Meyer-Hofmann AG

21

Michael returned at 11:30 am totally composed. He kissed her on the cheek as he entered.

“You look wonderful, darling. I’ll just put on a jacket, and then we can go.”

She was wearing a Dior trouser suit she had got for a fraction of the normal price at TK-Max. The black suit was designed to be worn without a blouse, the plunging neckline showing off the wearer’s cleavage. But Lisa had decided that might be a bit too much for the mayor and the waiting media. The last thing she wanted was to attract too much attention, so she had put a cream tailored blouse underneath it. Admiring herself in the hall mirror, she decided it that it didn’t hurt to look good. Picking up the small blue clutch bag she had chosen, to add some colour to the outfit, she turned and smiled as Michael came back from the bedroom.

“My God, what a lucky guy I am.”

Linking his arm through hers, he gave her a peck on the cheek, and they headed downstairs to the waiting limousine.

Despite outward appearances, Michael was only just holding it together. He had no idea what had just happened to him; he had no recollection of the last two hours. Von Klitzing had taken him directly to the club, and then everything was blank. He had come round in the car returning to the apartment. Heinz was driving and seemed unperturbed when Michael asked him how he got there.

“You fell asleep, sir,” he had said nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, you will be fine.”

Back in the car, now with Lisa by his side, he was fighting to stay calm. He had no idea what awaited them and was praying he could hold it together

The Town Hall is in the centre of Munich. A grand building, built in Gothic Revival style, the 100-metre-long façade looks over the Marienplatz decorated with statues of the Bavarian Kings and their history. Michael and Lisa found themselves on the large balcony in the middle of the façade usually reserved for the likes of the Bayern Munich football team celebrating a German Championship or Cup win. Michael swallowed deeply and looked down on a crowd of thousands. Unbeknownst to him, the last hero of the underground had died trying to help four innocent children. In 2009, Dominik Brunner, a fifty-year-old businessman, had tried to do the right thing, and been kicked to death for his troubles. His death had deeply affected the city and its residents. Michael’s civil courage being reported on the early morning news had made him an instant local hero. The mayor turned to Michael and, shaking his hand, started a long speech to thank him. A loudspeaker system relayed his words to the crowd below. Michael listened and nodded at the right moments, so that even Lisa was given the impression he actually might understand some of what the mayor was saying. Then, when he finished, the mayor handed the microphone to Michael.

“Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour that you pay me today. An honour that I hardly deserve. Anyone put in my place would have done the same, and I am happy to have helped those young people. I have come here for work and been welcomed with open arms. For that, I am very grateful. Since my wife, Lisa, and I arrived in Munich, we have only met kind and charming people. There is always a small minority of people in every community whose selfish behaviour casts a bad light on the majority. Believe me when I say, I know that they do not represent your wonderful city. On the contrary, today, you are demonstrating the real face of Munich. Today, you have sent a message, to all who seek to disrupt and destroy… ”

Lisa watched as Michael spoke. He stood tall, his chin up, and she couldn’t have been prouder. She watched the crowd straining to see him, listening to his words. Turning back to him, she was startled when she realised something that made no sense to her at all.

Michael was speaking in fluent German.