as the girls were covered in their laughter not paying much attention to her. The only thing she regretted was that they should’ve had dinner first and then head to this place as she felt her stomach rumble with hunger.
chapter 4
Arriving back to Berlin meant resuming the Berlin routine.
Having shaven her legs and washed with a sweet and slightly sour shower gel, the smell of which would remind her of Berlin for the rest of her life, red-toweled Blondie would walk up to Yulya to wake her up. To Tanya she would come up two or three times and sometimes she would even succeed in waking her up.
Days were passing. The three Russians and two Germans saw each other from time to time, having lots of laughter-giraffter.
Once, on a perfect July day the girlies were invited to a picnic in Volkspark Wilmersdorf by their learning German internationals. What a grand event for them! Lots of jovial youngsters hanging out in a park, with food and drinks!
Everyone seemed to be under the happy spell. The sun was shining in their faces! Birds were chirping in the trees. Multiple trees were stretching out their green fluffy arms all over to offer a shadowy shelter. A blue clear endless dome was hanging above. What else can a soul desire? A hearty meal! And the ladies were hungry like hell as they hadn’t eaten the whole day.
As the bottles were opened, Katya emptied her first plastic cup of wine at a go. And she instantly felt herself somewhat high in the bright blue sky. Tuned to the sun’s energy Blondie seemed to be in her childish mood, annoying everyone like kids do. Having small-talked to every possible soul in their circle, Katya approached Fil. He was busy talking to Tanya. Was that an obstacle? Katya sat beside him and tickled his knee.
‘Stop it!’ came his reaction. What kid would stop after such a phrase? Apparently, that was exactly the motto for kids meaning Do it again! Thus, the hungry girl tickled him again and again, smiling, watching his reaction.
‘Hey! If you do it again, you’ll be in trouble!’ Mr. Curly Hair pronounced like some mafia boss warning his victim for the last and only time with playful malice. Soon Filip learnt that the silly kindergarten girl was in a playground mood that sunny afternoon. And his last words were understood as not only Do it again! but as green lights, the encouraging non-stop signal, meaning C’mon, tickle me to death, Katushka!
Thus, the silly-goose girl was obliged to tickle him again. In a second she knew not how she was lying on the grass on her back with Filip sitting atop her. It was not the happy look of under him at last, but the look, how the fuck did that happen?
The rest of the evening the two spent fighting with each other. You know, like puppies do bite each other when playing? After the picnic everyone was aware of Katya-and-Filip’s mutual non-indifference towards each other. No wonder everyone was asking if they were a couple. Funny enough, the two of them kept on denying it, even to themselves. And yes, they were grown-up people who behaved like…kids? More like aged kids, frankly speaking.
The next morning Katya woke up with bruises all over her body. Definitely something to remember Filip by. Was it their way of showing love to each other?
chapter 5
This time it was Filip who invited them to have a meal at his Mum’s apartment. Filip’s Mum was away on holidays. So it was the perfect time to occupy her decent apartment on the top of the house, where there was a nice terrace with a dinner table and everything necessary. Sven couldn’t make it that day. Was he to practice his headstand instead?
As they headed to the place they bumped into a playground with a merry-go-round that looked like a big plate that was fastened to the ground in the middle. While Tanya and Yulya decided not to be stupid, Katya, on the contrary, placed her bum down onto the plate merry-go-round. Filip began to spin it.
The playground whirled faster and faster in Katya’s eyes. The whole world became one mess of various colours. As she started to feel dizzy, she yelled, ‘Enough! Stop!’
But this time she completely forgot that stop-phrase worked like an encouragement for kids. So Mr. Curly Hair started to spin even faster…and there Katya flew! Was it dropping like a stone more like? Her bum landing on the ground. As Katya heard sorry, she briskly glanced at Filip. A pitiful look on his face.
‘Never mind,’ Katya heard herself say, a cold angry look froze on her face. And all of them resumed walking in silence; Katya, shaking off the dust from her skirt and observing the scratches on her elbow.
What a lovely apartment Filip’s Mum had! Having understood from the previous time that girls were not really inclined to choose their music, Mr. Curly Hair took a liberty and turned on funk.
Everyone agreed on a vegetable stew, and Tanya volunteered to cook the dinner. Too many cooks would spoil the broth, so Fringe commanded not to disturb her. Katya set the table on the terrace and joined Filip and Yulya watching his childhood pictures. Soon one could make out the smell of heated olive oil, frying onion, eggplant and pepper. A carrot too perhaps, if fried carrots do have a peculiar smell.
As they all sat to table, they pretended to eat like high-class society people speaking on social themes, weather and so on. They praised Tanya’s culinary masterpiece. But their performance didn’t last long, as they switched to reminiscing funny stories from their school times and forgetting about the knives and waving their forks in agitated recollections.
Perhaps all of them would remember Filip’s hilarious but remorseful story of catching a guy from a lower grade and sliding a mop along both of his sleeves so he was not able to put down his arms, but was to walk like the red, little traffic light man, the symbol of Berlin, with his arms outstretched. The other would remember the taste of the red wine and funk music playing in the background with sudden beeping sounds coming from the cars below. Perhaps Tanya would remember multiple city roofs and the night sky. Katya – Filip’s smile and the fresh summer night air. Or maybe they would remember even all of it?
How could Yulya be moody at such a pleasant night? No one noticed when her mood had changed. She kept herself quiet staring nowhere in particular; a melancholic air was readable on her freckled face.
‘I’m going home. Thanks for the eve, Fil. I’ll see you tomorrow, girls,’ Red-haired reported and took her dirty plate to the kitchen’s sink.
‘Why so early? Stay! We’ll sleep here, no need to go home!’ Filip had to yell to Yulya’s back.
‘Leave her, Fil. I know this girl. If Yulya wants to be alone, let it be so,’ warned him Katya.
When Yulya left, Filip brought out some bright rug and placed it on the wooden floor and lay atop. The girls understood it as a welcoming gesture. In an instant three weirdos lay on a small rug on the roof watching stars, if any could be seen from a big city lit with hundreds of lights.
Before leaving Yulya thought she would want to return in the morning and be a lovely surprise to everyone bringing something to eat for breakfast. So she left the door slightly open by leaving Katya’s flat-shoe in the doorway, so the door wouldn’t lock.
On stepping outside Red-haired dived into the street world. Brightly lit pictures everywhere. Sparkling windows. People in cafes and bars gulping their beers. The city noise was like an orchestra as if rehearsing before a performance tuning their instruments – clinking of glasses, the
