Mrs. Martin and Mr. Blohm Episode 35: Life is found in the dance between your greatest desire and your deepest fear.

So, November 2nd, 2005 was finally approaching—the day of the restaurant opening, also called “The Bank Opening,” where Regina had received an invitation from her landlord, Gerhard M.

It was a typical autumn day, just as one imagines in Germany. The remaining leaves drifted through the streets, and you could already feel winter in the air. Regina could hardly wait—she was absolutely thrilled to attend the event. For days, she had been thinking about what to wear and was especially looking forward to finally seeing Gerhard again.

One Missed Flight

When she woke up that morning, she noticed a missed call from Gerhard—but no message had been left. She immediately called him back.

Gerhard answered,
“Hello, darling. You won’t believe this, but I’m still in Munich. I missed my flight to Hamburg, and on top of that, I’m completely tied up here. I wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to make it to the opening. So you should definitely go, Regina. And now you even have an extra invitation—you can take a friend. Maybe your neighbor from upstairs… what was his name again?” Gerhard asked.

Regina couldn’t believe that Gerhard was canceling the opening. And just the thought of going there alone felt very strange to her. She didn’t want that at all—she didn’t know anyone there.

If she were still living in Munich, she wouldn’t care—she knew plenty of people there. But here in Hamburg… not really. The idea of going alone felt uncomfortable.

For a brief moment, when Gerhard asked for the name of her neighbor, Regina thought about calling Mr. Blohm to accompany her. But because of his arrogant manner—acting as if he knew exactly how to attend events in Hamburg and treating her like a woman from a small village—she didn’t appreciate it at all. And since he already had his own invitation, she immediately dismissed the idea.

She simply said to Gerhard,
“Oh Gerhard, that’s really such a shame that you can’t make it. And if you mean our neighbor, Mr. Blohm—he already has an invitation, that’s what he told me the last time we spoke. And by the way, Gerhard… he’s the last person I would take to this party.”

Gerhard replied casually,
“Oh Regina, then just go by yourself. You’ll see—the people in Hamburg aren’t as cold as everyone says.”

Regina answered,
“We’ll see. I have a very full day of appointments today, and maybe I’ll just be too tired to go.”

Gerhard sighed,
“I’m really sorry, Regina. Bussi, bussi—I have to run now. But go—you’ll see, it will be a great event.”

After hanging up, Regina drove to her showroom and spent the entire day in back-to-back client appointments at La Perla. It was exhausting. And somehow, she couldn’t shake the disappointment that Gerhard wouldn’t be there with her at the event.

One Bold Decision

On her way home around 6 p.m., her friend Elena from Munich called to check in and ask what Regina was doing that evening. Regina told her about the restaurant opening and that Gerhard had canceled. She admitted that she didn’t feel like going alone—she hardly knew anyone in Hamburg.

“I miss my friends in Munich so much,” Regina said quietly.

Elena replied,
“I completely understand, Regina. I miss you too. And honestly—I wouldn’t go alone either.”

Then she added gently,
“And Regina, don’t forget—the past few months have been incredibly exhausting for you. The stressful job at La Perla, the move from Munich to Hamburg, and the separation from Paul… all the ups and downs.”

“If I were you,” Elena said, “I would take a warm bath—I’m sure it’s just as cold and unpleasant in Hamburg as it is here in Munich—pour yourself a glass of your favorite Prosecco, and simply relax, Regina.”

And the moment Elena said that, something struck Regina like lightning. Exactly—that’s what Elena would do… but I am not Elena.

And just like that, Regina made her decision: she would go—alone, no matter what.

She gathered all her courage. Even though she didn’t know anyone there, she quickly got dressed—there wasn’t much time left if she wanted to make it by 7 p.m. She chose black pants from La Perla, paired with a white blouse, a black corsage layered over it, and her black shiny leather boots.

At first, Regina considered driving. But since she didn’t know Hamburg very well—and something she would normally never do in Munich—she decided to take a taxi. And dear reader, this was 2005… there was no Uber yet.

She wanted to arrive exactly at 7 p.m.—to be there from the very beginning. Completely the opposite of what Mr. Blohm had suggested—but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to miss a single second. She wanted to see everyone arriving.

When Charm Becomes Strategy

Now, dear reader, you should know that Mr. Blohm did not actually have an invitation—as Mrs. Martin would later find out.

For Mr. Blohm, it had been a complete no-brainer. He assumed he would easily receive an invitation through one of his friends. So he called his first friend, then the second, then the third, then the fourth… but somehow, they all had excuses. Either they only had one invitation, or they had already given it to family or close friends.

Mr. Blohm couldn’t believe it. Not having an invitation to such a major event was highly unusual for him—almost unthinkable.

For him, it was important to attend this party—not only because it was the event of the year, but also because he wanted to see Mrs. Martin again outside of their usual neighborly encounters. So he decided to find out who was organizing it.

It was Marietta Andreae.

He knew Marietta from various golf events and other social gatherings. At the time, she was considered the queen of organizing such high-profile events and was the PR manager of Chanel in Paris, where she met the designer Karl Lagerfeld—a connection that grew into a remarkable friendship.

In his younger years, Claus had also worked for different event companies and once had the pleasure of driving Karl Lagerfeld around Hamburg for two days. That was when he first met Marietta. Even though many years had passed, Claus decided to call her. Without hesitation, he got her number from a friend—he didn’t want to lose any more time.

Marietta answered the phone, her voice distinctively smoky,
“Hello, this is Marietta Andreae.”

And Claus Blohm said,
“Hello Marietta, it’s me—Claus Blohm. You surely remember me. We once met with Karl—do you remember?”

Marietta replied warmly, still with her signature smoky voice,
“Of course, Claus, I remember you—how could I forget? You were the one driving Karl around Hamburg to his favorite bookstore and all the places he loved so much. And now you’ve become one of the best golfers in Germany at your home club in Falkenstein.”

Claus was pleased that Marietta still remembered him, even though it had been quite a while since they had last seen each other.

Marietta continued,
“So, Claus—how can I help you? It’s been ages since we last spoke, so I’m pretty sure you must want something from me. Tell me—why are you calling me all of a sudden?”

Claus smiled to himself—this was exactly what he had always liked about Marietta: her directness.

“Well, Marietta, you know people very well,” he replied. “I heard that you’re organizing the restaurant opening, The Bank, and… well, I need an invitation.”

Marietta burst out laughing.
“Claus, you do realize this is the event of the year,” she said. “It’s completely sold out. There are no invitations left—whatever the reason you didn’t get one, there simply aren’t any available.”

Claus didn’t hesitate.
“Marietta, this is truly a matter of life or death,” he said with a hint of charm. “I’ve met the woman of my life—and she will be at that event. It’s absolutely essential that I get there, because I want to see her again.”

Marietta paused for a moment, then replied calmly,
“Well, no matter who this woman is, you’ll just have to meet her another time. I really can’t do anything about it. I’m sorry, Claus.”

Late Entry. Big Impact 

But Claus didn’t give up. With all his charm, he continued,
“Tell me, Marietta—I don’t necessarily have to be there right at the beginning. Could it be a bit later? Maybe you could do something about that?”

Marietta sighed slightly.
“What do you mean by later, Claus?”

“Well… around 10, or maybe 10:30,” he replied.

Marietta paused.
“The event starts at 7 p.m., so that’s actually quite late. I mean, I can do something—but you’ll basically miss everything.”

Claus smiled.
“No, Marietta, I won’t miss everything. If you could put me on the list for around 10 or 10:30, I would be incredibly grateful.”

Marietta hesitated for a moment, then said,
“Alright, this I can do for you. But by then, the event will already be in full swing—not over, but still… I’m not sure you’ll even want to come that late. But if it’s important to you, I’ll arrange it.”

Claus felt immediate relief.
“You know, Marietta,” he said, “I already told the woman of my life that I would come later anyway—so this fits perfectly.”

He was visibly relieved—he now had access to the event.

Marietta added,
“Alright, I’ll put your name on the list. But I have to get back to work now. Maybe I’ll still be at the party when you arrive, and we can say hello. And perhaps you can introduce me to this woman you believe is the love of your life.”

Claus smiled,
“Yes, that would be wonderful, Marietta.”

And with that, they both hung up.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Martin arrived by taxi—right on time—at 7 p.m. for the event.

And now, dear reader… take a deep breath. Stay curious about what comes next—and perhaps make sure you have a few cases of SYLTBAR ready, so you don’t run dry before Episode 35 continues next Sunday. 🥂✨