Mrs Martin and Mr Blohm Episode 39: Enough is the wealth of the wise

And after this night with Mr. Blohm, Regina suddenly had so many doubts, and that first infatuation slowly started turning into worries — what did all of this even mean? And what was Mr. Blohm trying to say with his text message: “Miss Martin, you’re wonderful”?

All at once, she felt the urge to call her best friend Stephan from Munich — hoping to get a little more clarity and to tell him about this unbelievable night with Mr. Blohm.

And Stephan immediately picked up the phone.

“Spatzl, how wonderful to hear from you. What’s new with you? How was the restaurant opening?”

And Regina started telling him about the evening — that she had been at the event, and all of a sudden Mr. Blohm appeared.

“We had a Gin & Tonic together, and then he wanted to drive me home because I had already been standing at the event for hours. Then I offered him a nightcap, more out of politeness and secretly, Stephan, in the hope that Mr. Blohm would perhaps return to the event afterward.

But then he unexpectedly said, ‘Only if it’s a glass of our favorite Prosecco.’ And as you know, Stephan, I always have my favorite bubbles in the fridge. And then… suddenly Mr. Blohm was standing in my apartment, Stephan…”

“And then, Stephan… it just happened. I still can’t explain it at all. And somehow… I completely fell for Mr. Blohm. And I still do.”

And Stephan immediately answered:

“Wait a minute, Spatzl… do I understand this correctly now? So after you spent the night with him… it’s still Miss Martin and Mr. Blohm? This just cannot be real, Spatzl…”

When Butterflies Turn Into Doubts

Regina was actually quite astonished by Stephan’s question, because she really hadn’t even thought about whether they would still call each other Miss Martin and Mr. Blohm.

“Stephan, you have to understand — we didn’t really speak to each other the entire night, and the next morning was completely hectic. I was totally overwhelmed with my feelings, Stephan. And all I asked was, ‘Mr. Blohm, would you like to have a café au lait?’ And he simply replied, ‘Yes, Mrs. Martin, I would love one.’”

“We have addressed each other formally ever since we met, and that has now been exactly nine months. And honestly, Stephan, my concern is much more: What happens now? Is Mr. Blohm going to reach out again, or was that simply a one-night stand for him? What have I done, Stephan? I still can’t believe that I allowed myself to spend a night with my neighbor.”

Stephan answered very calmly.

“Spatzl, don’t worry. Of course it wasn’t just a one-night stand.”

Stephan tried to brush off her worries and said, “Regina, you are overthinking this way too much. Just wait and see what happens, and simply enjoy the fact that you had such a wonderful night. Don’t make it all so serious already.”

“You see, Stephan, that’s exactly the point,” Regina replied in a very strict tone. “I told Mr. Blohm during our very first date that I’m 35 years old and that, at this point in my life, I really want to know where I stand. That I want to live in Miami, marry an Italian, build my own company, and create a family. And that, at the end of the day, I absolutely do not want to marry a German or stay in Hamburg working my ass off for La Perla as an employee, while the company doesn’t care at all about what the customer actually wants. So this is not ‘not serious,’ Stephan — this is completely serious.”

And after Stephan listened to all of this, he laughed softly and said, “Well then, just call your Mr. Blohm. Pick up the phone and give him a call.”

“Stephan, why should I call him? He could also call me, right?”

But Stephan never even had the chance to answer because all he heard was:

“Stephan, I have to leave now for my next client meeting. Thank you for listening.”

And Regina hung up before Stephan could say another word or even goodbye. That was so typical of his friend Regina — once she was emotionally involved, there was only black or white for her.

Regina’s thoughts kept spinning in circles. And just the imagination of driving back to Rondel 31 after her showroom appointment made her shiver. She already imagined seeing the light on in Mr. Blohm’s condo while parking her car outside — and by then, she still might not have heard a single word from him. This picture was almost unbearable to her.

Regina couldn’t stop wondering if she had somehow created her own worst enemy in her own bed — and, so to speak, inside her own building with only six condos.

The Longest Friday Night

And so, when Regina had finished her client meeting around 6 p.m. on that first Friday in November, she still hadn’t heard from Mr. Blohm. Regina kept staring at the last two text messages on her phone under “Mr. Blohm.” One from Regina to Mr. Blohm: “Hamburg is wonderful.” And the reply from Mr. Blohm: “Mrs. Martin, you are wonderful.”

Over and over again, Regina asked herself: What does Mr. Blohm actually mean by that? And even more importantly — what was she supposed to reply to something like that? “Yes, Mr. Blohm, you are absolutely right, I am wonderful”? Who would write something like that?

Or did he perhaps expect her to answer, “You are wonderful too, Mr. Blohm”?

She would never write that back. Even though she had to admit to herself that this night with Mr. Blohm truly had been wonderful.

Regina kept asking herself these questions while still sitting at her desk as the hours slowly passed by.

She simply didn’t want to go home anymore.

She also kept thinking about the words of her best friend Stephan. Should I simply call Mr. Blohm? But why wasn’t Mr. Blohm calling her? Regina wondered. Maybe an invitation to dinner after such a romantic night?

The Silence After the Perfect Night

There is a saying: Never have expectations, otherwise you can only end up disappointed. And how true that sentence suddenly felt to Regina.

But honestly — who wouldn’t have expectations after such an incredible night?

Regina began working on La Perla tasks that had been piling up, doing everything possible to avoid driving home and trying to silence the horrible thoughts spinning through her head. By now it was almost 9 p.m. And honestly, who stays that long in a showroom on a Friday evening if there isn’t an important collection to prepare?

But Regina kept trying to delay time itself, simply so she would not have to go home — almost as if she no longer had one anymore.

What a cruel feeling.

Her beloved studio — the place she had fought so hard for — had suddenly become her enemy.

For a brief moment, Regina even thought about sleeping in a hotel. But for how long could she financially keep that up? Eventually it would mean having to find a new apartment. And as Regina had already experienced herself, finding anything at all near the Alster was almost hopeless.

“How ridiculous… everything changed in just one single day,” Regina thought. “I might as well move out immediately and find a new apartment.”

And then another thought crossed her mind:

How would her landlord, Gerhard M., even react to such an abrupt move-out?

All these thoughts raced through her mind. She still couldn’t believe that she had risked her deeply loved studio for a one-night stand. Regina felt ashamed. Thirty-five years old, and still not one step wiser.

And even though she had only just managed to free herself from her old chains — whether it was her ex-boyfriend Paul or her beloved city of Munich — and had dared to start completely over, now this.

She had felt it from the very beginning: this Mr. Blohm did not fit her at all. Even if they shared the same taste in Prosecco, the same taste in music, and even the same address — that alone simply wasn’t enough.

She had known it from the beginning.

And still, she allowed herself to fall into this night.

Why?

Why?

Regina’s Long Drive Home

Regina closed the door behind her at the La Perla showroom and, from the corner of her eye, noticed the beautiful lingerie pieces gently moving in the airflow behind the glass. And suddenly another thought crossed her mind.

Of course — what a home run this must have been for Mr. Blohm. Just three floors below him, in the same building, with La Perla lingerie, his favorite Prosecco, and even the free parking spot of his attractive neighbor — including an Alster lake view compared to the street view from his own condo.

If that wasn’t heaven on earth for a man, then what was?

Regina became furious with herself.

She got into her black Mercedes, drove home, parked in her spot, and was strangely relieved to see that Mr. Blohm had not taken her parking spot this time with his silver Mercedes.

And of course, automatically, she glanced up toward Mr. Blohm’s apartment from the parking lot on the street side.

There was light.

And she could even see the flickering glow of the television.

In her imagination, she immediately pictured Mr. Blohm sitting there like a typical man — not with a beer can, but in this case with a bottle of Prosecco — probably watching a football match of Hamburger HSV.

What a horrible image.

Regina immediately pushed the thought away.

Almost paralyzed, she walked toward the side entrance — almost like an eighty-year-old woman. The butterflies she had still felt that same morning had now completely disappeared by the evening.

What remained was sadness, anger, and disappointment in her own naivety.

Dear readers, would you like to know whether Mr. Blohm can still turn this around?

Then stay tuned for Episode 40 — and maybe make sure to have Mr. Big by your side, because long nights require a Double Magnum. 

Cheers to that.