Mrs Martin and Mr Blohm Episode 33: “It is the end of the world,” says the caterpillar. “It is the beginning,” says the butterfly. 🦋

After Regina had told her best friend Stephan—who still lives in Munich and whom she had missed so much since moving to Hamburg in November 2004—everything over the phone about what she had experienced with Mr. Blohm during that unholy lunch, and after he revealed that he was the president of a so-called “Bad Boys Club,” along with that disturbing website showing South American women dancing half-naked, it became clear to Regina that the story with Mr. Blohm was going nowhere. And that was exactly where it ended for her—on that lunch day, after six months of back and forth. Regina had had enough—too many question marks, and she didn’t want to waste any more time with this mysterious Mr. Blohm.

Regina felt good about it. It was April 2005, and summer was just around the corner. It would be her first summer in Hamburg, and she wanted to start fresh. The sun always gave her new energy, and she was looking forward to it. As people always say, one door closes and another one opens—but that was not the case here at all.

When a Door Closes… and Nothing Opens

It was clear to Regina that she would most likely see Mr. Blohm again—after all, he was still her neighbor. But Regina was completely at ease with that. Ultimately, she had known from the very beginning that Mr. Blohm was not her type—neither outwardly, as he was too pale and had very little hair, nor in terms of personality. And on top of that, he was German. Regina had never wanted to marry a German man; in her view, they were simply too conservative and not exotic enough for her taste. She had always imagined her ideal partner as someone South American—with darker skin, full dark hair, and a certain natural charisma.

So even if she were to run into Mr. Blohm again, there would be no attraction. In addition, Mr. Blohm did not share Regina’s vision for the future. It was clear that he would never leave Hamburg—he loved the city far too much, something Regina could hardly understand—and he certainly couldn’t imagine moving to Miami, a place he didn’t even like.

Regina felt truly relieved and could now focus on something new. She had had Miami in her mind for many years and now wanted to turn that dream into reality. At the same time, she spent a lot of time playing tennis at the club by the Alster, where she had managed to become a guest member—something that had once seemed almost impossible—in order to meet new people who could support her dream of moving to Miami.

Between Hamburg and Miami—A Standstill

But even there, at the Club an der Alster, she couldn’t really connect with the people—no wonder, they were all German. Regina noticed more and more that Hamburg simply wasn’t her environment after all. And in the end, it wasn’t even about Hamburg—she had felt the same deep longing for Miami when she was living in Munich. The difference was that Munich, compared to Hamburg, had made it easier to stay in Germany. It was further south, the weather was better, and Italy, Austria, and Switzerland were all much closer—offering Regina an easier escape to the sun.

On top of that, her job at La Perla was going downhill. The brand had shifted production to China, and it was clear that customers would not accept this change in quality. She was constantly dealing with negative feedback—complaints about deliveries, fit, and overall dissatisfaction. Regina felt surrounded by negativity, and in her mind, this urgently needed to change.

It became clear to her: she had to break out of Germany completely and leave everything behind. She had managed to leave her beloved Munich and even her long relationship with Paul—so she would manage to leave Germany as well. At 35, she didn’t want to lose any more time. It was time to take a major step—to leave Germany and finally move to Miami.

Another five months went by in Hamburg, and it was almost strange that she never ran into Mr. Blohm again after that horrible lunch—not even his car in her parking spot, which he had occasionally used out of necessity, no accidental encounters as neighbors, and not even a phone call. She hadn’t heard anything from Mr. Blohm at all. Not that she had expected it, but it still felt odd that they hadn’t even crossed paths as neighbors.

Rondeel 31—Strange Timing

Sometimes, when Regina came home to Rondeel 31 and parked her car, she would glance up at Mr. Blohm’s condo to see if the lights were on. Sometimes there was light, sometimes it was dark. She didn’t even know exactly why she did that—was it just curiosity, or something more?

As people always say—when one door closes, another one opens… but in Regina’s eyes, at that time, it was simply not true, because over those five months, nothing happened—absolutely nothing.

Then, one day, her landlord, Gerhard M., called her. “Hello, Regina, I haven’t seen you in so long—what’s going on? How are you?”

Regina was so happy to hear from him again and smiled as she replied, “Hello, Gerhard, how nice to hear from you!”

Gerhard, as charming and enthusiastic as ever, continued, “Hey beauty, I’ve got a really great invitation for both of us! A new restaurant is opening here in Hamburg—it’s called ‘The Bank.’ It used to be a bank,” Gerhard laughed, “and now it’s been transformed into a restaurant—isn’t that fantastic, Regina? They’re very creative people behind this concept!”

“It’s going to be the party of the year, so you have to come with me. You’ve been avoiding all my invitations anyway—now it’s really time for us to go out. After so many months, you are my tenant—we should finally celebrate together! We’ll make this party unforgettable. You’ll love it, meet new people, and we’ll have a lot of fun!”

From Rainy Hamburg to a Surprise Call

And Regina thought to herself, why not? She was happy about Gerhard’s invitation and that he had thought of her—especially since she hadn’t seen him all summer. And that summer hadn’t really felt like a summer in Hamburg at all—lots of rain, as always, terrible weather. She had worked a lot and hadn’t even taken a proper vacation, except for occasional trips to Munich to visit her mother and friends. Yet somehow, she still hadn’t made any real progress with her plans for Miami. And now autumn was already setting in—and that gave Regina something to think about, because in November it would be exactly one year since she had moved from Munich to Hamburg, and somehow, nothing had really changed to bring her any closer to her goal of living in Miami.

After a brief pause from Regina, Gerhard said, “Hello Regina, are you still there? I only asked if you wanted to go to a party with me—not if you wanted to marry me, Regina!” Gerhard laughed warmly, as always, with his typical humor. “Come on, Regina, why are you thinking about it for so long?” he added.

“Oh, Regina,” he continued, “I almost forgot—how are things going with Mr. Blohm?”
Then he asked again, “How’s it going with the neighbor, Mr. Blohm?”

Now Regina had to laugh. “I haven’t heard anything at all from Mr. Blohm, Gerhard—and honestly, I’m not interested in him at all, as you already know. But yes, I would love to come with you to the opening of The Bank. When is it?”

Gerhard replied, “On Thursday, November 3rd. This will be great, and I’m really looking forward to going there with you. So keep that date free—it’s hard to believe it’s already middle of October, Regina, right?!” He laughed again and added, “Ciao bella, I’m looking forward to seeing you,” and hung up.

And—believe it or not—just five minutes after that call with Gerhard, Mr. Blohm suddenly called. Regina was surprised—so out of the blue, a call from Mr. Blohm. (Yes, dear reader, back in 2005, people still called each other!) Or was it the energy of the neighborhood at Rondeel 31?

Curious, she picked up the phone and could hardly wait to hear what Mr. Blohm had to say.

If you want to know how the story continues—and why Mr. Blohm suddenly calls—stay tuned for Episode 34… with many more SYLTBAR cases.