STAND 1

It’s freezing cold, dark clouds cover the sky but the people rushing through the busy streets of London don’t seem to care. I’m killing time reading Metro, not many news today, November 25th, 2005. I bury my face inside my blue scarf; I can barely feel my fingers. I look to the other side of the street. The door of the restaurant is still closed. I take my hand out of my pocket and fish my mobile off my large shoulder bag.
“Hello?”
“I’m freezing my precious butt off out here. Would you mind hurry up?” I check my watch “you are going to be late in exactly 4 minutes”
She laughs “which means I still have 4 minutes. Why don’t you come inside? It’s warm and toasty in here”
“No thanks. If I do it, it will take you forever to wash the salad or decorate a cake or do whatever you think it’s vital for you to do”
“I’m a chef; I do NOT wash the salad”
“yadayadayada. I come from a sunny country. I’ll be dead by the time you cross the street. Maddi please, please, please, please. We’re going to be late and we cannot be late. It’s so important!”
“Important” she’s mocking me “taking into consideration your wicked mind, are we talking finding the perfect shade of pink lipstick important or a solution for global warming important?”
“Pleaseeeeeeeeee”
She sighs “It’s lipstick then. You win, I’ll put my coat on”
She appears from behind the restaurant door; I raise both my arms in the air and start waving them. She pretends not to see me. I just love to embarrass her. She crosses the street and I take her arm “you’ll see! That is a huge surprise!”
“Where are we going? You do realize I entrusted you with my only free day in a long working week. It better be good”
I march ahead of her checking every once in a while she’s keeping up my pace and grinning at her.
“I’m taking a leap of faith here… letting you drag me around London like that. Where are we going? And why are you wearing your lucky scarf?”
I smile and close my lips, I move my thumb and index finger on the corner of my mouth like I’m sealing it.
“I so don’t like it Titti. What do you have in mind? Last time you behaved like that we went bungee jumping and I don’t have to remind you how it ended right?”
I am walking backwards so I can face her, “don’t” she warns me.
“Don’t worry about me, Londoners are way too frightened of physical contact to bump into me. But you, my German lady, are having some serious trusting issues we need to address soon.” I turn my face around and I realize we’re already at the corner between Old Bond St. and Piccadilly, “let’s cross here”.
Once we are on the other side of the street I jump and spread my arms “TADAH! Here we are at last!”
She looks at me; behind me are the Ritz Hotel sign and at least 50 screaming girls.
“Are we taking part in a riot?” she asks me skeptically
I give her a disappointed look “of course we are. The Ritz is the place Joe Strummer had in mind while singing ‘London Calling”. She’s staring at me.
I roll my eyes “Joe Strummer as in The Clash”
“I know! But I still don’t understand what we’re doing here” she looks at the girls behind me; they must be 15 maybe 16 years old “are we thinking a career change and baby-sit them?”
I smile and rub my nose “we were just like them when we met”
“Sure, in 1995” and it takes her a split second to get the hint, even though I guess her brain refuses to believe what’s happening. Her eyes are getting darker and darker. I guess she’s mentally counting to 1874592 so she won’t have to kill me in front of all these people. After 10 years we can basically read each other’s mind and it is not always good.
She places her hands on her hips “do the people at the British Library know you’re insane?”
I do my cutest puppy eyes and start singing
“I guess now it's time for me to give up I feel it's time Got a picture of you beside me Got your lipstick mark still on your coffee cup Got a fist of pure emotion Got a head of shattered dreams Gotta leave it, gotta leave it all behind now…”
She stares at me “Scheiße! Have you lost your mind for good?”
*Oopppssss. The ‘s’ word. She never ever says the ‘s’ word. Titti you have two options 1. play dead 2. run for your life…Naaahhhhhhh* instead I smile like a little angel, grab her arm and drag Maddi to the main entrance making our way among the screaming girls.
“We’re ladies now” I tell her
“And that’s why we shouldn’t be here” she objects
“It’s going to be fun! Just play along. I wish I was so self-confident 10 years ago”
“I recall you had no trouble at all to get what you wanted”
I ignore her and take a large envelope out of my shoulder bag. British Library is written in very clear letters. The big man at the door is about to ask me something but I give him my ‘I’m too busy to talk to you little people’ look and I simply hiss “this used to be a highly regarded place. What is all this screaming about? I will have to cancel all my future meetings here. This is madness.” I turn towards Maddi who’s following me shaking her head “Dr. Kierkegaard, please this way” I call her. The man opens the door for us and smiles.
I thank him while Maddi reaches me and whispers “am I Danish now?”
“I though a little change could do you good” I smile satisfied and wink “look where we are… the impressive hall of the Ritz and try to guess who’s here today for a press conference to announce their Ultimate Tour?”
She’s almost panicking “tell me you’re kidding… you are not … oh god … after 10 years… I don’t mean to scare you but I think I might throw up!”
I smirk “I knew you would love every minute of it” I grab her shoulders and almost scream “we’re sooooooo back for good!”

We’re looking at our reflection in the mirror of the very much marble and fake gold decorated restroom of the Ritz Hotel.
“You should have told me! I look like … I don’t look like … YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! I’m wearing this stupid brown shirt… brown! And my hair, look at them!”
I grin at her “stop it. I don’t understand why you’re so worried. Should I remind you Mark saw you kneeling in front of a toilet … where we in Manchester?”
“Don’t go there….”
“To Manchester? Nah, don’t like it so much. Anyway! Where was I?”
“I mean it”
But I’m just running down memory lane “a club in Manchester, you kneeling in front of a toilet, Mark holding your head and rubbing your back while you, blind drunk, where throwing up and singing Million love songs to the toilet”
She’s staring at me with her hands on her hips “I said I didn’t want to hear that story again”
“Yeah right! You have a good voice. So I don’t think Mark would mind you’re wearing a brown shirt. He saw the beast within” and I laugh “look at me, totally in control. We’re older, more mature, and I believe we can have an adult conversation with them without screaming or jumping. It will be funny and sweet”
“And they won’t remember us”
“Speak for yourself. I followed the whole Nobody Else tour. Every single gig. I was Jason’s shadow. He will remember”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll get drunk in the very posh bar at the Ritz and go home, after I killed him of course” I run my hand through my hair and add “let’s go! It’s oranges harvest time!”
She shakes her head and follows me back into the main hall.
After 20 minutes of staring at the pictures on the walls there’s still no-one around but us and some Russian businessmen. Then Maddi’s eyes open wide and she gently pats my arm “Titti” she hisses
“Maybe we’re early”“No we’re not”
“Can’t hear you woman, speak up, we’re not in a church”
“Stay calm. Jason is walking our direction”
I freeze “pick up line! I forgot my pick up line! It was great, believe me! and witty! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no”
“He’s here” she whispers “it’s now or never”
I look at her desperate and I mouth “cannot do it”
She rolls her eyes, takes a pocket size AA Street by Street London and with the strongest German accent she can come up with she stops him and asks “Excuse me, where is Piccadilly Circus?”
My eyes follow her and I see Jason smiling at Maddi *a-lightening-must-strike-me-now* “It’s very close, you just need to leave the hotel, turn right and keep on walking for 10, maybe 15 minutes. But if you want to see something extraordinary you can keep on walking down to Regent Street and reach Trafalgar Square” and I see his finger tracing and imaginary path through the lines printed on the page *sweet, sweetest than sweet* and the moment I’m licking my lips Maddi answers “vielen Dank”
“Bitteschön” he replies
She grabs my arm forcing me to take a step closer “this is my friend, we’re here on holidays” and of course he looks at me the moment I’m wetting my lower lip *oh come on! Have pity on me! He’s going to think I’m a mental porn star now! A whole week of planning and I’m numb*
He doesn’t seem to notice me “Have fun in London then!” smiles at us and walks away
I stay there, my arms along my body. “I’m so sorry hun, 10 years it’s a long time, you’ve changed, we’ve changed a lot”
“I know” I mumble “I just thought he would…”
“Let’s go get drunk, first round is on me”
We are sitting at the bar when Jason appears on the door. His eyes are scanning the room, I am definitely scanning him. Our eyes lock. He almost runs towards us. I jump up while my hand checks my coat is buttoned up properly. I cannot smile or breathe. He’s right in front of me, taller than I remember. He takes my left hand and turns it upside down having it resting on his. He runs his thumb over the little scar on my wrist “I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve changed, you’ve grown up”
“In beauty”
“But not taller”
“You’re old”
He studies my face “you’re a woman now”
I nod. His face opens up to the largest smile I have ever seen and I literally jump into his arms “I knew you would remember me! I knew it!” and I kiss his cheek a hundred times
“I take it back! You’ve not grown up! Titti stop it! People might get the wrong idea” and laughs
“Why, don’t tell me Evil Smith is still around! And I’m no longer under age!” I smirk “I’ve missed you so much Jay”
He stares at me amused “you’re as crazy as you used to be”
“Mysterious” and I poke him
“Crazy” and pokes me back
“I said mysterious”
“I say crazy more!”
“Yes, I can tell we’ve all grown up.” Maddi says “good to see you Jason”
I circle his waist with my arms and rest my head on his chest while he covers my shoulders with his arm. He turns to her “…Maddi? That accent, you fooled me … so good to see you too”
“Sorry for the lame approach before, but miss ‘totally in control’ here caught me by surprise”
They’re about to shake hands when I smack hers, “don’t even think about it. Have you forgotten? He’s off limits!”
“Yep, she’s still 15 inside”
“Indeed”
“Well, I have a press conference to go to, and if you ladies have nothing better to do follow me” and takes my hand walking to the elevator. He takes us into a small room with CCTV, “you can watch it from here and we can have a drink all together later”
I smile at him “isn’t that great? It will be the first time I’ll be able to buy my own alcoholic beverages in your presence”
“Have you learned to drink?”
“Not really, a Bacardi breezer and I’m out”
“An entire bottle? I’m impressed” he places a chaste kiss on my head and leaves.