Thomas Berger

It would be the last time that this night train would follow this beautiful rail track beside the Rhine to Cologne. Over the last year Tom went this way almost every week to commute between Frankfurt and Cologne, where his company builds up a new subsidiary. Today, Toms holiday, he wants to enjoy the ride without having the daily business in mind. He loves especially the journey in the summer, watching the sunrise, when having an early breakfast in the dining car. Wakened up by the caffeine he enjoys to daydream watching the shadowy landscape of the Rhine valley in the soft light of the early morning, diffused by the morning mist, which creeps over the banks of  the river. It would be the last time though. In Bingen normally the first sunbeams are touching the train finding their way over the roofs of this medieval city and between the towers of the churches and the monastery, where the nun Hildegard von Bingen worked centuries ago. Tom would not agree, when you call him nostalgic, he likes to work and live in the dynamic present, which is accelerated by the digital revolution, which he wants to be in his work a little part of as well.. He was impatiently waiting for the new fast train connection between Frankfurt and Cologne, which would save more than an hour travel time. Nevertheless when Tom is watching the world of castles, rocks and forests going by with a silent and regular "rotock-rotock" sound of the train in the background he has to admit a feeling of  melancholy, well-knowing the new efficient railroad consists mainly of straight tracks and tunnels. In the meanwhile more passengers have entered the dining car and while it gets lighter outside muffled voices rise inside demonstrating the start of the day. Tom pays for the breakfast, swallows the rest of the coffee and takes his jacket from the coat rack of the dining car and returns to his seat, as he wants to make plans for the day in Cologne.

While taking off his jacket he discovers a white envelop in the breast pocket. "I can not remember that I put it there", thought Tom and opens the envelope astonished. He takes out a letter, handwritten on elegant notepaper. Now he is fully awake, a bit confused and excited, realizing that somebody must have put it in the jacket, while he had breakfast. "…please excuse the strange way I get in contact with you, …. a good friend of mine delivered the letter to you…, saw you regularly in the train…,  missed the chance to approach you…I wish desperately to meet you before this last chance is gone. I would be extremely grateful when you give me that chance. Please find enclosed a ticket for the Metropolitan from Cologne to Hamburg (Departure 6:19). I would like to meet you in the dining car. If you feel pestered with my invitation, of course you can ignore it and I apologize for this….
"Thank you very much for your understanding! I am looking forward to meet you, Chen"

Tom reads it twice to be able to make up his mind. He is speaking to himself "It  is unbelievable. Some minutes ago it seemed that it would be such a relaxed day. Well, still it could, I could ignore it, take it as a bad joke and enjoy the cultural life of Cologne". But he knows he wouldn’t. "Who is that Chen?", from the handwriting Tom guesses that it is probably a woman.  He leans back and tries to remember somebody suspicious during his last journeys; following in his mind the way to the train station, on the platform, the wagons, the dining car. But he could not remember any details. He was always concerned to much about himself to notice any other person. He would arrive in Cologne soon, so he has to make a decision. "There is nothing really to loose, isn't it?" he mutters, trying to encourage himself. It is his day off why not daring an adventure – at least he has got a free ticket for this brand new luxury Metropolitan train he would really like to try out. The train is approaching the suburbs of Cologne. Tom hasn’t had any sexual relations to woman yet, some flirts at work, but nothing really serious, although he is almost in his thirties. Somehow he has not met the right person and because of a lack of opportunities, perhaps. "Maybe it was a mistake to invest to much energy and time in the career", he thinks but does not believe it really. He can already see the Cologne Cathedral, which stops his thinking, as they would approach Cologne central station in any minute. After going off the train he looked at once for an information board to detect the right platform of the Metropolitan. It would be the same platform so he has  time to let his gaze wander, studying the impressive steel construction of the central station.

Inside the Thalys Tom tries to concentrate. But het gets nervous and more nervous the nearer he comes to the dining car. He is glad about any opportunity which could serve as an excuse to stop. The train seems much to the relief of Tom endless. Soon the train stops. Tom knows there is only one more car before the dining car. He can already smell the coffee. A blond girl passes by hectically. "The smeared make-up makes her face even more attractive" he thinks, noticing another woman, who is looking behind her, pretty worried. The train is departing again and Tom takes his courage, goes straight to the dining car, looking for a table, which allows him to look over the restaurant. He takes a seat at a free table for two and asks for (his second) full breakfast to prepare for what might come next.

He carefully looks around wondering if she, if Chen is already around. There is an elderly couple and an interesting woman, which is looking furiously to her neighbour. Tom does not have the time to think about what makes her that interesting, as she is suddenly shouting:

Now Tom got it. She reminds him to the "special", strong minded women of the Almodóvar movies, he is a great fan of. While everybody in the dining car is staring at the "little pervert", Tom takes the letter out of the pocket beside the plate as a little sign for Chen. He orders another little bottle of wine against his nervousity. The waitress looks a bit resentful, as he takes that little notice of that little scandal in the dining car and molests her with his banal wish. After another glass of wine Tom feels much more adventurous and suddenly it occurred to him, that this scene maybe was ment to him, to attract his attention. However this scene does not seem to have much in common with the sound of the letter. Anyway she has left and such a person would probably come back, when she wants something from him. But instead of her that worried looking woman he saw before entered the dining car. The "little pervert" seems to be a magnet for woman, as she is going directly to his table not even asking if the chair is not taken and stares at him as if he would be an alien. Tom gets  a bit angry as he feels slowly a bit fooled, waiting for this mysterious Chen from the letter while this "little letter writing pervert" seems to attract all the woman. Unconsciously he was looking for a hidden camera again. 

The train approaches Brussels and Tom overcomes a feeling, which can best describes as a mixture of relief and deep disappointment. In that moment the chef of the dining car takes a seat opposite to him and says: "I'm a very sorry that you had to wait for me. I am so happy that you followed my invitation. My name is Chen". Tom is puzzled