"There is magic in every beginning", Hermann Hesse once wrote. Sometimes such a beginning comes unexpectedly. As in Steffi von Wolff's story about a married couple, which starts here and which she will continue regularly from now on.
It is a fictional story, written in Steffi von Wolff's typical glossy style, as we know it from her books. "Whispers on board" and "Harbour cinema" knows. And yet, despite some exaggerations or even seemingly hair-raising anecdotes, it tells of events that could perhaps not be written in exactly the same way, but in a very similar way.
"Only those who are ready to set out and travel may escape paralysing habituation," Hesse continues in his famous poem. For von Wolff's protagonist Anni and her husband Sven, this is exactly what it's all about. Their new travelling companion is - how could it be otherwise - a motorboat.
by Steffi von Wolff
The will
Anni and Sven's life is beautiful, it really is. They have a lovely old flat in Berlin, three great children and two grandchildren. At 51 and 57, they have both reached the age at which they are considered "best agers". They are well off and generate good sales in the retail sector. So everything is fine, you would think. Of course, there are also arguments, boredom and habit, but that's probably the case everywhere.
But now this official letter is lying in the hallway. The sender is the probate court. That probably means an heir. But from whom? "Mrs Hedwig Katharina Schubert has left Mrs Anneke Gerthsen ...", reads Anni as she opens the envelope and takes out the letter. "This is from Great Aunt Hedy. She died the other day."
She skims over the rest of the lines and frowns: "A Linssen Classic Sturdy - what's that? A cat?" Sven also shrugs his shoulders. "I've never heard of it." "Maybe," says Anni, "it's also a breed of dog. Aunt Hedy always used to have dogs." As soon as she says it, she knows what's coming. "A nightmare!" moans Sven. "You know my allergies. To dogs, horses, chickens and field mice." Yes, Sven and allergies are a wide-ranging topic. Sometimes Anni has the feeling that it gets worse the older he gets.
"We'll google it now," she suggests - a sensible idea. Shortly afterwards, they realise that they have inherited a motorboat. With a nice thick rope on the sides.
"I didn't even know that your aunt Hedy was a boater," Sven wonders. "Neither did I," says Anni, "I only know that she once knew someone, a late love, and he had a boat. Maybe he left it to her." Contact with Aunt Hedy had always been sporadic. That's the way it is: you're busy and sometimes you can't even manage to have an inflamed appendix removed or your tyres changed.
"I'll call the probate court now." - "And I'll go to the practice." Sven is a dentist. "A boat. There's water everywhere. And there must be fish. Terrible!" Anni hears him muttering quietly to himself on the way out.
Two weeks later. The notary smiles benevolently and has his hands folded like a priest. "Well then, Mrs Gerthsen, Dr Gerthsen, first of all my condolences - and congratulations on this beautiful inheritance! Your blessed aunt has decreed that the boat is not to be sold."
"Why not?" Sven asks in alarm. He can already see himself seasick on a ship that he never wanted. "Unfortunately, we can't ask you that now," says the notary piously. "But here is a personal letter for you, Mrs Gerthsen. The rest of the inheritance was distributed to charity. To animal shelters, to a garden gnome manufacturer. Your great-aunt didn't have many possessions - it was only important to her that you got the boat."
"Thank you," says Anni and takes the letter. Then they complete the formalities and say goodbye. Sven sneezes as they walk to the car. "The notary had a very irritating aftershave. As you know, my nose is very sensitive ..." Anni doesn't even listen. She's thinking. A boat. It's moored on the Müritz and bears the name "Late Love". It must have something to do with Aunt Hedy's husband, late love. How romantic!
After dropping Sven off at his surgery, she drives home, has a bath and then reads the letter from her aunt. She writes lovingly, wishing her only the best and imploring her to be kind to "late love". She had spent wonderful hours, days and weeks with Hector, her last partner. After he passed away, the boat just lay in the shed. Hedy didn't want to be travelling alone on it. And now it is Anni's boat.
"Life is different on a boat," reads Anni. "Everything slows down. Nothing compares to a glass of wine at sunset, and you really get to know each other when you're travelling. You should do the same, child! Enjoy your free time on the 'Late Love'." How touching!
"Please don't sell her," writes Aunt Hedy at the end. "She should accompany you. Be your boat. Don't let Sven tell you otherwise. I didn't know him very well, but: a man who is afraid of silverfish ..." Anni smiles. Well, she's not wrong. But Sven is Sven, after all. And he also has his good and very good sides. Nobody is perfect. Not you either. She lets the letter sink to the bathroom tiles and sinks into the water herself. A boat. Strange. On the other hand, why not?
The great-aunt didn't have many possessions. It was only important to her that Anni got the boat. But why?
Later, she works a little - she is a tax consultant working from home - and in the evening she tells Sven that they are going to the Müritz at the weekend to look at the boat. "It's February and very cold," Sven begins, but Anni gets her way. After all, there are jackets.
A man with a beret on his head nods at them. Anni had phoned the shipyard to say she was coming. The journey from Wilmersdorf takes just two hours. "I'm Theo. I'm the harbour master here. I'll show you the 'Späte Liebe'," he says and waves them into a draughty hall. "Nice girl, the good one."
"Yes, my aunt was an incredibly kind person," replies Anni kindly. "Nah," says Theo, "I mean the boat. There she is." He points upwards. A boat is jacked up there. "There's a ladder. You can go up. Here's the key."
"Can't you just push the thing into the water?" Sven interjects. "Then we wouldn't have to climb." Theo looks at him as if he's been asked if he could do without a kidney. "I've got to get going. You can come to the office later."
"Come on now," says Anni and climbs up the ladder. Shaky, but it works. Sven follows her, groaning, but she ignores him. Once at the top, he stumbles, falls into the boat - and the ladder topples to the ground. Of course! Anni looks around, then opens the hatch above the companionway and climbs down a few steps into the interior. Everything smells of Aunt Hedy: a hint of rose. It's nice here. A large table, a small kitchen, bedrooms, a bathroom. Like a slightly larger doll's house. Plus dark green velvet upholstery and lots of wood. Cosy.
"What do you think?" she asks, enraptured. "Well, I don't know." Sven shrugs his shoulders. "It's pretty cramped here." - "It's not cramped. On the contrary, everything is here in such a small space. There's even an oven." In her mind's eye, Anni can already see herself baking bread. She is shockingly in love with "late love". In summer, it must be wonderful to be out and about with it. On the rivers, on the sea. Enjoying sunsets with a glass of crémant in hand, having good conversations, simply having a good time.
She is a boat owner. Who would have thought it! Even though she's currently stuck on her boat because the ladder is lying on the hall floor. "I'll call Theo," she says, "Oh no, my mobile is in the car." Sven's too. "And now what?" he asks theatrically. "Now we're standing on our great inheritance and can't get down."
Someone shouts from below: "Are you the woman who inherited the ship from Hedy?" A boy of about ten is standing below, covered in paint. "Hello," replies Anni, "yes, that's me."
"Cool," he says. "The Hedy was great. And the boat too. Even though I threw up in it once. You knocked over the ladder." He puts it back on the boat. Sven climbs down slowly, like a snail, Anni follows him with great vigour. "Yes, we're the new ones, so to speak. And who are you?"
Anni is in love with the "late love". In summer, it must be marvellous to sail on rivers and lakes. Or even the sea!
"Lenni. You have to paint the underwater hull!" - "Oh, you know your stuff?" Anni wants to know. "Sure!" Lenni takes a breath. "This boat here is from a motor yacht series with different models, i.e. 32, 36, 40, 42. Robust construction. Diesel engine. Mostly Volvo Penta, just like the 'Späte Liebe' here. Draught about one metre. Some with bow thruster, plus heating, sometimes a generator. And mahogany interior, you understand."
Anni and Sven don't understand. They look at each other helplessly. But Lenni is unstoppable. "The hull is made of steel, buckling frame. Displaces around 17 tonnes. I can tell you more." Anni, who didn't understand a word, just says: "Ah, interesting. Thanks, that's enough for now." Lenni nods. "OK, I've got to get going." He says and disappears somewhere between all the other hulls.
Sven starts complaining again: "Impossible, all this. Nothing for me. And it's draughty here!" Cursing under his breath, he trudges back to the car.
But it might be something for me, thinks Anni. We'll see. The first step has been taken. She has a strange feeling in her stomach. As if a lot of things will change in her life from now on. The feeling is nice. She likes it. And she likes "late love". Thank you, Aunt Hedy!
To be continued
