Tesla waited impatiently for the next two months to pass, and when they finally did, she could barely contain her excitement. She found that she had to work extra hard to concentrate on rehearsals and performing—and not on Nane. But try as she might, her mind wandered hopefully to the woman many times a day. She eagerly anticipated meeting her, knowing she would return to the States bummed out if she didn’t. But all she could do was hope, not expect. Nane wasn’t obligated to meet her if she didn’t want to. And if she did, Tesla doubted she would go to the theater just to meet her—but rather because she wanted to attend the show and maybe see her friend who worked there as well.
But patience she would need, for Munich was to be their last stop in the country before heading back to the U.S.
When the time finally came to head overseas, they slowly worked their way down from Berlin to the theater in which they would rehearse and perform in Munich.
Tesla didn’t know which employee might be Nane’s friend who worked year-round at the theater. She didn’t even know if it was a man or a woman, let alone what they did there. So there was no way to ask about Nane, because she didn’t know who to ask in the first place.
Life went on mechanically. They rehearsed during the afternoons and performed at night.
On the night of the first performance, they returned to their hotel rooms, and Tesla found herself having second thoughts about being in such a business. She not only hated hotels, but she didn’t particularly care for the woman she was sharing a room with. The woman was nice enough—she just never shut up. Yet all Tesla wanted after a night of dancing, singing, and acting was peace and quiet. And privacy. Now that was one thing she came to miss on the road.
After the second night, she was just getting ready to leave with the others after changing into her jeans and a tee, when a guy she’d seen around the place but never spoken to before came up to her and congratulated her in English on a job well done. He was accompanied by a tall, slim, middle-aged woman with golden-brown hair.
“Thank you, sir,” Tesla said politely, then turned to face the woman, who also complimented her in English.
“Yes, I’d say you put on one hell of a killer performance, little lady,” the tall woman said.
“Thanks,” Tesla said with a friendly smile. Then she stilled and studied the woman’s face. Recognition clicked just as a smile of amusement began to slowly appear on the woman’s face.
“Nane!” Tesla suddenly exclaimed.
Both Nane and the man she was with—whom Tesla now assumed to be the friend she’d mentioned—erupted with laughter.
“Yes, it is I, sweet one,” said Nane, spreading her long arms for a hug.
Tesla eagerly hugged Nane and allowed herself to be hugged in return. “Wow,” she said when she pulled back a few seconds later, “I wasn’t sure I was going to have the privilege of meeting you.”
“Well, it is quite an honor to meet you, for sure,” she said with a warm smile. “I must admit you’re not quite what I expected.”
“Uh-oh,” said Tesla, rolling her eyes with a laugh.
“Oh, but it’s all good.”
“What did you get that you didn’t expect?” asked a curious Tesla.
“I didn’t realize how short you were.”
“Yeah, one of my drawbacks in life, you could say.”
“Oh no, not at all. You’re adorable, honey.”
“You look so much younger, too,” the guy said. “Up close, you look in your thirties, but at a distance, you look to be in your twenties because you’re so small.”
They laughed, and Tesla said, “Well, at forty-five, that’s a nice compliment.” Turning to Nane, she said, “And you look great. Just beautiful.”
“Well, thank you, darling,” Nane said, her German accent thick in her voice.
Tesla meant it, too. Nane was absolutely stunning. She had piercingly dark eyes that shone with wisdom and confidence and nice full lips. Tesla loved her tall, slender frame as well.
“So how do you like Germany so far?” Nane asked.
“Well, I haven’t actually seen much of it since I’ve been busy indoors rehearsing and performing, but I’d say it rains a lot.”
Nane and her friend laughed. “That it does,” they agreed.
“A lot of the buildings also look very old and like they could be in New England, which is actually where I grew up.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that,” said Nane.
“What was that like?” asked her friend.
“Cold, humid, old, and ugly.”
They laughed again, and Nane said, “Sort of sounds like Germany. So where you off to now, Schätzchen?”
“Back to the hotel we’re staying at. Not my favorite place to be.”
“Oh, you don’t like hotels?” Nane asked, exchanging looks with her friend.
“Not especially.”
“You’re welcome to stay at my place if you’d like.”
Tesla’s pulse quickened, and she said, “I’d love to hang out with you, but I’m afraid I don’t have certain essentials with me like my toothbrush and such.”
“Oh, okay,” said Nane. “Well, perhaps you can go to your hotel tonight—that way no one will worry about where you disappeared to—and then you can take along some things with you to work tomorrow that you’d like to have with you, and I can pick you up after the show.”
Tesla beamed a smile. “I’d like that.”
“Sehr gut.”
“Sure you don’t mind waiting up so late?”
“Oh no, not at all. You know I’m a real night owl anyway. Und morgen ist Freitag. So being Friday night, I won’t have to rush off to work early in the morning.”
“Then tomorrow night it is,” Tesla said, not knowing that her fate had been set into motion that night. One that would change her life forever—and that she would have avoided at all costs had she possibly known what lay ahead.
That night, Nane headed home more excited than she had been in a while. She couldn’t believe how cute Tesla was! Her body, her face, her long glorious hair—were all simply magnificent. How flattered she was to know someone of her kind had taken such a fancy to her. She could sense this not only through their online communications but just by the way Tesla had blushed and seemed self-conscious when they’d met.
She hated knowing that Tesla’s presence would only be temporary but decided to just take what she could get. Some time was better than no time, wasn’t it? And she wasn’t getting any younger, so what did she have to lose?
She tossed and turned in bed. A glance at the clock said it was creeping up on 3 a.m. She was aware of the empty space beside her. Would Tesla soon warm up that space—even for just a few nights?
She thought she’d never fall asleep. But finally, she did, and the next thing she knew, she was rushing off to work—tired, but looking forward to the evening ahead, even if it seemed light-years away at the moment.
After watching another flawless performance by Tesla and her fellow performers, Nane went backstage to let Tesla know she’d be waiting for her in the lobby.
And so she waited, pacing the lobby back and forth until Tesla emerged, duffel bag in hand.
“There’s my little American princess,” she said jubilantly.
Tesla smiled brightly in return.
“All set?” Nane asked, looking at Tesla. She was so small and almost childlike in appearance despite her age.
“If you’re still sure you want me,” Tesla said.
“Oh, I’m sure.”
“Good. I even get the whole weekend off just like you.”
“Great,” said Nane.
The two began to head for the exit, Nane smiling happily down upon Tesla’s dark head. Nane was five foot eight inches and just over a hundred and fifty pounds. Tesla had to be several inches shorter than her—and much lighter.
Once in the car, Nane said, “I don’t live far from here. Tesla, do you mind if I ask you about your husband?”
“What husband?”
“Didn’t you say you were married?”
“I was, but now I’m divorced. Brian was an okay guy. I just missed being with women, is all. That really is my primary cup of tea.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Furthermore, one day he came out and announced that he wanted a younger woman. So knowing you can’t make someone want to be with you, I let him go. Mind my asking how you learned English?”
Nane smiled, though she kept her eyes on the road. “I started learning in the fifth grade. And as I told you online, I also know a bit of Greek and Turkish as well.”
“Yes, I remember. If there’s one thing—and one thing only—we have in common, it’s our love of languages… oh no,” Tesla suddenly moaned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Nane, I can’t stay with you.”
“Why not?”
“You once said you smoke. I have asthma, and ever since I quit smoking years ago, I’ve been very intolerant to secondhand smoke.”
“Not to worry,” Nane assured her. “I’ll smoke outside on the terrace.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you. I kind of feel bad, though—running you and your cigarettes out of your house.”
“You’re not. And it’s an apartment.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right,” said Tesla. “You have an apartment.”
“And across the hall from me,” Nane added, “is someone you might recognize.”
ns216.73.216.208da2
