Herbert was fascinated by the jovial manner of this American big boss.
“What a difference from my British officers!” he observed.
The conversation was short and friendly.
Herbert was under the impression that it was only to test his English, and was more than surprised when he was asked, “When can you start with Pan Am?”
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, not quite realizing what he had heard.
“You mean,” he stammered, “I can have this job?”
“That’s what I said!” he spoke in response with a big grin.
He stood up and offered his hand.
Herbert jumped to his feet and grabbed the hand with both of his, completely befuddled and baffled.
“I have to give fourteen days’ notice,” he heard himself saying.
“No problem,” said his new employer, smiling.
Herbert walked out of this office and closed the door.
“What has happened in the last few minutes?” I don’t know!
Inge waited for Herbert to find out how the interview had gone.
“Now what is going on?” she investigated.
“I’ve…got the job!” Herbert mumbled, still not understanding.
“Congratulation!” she exclaimed and hugged him spontaneously.
“When do you start with us?”
“I have two weeks’ notice to give!” he whispered.
“What about the money situation?” Inge wanted to know.
“I never asked for it,” he admitted sheepishly.
“It doesn’t matter,” he went on. “I don’t have a future with my present occupation anyhow,” he commented.
“That’s true, for sure,” she agreed.
“With Pan Am you have a secure future ahead of you,” she proclaimed triumphantly.
(Little did they know what the future had in store for this company…)
With all this excitement, Herbert had completely forgotten his Colonel and the parked car across the street.
He said a hasty goodbye and rushed out of the door.
Immediately he saw his Colonel, who paced impatiently next to the vehicle with a grim face, bent forward with his hands clenched behind his back, like being handcuffed there.
Herbert saw a raging bull with steam or fire blowing from his nostrils and murder on his mind. As soon as he saw his driver, he shouted: “Where in the hell have you been? Are you out of your mind? I’ve been waiting here for half an hour.” Herbert apologized in the proper Queen’s English fashion and decided to tell the truth about the interview he just had. He added that he was accepted to start working for the Yankees.
Herbert did not expect any comment from his Colonel, he who mumbled something under his breath while he threw himself into the back of the car the moment Herbert had opened the door for him. Herbert slammed the door shut, a little too hard, once both feet of her Majesty’s officer were safely inside. He slowly walked around the back of the automobile, with a big grin on his face suppressing the urge to shout “Yippee!” and swung behind the steering wheel and started the engine.
The grouchy man in the back muttered the next destination to Herbert, who was singing in his mind, “We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz,” trying to keep a straight face, knowing it would be seen by his passenger in the rearview mirror.
He tried to visualize how he would look in the uniform of this prestigious airline, when he was suddenly interrupted by the voice coming from the back seats.
“Fourteen days!”
“Yes sir, I know!” he answered, driving past the Gänsemarkt. He made a half right turn towards Dammtor, when he saw a truck standing there in his way. He slowed down and hit the brakes, nothing happened, so to speak, because a lot of things transpired. The sedan was sliding very slowly over an ice patch. Herbert tried to simulate anti-lock brakes, (which cars did not have at that time,) by pumping the brake pedal tenderly in a rapid succession, to no avail. The vehicle was determined to kiss the huge bumper of this monster truck very gently. It didn’t even produce a noisy impact. The grill over the cooler in the front of the car was history, nicely bent inward. No damage to the truck, of course. As a matter of fact, the truck driver never left his cabin to investigate. In all probability, he wasn’t even aware of an accident, it was much too soft to be noticed. But it was not soft enough for the Opel Kapitän. Both Colonel and Herbert investigated the damage, while the truck disappeared over the horizon. A few onlookers joined to see what happened, but left moments later. It was too cold to stand still for a long period, and there was no blood anyhow, so why waste precious time. The Colonel must have felt a big loss at this moment, sort of an insult to the British crown and their possessions.
He growled at Herbert:
“You are fired!”
(And that’s a long time before Donald Trump made it a famous phrase, on the TV show The apprentice. Or did the “Donald” copy Herbert’s Colonel?)
Surely, the two statements: “Fourteen days” and “You are fired” were not more than one minute apart from each other. How fast the scenes change on the stage of the real world. It is amazing! On the one hand, he was happy to be free to start now with the Americans. On the other hand, he was, somehow, insulted by the inconsideration of this British officer. Surely he must have had some understanding why this accident had happened. And surely should comprehend; there was nothing Herbert could have done to avoid the calamity.
Regardless, Herbert didn’t know to either laugh/cry.
This show was set on “FAST FORWARD”.
For sure it will take some time to digest.
The engine of the car purred normally, and this twosome continued to go as planned. Upon arrival at the “Beatty Barracks” (Mackensen Kaserne) in Alsterdorf, where the garage and the officer’s quarters were located, Herbert informed his foreman of the incident, and the fact that he was immediately fired. He couldn’t contain himself to mention the news about his future job, which, to his surprise, produced congratulations by his coworkers.
All of this happened on the first Thursday of the New Year 1955.
Early the next morning he was at the Pan Am office to announce his immediate availability. When he talked to his new boss and informed him that he would be able so start coming Monday. He was surprised, the DTSM suggested starting work the next day, which was, a Saturday. At that time, Saturdays were 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM working days in Germany.
Gladly Herbert agreed, and so his 33-years career began with this airline.
The familiarization training to become a Reservation-Representative
