Ch. 27

Jack wakes up on the extremely comfortable sofa bed. They talked until late at night. It's been a wonderful evening. The camera team left early, so they had plenty of time to themselves. He could well imagine his future with her. During the day they are both busy with their work and the night and most of the weekends of the year are theirs.

“ Good morning, Jack! I hope you're already awake, because we don't have much time left until we have to go. ", Summer is already dressed and brings a smell of coffee into the living room. "Tomorrow. It doesn't take me long to get ready. ”He quickly sits at the small dining table, groomed and combed. “I thought ambassadors would do everything alone? So without employees in your home country? ”At least you never see the secretaries on TV. “Believe me, they already have enough to do over there and need all the support they can get. That's what we're here for. Each of us looks after one of the ambassadors abroad. And my supervisor lives in Turkey. However, I get an extraordinarily high salary. I tend to act in the background. ”He hadn't thought that far. "So what exactly are you doing at the embassy?" Summer bites off her raisin bun. “Well, I talk to the others from Turkey on the phone and the ambassador from Turkey who lives here can contact me directly. He lives and works not far from here when he has something to discuss. I also translate letters from children to partner schools and hire people who are on TV. ”“ So you're a puppet player, ”she sighs. “Just one of many. I like my position and I wouldn't give it up for any money. ”, A clear statement. “Another ten minutes, Holmes, then we have to go.” They meet the camera team there. After work, they come back briefly to the apartment before heading back to the villa. Half an hour later you are in the government building where she works. Jack hasn't run into a second woman yet. This professional field is probably a male domain. However, each of the men treats Summer with the utmost respect. She also seems to be good friends with some. She has her own office, which is twice the size of her living room, on the upper floor of the house. Jack has made himself comfortable. Summer first has to work his way through the events of the last few weeks, he can't help much. Meanwhile he looks at the windows, they go from floor to ceiling. The view is breathtaking. An endless meadow stretches wherever you can see with scattered trees and mysterious paths. The rest of the office walls are white and tall. Everything looks so posh and sterilized. Neither professional nor private photos hang on the walls here. Not even a few paintings by unknown artists that were even hanging as decoration at his dentist's. Your desk is neat. No sheet is crooked on the stacks. That doesn't match the picture he got in the bathroom at all. Maybe it just compensates for the cleanliness here, with clutter at home to create a balance.

Her phone rings and Summer answers it without looking up from her laptop. “Message for Turkey. Summer Clare on the line. “, She is silent and listens to her conversation partner. “Of course it would be a welcome gesture for us. They know how to get in touch with Mr. Klar to arrange a meeting. I will tell him that you called and want a meeting. ", After a few empty phrases she hangs up. “That was the ambassador from Turkey. You have been trying for a long time to be accepted into the EU, but you do not want to implement all human rights. That is why the founding states of the EU meet every year to discuss with them. As long as his government does not change anything, the membership will not become anything, ”she explains. Then she dives back into the files.

After two hours of silence, he heard the first cameraman yawn. Jack feels the same way. He prays that she will either start talking to him or that the day will come to an end very quickly. He imagined a different day to stop by at the women's work. His mind wanders to Mia.

#

Mia sleeps in until mid-morning. The silence in the house welcomes you. But that doesn't last as long as she would have liked. Ten minutes after opening her eyes for the first time that day, she hears Sophia screeching with laughter.

She smiles. Finn is sure to be tickling her friend right now. How nice it must be to wake up next to your loved one. Her thoughts drift briefly to Jack and Summer before she recovers. She should enjoy today. No cameras, no intrigue or tension between her and Summer. It's unbelievable that a man can drive a wedge between girlfriends. Even if they weren't long. But it's not that bad. They just don't get on that easy with each other anymore. Each of them feels something for Jack. If they had known each other for a long time, the friendship could last. Mia doesn't know if she can stay in touch with Summer longer if Jack chooses her. Would she do it the other way round?

" Didn't you want to start your day stress-free?", Mia complains to herself. Sighing, she gets ready in the bathroom. Today she's after a dress. The only thing she has with her is blue and very simply cut. It is probably the oldest dress you can find in your wardrobe. At that time, Kim forced her to buy it in the summer sale. Today she is more than grateful for it.

She discovers Max downstairs in the kitchen. He has set the table plentifully and, as it smells, he was even at the bakery. "Mmh, that smells really good. Good morning. ”He gets a kiss on the cheek on a whim. “You haven't eaten anything yet?” The clock behind his head is already showing eleven o'clock. "No. I've been waiting for you. I thought we could do industries. Good morning. ”“ How nice of you! Thank you! I'm starving! Should I shoo the lovebirds down? ”, An evil grin forms on her face. She can barely keep herself from rubbing her hands like Rumpelstiltskin. That will be fun.

“ What's going on here? Mia why do you look like you want to jump around the corner and scare someone to death? ”, Sophia and Finn have entered the kitchen. Mia's angry grimace falls. "Good Morning. She looks like this because she was going to scare you so that you could come down. ", Playfully she nags in the direction of Max and mumbles loud enough for everyone:" Traitor! "

They laugh and get on with the food quickly. A chew, swallow and groan that elicits the good food from them fills the room for the next quarter of an hour. Finn is the first to speak again. “Jack called last night. Apparently, Summer is not exactly the tidiest person, but she seems to make up for that with her charm and her sensitivity. ", He looks at Mia." Just to keep you up to date. "That is good or bad news ? Should she be happy for Summer or should she think about herself and her feelings?

" Mia?", Sophia put a hand on hers. “Don't worry. I can see how he looks at you. Nothing can go wrong there. ”, Her confident smile rubs off on Mia. "I'm not worried." In order not to go into the subject further (didn't she want to avoid any thoughts about the two of them?) She turns to Max. "Have you planned anything for the rest of the day?" How about we go for a stroll through town, then devour an ice cream and spend the rest of the time in a restaurant or bar until Jack calls one of us because he couldn't find anyone here? "

The rest of the force is immediately hooked on the plan. Not long after Max's revelation, they were already marveling at the shop windows of really expensive boutiques.

It's actually a joke. Every weekend she collects the homeless and buys them a good breakfast. With the money for one of these dresses you could feed three homeless people for a month and put a pair of new shoes on top. This dress may be made of velvet fabric but is only worn once. Such investments are ridiculous. That is pure money in the closet that others urgently need. ´Keep calm, Mia. You help as best you can.´

She automatically looks out for people sitting on the floor or begging to people who have money to shop, but not two euros for someone who will use them better than her. Someone sitting in a corner with their head bowed catches their attention. "Hey ... um ... you just go on for a few minutes without me. I'll be right back. ”, She nods in the direction of the man. Confused, her friends nod.

" Hey! Are you okay? “, The head jerks upwards. Wide open and frightened eyes stare at her. Mia discovers bruises and bruises on his face and arms. The man is estimated to be in his early forties. "I'm fine," he whispers. It sounds more like a question, however. She experiences such situations more and more often. Homeless people are attacked and beaten up by teenagers trying to prove themselves. The judiciary cannot do anything about it. It is impossible for everyone who sleeps outside to get a roof over their heads or to threaten the youngsters with punishment if no one reports them.

" Are you hungry?" He looks emaciated under his clothes. The man seems to have forgotten it again, he looks quite surprised again. “Hungry?” He seems to be thinking. "Yes I'm hungry. Do not worry. My stomach wasn't full for a long time. ”“ Then come on. I invite you to the biggest ice cream you have ever eaten. ”She holds out her hand to him. "Come on!", She smiles friendly. "Okay.", Suddenly he jumps up. The prospect of ice seems to give him new strength. “I'm there with my friends. Just sit down with us. None of them bite. ”He winces when he follows her finger. It's probably the men who frighten him. "I promise you nothing will happen." He finally nods. “What's your name anyway?” “Nick, please, please. It's been a long time since someone respected me enough to sift me. "

" I'm Mia. I will be on you from now on. Nick, you are not a bad person. You should get the respect you deserve. ", She turns to her friends. That openly stare at them. “Nick, this is Max, Finn and Sophia. Folks, this is nick. He will eat ice cream with us. “, Sophia comes back first. "Hey. Nice to meet you. ”, She shakes hands with him. The men follow their example.

Nick wears worn jeans with too many holes to look cool. Plus a shirt that is still intact, but could do with a wash. He has shoulder-length brown hair and eyes that remind you of Heidi's nice mountain doctor. The icing on the cake is the cracked lip. Contrary to the prejudices, it doesn't smell five kilometers against the wind. Of course there are, but most of them depend on their hygiene.

" Man, what happened to you?", Finn points to his lip. An uncomfortable silence ensues before Nick opens up and tells what happened. As Mia suspected, young people are on him, but even worse is that people have stood there and did nothing. Logically, it's not the smartest thing to pounce on someone aggressive, but the police are not far today.

“ I hate people like that.” Max hisses.

You sit down in front of an ice cream parlor. Nick is deep in conversation with Max. It's about cars. Your new boyfriend was probably at the top of a car company before he was fired because of the financial crisis. His girlfriend left him. She just wanted to sleep up high. That brought Nick down. To this day he has not got up again.

The waitress looks at Nick with a raised nose, but keeps her mouth shut. Everyone orders a large mug of something. As soon as everything is brought in, everyone tries each other. At first Nick is shy, but soon the man really blossoms.

You have a very nice afternoon. Time flies like in flight. But soon they have to part. “Here is my card. If you can call and need something, here is my personal number. ”, Mia hugs Nick, just like the others. Finally she hands him a twenty euro note. "Sorry that it's not anymore.", An incredibly big smile shows on his face. "Are you crazy? I haven't had ice cream in a long time or such great company. With this note here, I don't have to worry about eating for the rest of the week. THANK YOU! “, He happily hops down the streets. “It's a shame that he has to live like that.” Sophia whispers. "Yes that's it! It's so easy to make her happy. Yet everyone only thinks of their own happiness. Not that you are always able to pull money out of your pocket, but now and then to spend a meal or to have a conversation with these people is not difficult. "

" Okay. Blown enough moping. Where are you going next? "

#

The minute hand runs in slow motion. Even the second hand seems to pause for minutes before jumping. Summer hasn't spoken to him for the past three hours. It's the longest day since the beginning of history, Jack is sure of it.

He imagined the job as a secretary to be a little more exciting. Of course, this is only a small glimpse into your field of activity. After all, he saw the pictures with other ambassadors in other countries. But that doesn't make the day any better today.

Despite everything, he somehow feels bad. She can't help it that he's so bored. So he smiles at her when she looks up and confesses to him: “It will probably take a little longer than planned. I'm sorry. I know that's not exactly exciting, but I should still sort this out. Next week it will be too late for that. ”, An apologetic and pitying look hits him. "No problem. How long do you think you will still need? “, The clock shows six o'clock. For him that usually means the end of the day.

God, he doesn't even want to know what happened to his client, whose lawsuit or indictment he couldn't finish. He still managed to finish almost all of them. Exactly three cases were still up for debate. Custody of the children should be given to the irresponsible father. Then there was household abuse. After a year, his client finally dared to talk about the brawl and do something about it. She wanted to obtain an injunction against him and, last but not least, a 16-year-old who wants to be declared of age. The girl has been through a lot and, in his opinion, was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“ Maybe another hour or two. I'm really sorry. You must have imagined everything a little differently. ”“ As I said: no problem. Do you mind if I stretch my legs a little? ”, With the best will in the world, he can't sit here still that long. Jack feels rusty. "Clear! Take a closer look around. "

There is not much to explore. The other secretaries, assistants, and clerks have already left. He opens one empty office after another. They are all white and without decoration. At the end of the corridor he discovers a kitchenette. His salvation!

Five minutes later he sips coffee and steals two cookies from a box. Except for a small salad that was delivered, he got nothing to eat. Every time his stomach growled, Jack asked himself if Summer couldn't hear it and just ignored it. She wouldn't do that, would she?

The camera team said goodbye at two. Just left him hanging.

Two cups and cookies later, he returns to Summer. This is just getting up. "I'm done. We can go home. “, Jack has never looked forward to these words.

Back in the apartment, the first thing he does is go to the kitchen. The cookies weren't nearly enough. "I thought we were leaving soon?", Summer watches with big eyes as he puts a dry bread in his mouth, the second half already coated with butter and jam. “What?” He asks, chewing. “We didn't eat anything. I'm starving. ”, Her mouth opens and closes again like a fish snapping for food. “The salad doesn't count. Don't you need something to eat? ”In the villa he only saw her having breakfast. She also just sipped her alcohol in the bar.

“ I never have dinner. Sometimes I forget to eat something else at this time. ”, She smiles and Jack is shocked. “It started when I lost weight. At some point my body got used to it. ”“ You have reached your desired weight. Now you can eat normally again! ”He pushes the bread and jam to her.

Actually he didn't expect it, but Summer accepts the bot and groans almost ecstatically. “It's really delicious. It must have been years since I ate butter. "

After a decent meal, they leave. It doesn't even take two hours until they're back in front of the villa. They step quietly and secretly to scare the others. But nobody is on the first floor. "Maybe you made yourself comfortable in Finn's or Mia's room.", Summer takes the lead with a grin. You can tell that she is not used to sugar in the evening. First they storm Finn's empty room and when they enter they shout: "BUHH!"

However, there is no laughter, startled squeaks or reprimands. Nothing follows. The light is out, nobody is in. "Where are they?" To get to the bottom of Summers question, he takes out his cell phone and dials Finn's number. After the third ring, someone finally answers. "Finn?" His friend laughs. “Who else, buddy? So what's going on? "" Um, we're back at the villa now and you are obviously not here. Where are you? ”In the background he hears glasses toasting, a man laughing melodiously and a woman begging someone for another glass of Long Island Ice Tea. "Oh, we thought it would be a while before you came and went to a bar and don't worry, after the first round we switched to soft drinks.", Jack looks at the clock. “It's 11pm. When did you think we were coming? ”, His voice has become a little louder and harsher than intended.

#

" Take it easy, Tiger!", Finn grins and tries to stay serious. “We already have eleven? Sorry, bro thought the evening wasn’t that far advanced. “, It takes a moment, then Finn pulls the cell phone from his ear and they can all hear Jack screaming. "... not that late yet?", Finn laughs silently, with his mouth open. He can't answer and she's really sorry for Jack. You just wanted to make a little joke of it. That, however, sounded more serious than planned. With a jerk she takes the cell phone. "Hey Jack! Sorry, we forgot the time. We'll pay right away and come back, okay? ”, No answer. Her eyes become watery, her mouth loses its smile. Sophia, Max and Finn look at her in dismay. A joke has turned bitterly serious. "Jack? Say something! ”, Sophia wants the cell phone and Max waved for the bill. "What can I say? I wouldn't have expected that from you. ", Then he hangs up.

Tears stream down her face. “It's over now. It's over. ”, Her head becomes heavy and Mia is grateful that Sophia offers her the shoulder. “Come on Mia. That was just a joke. He will understand. Jack doesn't judge anyone that way. And everyone at this table knows how to turn on each other in unobserved moments. ”Mias is less convinced. Why does everyone see a connection from her to him and vice versa? If that were the case, Jack wouldn't be freaking out about a little joke, would he?

They jet home at top speed. There Jack is sitting on the sofa with Summer on his lap. What did she expect? That he is not mad and is looking forward to the two days with her? It would be nice! "Jack what's the point? Since when are you an ass? “, Finn gesticulates wildly. Clearly less relaxed than in the car. "We had a nice day and thought it was a funny idea to let you come to the villa without you finding anyone in it." "What is your problem?", Max Gemüt has also turned into a rage. Jack looks up. "What is my problem? This wasn't a good joke folks. I absolutely can't stand it. Do you know why Hannah was kicked out? Because in the bar she flirted with every man he was there. And now you've been to a pub. How should I know if Mia has not danced or flirted with other men too? How should I know if she is serious? "

A resounding slap echoes. Sophia's handprint is on Jack's cheek. “You're really not clean anymore, are you? You don't know what she did in the bar? She cried after you hung up. Do you know what she doesn't know What you've been up to with Summer for the past two days. Have you made out, slept in the same bed, or even slept together? Did you laugh and talk a lot? Mia doesn't know that and, conversely, Summer won't know either. How should you know if you mean business? "

Sophia is breathing heavily. She kept talking herself more and more pure. Jack pushed Summer off his lap. He stands up and goes to Mia. "Can you forgive me?", Whether she can? She must. Your feelings do not allow anything else. “Yes, I forgive you!”, She thinks about what she would forgive him without questioning him later. She has never given anyone a second chance so unconditionally.

“ I'm really sorry. But someone could have touched you roughly and wouldn't have let up, even if you had said that you had someone ... ", Jack pauses before he can finish the sentence. His face turns red and Mia is beaming. So that was his real concern.