West Berlin
He had not wanted to join them, but did, because he knew about the rumours. Was even flattered by them. Better to be talked about in that way than not be talked about at all. The rumours wouldn’t improve his standing in the long run though. Not in the male hierarchy of the army. He needed to be careful. Luckily, his job was safe. Working for the Naafi, he often felt on the fringe anyway, but mostly that served him well. Still, it was better not to become conspicuous, otherwise the good natured teasing might one day turn into something nastier. So when Pat asked him if he was coming along, he said yes and had been alternately afraid and excited by the idea.
Like so many other things, the actual event turned out to be rather different from what he had imagined, and pushed him even further in the other direction. After he and his mates had arrived, the others vanished one by one and he soon found himself alone among the remaining women. Bemused, they looked at him – the slowest of the slow – and he hastily chose the woman next to the door. She didn’t smile or gave any sign of being pleased by being chosen over her colleagues which disappointed him considerably. But he was relieved she didn’t pull a face like the girl fat Nick had picked. A reaction he deemed completely unprofessional on her part. The blonde he had picked just nodded and said: ‘Come with me.’ Following her up the stairs, he was pleased about his random choice. She had short but shapely legs and a pleasantly full figure.
Walking along the corridor on the fake wooden linoleum, he wondered why the others hadn’t chosen a classier place. There was hardly a shortage of brothels in the city. He would like to have seen the one done in Asian style with sliding doors, bamboo furniture, and so on. The one the officers were always raving about in the mess late in the evening. The blonde interrupted his musings and showed him into the room, which looked no better or worse than the average hotel room in the city. ‘Why don’t you start undressing while I go and get my things?’ she said. He hardly had the time to nod before she disappeared again.
The room was clean but rather cold. Michael walked over to the radiator which was switched off. Funny, he would have thought that, in a place like this, they heat the rooms well. He fiddled with the thermostat until he could feel some promising gurgling noises. Satisfied, he walked over to the bed and slowly began to undress. Unlike at home, he carefully draped each item over a wooden chair beside the bed and gave a little start each time he thought he could hear someone walking along the corridor. When he was fully naked, he slid under the bedcover. For some reason this felt more like a sleepover than some hot date. He sighed and put his head against the wall. Staring at the ceiling he noticed several cracks in the yellowing colour. He checked his watch. Despite the duvet he still felt cold and he was getting impatient. Where was she and what was taking her so long? He turned his head and looked around the room. There was a small old-fashioned sink in a corner. He felt parched. While he was wondering whether he should get out of bed again and try to find a glass somewhere, the woman reappeared.
She smiled as she closed the door. Walking over to his side of the bed, she noticed the neatly arranged clothes on the chair and laughed.
‘Oh, you Englishmen. Always so polite and doing exactly as you’re told.’
He felt the last flicker of desire leaving him. Her mouth which he had thought alluring moments ago, now looked too red and the lips to thin. How could he have failed to notice her beady eyes and heavy make-up? The soft curves he had been admiring now seemed like too much wobbly white flesh which he neither wanted to touch nor be touched by.
‘What’s up, young man?’ she said sensing his dissatisfaction. When she asked which service he had come for and rattled off a list with prices, he knew he wasn’t able to go through with this. He got out of bed and answered in a curiously high voice that he had changed his mind.
‘By coming up with me you struck a deal, so you have to pay,’ she said loudly.
Worried that someone might overhear, he pulled out his trousers from under the heap of clothing on the back of the chair, causing everything to drop onto the floor. Embarrassed he kneeled down, searched quickly through the pockets of his trousers and found his wallet. He paid for the cheapest service without arguing.
Taking the money, she smiled thinly and he added another note, ‘Don’t tell my mates.’
‘Why should I?’ She left without saying good-bye.
Michael dressed as quickly as he could. Walking down the corridor he could hear men groaning and quickened his step. To his relief there was only the madam in the reception area. She barely looked up as he hastened to the door. Just before he exited the house, he could hear some women laughing loudly somewhere at the back. His cheeks burning, he got into one of the taxis on the rank outside and told the driver to take him to a nightclub. He knew most of the customers there would be French soldiers stationed in the city. As he had hoped, he ran into no-one from his barracks. He managed to stay at the nightclub until it closed and got into trouble later, because he had not made it back into the barracks on time. He later told Pat and the others he’d been so late, because he had been busy getting the full girl-friend experience. Michael wasn’t sure whether they believed him, but the rumours stopped.
(2012)
Like so many other things, the actual event turned out to be rather different from what he had imagined, and pushed him even further in the other direction. After he and his mates had arrived, the others vanished one by one and he soon found himself alone among the remaining women. Bemused, they looked at him – the slowest of the slow – and he hastily chose the woman next to the door. She didn’t smile or gave any sign of being pleased by being chosen over her colleagues which disappointed him considerably. But he was relieved she didn’t pull a face like the girl fat Nick had picked. A reaction he deemed completely unprofessional on her part. The blonde he had picked just nodded and said: ‘Come with me.’ Following her up the stairs, he was pleased about his random choice. She had short but shapely legs and a pleasantly full figure.
Walking along the corridor on the fake wooden linoleum, he wondered why the others hadn’t chosen a classier place. There was hardly a shortage of brothels in the city. He would like to have seen the one done in Asian style with sliding doors, bamboo furniture, and so on. The one the officers were always raving about in the mess late in the evening. The blonde interrupted his musings and showed him into the room, which looked no better or worse than the average hotel room in the city. ‘Why don’t you start undressing while I go and get my things?’ she said. He hardly had the time to nod before she disappeared again.
The room was clean but rather cold. Michael walked over to the radiator which was switched off. Funny, he would have thought that, in a place like this, they heat the rooms well. He fiddled with the thermostat until he could feel some promising gurgling noises. Satisfied, he walked over to the bed and slowly began to undress. Unlike at home, he carefully draped each item over a wooden chair beside the bed and gave a little start each time he thought he could hear someone walking along the corridor. When he was fully naked, he slid under the bedcover. For some reason this felt more like a sleepover than some hot date. He sighed and put his head against the wall. Staring at the ceiling he noticed several cracks in the yellowing colour. He checked his watch. Despite the duvet he still felt cold and he was getting impatient. Where was she and what was taking her so long? He turned his head and looked around the room. There was a small old-fashioned sink in a corner. He felt parched. While he was wondering whether he should get out of bed again and try to find a glass somewhere, the woman reappeared.
She smiled as she closed the door. Walking over to his side of the bed, she noticed the neatly arranged clothes on the chair and laughed.
‘Oh, you Englishmen. Always so polite and doing exactly as you’re told.’
He felt the last flicker of desire leaving him. Her mouth which he had thought alluring moments ago, now looked too red and the lips to thin. How could he have failed to notice her beady eyes and heavy make-up? The soft curves he had been admiring now seemed like too much wobbly white flesh which he neither wanted to touch nor be touched by.
‘What’s up, young man?’ she said sensing his dissatisfaction. When she asked which service he had come for and rattled off a list with prices, he knew he wasn’t able to go through with this. He got out of bed and answered in a curiously high voice that he had changed his mind.
‘By coming up with me you struck a deal, so you have to pay,’ she said loudly.
Worried that someone might overhear, he pulled out his trousers from under the heap of clothing on the back of the chair, causing everything to drop onto the floor. Embarrassed he kneeled down, searched quickly through the pockets of his trousers and found his wallet. He paid for the cheapest service without arguing.
Taking the money, she smiled thinly and he added another note, ‘Don’t tell my mates.’
‘Why should I?’ She left without saying good-bye.
Michael dressed as quickly as he could. Walking down the corridor he could hear men groaning and quickened his step. To his relief there was only the madam in the reception area. She barely looked up as he hastened to the door. Just before he exited the house, he could hear some women laughing loudly somewhere at the back. His cheeks burning, he got into one of the taxis on the rank outside and told the driver to take him to a nightclub. He knew most of the customers there would be French soldiers stationed in the city. As he had hoped, he ran into no-one from his barracks. He managed to stay at the nightclub until it closed and got into trouble later, because he had not made it back into the barracks on time. He later told Pat and the others he’d been so late, because he had been busy getting the full girl-friend experience. Michael wasn’t sure whether they believed him, but the rumours stopped.
(2012)