January 2020
Martin was a young man with a talent for languages. He lived in a large city in a small country, worked as a reporter for the local newspaper, and was sharing an apartment with his girlfriend, Anita. Because of his language proficiency, Martin frequently traveled to Germany to cover events in German politics that were relevant to his country. Anita was teaching German at a high school, and their lives followed a predictable pattern: they worked during the week and, on weekends and holidays, they fixed and improved Anita’s parents’ cabin. It looked as though there would never be any surprises in their lives but, as they say, “never say never”.
Martin was in Germany on one of his usual assignments when, suddenly, the TV and radio were full of news about his country. Apparently, it had been invaded by a foreign power. Martin immediately contacted Anita and asked what was happening, but she only cried and appealed to him to return as soon as possible. Now Martin faced the most difficult decision of his life. He loved Anita and longed to hold her in his arms, but he also knew what had happened to reporters like him during the previous invasion 40 years ago, and there was no reason to think this time would be different. He was certain he would lose his job and, most likely, would end up in prison. His German colleagues were helpful: they offered him a position as a reporter and hoped that he could bring Anita to Germany. Martin was grateful to them but knew there was no chance he could bring Anita. The frontier was closed and heavily guarded, and nobody could emigrate. It was evident to him that to return home would mean pointlessly sacrificing his life. He wrote long, sad and sorrowful farewell letters to Anita and to his parents, resigning himself to the fact that he would never see them again. He was terribly depressed and felt guilty for deserting the people he loved most but, deep down, he knew he had made the correct decision.
Martin realized that the only way to cure his depression was to immerse himself fully in his work. He tried to get as many assignments as he could, and his main interest was in writing articles about the political situation in his country. There were still a few dissidents in hiding who were able to smuggle the news to the press abroad. As expected, everybody who was involved in the events leading up to the invasion was punished. The journalists lost their jobs, the writers could not publish, and some, who refused to be humiliated by the new government, were imprisoned. For Martin, those disclosures confirmed that his decision to stay in Germany was correct. Nonetheless, with time, the situation in his country stopped making the headlines, and Martin covered other assignments and incorporated himself more and more into the German community. Time was passing, and Martin felt the need for a female’s company, to love somebody and be loved in return. On his assignments, he was frequently accompanied by Emilia, the newspaper photographer, who provided pictures for Martin’s articles. She, too, was single and lonely, and there was no reason for them to be lonely separately. They became friends, then lovers, and then husband and wife. Later, they had children, and it looked as though life did not have any surprises for them.
Meanwhile, Anita also carried on with her life. She continued teaching German at a high school and, similar to Martin, got married, had children and expected no surprises. The political oppression did not affect her too much. German language is the same in all political systems, and her husband, Paul, a project manager at a large construction site, was never involved in politics. Anita and Martin exchanged letters, indicating that they had reconciled with their new lives. Their past time together appeared as no more than a beautiful dream that would never return.
However, life is full of surprises. The foreign power that occupied his country was not that powerful anymore, the Berlin wall fell, new governments were established, and the frontier opened. Martin and the rest of the world followed those events with astonished disbelief; everyone was caught off guard. Suddenly, his pessimistic thoughts about never seeing his country again were wrong. With the frontier open, he could return for a visit without the threat of danger.
“You should go!” Emilia encouraged him.
“Will you come too?”
“No, it is your trip. You want to see your parents and, I am sure, also your former girlfriend. Besides, I would not be able to communicate with your parents, and you would have to do all the translating. I will join you on some other visit.”
Martin was feeling a strange mixture of fear and excitement. After all, it had been 20 years since he had left. Would it be the same as he imagined? How had those 20 years changed his parents and Anita? He feared a big disappointment: the situation could differ greatly from what he was hoping to see. Nevertheless, he was ready to go. He called his parents, advising them about the visit, and asked Anita to tell him when he could see her. Martin was a bit nervous about meeting her husband, but Anita selected the one day when Paul would not be at home, just to be on the safe side. When there were no more excuses for Martin to postpone the visit, he took a two-week holiday from work and drove the short 300 kilometres to his parents’ house. As soon as he arrived, he knew that his fears were pointless. His parents were 20 years older, that was true, but they were still his good old mom and dad. There was no hint of reproach over his emigration; his parents were truly happy to see him content and successful. Martin spent a few joyful days with them, and then came the time to see Anita. He still remembered the way to their old apartment, and then he was standing there, his heart pounding. He rang the bell, Anita opened the door, they looked at each other, and then they could not help it: they fell into each other’s arms, kissing each other passionately.
“I still love you,” whispered Martin into Anita’s ear.
“I know, I love you too.”
But it was not only their mutual love, that brought such emotions to the surface. It was also the feeling of reliving their youth, the time when the future looked so bright and promising. Martin was looking at their old place; little had changed in those 20 years.
“I feel I am back home,” murmured Martin.
“No, you are not. Your home is in Germany, but we can pretend. We will have a few days together.”
They spent the rest of the day visiting their favourite places. In the evening, they had dinner at the old restaurant and, late at night, Martin accompanied Anita to her apartment.
“I will call you,” she promised.
The next day, Anita told Paul she had to go to her parents’ cabin to fix some problems, and that she would stay there for few days, and then she called Martin.
“Do you still remember my parents’ cabin?”
“I certainly do. I can never forget the time we spent there together.”
“OK, I am just leaving. I will stay there for few days and will expect to see you there.”
Martin could not wait to go. He told his parents he had to return to Germany and left right away. The short trip to the cabin passed like a dream, and then Anita was there, waiting for him. What followed were three beautiful days – days of returning to their youth and their love. Then, towards the end, reality started to interfere, and they knew that it was time to part. They also knew that this dream would be impossible to repeat, and this was their last time together.
On his way back, Martin was overwhelmed by his contradictory emotions. He did not want to wake up from his dream with Anita, but he was very glad he was returning to his wife and children and not to the loneliness and depression of his first days in Germany. When he arrived home, he realized that he now loved his wife more than ever. She represented peace and tranquility and the durable, reliable love, which can last a lifetime.
“So, how did it go?” she asked.
“Good, better than I expected.”
“Did you see your girlfriend?”
“Yes, I did.”
They left it at that. Neither Martin nor Emilia wanted to go into the details.Life returned to normal, and there were no big changes, except that Martin started to visit his parents on a regular basis. During his next trip, he introduced Emilia and the children to them and was happy to see that his parents still remembered enough German to be able to communicate with them. In time, those visits became a pleasant interruption of their everyday routine, but Martin never saw Anita again. He knew those three magical days could never be repeated.