, since both resembled the other in their behaviour, way too often.
“Be proud of yourself, dear,” she winked at Martha, after the girl had let go of her and Martha's face lighten up, a slight blush formed on her cheeks.
“Okay, are we ready?” Regina tried to smile, but suddenly, she felt very tense again.
Bartosz who held the door open for Martha, looked wonderingly at his mother.
Regina got inside her car and took a deep breath.
“It has 400 hp,” Mikkel whispered in awe from the back.
“435,” Regina corrected him and she saw in her rear-vision-mirror, how Mikkel stared a her with his mouth agape.
She couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.
Was she actually driving the children of Ulrich and Katharina Nielsen around?
For a moment her thoughts lingered... What if?
What if the results of the paternity test had actually been positive? She and Ulrich would share a father.
Would she be considered as a kind of aunt by the three Nielsen's spawns, in the back of her car?
Aunt Regina? Auntie Gina? Ugh, no. Only Regina.
What sort of relationship would she and her sister-in-law have?
Would her life have been different?
Would Jana talk to her? Would Jana act like a kind of stepmother to her?
And what about Martha's and Bartosz's relationship?
They would be cousins... sort of half... but still...
Hopefully not – Tiedemann and Nielsen; the combination of both families had never brought any good in the past.
She thought about her mother.
What if her what-if-father had decided for her mother, instead of the grandmother of the children, in the back seats...
In another world, maybe she wouldn't have left.
If Claudia ever had have a choice...
Now is not the right time to fall into this rabbit hole of what-if-scenarios, she reminded herself.
She needed to concentrate on the road in front of her.
She was responsible for the four children in her car,
especially since three of them were not her own.
As she parked and got out of the car, she felt as if she suddenly had become part of a huge family.
Four children... more than one child – another what if.
Decades had passed, since she had to walk through the school corridors on a daily basis.
Her shoulders tugged under her ears, her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth,
her teeth gritted, her eyes downcast.
In oversized sweaters, to hid her body inside of them, the long sleeves tugged over her reddened wrists.
Now she put one foot in front of the other.
Tried to relax her shoulders by rolling them back.
Over was the time of her glasses, her hair didn't hid her face any longer.
She was taller, than her teenage-self.
Her tight coat and her boots with heels – what would the younger version of herself say, when they could met?
Would she proud of herself? Would she feel relief at the perspective of change?
I can assure you, she is very happy what an exceptional development herself has done over the last decades.
Aleksander's voice came to her mind.
Actually she would love to travel back in time, right into the scenery of the hell of her youth.
She would straight walk up to herself and hug her.
Young Regina would flinch and tense up, because she never received many hugs to get used to the feeling.
How to put my arms around myself?
Regina would stroke the curls out of her own eyes.
Don't stress getting rid of them.
Stop pulling your stomach in – You'll only get a bellyache from it, it's not worth it.
Don't pressure yourself so much. The world is already harsh enough. No need to add to that. Leave that to your mother.
Breathe deeper, you don't have to smile. You got this!
Soon everything will change.
You will meet him.
At first you will think, that you have to change for him, but you'll learn very quickly, that you don't have to.
You will find out, that he thinks of you as beautiful, no matter if you comb your hair or not;
that he looks at you the same admiring way, no matter if you wear a sweater or a dress.
The first time he tells you, that he loves you, you won't believe him.
The second and third time, you will still doubt reality and think of it as a dream...
but after a while, probably when he told you “I love you” for the hundredth time
– yes, he will stay around and with you and he will say it over and over again and mean it! –
you will know, that he's serious. You'll start believing it.
And from this moment on, all the changes you wish for, are just for yourself, not for anyone else.
At someday you'll wake up in the morning and smile at your reflection in the mirror
– yes, smiling, because you feel good about yourself and him and your life.
Someday they'll move out of the way, when you walk past them – not the other way around.
The roll of your eyes will be too sharp to handle and you'll drive a damn fancy car.
Soon, Regina, soon.
But until then, everything here is hell.
At some moments, when you are already a grown-up woman, there will be days when it's still hell
– no matter the outfit nor the attitude, but you are walking right through it, because it's you.
You are already enough, you just need some time to realise this.
Take your time and survive.
Soon, Regina, soon.
The sports hall still provided as an assembly hall.
Piled up with chairs, which – even decades later – still were the ones, she had used to sit on.
Was there even a room in the whole building, which underwent modifications, since she had made her a-levels?
She really didn't like any other parents. Except for Charlotte.
She considered Charlotte Doppler as cool, even somehow a friend.
Both had been witnesses to their marriages and Charlotte even was Bartosz's godmother.
School or church events to attend, they sat down next to another.
Last row, far away from the others.
Not the very talkative ones, not very affectionate with another
– but Charlotte always had known, that she could rely on Regina to stand in picking up Franziska or Elisabeth from kindergarten,
when she or Peter couldn't leave from work.
A cup of coffee every three months, exchanging cards for birthdays and Christmas.
But sadly, for the most times, Charlotte didn't attended to parents' evenings.
It was Peter, who represented them, because she still worked during these happenings.
And there he was, sitting in one of the front rows.
He nodded friendly at her, the corner of her mouth twitched up into a brief smile.
She just didn't wanted to wave, her arms felt heavy.
Regina went for the last row, she hadn't expected for Bartosz to stay with her,
so she was surprised as she overheard him telling Martha, “Save me a seat, would you? I'll be right there.”
Martha nodded and Regina turned her head in order to not stare at them, while they kissed.
Thank god, they aren't cousins, the thought flashed through her mind.
“What is it?” she asked, as her son let himself fall on the seat next to her.
“Ach Mama,” he sighed and raised his arm, like in an attempt to put an arm around her shoulder,
but instead he snatched the clip, which hold her hair together.
It fell out of her accurately tied bun and the cascading waves sprawled all over her shoulders and back.
“What the –” she interrupted herself. No swearing in public.
“Bartosz, why?” she angrily tried to snap the hair clip out of his hands.
With her other hand she attempted to comb her hair back together with her fingers.
Bartosz took her wrist and stopped her from doing so.
He grinned at her.
“Here,” he placed the hair clip in the palm of her hand.
Then blazingly fast, he put one of his AirPods into her ear.
“Relax,” he said and got up.
Regina grabbed his arm, “What are you up to?”
This time Bartosz shook her head at her, “Just listen,” he winked at her and she let go of him.
He went over to Martha and she adjusted her hair over her shoulder, so the ear bud wasn't visible any longer.
How thoughtful, Bartosz.
A few moments later music started flooding into her ears.
She looked at him, he turned into her direction, “Loud enough?” he mouthed over to her.
She nodded and made a slight gesture of approval with her hand.
She crossed her legs, took out one of her pocket calenders and placed it on her knee.
In her ear a man rapped in german about cars? – about her car – am I cool now? she asked herself.
Mikkel seemed to think so.
Still unsure what to think about the music playing out of Bartosz's AirPods, she opened the cap of her pen.
She wanted to write down the keynote of this meeting, but she realised, that she had no clue, why she was even here.
The song was over, the next one was harsher. Insult over insult, somehow the shameless vulgarity made her smile.
She scribbled some of the words on the edge of the page.
She drew a tic-tac-toe field and won against herself.
She wrote Aleksander in bold letters, drew a heart next to it, but immediately scribbled it out.
I am not that romantic.
Her feet bobbed up and down to the music.
Someone dropped down next to her.
She flinched and closed her artistic rude notes.
“Peter is over there,” she told Charlotte and pointed into his direction.
“As if I am sitting in the front row,” the woman got out of her jacket, “The very idea, imagine the nerve – can I stay next to you?”
“Of course,” she smiled.
“It's nice to see you, Regina,” Charlotte said.
A man in the seat in front of them, turned around.
“Shhht!” he hissed at the women.
Over the beat of the next rap song in her ear, Regina rolled her eyes at him, then she leaned forward,
“Try me!” she snarled and flashed her teeth at him.
Charlotte giggled and the guy turned his head back.
“For a moment there, I thought you would spit in his face,” Charlotte nudged her elbow into Regina's side.
She shrugged her shoulder's, “Just a tad away from snapping.”
Charlotte winked at her, “Oh, why didn't you? For real, I am off-duty.”
Regina smiled and shook her head,
“Not sure, if Aleksander would be amused getting me out of jail, only because I started a fight at a school assembly,” she whispered.
“He would turn up with a whole entourage, I bet he would be proud,” Charlotte replied, still giggling.
“Of course, he would,” Regina smiled dreamily and redrew the heart next to his name.
Over 25 years of marriage – he deserved the heart.
With her thumb she caressed over the rose quartz, she was wearing on her left middle finger.
The ring had been Aleksander's wedding anniversary gift in 2018 for her.
Are you up for another 25 years? said the card, he had given to her.
Because I am. he had written a few blank spaces under it.*
Her heart still leapt at the mere thought of it.
She blinked the tears of emotion away and asked, “Were you working late?”
Charlotte nodded.
“Exhausting, I tell you. How's the hotel?”
“Exhausting, I tell you,” Regina repeated, “Come over if you have time, I'll give you a tour.”
“I'd love to!”
They went silent again.
Regina leaned back, a slower song about drug-use made her smile.
What kind of music was Bartosz listen to actually? She suppressed her laugh.
She opened the page of her calender again.
A new song came up.
Calmer than the others, but still upbeat.
She concentrated on the lyrics.
last winter was the coldest and you know you still important
She wrote down the lines under Aleksander's name and the scribbled heart.
I don't wanna go, uh
She wrote it in caps, as a headline over her messed up notes.
I wanna go back shoppin', real friends and fuck the enemies
she smiled, maybe her son's taste in music wasn't that far away from hers.
“Are you into poetry?” Charlotte asked. She peered at the words, which Regina had written down.
Regina looked at her artwork.
“Don't know, probably this is just a bad mother's bullet journal.”
“So you're not listening to Katharina either, very good,” Charlotte sighed pleased,
“Gonna ask Peter. He always takes notes – I'll sent them over to you later.”
“Thanks Charlotte.”
“Of course, last-row-squad.”
“Old times.”
“Old times, Regina.”
“Thank you for driving the gang!” Katharina approached her, after the assembly was over.
Regina nodded with a slight smile, “That was no problem, really.”
“Tell me, what do you think about the whole matter?” Katharina lowered her voice.
Regina raised her eyebrows in confusion.
Katharina pointed at the projected presentation, which was still visible at the wall behind her.
“Oh, that,” Regina lifted her hair on her other shoulder and revealed the white little piece, which was still hanging out of her ear.
At first Katharina looked stunned, but then she laughed,
“Good move, Tiedemann. Some things never change.”
“That's true,” Regina replied.
“Okay, I have to go – how about coffee tomorrow?” Katharina asked.
Regina hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded in agreement,
“Can you get us to-go's in the hotel again? I have so much to do and a break is always nice.”
“As long, as you don't force me to trash down another one of your walls.”
Bartosz accompanied her to her car, “I go over to Martha's, I'm coming home later.”
His mother nodded. Bartosz was about to go as Regina reached out for his arm again.
“Bartosz,” she said.
“Mama?”
“Lately, you have been telling us, that you're happy, that we're your parents,” she started.
He nodded.
“I am very happy, you're my son,” she extended her hand and put the AirPod into his palm.
He stood there motionless, at first she wasn't sure if he even had listen to her.
Then a huge grin spread across his face,
“Okay, I grant you one hug in public,” Bartosz told her.
“What a relief!” Regina laughed and they shared a fleeting, but tight hug.
It always amazed her, that her once so little son, now had a few inches on her, even in her heels.
Once she had been able to carry him around on her hip or her back.
Images of Aleksander and him fooling around in the garden flashed through her mind.
He always used to carry him on or over his shoulders.
“What do you think? Will he grow even more?” she had asked her husband, one morning in early spring, last year.
“I give him till the end of the summer, than he will overtake me.”
They had stood in the doorway of his home office.
The door frame was the only piece of surface in the house, where Regina ever had allowed to write on.
Papa.
Mama.
In Bartosz scrawly childhood handwriting, almost next to Aleksander's height-measurement-line, Mama with shoes.
She remembered the moment, Aleksander had lifted him up and little Bartosz had draw the line above Regina's head.
“It's important to know!” Bartosz had exclaimed.
And she had stood there, already in her sleepwear, with her pumps on,
because Bartosz had insisted on getting out of bed, to ran into the hallway to complete their family's height chart with this entry.
And all over the frame, countless lines with Bartosz's name and ages.
“He grew so fast,” she whispered and stroked over the fainting letters.
Her eyes lingered on the lines, between his fourth and sixth year of age.
Back then he had been so little, that his arms only reached her upper legs or later her hips.
He had always pressed his head into her belly.
For every hug, she kneeled down, making sure to show him the affection, support and love she felt for her child.
“Will I be able to do this?” had she asked herself in the early months of her pregnancy.
“Am I even able to be a good mother, even if mine was such a bad one?”
Her biggest fear had been to just neglect her child, like her mother had done with her.
Maybe it's in my blood?
But right from the moment, she had felt the first movements of the little growing life inside of her,
she had known, that she was capable of so much more, than she gave herself credit for.
“We are good at making things last,” Aleksander put his hands on her shoulders,
she leaned against him, his fingers caressed her collarbones.
“Do you think so?” she asked, doubt in her voice.
“I know.”
“Our little boy” she pointed at the last line, written on the surface only a day before.
She had to raise herself on her tiptoes, to drew the line above Bartosz head.
Aleksander had making fun of her, saying that now she was the one, who had to be lifted up...
Now she and her little boy stood there in the parking lot of the school.
“Your father and I are very grateful for you,” she said.
“What a relief,” Bartosz echoed her words, as they let go of the other.
“Have a good time with Martha,” she opened the door of her car.
“Have a good time with Papa,” he waved at her and left.
A few meters away from her, he turned around again,
“By the way,” he yelled over to her, “Martha said, you looked good with your hair down!”
Aleksander and her came home at the same time.
“What a rare occasion,” Regina greeted him, as she got out of her car.
“You mean your beautiful hair down, outside the house?” Aleksander grinned at her,
admiring the blush his comment caused on his wife's face and held out his hand for her to take it.
They walked side by side and as Aleksander locked up the door, he asked, “How'd it go?”
“The music was good,” she laughed about the irritation on his face.
“You and Bartosz share good, solid conversations and well, with me he shares his earphones.”
“I'm gonna ask him tomorrow, what all your cryptic hints mean,” he pecked her lips, while they both hung up their coats.
“How about you telling me something about your day?” she proposed and tapped with her index finger on his chest.
“Really?”
“Of course!” she emphasized her wish, "You always listen to me, tonight it's your turn – share your emotions with me!”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, “Do you have one of your hammers?” he held her in a tight embrace.
“Come by the hotel,” she said, her lips only a few inches away from his.
“Unfortunately, I am very busy,” he whispered.
She raised her eyebrows, “Too sad, I am so helpless without your metal-worker-skills,” she fake-pouted.
Aleksander quietly laughed .
“You are way too far from being helpless, Regina,” he bowed her head and she felt his lips on her neck.
“Let me tell you a secret,” Regina said, while she stroked through his hair and he pressed his mouth on the spot,
where he could feel her pulse under her skin, “I'm listening,” he replied slightly muffled.
“I can be kissed and talked to, no need to distract me,” she told him.
He left one last kiss on her cheek and then let go of her.
“It's not, that I don't want to tell you,” he shrugged his shoulders “but it's stresses me out so badly.”
“What happened?” she gently grabbed his upper arm, trying to look into his eyes.
“It's actually not work...” he suddenly looked very exhausted. She hold her breath.
“It's Hannah Kahnwald,” he admitted.
“Hannah?” Regina repeated, raising her eyebrows.
“Yes, it's her whole – what kind of word is Bartosz using lately? – vibe.”
“I get what you mean,”
He smiled, “I know, you do.”
He sighed and both headed for the kitchen.
“But there's more... well, actually it's kind of... strange –” they both leaned against the counter.
Her shoulder touched his, she put her hand on his back and caressed it lightly.
“One of my employees told me, that there are rumours about Hannah having several affairs...
with a majority of Winden's married men, other than –”
“Aleksander,” his wife interrupted him, “Are you even working at work?”
Regina looked at him with wide eyes,
“In what kind of workspace-situation, are you coming up with conversations about Hannah Kahnwald's affairs?”
she was almost bewildered. She turned so she could face him,
“By the way, that sounds very mean! Several, majority – this is so anti-feminist,” she threw her hands up in the air,
“Wait, Martha was using a term in her essay – slutshaming!” she exclaimed, Aleksander nodded.
“I still don't know what to think about Hannah but, no she deserves better than this cruel gossip!” Regina said and crossed her arms.
“Regina, guess who's on top of the list,” she noticed the solemn tone in his voice.
Her mouth fell open and she put a hand on her chest in a dramatic gesture,
“My faithful husband,” she said with playful and false indignation, “Katharina and I have so much in common!”
He smiled and put a hand over his eyes.
“Oh Aleksander,” Regina moved closer to him.
She wrapped her arms around his torso.
“If you have an affair with Hannah,” she lifted the right corner of her mouth into one of her smirks, Aleksander looked at her in anticipation.
Noticing the mean gleam in her eyes, “Then I am having one with Ulrich.”
She enjoyed the brief moment of shock on his face, then he threw his head back and laughed with all his heart.
“You wonderful woman,” he said as he put his hands on the sides of her face and tilted her chin to kiss her lips.
“I need detox,” he sighed,
“For seven weeks,” she added and tightened her hold around him.
“Even more,” Aleksander closed his eyes and put his cheek against her head.
“Next wall to trash down is yours, I promise,” Regina patted her hand on his chest.
“I don't deserve you,” he put his hand above hers.
“Remember what our tall-grown son said, we deserve each other.”
Later that night as they went to bed, Regina's thoughts circled around Katharina and Hannah...
As soon as the lights were off, she came up with an idea.
“You are my favourite husband,” she whispered to Aleksander through the darkness.
She was very convinced the plan, she had came up with, would succeed.
He shifted under their shared cover and moved closer to her,
“For the last decades, I always hoped to be your only husband, but I guess, I am okay with being the favourite one.”
“Do you ever take me serious?” she tugged at the blanket.
“If you do take me serious,” he reached for her and pulled her closer to him.
“Never,” she said between giggles, because his hands had tickled her sides again.
“Then it's a never, my darling.”
In the shadows, she put a finger on his mouth, “Don't you dare, Aleksander, say my name.”
“Reginaaa,” he replied, his lips touching her skin.
She rolled her eyes at him, even tho he actually wasn't able to see it.
“Let me tell you a secret,” he whispered in her hair,
“Yes?”
“I am able to hear your eye-roll movements,” he said dryly.
She sighed, “I go to sleep,” she rested her head against his chest.
“Take me with you,” Aleksander yawned, as he comfortably encircled her body with his arms.
“I'm first choice – always,“ Regina said and Hannah's eyebrows were raised so high, they almost vanished under her fringe.
“Excuse me, why are you here?”
Regina stood in the hallway of Hannah's house.
“I'm never seconded,” Regina continued, not bothering answering Hannah's question,
“I know, Katharina misses you.”
“Did she send you?” Hannah crossed her arms.
“Do you ever think, Hannah?”
Hannah looked very offended,
“Regina Tiedemann, what have you got to do with it anyway? Why does it even bother you, if Katharina and I are talking to another?”
“I want to be left alone! I need space and I don't need best friends, who used to bully me in school!”
“Okay, I get it, stop yelling,” Hannah raised her hand, her face still tense.
“I'm fine with being nice to one another,” Regina explained a little more calmly,
“I'll try and be a kind-of-friend for her. But she needs someone at her side.
Someone with whom she can go out and party, who's texting her back, who's listening to her voice messages–”
“I really miss those audio's,” Hannah said sadly.
“I can make you a lot of mixtapes with the ones she sent me, over the last three weeks,”
Regina rolled her eyes at Hannah impatiently, “See, she needs you! Listen to me, I have sort of a plan.”
A few hours later, she waited in front of her receptionist desk.
She wasn't even nervous.
I know, everything will be okay.
She heard the opening of the door and immediately walked towards Katharina.
“Hey,” she greeted Regina.
“Hello,” Regina said with a bright and lavish smile.
“What the hell, Tiedemann – what happened to your face?”
Katharina asked disgustedly, “You are basically glowing!”
Regina laughed, “I am in such a good mood today,” she took one of the coffees out of Katharina's hands,
linked her arm with hers and pulled her into the freshly renovated salon.
“I knew, your smile would be the warning sign for a trap,” Katharina said dryly, as she spotted Hannah, who was sitting in one of the armchairs.
Regina ignored Katharina's remark and went over to press the coffee into Hannah's hand.
Then she went for the door and turned around,
“I brought you two here for a reason. The both of you – TALK. Now. There are always two sides. Bye.”
She left the room and told her employees to lock up behind the two women.
Whatever the outcome of this conversation situation was, she didn't care.
She did her part. The rest was in Katharina's and Hannah's hands.
Regina drove home.
“Hey, are you deaf?” Bartosz asked, as he went into the living room.
Aleksander and her were snuggled up together on the couch.
The TV was on, but none of them was really paying attention.
His parents looked at him
“Martha's mom just called me, to tell you to look at your phone, Mama!”
“What?” Regina sat up and stroked her hair out of her face.
“It's a relief, you stopped hiding it under the newspapers, but you should keep it in earshot,”
Bartosz handed her phone over to her.
Regina smiled at him, “Thank you, my favourite son.”
“I am your only son,” he muttered and sunk down next to his father.
“You know, Bartosz – I had a similar conversation with your mother-dear yesterday.
This seems to be her new way of telling us, how much we actually mean to her.”
Regina got up and looked through the notifications.
Two messages, one from Martha's mom and another message from an unknown number,
which had added her into a groupchat... named „winderwomen“
Oh god no, she cringed.
She clicked on Katharina's one first,
I owe you a coffee, one which you won't have to share with Hannah. Thanks for saving me again.
Regina couldn't help, but smile. So her plan had succeeded.
She clicked on the groupchat.
Martha's mom and another number – it was Hannah's.
And she just had sent a picture.
It was a selfie of Katharina and Hannah.
Their heads together, they smiled with wine glasses into the camera.
Regina, come over! Katharina had typed.
We will treat you a drink! Hannah had messaged.
Next time :) Regina replied and smiled, until the grey checkmarks turned blue.
She closed the app and put her phone down.
Aleksander and Bartosz looked at her in expectation.
“I fixed something today,” she said proudly.
“What is it between you and Martha's mom?” Bartosz asked again.
“Oh, I think, to her I am someone, who brought her and her best friend back together,” Regina smiled.
“So you are a matchmaker?” her son raised his eyebrows at her.
Regina laughed and took her wine glass to take a sip.
Bartosz stretched and yawned.
“Love you, guys,” he said.
Regina choked on her wine, Aleksander reached for her glass to take it out of her hand.
“Hell yeah, Aleksander,” she said teary-eyed from coughing, “Let me die, as long as the carpet stays stain-free.”
He blew a kiss over to her.
“Bartosz, did something happen?” Aleksander asked, “Do you need money or a lawyer?”
“Nope, for real,” Bartosz shrugged his shoulders, “I just mean it.”
ENDE