Mrs. Martin & Mr. Blohm Episode 24: When you let go, both your hands are free

As Regina was already near Hildesheim—about five hours away from Munich, with just another hour and a half to Hamburg—she was crying nonstop. She had finally ended her relationship with Paul, and the move was now real—the movers would be at her door at 7 a.m. the next morning. She couldn’t calm herself down. She cried all the way from Munich to Hildesheim.

Five Hours of Tears

Her friends tried to be there for her—they wanted to talk—but she didn’t feel like picking up the phone or speaking at all. Tears streamed down her face the entire time. And then, suddenly, she saw Mr. Blohm’s phone number on the screen.

It was just before midnight. She wondered why Mr. Blohm was calling her so late. In that very moment, the tears stopped. She suddenly felt ready to talk to him.

She picked up the phone, and Mr. Blohm said,
“Hello, Mrs. Martin, how are you doing? Did everything go well in Munich?”

Mrs. Martin barely heard what Mr. Blohm was saying. She struggled to keep the tears from rising again and not to show how bad she was feeling. She would have loved to tell Mr. Blohm everything about her emotions and her situation, but she didn’t know him well enough—and she didn’t want to show any weakness.

The Midnight

So Regina swallowed her tears and replied coolly and briefly,
“Yes. And how are you, Mr. Blohm? What are you up to, and why are you calling so late?”

Mr. Blohm answered,
“I just wanted to check in on you, Mrs. Martin, because I really care about you. I’m at a party right now, but I stepped outside to make this call—it’s very loud inside. It’s still quite cold for the end of March. Where are you at the moment?”

Regina replied,
“I’m on my way to Hamburg. I’m about only an hour and a half away from Hamburg.”

Mr. Blohm said,
“Oh wow, that’s great to hear. It seems everything worked out very well for you, Mrs. Martin. I’m really glad. I have to get back to my friends now—they’re waiting for me. Drive carefully, Mrs. Martin, and I’m very much looking forward to our lunch in two weeks. Goodbye, Mrs. Martin.”

The Midnight 

And then Mr. Blohm hung up.

Regina stared at her phone in disbelief. There was no Mr. Blohm anymore. She was completely astonished. Normally, Mr. Blohm talked much more and was far more conversational—but this call had ended after barely a minute. She couldn’t make sense of it.

On the other end, Mr. Blohm had simply wished her a safe journey and hung up. That was so unlike him.

During that wonderful dinner Mr. Blohm had prepared for Regina a few weeks earlier—a four-course meal—he had offered his help with her move. Regina decided to test him. Not just to see what he said, but whether he would follow through with actions—because actions matter a lot to Mrs. Martin.

She asked him to put her name on the mailbox and the doorbell nameplate—something quite tricky in Germany, as it requires tools and printed labels. Mr. Blohm had confidently said he could easily do it.

So Mrs. Martin gave him that task. Words are nice—but actions must follow.

What you need to know is this:
When Mr. Blohm called Mrs. Martin that night, while she was still an hour and a half away from Hamburg, he hadn’t actually done it yet. Despite having had several weeks, the nameplates were still missing.

When he realized that Mrs. Martin was now so close, he suddenly felt pressured—and that’s why he ended the call rather quickly.

Mr. Blohm was at a party, and his friends wanted to go to a club afterward. But he declined. When they asked why—whether he was in love—Mr. Blohm countered and said:

“Love? For me, never so fast. Not after everything I’ve experienced. I just want to keep my promise and hopefully get to know my neighbor better.”

He couldn’t go to the club—because otherwise, he would miss the moment Mrs. Martin arrived in Hamburg, and there would still be no name on the doorbell or the mailbox.

So Mr. Blohm didn’t skip the club because he couldn’t go—he skipped it because he wanted to keep his word.

He had one and a half hours left.

He started thinking: Who can I call at midnight? Who owns a printer?

And then he thought of his best friend, Thilo. He called him immediately—already on his way to Thilo’s apartment, which was only fifteen minutes away.

Thank God Thilo picked up.

Half asleep, Thilo answered, startled:
“Claus, what’s going on?”

“Thilo, I need your help,” Claus said. “I urgently need nameplates printed—for a mailbox and a doorbell. Different formats. The name needs to say ‘Martin.’ Maybe even ‘R. Martin.’ I need options.”

Thilo paused and then said,
“Wait a second. You’ve lived in that apartment for a year. Why do you suddenly need nameplates? And who is ‘Martin’? Are you gay now or what?”

Claus laughed.
“I’m not gay! I told you about my neighbor—Mrs. Martin. Regina Martin. She works at La Perla—the lingerie brand. I really like her. I promised her I’d put her name on the mailbox and doorbell weeks ago. I forgot. Now she’s an hour and a half away from Hamburg. If it’s not done, I’ve broken my word—and I don’t want that. I’m already on my way to you. Please tell me you have a screwdriver—I don’t.”

Thilo yawned.
“Are you completely out of your mind? You must be in love if you’re going through all this trouble.”

“I’m not in love,” Claus replied. “I just gave my word. And she’s really attractive—and I want to get to know her better. You’re my best friend, Thilo. And you’re the only person I know who owns a printer.”
(It was 2005—printers were not yet standard.)

Thilo sighed.
“You could do it in the next few days.”

“No,” Claus said. “It has to be now. I’m at your door.”

Thilo opened it—there stood Mr. Blohm in a winter coat, fully dressed. Thilo, in his pajamas, worked miracles.

He printed ten different versions:
R. Martin
Regina Martin
Martin

Different sizes. Different formats. So something would fit

Mission accomplished

When Regina finally arrived in Hamburg, she was completely exhausted—but still alert enough to check one thing first.

She parked her car, walked up the stairs, and looked at the doorbell.

Her name was there.

On the mailbox too.

She couldn’t believe her luck.

Mr. Blohm had kept his word.

At the side entrance, she noticed something else:
A half-empty bottle of Ruinart Rosé—the one they had shared at dinner. Inside it stood a single white rose. Attached was a letter.

“Dear Mrs. Martin,
I warmly welcome you to—by far—the most beautiful city in the world: Hamburg.
May it bring you as much luck and love as possible.”

Regina laughed softly.
Because deep down, she knew—
The most beautiful city in the world is actually Miami.

The Dream

She took the bottle, the rose, and the letter inside. It was almost 2 a.m. The movers would arrive at 7 a.m. She was exhausted—but deeply happy.

Mr. Blohm had kept his promise.

She fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, right at 7 a.m., the doorbell rang.

Regina opened her eyes and thought she was still dreaming.

Was all of this really true?
Had it actually happened?

Had she really broken up with Paul?
Had Mr. Blohm truly kept his promise?
Was that letter really standing there next to the Ruinart bottle with the white rose?
And where was her wedding dress—still lying on the passenger seat?

She couldn’t quite grasp it.

It all still felt like a dream.

If you want to know how things continue between Mrs. Martin and Mr. Blohm, stay tuned for Episode 25.

As you can see, the two are still planets apart—
between Hamburg, the most beautiful city in the world…
or is it Miami?

We’ll find out.

And don’t forget to sip a little SYLTBAR in between—
always a good idea 🥂

Because this…
is only the very beginning of the story of Mrs. Martin & Mr. Blohm.