Reclaimed

"Good morning, Antje." Mrs.von Hardenberg replied in a calm but friendly voice. Then her gaze suddenly turned to me: "And this is Mr. Schroeder, I suppose?"

"Yes...that's me.... I want to wish you a good morning from me as well." I foolishly stuttered and tried to smile at her, though I was not at all at my ease regarding the manner in which I should acquit myself in her presence.

But Mrs.von Hardenberg didn't seem to care much for my greeting efforts as she just looked back towards Mrs. Hansen."Well, well! Let's start then, shall we?" she proposed and directly strolled into the town-hall without even waiting for an answer.

Mrs. von Hardenberg had already entered the conference-room, when my secretary was suddenly stopped by Mrs. Hansen's open hand."Oh!" Mrs. Hansen said. "Do you want to observe the negotiations?"

"Ye...es....I... I would like to write record a protocol of the meeting. ...if Mrs.von Hardenberg lets me participate.' returned Mrs. Hartung, discomfited.

"But you see - she don't!" countered the young lawyer in such a finally and irrevocable way, that my secretary didn't dare to protest. Instead she eyed me severely - as if it was me who was to blame for this exclusion!

And indeed I felt a little uneasy that my judgment was apparently not needed for deciding whether my secretary would join us or not. And wouldn't it look a little odd that the representation of Kleinhausen (=just me) was now so obviously outnumbered by the opposite fraction (=Mrs.von Hardenberg and her lawyer)?

But before I could fully reconsider the possibility of any disadvantageous side-effects, Mrs.von Hardenberg's clear voice already demanded "Can we start?"

"Sure!" I diplomatically replied, though in a condition of ruffled dignity. Mrs.von Hardenberg had already taken off her sunglasses and so I was now looking into two confidently shining brown eyes. She was really a glamorous woman. Probably the most glamorous opponent I have ever had to deal with in my professional life. But still she was nothing but a job-related opponent to me, I recalled myself. Therefore I cleared my throat and began:

"As you might have noticed already, the paragraph 3a of the 'German Open Asset Questions Regulation Act' forces you to waive your right of restitution for the benefit of any current investor who generates jobs. Now I have to tell you, that the town of Kleinhausen has already made such investments in 1991! But I want to be fair to you. Therefore I concede the payment of a handsome compensation-payment for you if you guarantee to stop bothering our town with any more claims of restitution! It's a perfectly legal deal. I have also drawn up a suitable contract myself already - you just have to sign it."

"Certainly not, Mr. Schroeder!"

"Pardon me?"Mrs.von Hardenberg let out a loud sigh, as if she was just considering whether she really should waste her time arguing with me. Dumbly waiting for her explanation, I began to feel like an idiot.

Finally she stated: "I know that the whole recreation-area hasn't seen any investments except for standard-maintenance since 1981. In fact the number of employees of the hotel-resort has even dropped from 21 to 20 last year. Regarding this figures I don't see any capital spending that need to be protected from my take-over. And in such a case every German court will state that my ownership-rights must be satisfied in order to defend the principles of a free market economy, wouldn't you agree?"

I swear, I was so thrown off by the situation that not a single word would come over my lips. How did she know?

"Oh, and I quite forgot to mention!" she continued. "I want to take over my property without any legal obligations."

"What do you mean? There are still twenty employees working for the hotel!"

"Definitely not for the hotel that I own now!"

"But... I think that you maybe could..."

"I don't care what you think!" I was rudely interrupted.

"You will have to fire all of the hotel's employees until next Monday. After that I might hire a few of them if they apply nicely for my services and if they accept my demanding conditions. For the useless rest of them I don't care." she explained in outright contempt.

"I must protest!" I shouted out, my face flushed.

Mrs.von Hardenberg's own face remained a mask of icy, innocent calm. Only the face of Mrs. Hansen changed into a predatory smile. I thought, that she might have a fair reason for seeing a defeated victim in me, if she would see me frightened. But I was not willing to let her have such a fair reason. So I tried to regain my composure.

"You also might consider to quit you job as a major as a suitable alternative of firing innocent people by yourself. It won't change their fate, but it might make you feel a little better." Mrs. Hansen started teasing me in malicious joy.

"I'm sorry, but I won't do you this favor." I desperately defended myself with a tremulous voice.

"Why not?" Mrs. Hansen dug deeper down into my hurt pride.

"Because I don't want to."

"You will do!" said Mrs. Hansen. "I can feel that you secretly want to quit your job right now. And soon you will curse yourself that you haven't already quit it at the day when Mrs.von Hardenberg had initially reclaimed her property."

I could say nothing to her. In fact I fully steeled myself, resigned to not embarrass myself by crying out loud. But while I kept silently thinking about the options of my vulnerable position, I made the mistake to gaze at Mrs.von Hardenberg's Prada-boots. Intimidated by their awe-inspiring aura of supremacy I realized that I could expect no mercy. But what could I still hope for, if not for a merciful compromise for the benefit of the hotel's employees? I felt that I wouldn't be capable of saving my poker-face for much longer. Therefore I swiftly picked up my coat and hat and strode out into the hallway. From behind I heard the triumphal laughter of Mrs.von Hardenberg and her conscienceless lawyer.

[testimony No. IV of Judith Hartung]

So it was done! When Mr. Schroeder arrived into his office at this morning his face still seemed to contain a paleness from his yesterday's negotiations with Mrs.von Hardenberg. It was such a pity that Mrs. Hansen had excluded me from participating. Still I instantly knew that my boss had been forced to surrender Mrs.von Hardenberg all the estates that she have claimed.

And an elite woman like her would surely bring radical changes for Kleinhausen. Now some citizen might loose their job while others might have to pay a considerably raised rent to their new landlady.

I recalled myself that I could have prevented this result easily if I would have warned my boss about the crucial information that Mrs. Hansen had stolen from our office.

But I didn't! And the strange thing was that I didn't felt bad about my betrayal, although I had brought so much harm over my comrades. In fact the idea of belonging the 'evil side' for the first time of my life even aroused me. It felt like I would have been secret part of a complot that inevitably seized power over the town's fate.

But then I had to admit myself that I had been nothing more than an unintended confidant of Mrs. Hansen's data-thievery. Excited by the inner vision of this young and ruthless lawyer I opened the drawer of my desk and took out the black gloves that she had forgotten at her last visit. This time I couldn't resist anymore, but had to slip my hands into their soft leather. Instantly a unbelievable rush of dark power run through my veins.

Yeah -- this was the way that unlimited superiority must feel like!

[testimony No. V of Alexander Geis]

Most readers of this text have probably never heard of me before as I'm not one of these loud macho-kind of guys. My name is Alexander Geis and at the moment I'm in a harmonic relationship with my girlfriend Judith. I'm really grateful to have her, as the rest of my life isn't running very well lately. After the re-union I immediately had lost my job as the official party-secretary of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Kleinhausen's recreation-resort. And as there is no need for party-secretaries any longer, it's getting hard finding a new job. Therefore I can only afford myself to live in the degenerated main building of the hotel's old horse-farm. This is totally okay for me as I am not someone who has any material expectations. Instead I spend most of my affluent spare-time by drawing pictures or trying to shoot artful photos.

Yesterday I consumed the last sheet of my sketch block and so I went for the corner shop to buy a new one. I was just re-entering my house when shadow of a person hit my peripheral vision. I silently stepped forward and carefully peeked through the open door of my living room, just to see a young woman sneaking through my flat.

I remained standing silently where I was, as I just too flabbergasted to do much else. This way I observed how she paced up my wall shelves as if she was searching for anything in it that might trigger her interest.

For a short second I could catch a glimpse of her face through the mirror of my wardrobe.

Her pouty lips, as well as her shoulder-length, straight and shiny black hair gave her a very elitist aura. She didn't looked much older then twenty years -- maybe even a little younger.

And she definitely looked petite, very petite. In fact she was probably the prettiest woman that had ever been inside my little flat.

Please don't me wrong, I still think that my girlfriend Judith in pretty as well and I really love her, but this beautiful stranger over there in my living-room belonged to a total different league of pretty people. Such a lady could hardly be a common burglar. But what the hell could she want in my flat then?While all these puzzling toughs rushed through my mind, my big cardboard box had caught the attention of the stranger.

Without any inhibition she dragged the box out of the shelf and browsed trough its content. I remembered that this box was hosting some of my older drawings and photos.

From my perspective the view was outstanding as she bent entirely at the waist, giving me an amazing view of her tight skirt encasing her shapely ass. Pleasurably I savoured the feast for my eyes that was provided by sight of her soft leather boots perfectly fitting around her calves. Between her boots and her skirt gleamed a narrow strip of black silk stockings. A woman dressed as elegant and sexy as her could only come from West-Germany, I concluded to myself. The though of her being West-German let this woman appear even more superior and fascinating to me.

But my outstanding view on her was not supposed to last very long as all these visual charms made me become jumpy. Accidentally I touched into the decorative bowl on the shoe cabinet which was filled with my different kind of key-sets. Instantly my beautiful guest turned around and looked over her shoulder to catch me staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" she took me to task.

"Me? I... I am living here!"

"Oh! So you must be this Alexander-guy, mustn't you?"

"Well, that's me I guess. And who are you?"

"My friends call me Ann-Lena."

"It's nice to meet you, Ann-Lena. Where did..."

"...but for someone like you I will be Miss von Hardenberg!" she interrupted me in a harsh tone.

I was irritated. How could this woman who was probably ten years younger then me, just call me 'this Alexander-guy', while she expected me to refer to herself as Miss?

My obvious irritation only seemed to amuse her, as the ends of her lips started to rise into a light grin. I caught me thinking that her red lipstick might have looked tartly on someone else's lips, but in contrast with her large dark eyes and perfectly sculpted eyebrows it struck a fascinating balance. A second later I remembered myself that I should be ashamed for letting her eyes bewitch me that easily. After all I still had a girlfriend.

"Had no-one taught you yet that it is impolite to secretly peep at women?"

"I'm sorry... but I though... I mean after all it is MY room!"

"You wish! But I have to correct you here: As you are just a lodger, this can hardly be YOUR room, can it??? But in fact it is MY room!"

"Your room!?"

"All the estates and buildings of Kleinhausen's recreation-area once belonged to my family before we got dispossessed by the Communists. Fortunately times have changed again and we finally got back our property."

"This estate belong to your family!?! But... what... what are you going to do with it?"

"As I'm quite skilled in training horses and humans, I have decided to convert this stables into a equestrian school for young women with promising riding skills and solvent parents."

"So you going to move in here? Like becoming my flat-mate!" I cheered in hardly hidden joy. After all I had always felt a little lonely living in this house and a beautiful mate like her would definitely enrich the living atmosphere.

But her eye-browns only raised in dismissive lordliness.

"I would rather refer to myself as your 'landlady' to describe my current relationship to you."

Maybe my new cohabitant might not become as pleasant as I have dreamed at first?

"So tell me: since when do you live here?"

"Oh -- I moved in here already nine years ago!"

"Really? So since you must be quite in 'expert' of this estate, would you mind to show me around a little?"

"Sure!" I blurted out without thinking twice, as I hardly could turn my new 'landlady' down.

As soon as we came out of the living building, Miss von Hardenberg stretched herself happily and took a deep lungful of the clean air. At the next moment she cast a cheerful glance at me and stated joyfully:

"So Alexander, show me my new property!"

I started our little sightseeing-tour by leading her across the court-yard. It was paved and clean, but grass was growing in every crevice. Then we reached the stable building itself, which was of old brick and had a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up and those that remained were rustily barred. I felt excited when I followed my new landlady through the wooden gate of the stable, that stood wide open.

Inside the building everything was empty and disused. The cold wind seemed to blow colder in there than outside and it made a shrill noise in howling in and out at the open sides of the stable.

But my eyes kept watching Miss von Hardenberg flipping her black hair back over her shoulder. Her big brown eyes sparkled with disgust as she looked around the building.

"When did this stable had hosted horses for the last time?"

"I don't know. This building remained empty since I have moved to Kleinhausen."

"And nobody tried to renovate it?"

"As this stable as belonged to the anonymous crown of all people, no-one had a personal interest in renovating it. It was planned to let this building stand as idle as it is, until it falls."

"One of the old pictures that I have found in your cardboard box showed a great indoor riding hall beside the stables. What happened to it?"

"Oh -- you're very attentive. I had to pull it down in 1985 to prevent it from uncontrolled collapsing."

"What a pity! I think I don't require your help any longer You should go now, Alexander!"

[testimony No. VI of Judith Hartung]

I know that I haven't yet mentioned the fact that I have a boy-friend names Alexander. Don't ask me why, but I guess the reason has something to do with the fact that I'm not very proud of him. He used to be a little nerdy and sometimes he annoys me with his lacking self-esteem. All the time he is just following the things that I have proposed before.

Actually I only haven't dumped him yet, because there is just no better alternative lover to find within the small world of Kleinhausen. Furthermore Alexander probably wouldn't take a breakup very well after he had already lost his parents in 1989 and his job in 1991.

Just two hours ago Alexander came visiting me in my small apartment. At first I was a little pissed as

But then a show me a quite formal looking envelope that he pretended to have found in his mailbox this morning. Without much interest I grabbed the envelop and slid out the letter.

For one minute I just stared at the letter in disbelief! It contained a severely written indemnity claim from the Mrs. Hansen's law-firm. In fact she claimed the unbelievable amount of 120.000 Mark for the deliberate destruction of Mrs.von Hardenberg's indoor riding hall in the year 1985. Alexander told me that he had no choice but pulling down the hall if he wanted to prevent it from collapsing uncontrolled. But Mrs. Hansen surely wouldn't have much sympathy for such explanations. A lawyer of her class would hardly have any sympathy for her defendants at all.

I got a little confused by my emotions. On the one side I really pitied Alexander for the miserable situation he had fallen into. But on the other side I felt a forbidden happiness that I would be going to witness his struggles against Mrs. Hansen so directly.

In fact I could even feel a base, debauched excitement stirring within my loins as I imagined my poor boyfriend inside the spider-web of this ruthless yet statuesque woman.

I vividly remembered the cool demeanor Mrs. Hansen had treated me with when she had ordered a chilled Coke from me.

"So what do you think I should do?" the worried voice of Alexander suddenly interrupted my daydreams.

"Oh -- I don't know! It looks like you are in a real pickle. But I guess that a formal objection will have no chance here, as your legal situation according to civil law rather seems hopeless. Instead I would try to delay the proceedings. The German tenancy law clearly flavors the tenants, so Mrs.von Hardenberg can't just throw you out of your flat. So there is hardly anything she can threaten you with when you are officially insolvent."

"Hmmm... That sounds logical to me!"

I kissed him softly upon the forehead, brushing aside one or two strands of his silvery-blond hair, and then took up my coat.

"You have to leave now, as I want to meet with some of my friends."

He was nearly out of the door, when I stopped him once more.

"Oh, wait a second!"

"What?"

"Can you give me your wallet, please?"

"Sure! What are you needing it for?"

I decided to ignore his question until he had grabbed his wallet from his back-pocket of his trousers and handed it out into my waiting hand.

With bitchily joy I slowly took out three 10-Mark-notes and stuffed them into my little handbag

"You know, your money is only protected from Mrs.von Hardenberg's greedy claims if you don't have any. Therefore I better take care of your notes now, wouldn't you agree?" I purred while my face was beaming.

"Aemm... I think that makes sense..." he stuttered in irritated disbelieve. This was one of these moments when I remembered how much fun it could mean for m that I still haven't dumped my poor boy-friend.

[testimony No. VII of Alexander Geis]

When I came into my flat this afternoon I found the corridor totally emptied out. And my living- and sleeping-room as well! And even my personal stuff on the sink-board of the bathroom!

With rising panic I began to wonder what the hell had been going on here. Then I heard the click and clacking of well-heeled shoes from the floor above. Should my new landlady be responsible for this disaster? How could she even dare to touch my stuff?

Furiously I stepped upstairs, looking for the source of the shoe-clacking. It came from the spare room on the other side of the upper corridor. As I marched inside I stood directly across a brand new desk. Ann-Lena was sitting behind it, peacefully browsing through a equestrian magazine. The once so empty spare-room had been fully re-furnished into a modern office. When had she done that?