At The Toss Of A Coin
Vier
Living in my own apartment although my parents lived about 15 minutes off campus was both a blessing and a curse. I’d wanted independence from my sometimes very overbearing parents and decided right away I would be living in the dorms or share an apartment with some roommate. The first year I really did live in the dorms, sharing a room with two other girls, then my parents agreed to shell out the money to allow me to have an actual apartment, also within the dorms. That was much more relaxed and I still got most of the perks of semi-living at home like my Mom doing most of my laundry, my Dad fixing things on my car and around the apartment, getting home cooked meals whenever I wished, etc. etc. etc..
Seven years of speaking German had left me with quite some struggle to learn English in the beginning, but naturally children learn better and faster than adults, so I spoke the best English out of my entire family, which really was no surprise. Still, we tried to speak as much German at home as we could manage, though I had to say since I started college and had to crunch out papers in business English and read loads of “real” university-level books, I’d started to struggle with my first native tongue a little.
It’d been a pleasant surprise to find some German language books in the library, probably because you could learn German at UND as I seemed to recall. They weren’t really books you would enjoy reading in your downtime, but I’d gone through my Mom’s collection of disgusting romance novels too many times before. I would have gotten myself some German language books of my liking, if it were easy to get them. If you could find them at all, it was very expensive to ‘import’ them and having relatives in Germany buy and ship them wasn’t cheaper either.
Most of my mail I still had sent to my parents’ place, mainly because I knew my Mom would collect them for me in a shoebox and I would get everything, instead of missing half the important stuff like here at the dorm. So it was kind of a surprise when I not only got the notification I had mail to pick up, but, after I had braved the vicious North Dakota winter with all the snow and ice to get to the mail office, that mail didn’t turn out to be a letter, but a downright package in brown paper and with a telltale yellow envelope on top.
”This is ridiculous,” I muttered, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. “How did we let them talk us into driving six fucking hours just to see two stupid games?!”
“They’re not stupid,” Rose argued with a laugh.
“They’re conference games, Kate, so they’re actually important,” Jon felt the need to point out and I didn’t like his snappy tone, although I figured he had every right to. He’d gotten injured the previous game and coach didn’t want to take the risk, so he was definitely not playing this weekend against Minnesota state, but he’d still wanted to come along with the boys. So they had talked Rose and me into being the chauffeurs for their wounded warrior, since the team would not (was not allowed to) take him with them in the bus.
“Sorry,” I muttered, not sorry at all, and just continued driving. We’d skipped our 2 o’clock class just to get there in time for the 7 something pm game.
“What are you dressing up as for Halloween, Jonny?” Rose asked, trying to ease the tension. Pissed off driver and moody hockey player were a wonderful mix for a fantastic 6 hour drive!
“As what are you guys going?” he asked back.
“I’ll probably steal my Mom’s Dirndl and go as a Bavarian girl,” I told him. “I was going to wear it last year, but Mom wouldn’t let me have it.”
“Poor baby,” Rose cooed, pinching my cheek.
“Don’t mess with the driver, woman, I can find a way to get rid of passenger seat people without hurting myself,” I threatened her but she just laughed.
“Seriously, Kate, stop PMSing, you’re worse than TJ when he doesn’t score,” she rolled her eyes.
That comment had reached my limit, so I took the next chance to pull over to the side and stop the car. “Get out,” I told her.
“What?! We’re in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota!” she protested and Jon’s usually so emotionless face suddenly looked surprised and shocked as well.
“You can’t throw her out here, Kate! Are you crazy?”
“This is my car and I am driving, so I’m making the rules and I told you before not to annoy me. Should have listened, aye, Rose?”
“I’m sorry, okay, I didn’t know you would be so sensitive,” she huffed. “I can get a ride back with someone else, but don’t throw me out before we got there.”
I glared at her for a few moments, then let out my own huff and pulled back into traffic, exchanging not another word with either of my two passengers. My bad mood wasn’t their fault, sure, and I actually didn’t even know why I was having a bad day, because contrary to popular belief I was neither PMSing nor was it that time of the month. I had just gotten up on the wrong foot and the two of them weren’t making it any better.
The game was a success though. Millsy scored a hat trick and got an assist in the boys’ in a 5 to 4 beauty. Everyone was in a great mood, except me, but I just couldn’t help it. I did cheer for the boys as hard as anyone else but the moment I stepped outside the arena, bad mood was back. Wonderful.
Rose rightfully avoided me after the game and didn’t stay in the cheap hotel room we’d managed to score, just like I’d known before we even went on the trip. TJ would be lucky if coach didn’t catch on eventually, they were getting mighty suspicious right about now. Everyone knew that Rose was his, other boys rarely dared to even look at her anymore and I think she liked that. That didn’t stop TJ from shacking it up with other girls and I was also pretty sure the hickey she had had the previous weekend did not come from the Sioux forward.
Jon would find a place to sleep somewhere with the team as well, so I took my time getting out of the arena and I actually took a little walk in the area to catch some fresh air and peace and quiet before I settled in for a night on an uncomfortable bed with crappy TV. I was so not looking forward to a second night in that room, although I hoped I wouldn’t have to, because if the boys got another W the 2nd game, there would be partying, no sleeping. That was if my mood was better tomorrow...
Returning to my car the parking lot seemed pretty empty and the boys’ bus had left already as well. Better that way, I had already pissed off enough people with my bad mood. As I walked to my car, I could see there was something on my windshield. If that was another prank, I was going to on a killing spree tonight.
But it wasn’t. Just as I reached the driver’s door, I could see a piece of familiar yellow-ness and my heart actually did a leap. Looking over my shoulders to see if there was anyone around, I picked up the familiar envelope with my name on it (full name) and what was attached to it with some string. Almond chocolate and a bag of sour worms?
Chocolate because it’s sweet (like you)
and Sour Worms because sour makes funny?
Feel better, Kate
:)
Sour makes funny was the literal translation of a German saying (sauer macht lustig), which basically means that eating/having something sour will improve your mood (probably because of the funny faces you make when you eat the sour stuff).
I looked around again, but like before there was no one in sight. It was just as sweet as any other gesture I’d received from my secret admirer, but this one made me wonder. How in God’s name would he get to Minnesota to leave me an envelope about the bad mood I’d been having... all... day...
Hold on. Did that mean he was... a Fighting Sioux?
The package was quite heavy and I had no idea what was in it as I carried it back to my apartment. I was itching to just rip it open right then and there, but I found a little bit of patience in me and the desire to do this in private. Nonetheless my steps were faster than usually, putting me in the situation of having to fight for my balance a few times when I hit ice hidden under snow.
Finally I had reached my apartment, shoved off my coat, gloves, knit hat and scarf, as well as my boots and opened the envelope still standing.
Frohe Weihnachten, Annegret
“Frohe Weihnachten?” (Merry Christmas) I whispered to myself, running my fingertip over the carefully written words. Now the secret guy also spoke German?!
Setting the card to the side carefully, I opened the brown paper and stared in awe at the two hardcover books I revealed.
Tintenherz
And
Tintenblut
Two German books that I had read in English and would have loved to read in German, but couldn’t get a hold of anywhere.
I was almost scared to touch them, they seemed so magical to me, but then I did find the courage to open Tintenherz, the first book, and a couple of tears filled my eyes when I started to read the first sentences in the language that was so familiar to me.
Seven years of speaking German had left me with quite some struggle to learn English in the beginning, but naturally children learn better and faster than adults, so I spoke the best English out of my entire family, which really was no surprise. Still, we tried to speak as much German at home as we could manage, though I had to say since I started college and had to crunch out papers in business English and read loads of “real” university-level books, I’d started to struggle with my first native tongue a little.
It’d been a pleasant surprise to find some German language books in the library, probably because you could learn German at UND as I seemed to recall. They weren’t really books you would enjoy reading in your downtime, but I’d gone through my Mom’s collection of disgusting romance novels too many times before. I would have gotten myself some German language books of my liking, if it were easy to get them. If you could find them at all, it was very expensive to ‘import’ them and having relatives in Germany buy and ship them wasn’t cheaper either.
Most of my mail I still had sent to my parents’ place, mainly because I knew my Mom would collect them for me in a shoebox and I would get everything, instead of missing half the important stuff like here at the dorm. So it was kind of a surprise when I not only got the notification I had mail to pick up, but, after I had braved the vicious North Dakota winter with all the snow and ice to get to the mail office, that mail didn’t turn out to be a letter, but a downright package in brown paper and with a telltale yellow envelope on top.
”This is ridiculous,” I muttered, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. “How did we let them talk us into driving six fucking hours just to see two stupid games?!”
“They’re not stupid,” Rose argued with a laugh.
“They’re conference games, Kate, so they’re actually important,” Jon felt the need to point out and I didn’t like his snappy tone, although I figured he had every right to. He’d gotten injured the previous game and coach didn’t want to take the risk, so he was definitely not playing this weekend against Minnesota state, but he’d still wanted to come along with the boys. So they had talked Rose and me into being the chauffeurs for their wounded warrior, since the team would not (was not allowed to) take him with them in the bus.
“Sorry,” I muttered, not sorry at all, and just continued driving. We’d skipped our 2 o’clock class just to get there in time for the 7 something pm game.
“What are you dressing up as for Halloween, Jonny?” Rose asked, trying to ease the tension. Pissed off driver and moody hockey player were a wonderful mix for a fantastic 6 hour drive!
“As what are you guys going?” he asked back.
“I’ll probably steal my Mom’s Dirndl and go as a Bavarian girl,” I told him. “I was going to wear it last year, but Mom wouldn’t let me have it.”
“Poor baby,” Rose cooed, pinching my cheek.
“Don’t mess with the driver, woman, I can find a way to get rid of passenger seat people without hurting myself,” I threatened her but she just laughed.
“Seriously, Kate, stop PMSing, you’re worse than TJ when he doesn’t score,” she rolled her eyes.
That comment had reached my limit, so I took the next chance to pull over to the side and stop the car. “Get out,” I told her.
“What?! We’re in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota!” she protested and Jon’s usually so emotionless face suddenly looked surprised and shocked as well.
“You can’t throw her out here, Kate! Are you crazy?”
“This is my car and I am driving, so I’m making the rules and I told you before not to annoy me. Should have listened, aye, Rose?”
“I’m sorry, okay, I didn’t know you would be so sensitive,” she huffed. “I can get a ride back with someone else, but don’t throw me out before we got there.”
I glared at her for a few moments, then let out my own huff and pulled back into traffic, exchanging not another word with either of my two passengers. My bad mood wasn’t their fault, sure, and I actually didn’t even know why I was having a bad day, because contrary to popular belief I was neither PMSing nor was it that time of the month. I had just gotten up on the wrong foot and the two of them weren’t making it any better.
The game was a success though. Millsy scored a hat trick and got an assist in the boys’ in a 5 to 4 beauty. Everyone was in a great mood, except me, but I just couldn’t help it. I did cheer for the boys as hard as anyone else but the moment I stepped outside the arena, bad mood was back. Wonderful.
Rose rightfully avoided me after the game and didn’t stay in the cheap hotel room we’d managed to score, just like I’d known before we even went on the trip. TJ would be lucky if coach didn’t catch on eventually, they were getting mighty suspicious right about now. Everyone knew that Rose was his, other boys rarely dared to even look at her anymore and I think she liked that. That didn’t stop TJ from shacking it up with other girls and I was also pretty sure the hickey she had had the previous weekend did not come from the Sioux forward.
Jon would find a place to sleep somewhere with the team as well, so I took my time getting out of the arena and I actually took a little walk in the area to catch some fresh air and peace and quiet before I settled in for a night on an uncomfortable bed with crappy TV. I was so not looking forward to a second night in that room, although I hoped I wouldn’t have to, because if the boys got another W the 2nd game, there would be partying, no sleeping. That was if my mood was better tomorrow...
Returning to my car the parking lot seemed pretty empty and the boys’ bus had left already as well. Better that way, I had already pissed off enough people with my bad mood. As I walked to my car, I could see there was something on my windshield. If that was another prank, I was going to on a killing spree tonight.
But it wasn’t. Just as I reached the driver’s door, I could see a piece of familiar yellow-ness and my heart actually did a leap. Looking over my shoulders to see if there was anyone around, I picked up the familiar envelope with my name on it (full name) and what was attached to it with some string. Almond chocolate and a bag of sour worms?
Chocolate because it’s sweet (like you)
and Sour Worms because sour makes funny?
Feel better, Kate
:)
Sour makes funny was the literal translation of a German saying (sauer macht lustig), which basically means that eating/having something sour will improve your mood (probably because of the funny faces you make when you eat the sour stuff).
I looked around again, but like before there was no one in sight. It was just as sweet as any other gesture I’d received from my secret admirer, but this one made me wonder. How in God’s name would he get to Minnesota to leave me an envelope about the bad mood I’d been having... all... day...
Hold on. Did that mean he was... a Fighting Sioux?
The package was quite heavy and I had no idea what was in it as I carried it back to my apartment. I was itching to just rip it open right then and there, but I found a little bit of patience in me and the desire to do this in private. Nonetheless my steps were faster than usually, putting me in the situation of having to fight for my balance a few times when I hit ice hidden under snow.
Finally I had reached my apartment, shoved off my coat, gloves, knit hat and scarf, as well as my boots and opened the envelope still standing.
Frohe Weihnachten, Annegret
“Frohe Weihnachten?” (Merry Christmas) I whispered to myself, running my fingertip over the carefully written words. Now the secret guy also spoke German?!
Setting the card to the side carefully, I opened the brown paper and stared in awe at the two hardcover books I revealed.
Tintenherz
And
Tintenblut
Two German books that I had read in English and would have loved to read in German, but couldn’t get a hold of anywhere.
I was almost scared to touch them, they seemed so magical to me, but then I did find the courage to open Tintenherz, the first book, and a couple of tears filled my eyes when I started to read the first sentences in the language that was so familiar to me.