Mrs Martin & Mr Blohm — Episode Seventeen: Many things that truly matter in life can’t be measured — and not everything that can be measured really counts

“Many things that truly matter in life can’t be measured — and not everything that can be measured really counts.”

Regina has just spent her first night in Marielyst, Denmark.
But she wakes up restless.

The day before, she had waited for hours for a text message from Mr. Blohm — after she had thanked him for the CD he gave her for the drive. And when the first song on that CD turned out to be “It Had to Be You” by Frank Sinatra, something inside her shifted.

Song after song — Luis Miguel, romantic ballads, surprises she didn’t expect — the CD made her curious about Mr. Blohm. More curious than she wanted to admit.

She had messaged him politely, almost formally, so he wouldn’t notice the effect he had on her.
He wasn’t even her type.
But still… he was different from any man she had met before.
And different is intriguing.

Now, waking up in the quiet guest room of Evelyn’s vacation house, she reaches for her phone.

This is 2005 — phones still showed a little envelope icon, not the sender’s name.
Regina’s heart jumps.

She is absolutely certain: This must be from Mr. Blohm.

She opens the message —

And feels her stomach drop.

It’s from Paul.
Regina's ex.

A deep, painful disappointment washes over her.
A year ago, she would have been thrilled to receive a message from Paul — because messages from him had always been rare, often arriving only when she was already heartbroken waiting for a sign that he missed her.

And now, of all times… now that they’re no longer together…
now he seems to have finally found the “SMS” function.

Regina opens the text:
“Regina, I miss you.”

Tears fill her eyes.
She’s not even sure why.
Is it the familiarity of Paul’s words?
Or the sting that Mr. Blohm hasn’t written her at all?

A Restless Morning in Denmark

Evelyn
“Good morning, Regina! How are you today? Did you sleep well?”

Regina
“Good morning, Evelyn. I’m… okay.
No, I actually slept terribly. Still no message from Mr. Blohm, not like you predicted.
Only a text from Paul — that he misses me.
Honestly, Evelyn, I think this Mr. Blohm is playing games, and I really don’t need that.
And… it’s strangely nice to hear that Paul misses me.”

Evelyn raises an eyebrow.

Evelyn
“In the past, you were thrilled whenever Paul texted you. And now? Not anymore.
How quickly things can change, right?
And do you want to know what I see, dear Regina?”
She smiles knowingly.
“You’ve fallen in love with Mr. Blohm.”

Regina bursts out laughing.

Regina
“Oh please, Evelyn! Absolutely not. I’m just curious, that’s all.
Nothing more!”

Evelyn laughs too.
“Right. And that’s why you’ve been waiting for his message since yesterday.
By the way — when are you picking up your furniture from Paul?”

Regina
“End of March. I already told him.
I just hope he respects my wish not to be there when I come.
I haven’t seen him in almost two months — barely spoken to him.
And yes, I understand why he misses me.
But I don’t miss him.
I only miss the routine we had.
And of course, being alone feels unfamiliar.

La Perla keeps me busy — it distracts me.
It’s so different from men’s fashion — lingerie customers come with… let’s say, interesting stories.
It keeps my mind occupied.
Except here, in Denmark… there’s nothing around us except 20 kilometers of beach.
And then the thoughts come. Thoughts my father warned about:
‘When you have too much time, you start thinking nonsense.’

Regina’s Future Checklist

“So yes, I keep wondering:
Why hasn’t Mr. Blohm written back?
What’s going on?
I hate this. First, he’s so interested — and then nothing!

I’m 35, Evelyn.
The next man in my life needs to know what he wants.
Move to Miami.
Get married.
Have one child.
Be independent — and ideally want to build his own company, maybe even together with me.
If he doesn’t want that, then it’s pointless.

And honestly?
Mr. Blohm is already done for me.
When I’m back in Hamburg, I’ll cancel the dinner — it would be a complete waste of time.”

Evelyn smiles softly.
“You’re neighbors, Regina. So trust me — you won’t lose sight of each other anytime soon.”

She begins to prepare breakfast — the smell of fresh coffee filling the house.

Breakfast Talk and Beach Walks

Regina sighs.
“Yes, we’re neighbors — and that’s exactly what bothers me.
You know how hard it was to find that beautiful studio right on the Alster.
Low rent, a garage space, and the best landlord ever.

Evelyn, imagine if something were to start between Mr. Blohm and me… and then it doesn’t work out.
There are only six apartments in the entire house!
It would be a nightmare to run into him all the time after a failed romance.

And I am certainly not giving up my studio because of Mr. Blohm — I won’t move out just to avoid him.
That studio is my dream, as you know. I worked far too hard to get it.
I’m not risking that for any man — no matter who he is.”

Evelyn
“You’re overthinking, Regina.
Nothing has happened.
Not yet.
Let’s first see if there even is something between you and Mr. Blohm.
And one day, you’ll call him by his first name — and he’ll call you by yours.
What is his first name anyway?”

Regina:
“His first name is Claus — with a C.
I’d rather stick with Mr. Blohm after he ignored my message.
That is a huge no-go for me. I don’t want to play games again.

I’m sure he made a hundred copies of that CD he gave me with It Had to Be You on it, and he probably gives it to every woman he meets.
He seems exactly like that type.
And now he’s probably already found another woman who is easier to catch.
He’s already forgotten about me.”

Evelyn rolls her eyes.
“Come have breakfast. Then we’ll go for a long walk on the beach — clear your head.
And after that, I’ll take you to the best ice cream place. Their pistachio ice cream is sensational. You’ll love it.”

Regina
“I have no appetite at all Evelyn.”

Evelyn and Regina spend two more days together in Denmark, filled with long walks on the beach, fresh air, and endless conversations about men — and of course, the movie Pretty Woman was a must-watch.

Mr. Blohm leaves Regina’s text message unanswered, and Regina leaves Paul’s “I miss you” message unanswered as well.

Drops of Truth

Regina returns from Denmark around 7 p.m. It is already dark when she pulls into her parking lot.
To her own surprise, she feels a little sad when she notices that Mr. Blohm’s Mercedes is not parked there.
This time, no new emergency.

She looks up toward the street-facing side of the house, where Mr. Blohm’s apartment windows are.
No lights.
It seems he isn’t home — and honestly, Regina tells herself, what does it matter?
Why should she care about this Mr. Blohm?
She will cancel the dinner invitation in two weeks anyway. A complete waste of time.

Regina walks to the side entrance of the house, the one that leads to her studio.
Only she has the key — the path curves a little and isn’t visible from the street.

Unexpected Surprise

And then she freezes.

She cannot believe what she sees standing there:
A huge bouquet of red Baccara roses.

Wow.
Regina is stunned.
Could these roses be from Mr. Blohm?

She notices the small envelope attached and can hardly wait to open it.
She is certain the roses cannot be from Paul — he would never spend so much money on flowers.
To him, flowers were a waste of money because they die quickly.
In all four years together, he had not given her a single bouquet.
Romantic or not — never.

Regina has to lean against the wall after she opens the envelope — she is so shocked.

The roses really are from Paul.

The card reads:

“Regina, please come back.
I still love you.
Paul.”

Tears rise in Regina’s eyes.
She feels bad — for herself, and for Paul.
Suddenly, doubt creeps back in.

Maybe no man will ever love her the way Paul did.
Maybe leaving him was a mistake.
Her wedding dress — still in the cake box she bought five years ago — and all her furniture is still at Paul’s apartment.
Maybe… maybe there is still a way back.

Regina unlocks the front door and walks down the little path toward the lake, carrying the enormous bouquet.
She opens her studio door and places the roses in the kitchen sink — she doesn’t even own a vase big enough for them.

She goes back to her car to get the rest of her luggage — and on the way, she runs into Gerhard, her landlord.
Wearing only a white shirt and black pants — no jacket — he must either be hot-blooded or simply immune to the cold, because it’s freezing outside.
With his always-messy hair, he looks as wild and adorable as ever.

Gerhard pushes his black glasses up his nose — it’s already quite dark — and calls out:

“Hello Regina! I haven’t seen you in so long!
So — when are you getting married?”

Regina is completely confused.

“Hello Gerhard, so nice to see you again.
What are you talking about?”

Gerhard smiles.

“Didn’t you see the red roses?”

Regina: “Yes, I did, Gerhard. They’re from Paul.”

Gerhard: “I know — because I got them for him.
Paul and I met in Munich and we had a long talk.
He understands that he made many mistakes, and that letting you move to Hamburg was the biggest one.Paul misses you, and he wants to marry you — that’s what he told me.
He loves you, Regina, and I could really see it.”

Regina thinks, Ah, that explains it. No wonder the bouquet is so big and so tasteful — Gerhard was the one who chose it. If it had been Paul alone, it would have been much smaller. And most likely, the whole idea with the flowers came from Gerhard, not from Paul. So typical of Paul to have Gerhard organize the bouquet for him — he always knows exactly how to use people in just the right way.

She feels relieved that Gerhard is telling her all of this and that the entire flower surprise was not Paul’s idea.
Once again, it confirms what she already knows deep down:
Paul is not the man for her future — and certainly not the man who will ever see her in the wedding dress still lying in the cakebox she bought five years ago.
Proposal or no proposal — it simply doesn’t fit.

Regina to Gerhard:
“Now everything makes sense. Of course, the roses are so beautiful — because you picked them. That is so typical Paul. He always knew exactly how to use other people for his purposes.”

Gerhard:
“Oh Regina, you’re still so hurt by Paul. I understand — wounds don’t heal overnight, and I’m sure there are still many feelings left. That’s why I wanted to give you two another chance. I’m convinced there is something between you — something that truly fits!”

Regina:
“Gerhard, no — nothing fits. And maybe you can’t understand it in the same way, because you’re gay.”

Gerhard bursts out laughing.

Gerhard:
“Oh Regina, you’re probably right. I will never understand women — and that’s perfectly fine, as long as I know how every woman’s hair looks best. That’s what matters to me. And what also matters is that you come to my Munich Salon Party on March 17th. That’s in about a week and a half.”

Regina thinks, Wow — that’s one day before the planned dinner at Mr. Blohm’s place.
Not that it matters. She will cancel it anyway.

So Regina agrees to Gerhard’s invitation without hesitation.

Regina:
“Wow, that is really incredibly kind of you, Gerhard. I’ll come — just for you.
But I don’t want to see Paul there.”

Gerhard laughs.
“We’ll see, Regina. This will be the party of the year — all of Munich’s Schickeria will be there when I open my new location, Le Cope… including Paul, of course!”

Regina laughs as well and says,
“Gerhard, is there a plan behind this? Are you trying to hook me up with Paul again?”

Gerhard tilts his head from side to side, pretending innocence.
“Of course not,” he says, giving her a cute wink.

The two say goodbye.

As Regina finally takes her luggage out of the car, she walks straight into her studio, turns on her laptop, and immediately books a flight to Munich for the afternoon of March 17th. She can’t wait to be back in Munich after such a long time — to see her friends and all the familiar faces she knows so well.

For March 18th at 6:30 a.m., she books the earliest flight back to Hamburg — she has appointments at the La Perla showroom.

Will Regina melt when she stands in front of Paul again, her long-time love?
Will Mr. Blohm perhaps write to her after all?
Or has he already forgotten the dinner invitation for homemade pasta — because he now has a new flame?

With all these unanswered questions swirling in her mind, only a glass of SYLTBAR can help.

So which one will it be — Mr or Mrs?

We will continue writing in Episode 18. ✨