CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!
I woke up feeling nervous. I was feeling something new and I wasn't sure what to do with it. Ute was getting past my defenses and inside my head. Was I feeling love, or just deep infatuation? She was gorgeous, adventurous, an exciting lover, and she fit everything. She could dress up for a fancy dinner one night, and the next day run naked in the forest and be perfectly natural either way.
I sat up on the edge of the bed. Ute was coming to meet me at 10:00, which left me four and a half hours to stew in my confusion. If it was love, when do I say something? I had only known her a week and it seemed a bit rushed to dive in the deep end.
I pulled out my book and tried to read, but my thoughts weren't in the story. Instead, I was running through every moment I had spent with Ute, trying to find clues to what she was feeling. I was terrified of saying something stupid or ill-timed, but I was equally terrified of not saying something and losing something special. The line from the famous Frank Sinatra song kept running through my mind: "And then I went and spoiled it all by sayin' somethin' stupid like I love you."
After an hour, I gave up pretending to read and went into the shower instead. By the time I got back to my room, I could hear Tomash stirring. Part of me wanted to talk out my feelings with another guy, but I didn't think I had that kind of relationship going with him.
Instead, I took my dirty clothes up to the costume shop and ran them through the wash. I blew off an hour looking at the costumes in progress. There were a dozen dressing dummies with bolts of fabric laid across them. The tables were covered with measuring tapes and sequins and hot glue guns. There were racks of zippers and Velcro and more kinds of buttons than I ever imagined possible. I opened one of the cabinets and there were dozens of large bobbins of thread in 10 different colors. On the far wall, there were racks of 19th century shoes, with patent leather and large silver buckles. I wished I had a camera. There was an entire series of still life compositions everywhere I turned.
When the dryer finished it was just 08:00. I couldn't think of enough things to distract me from my preoccupation with Ute. I folded my clothes on one of the layout tables and headed back to my room. I ran into Tomash on the way up the stairs.
"Ach, I need to do laundry too," he said. "I'll get to it later. Have you eaten breakfast?"
"Not yet, I'm meeting my…," I paused for a moment, "…girlfriend at 10 to hang out. I can wait till then."
"Lucky you," Tomash said sincerely. "My girl is a long way from here. I need to find a job wife." He laughed half-heartedly. A "job wife" was an expression for a temporary girl companion when you're away on a gig.
I chuckled distractedly. "Maybe I can get you a referral," I said. "Where are you going for breakfast?"
"The usual up the street," he said. "It opens at 8 on weekends."
"Cool, enjoy! I'll catch you later," I said starting down the stairs again.
"Tchuss," he said, using the Bavarian dialect for 'later'.
He took off up the stairs and I went into my room, put the laundry away, and looked at my watch – 08:30. Time was creeping by like a lazy snail. I rolled onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
When 09:30 finally arrived, I got up and headed out. I wanted to be on the sidewalk first this time. I opened the door and there she was, doing a little dance and looking like a free spirit in the body of a piece of art. She was wearing a pleated skirt, and when she did a twirl, the skirt flared out, showing her perfectly formed legs. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail that bounced and bobbed as she dipped and pranced on the walkway, not a care in the world.
I crept down the stairs and came sliently up behind her, grabbing her around the waste and spinning her around to face me. She let out a little yelp, then laughed like a thousand angels singing. She kissed me, then took my hands and she danced around me, pulling me around with her. I grabbed her and pulled her against me and we started waltzing to silent music while she giggled with delight.
When we stopped, she kissed me again and said, "Good morning, lover." Her smile could have melted ice at a hundred paces.
"Good morning, lover," I repeated, feeling stragely self-conscious. I looked around. "Where's your car?"
"In the car park," she grinned. "Let's walk."
I smiled. "OK!"
We started down the street. It would be a good hike to the shopping distict, but I wasn't thinking about that. We chatted about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to eat. I said I wanted to buy a pair of nice sandals, so I had more options than work boots and flip-flops. I would have to figure out how to cram them into my already full pack, but it would likely be easier than a pair of running shoes.
As we walked, Ute suddenly broke into a run, pulling me along by the hand. She turned a corner and brought us to the front of a small street café. We took a table in the front opposite another couple who were also deeply involved with each other.
"Did you like my glade," Ute asked out of nowhere. She was staring into my eyes trying to gauge my emotions.
"It was amazing," I said honestly. "I've never experienced a day like yesterday. It was magical."
Ute smiled and was about to say something when the waitress came up. We ordered sweet rolls, a cheese platter and a carafe of coffee. When the waitress left, Ute looked back at me with her piercing eyes.
"I've never brought anyone there before," she said. "It's my secret place. You are special to be allowed into my secret place."
I could tell from her eyes that she was referring as much to the glade as to her body.
I didn't know what to say. Everything I could think of sounded goofy or lustful. Out of nowhere, Shakespeare leapt to mind.
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
Ute stared at me for a long moment. I couldn't see her thoughts at first, but then I saw her eyes well up and a single tear dropped onto my hand. A very slight smile spread across her full and trembling lips.
"That is one of my favorite poems," she said at last, and she squeezed my hand.
The moment was broken by the waitress bringing our food. We both sat back to clear the table, but our eyes never broke from each other. When the waitress left, the mood had suddenly lightened up. Ute served me a roll and some cheese, and filled my coffee cup. We giggled and teased and talked about nothing at all.
At one point, I excused myself, saying I needed to use the restroom. Inside, I paid for the breakfast before Ute had a chance. I was beginning to feel guilty about always being treated. When I came back out, her head was tilted back and eyes were closed as sunlight spilled on her golden skin and hair. For a moment it looked as if the light were coming out of her, and not falling on her.
Ute opened her eyes and looked at me with an expression I couldn't read. Then she laughed and waved me to my chair.
"Are you ready?" she asked, and I heard more than one layer in the question.
"Let's do it," I said, adding layers to my answer.
She looked for the waitress, but I said I had already paid. She looked at me for a moment, then smiled and stood up. I followed and we locked hands as we strolled down the walk, swimming in the moment.
After a short time, Ute bolted to the side down a small alley, giggling as she ran. I paused, not knowing what to do, then followed her in. She had vanished and I stood there listening for a clue as to where she had gone. I walked slowly down the alley, unsure what to do.
Out of nowhere she leapt onto my back and locked her legs around my waste with her hands over my eyes. Stunned and off balance, I staggered around trying to stay upright. Then she jumped down, laughing and circling around me. I grabbed her and pulled her tight and kissed her with all the passion in my soul.
Before I knew what was happening, she had backed against the wall and put one of her legs around me. Then the other. I reached down with both hands to support her, taking hold of her firm round ass. I realized she had no panties on and I could feel the moist folds of her love canal through her skirt.
I released one hand and opened my shorts to release my engorded tool, and slid it inside her. She groaned in ecstacy. I began raising her up and down on my shaft, and then she used her legs around me to take over. She climaxed once, twice, and the third time we came together.
We froze there for a brief eternity, our lips locked and bodies entwined. After a time, she broke the kiss and pulled back to look at me.
"Sandals," she said, laughed and climbed down off my hips.
We pulled outselves together and continued walking. It wasn't long before we came to the pedestrian avenue I had walked down my first day in Munich. We weren't in any hurry and wandered back and forth looking in shop windows. In front of a bakery, there was a man with a long stick that had donuts stacked on it. Ute ran up and bought two, and we munched them as we walked.
We paused at one shoe store, but didn't see anything I liked. After a bit, we found another and went in to see what they had. I found one pair that seemed comfortable and easy to stow in my pack. I tried them on. Ute cocked her head to one side, then looked at me and shook her head with a slight frown.
We went out again, stopping at an ice cream parlor for two floats. It was the most amazing thing I had yet tasted. The ice cream was smooth and creamy and bursting with flavor, and we both savored our treats, sharing spoonfuls back and forth.
We finally came upon a shop that seemed to sell nothing but sandals. We went in and wandered the aisles. There were more styles, colors and designs than I ever imagined. Ute came up to me with a nicely designed pair of light brown leather sandals. I tried them on and they were incredibly comfortable. She appraised them and told me to walk up and down a bit. When I cam back, she asked if I liked them, and I said yes. She agreed. So I paid for them and left.
It was getting on to early evening and we were both tired. We came across an Italian restaurant with smells wafting out that were almost edible by themselves. We looked at the menu that sat on a podium at the front door. Everything looked delicious, so we sat on the patio.
The waiter was on us before we had even settled. He put a basket of breadsticks and a small dish of olive oil on the table, and laid menus in front of us.
"Would you like the house red?" he asked. "It's quite good."
"Of course," I said, and he hurried away.
When he returned with the wine, we gave him our orders and he vanished again.
"Thank you," I said to Ute.
She looked confuse. "For what?"
"For helping me find my sandals. For a great day. For…"
She leaned over and kissed me. "I can't think of anything I would rather do than be with you."
I paused and stared at her a moment. "I…"
The waiter appeared again and served two ensalada rustica. "Buon apetito!" he said, and vanished again.
We toasted our meal and refilled the wine glasses, then laid into the salads like a pair of starved ranch hands. Before we had fnished my manicotti and Ute's lasagna appeared. The food was outstanding, or at least we were both starving. In any case, both of us wiped the plates clean with bread sticks and sat back enjoying the wine and full bellies.
The waiter appeared again and took our dishes, then offered us desert.
"The tiramisu is outstanding," he prompted.
Ute and I looked at each other and shrugged. We ordered one to share, since neither of us really needed the desert. The waiter disappeared and reappeared almost instantly, with the tiramisu and two forks.
I had to agree, it was outstanding. I took a bit of the cream on my finger and offered it to Ute, who delicately licked it off, then sucked my finger clean. When she had finished, she laced her fingers together with her elbows on the table and rested her head on them, looking quite proud of herself. I wished I had had a camera to capture that moment. There was a look in her eyes that both frightened me and drew me in like a magnet.
When we had finished the wine, we got out and started walking down the avenue the way we had come. When we reached a main street, I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Screw this," I said, and hailed a taxi.
We got down at the theatre next to Ute's car. She hugged me and kissed me in a moment I didn't want to end. At one point, she pulled out a piece of paper from somewhere and tucked it in my pocket. She kissed me again.
"Go in and get your rest. Another big week ahead. I'll pick you up Tuesday night, 7 sharp," she said, half seriously, half playfully.
I snapped to attention and saluted. "Oui, mon general," I said in my best French accent.
She giggled and gave me a playful peck on the cheek. "Don't make any plans for Saturday," she said. "You're mine for the weekend."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I said honestly.
She turned and opened the car door and jumped in, revved the engine, and pulled out of the space ready to leave. She paused and opened the window half way.
"I love you," she said, and drove off like Mario Andretti.
I stood there not really sure what to do, feeling both stunned and exhilarated. When I came to my senses, I walked back to the rear door and went inside and down to my room. I'm not really sure I actually walked, I felt more like I was floating.
I kicked off my shoes and laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She had beaten me to it, I thought . I closed my eyes and dreamt of angels.