Your Perfect Year(97)

Leopold indicated a box at his feet that contained several bottles.

“Three bottles of red wine, a Riesling, whiskey, gin, and grappa,” he said. He looked apologetic. “I’m not sure if they’re all the correct brands. I went to the liquor store and asked for the best they had.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly what I took last time I was here.”

“You’re crazy!” Jonathan exclaimed.

Leopold lowered his eyes. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I know I was totally out of order.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Jonathan laughed. “I’m delighted to see you! But you didn’t have to bring a massive supply of booze with you. There was really no need.”

“There was.” Leo looked at him again, a cautious smile on his lips. “There was,” he repeated. “I had to. I actually owe you more than that, but I thought I’d make a start with the bottles.”

The two of them said nothing but smiled at one another for a moment. Jonathan took a determined step toward Leo and hugged him with a hearty clap on the shoulder. He’d never hugged another grown man before, and was surprised how easy he found it.

“So,” he said as he released his prodigal friend, “how are things with you? You’re looking well.” It was true: Leopold was wearing clean jeans, sweatshirt, and jacket; his beard was neatly trimmed, his hair tied back tightly, and he smelled distinctly of soap and Old Spice.

“Not here on the street,” Leo said.

“Sorry,” Jonathan said hastily. “Where are my manners? Please come in.”

“I’m not disturbing you? Weren’t you about to go out?”

“It wasn’t important,” Jonathan said, but corrected himself immediately. “I mean, yes, I was on my way to a café. And it would be lovely if you came with me. You can take all the time in the world to tell me what’s been going on in your life since you up and left in the middle of the night.”

“It’s a deal!” Leopold laughed cheerfully. “You wouldn’t believe all that’s happened since then!”





52

Hannah

Friday, March 16, 3:23 p.m.

“I’m finding it really difficult to go in.”

They were standing outside the Lütt Café. Hannah looked doubtfully at the crowd of people sitting around tables behind the large window, chatting and enjoying coffee and cake.

“It’s like removing a bandage,” Lisa said. “The quicker the better. Just open the door and in we go!”

“I don’t know . . .” Hannah indicated a group of laughing women. “When I look at these people I feel like an alien. As though I’d dropped in from another planet.”

“Then don’t look at the people,” Lisa said with a shrug.

“That won’t help,” Hannah replied. “They’ll all be looking at me! Or rather, staring at me.”

“You’re not that exciting.”

“I feel like they can all sense a grieving widow from miles off.”

“Don’t be silly. You look wonderful!” Lisa opened the door and gave Hannah a gentle shove, forcing her friend to take an unwilling step inside.

She stood as if rooted to the spot on the mat.

“What is it now?” Lisa asked as she stumbled into her.

“I knew it,” Hannah hissed over her shoulder, indicating with her chin a table on the right-hand side of the café. “Look—over there. He’s staring right at me!”

Lisa followed her gaze. “Who?”

“Over there,” Hannah whispered, nodding again toward the far-right corner, where two men were sitting at a round table over coffee and cake. One of the two, an older man with long white hair tied back in a ponytail, had his back to them. But the other, a man of around forty, dark haired, slim, good looking, was openly gawking at Hannah.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lisa said. “He’s not staring at you.”

“He certainly is,” Hannah insisted. “He looks as though he’s seen a ghost.”

“Maybe he’s very nearsighted.” Lisa gave her another shove into the room.

Hannah turned to her, pleading with her eyes. “Please, let’s go. I feel really uncomfortable.”

“But—”

“Please!” she repeated. “It’s not just that guy over there. I came here so often with Simon—the place is crammed with memories.”

Her friend sighed. “If you’re going to avoid all the places that are emotionally contaminated because you’ve been there with Simon, you’ll need to move away from Hamburg.”

“I know,” Hannah replied unhappily. “I’ll get my act together, I promise. Just not today! Let’s just go for a little walk, okay? That’s enough for a start.”

“All right,” Lisa agreed. “I don’t want to torture you.”

“Thank you!” With those words, Hannah swung the café door open and hurried out. She could still feel the gaze of the stranger boring into her back, but she didn’t turn to look. She had no idea why the guy had stared at her so intently; she knew only that it felt really weird. Even over the several yards’ distance between the door and his table, Hannah had noticed his eyes. Such a light, intense blue, out of the ordinary. It was as if with a single glance he had penetrated the depths of her soul. She shook herself as though emerging from some kind of hypnosis and took a deep breath as soon as they were out on the sidewalk.