Page 37 of Tattooed Sweetness
Dear Ms./Mr. (Name),
We would like to congratulate you on your birthday and wish you success, joy in life, and, above all, good health.
Your Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mosbach Branch (Name/Signature)
I realize I can’t leave it like that—yet I’ve got writer’s block!
Every time I find a beginning and put the cursor in the right place…
…my thoughts go astray…
The unexpected care with which Philipp treated me after my startling knock-out three weeks ago…
The fact that underneath his rough and downright daunting shell lies an old-school gentleman…
With my eyes closed, I remember our catch-up appointment two days after I fainted.
My stupid panic about being late had caused thecarnoodleto rumble into the parking lot next to Philipp’s parlor way too early. In order not to appear intrusive, I remained sitting in the car with the windows down, checking emails and messages on my cell phone.
The balmy spring evening air flowed into the passenger side, directing tantalizing smells to my nose on its way out.
My stomach growled out its discontent.
I cast a disapproving glance at the tote bag I had strapped into the passenger seat.Was I imagining the smell of fresh sushi?The delicate rice rolls lay in—actually—hermetically sealed takeaway boxes.
But… I hectically removed my seat belt and leaned over.What if one of the packages had burst open in defiance of my careful driving?
My fingers groped along cool plastic into the depths, and a relieved sigh escaped me. No leakage—and thus no new disaster.
“What are you waiting for?” a man’s voice hit me in the neck.
“Oh my God!” Startled, I wheeled around and almost collided with Philipp, who had stuck his nose into the driver’s side window. “Mr. Sandtmann!”
“Yes, it’s me.” He gave me a mischievous smirk and pulled his head back. “Actually, I thought we dealt with the issue of excessive politeness well enough when we first met.” With all the airs of a butler, he opened the driver’s side door. “For you, simply Philipp. Not God…” He backed away as I got out of the car full of verve. “…and certainly not Mr. Sandtmann. We agreed on it, didn’t we?”
“That’s right. So…” I stifled the rest, because what should I apologize for? He had scared me, after all! “Surely you don’t mind,” I finished theSstill floating stupidly in the air, and pressed the loops of the tote bag I had fished from the passenger seat into his hand.
He peered inside and eyed me critically as he looked back up. “Sushi?”
My heart slipped at least to my knees. “You don’t like raw fish?”
“I love sushi.” His lips pulled into a wide smirk. “Pretty much no one knows, though. Here in the countryside, all you can get are some weird discount store replicas.” Again, he peered into the bag. “Looks good! Did you have it delivered from Heidelberg or Heilbronn?”
Pride grew in me at my discovery and I pointed to the print on the tote bag. “Hogwash! Since just recently, there’s a small Sushi manufacturer in the Rewe supermarket!”
Pride…The term accompanies my mind back to the present, where I sit in front of my computer and ponder over the text module for birthday greetings of the Chamber customers.Pride, pride…I reflect on the feeling; it spreads warmly through my veins. As if by magic, my hands move to the keyboard.
Dear Mr./Mrs. (name),
Today you are celebrating your (x) birthday—hard to believe!
You can look back with pride on the successful work of the past year.
Well, the beginning doesn’t sound bad, does it?Positive and encouraging—after all, not all our customers have had such a successful year.But how do I express this in the best possible way? Positive and encouraging… Courage, yes, that’s a good keyword!
Even under difficult conditions, you succeeded with courage and perseverance.
Accept the warm congratulations of our entire branch.