Marie the theater woman

June 4, 2023. The weather was wonderful. It must have been around twenty degrees. After a breakfast of bread with peppers, eggplant spread, and flaxseed oil, I set out in shorts, a T-shirt, and my Birkenstock shoes to the red tables in the main building of the university to write a study article on uniform motion. I opted for a different route to the university, taking the tram to enjoy an extended walk. As I passed by Steintor, I noticed an event where emergency vehicles, fire trucks, and other service cars were parked along the avenue, with few people around.

Suddenly, I heard a scream from the left. I turned around and saw a man lying on top of another man, hitting him, while the man on the bottom tried to shield himself with his arms. I crossed the street to approach them. The two men, probably in their mid-fifties, didn't seem particularly dangerous.

"Hey, stop that," I said, bending down to them and grabbing the assailant by the shoulder. With my other hand, I prevented him from landing further blows.

"Stop now," I shouted even louder. The attacker looked at me, and I could tell from his eyes that he was intoxicated. He stopped hitting, leaned on my shoulder, and stood up. I positioned myself sideways between the two, arms slightly outstretched to maintain distance. I alternated my gaze between the two men.

"How would you feel if you were being beaten up like this?" I asked the assailant, completely pumped with adrenaline. He remained silent, staring at me with his drunken eyes.

"Relax," I added.

"I'll get you," the attacker threatened the other, pointing his finger at him, then turned around and walked away slowly. I stood still until he was further away.

"Thank you," said the other man, who was cleaning his pants with his hand.

"No problem," I replied, and he slowly walked in the opposite direction.

I was so stirred up that I didn't really need coffee anymore. I continued my way to the main building to write the study article until the afternoon.

In the afternoon, I boarded tram line 5. At Königsworther Platz, a young woman got off who looked like the Ice Queen Elsa. Her blonde hair was neatly braided into a ponytail, resting over her shoulder. A small silver piercing adorned her petite nose.

She positioned herself a bit away from me on the tram and looked out the window instead of staring at her phone. That was a plus point that encouraged me to take action. At the station, she got off and was moving pretty swiftly. The other passengers streaming out of the tram blocked my path.

"Excuse me," I squeezed my way through the crowd, trying not to lose sight of the young woman, who was already ascending the escalator.

"Excuse me... I need to get through here quickly," I hurried to the escalator.

Upon reaching the top, I had lost sight of her. Should I turn left or right at the end of the escalator? My gut feeling told me to turn right. I headed in that direction and managed to catch a glimpse of her as she turned the corner to take the stairs to Opernplatz. I followed.

"Wait," I called out to her. She didn't react.

"Wait," I jogged a bit ahead of her and stopped.

"Hey, I just saw you on the tram. My, you're fast..." I said, slightly out of breath.

"I think you're really cute and would love to have a coffee or tea with you, depending on your favorite drink," I continued.

"Yeah, why not. I'll think about it."

"Great. I'll give you my number, then you can text me when you're ready."

"Okay," she replied, handing me her phone.

"What's your name, by the way?" she asked me as I entered my number.

"Alexander, and you?"

"Marie."

I handed her the phone back.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Looking forward to our meeting. See you then!" I said and nodded.

"See you," she replied with a smile, and we went our separate ways. With a surge of dopamine, I headed to the tram home, giving each passerby a broad smile. I was very happy to finally have the opportunity to get to know a nice girl.