December 2020

After the vacation in Turkey, things ran smoothly for Isabel and me. I dreaded fee onslaught of the cold weather but was otherwise happy with our routine. We were comfortable and got along well. She had a boyfriend that visited on weekends, but I didn’t have any desire to meet people. Though some may consider it an empty life, I was content to simply clean the buildings I cleaned and then take care of the house along with Isabel.

Emilie wasn’t the only one in Munich that Isabel knew. She had another friend there as well. At Christmas time she decided to go down and visit them as well as Emilie and once again I was invited to accompany her.

The friend she visited was someone she once worked with. Her name was Marta, and she was originally from Colombia. Her parents brought her to Germany when she was less than a year old. She was a little younger and also knew English. She wasn’t friendly or not so friendly in any way. She was simply polite. There really wasn’t anything that stood out about her in any way. She had a house on the outskirts of the city, and I slept on the living room couch while Isabel slept in the spare bedroom.

I knew we were visiting Emilie next, and I didn’t want to ask, but I found it rather hard to believe that she agreed to let me stay at her place as well and assumed we would have to get a hotel somewhere.

“Okay, let’s go surprise Emilie now,” Isabel said with a smile the next day as we threw our suitcases in her car and left Marta’s place.

“What?! Surprise her? You mean she doesn’t even know I’m coming let alone you?”

Isabel chuckled and said, “No, not quite. She may take some convincing, but I think I can win her over.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. Even if you could, I don’t want to have to win someone over. Why stay where I’m not wanted? I can stay in a hotel for the night.”

But Isabel was determined to force us both on Emilie. I slumped back in my seat, dreading what lay ahead.