Splendid

Date/Timing: 13 November 2006
Setting: cafeteria, TU Berlin; Berlin, Germany
.
Hermann carefully arranges his supplies—notebook, letter paper, pen, iPod—on a corner table in the cafeteria, settles the headphones over his ears, pokes up the Damned, takes a last scan of the room, and sets to writing with the first chords of "Neat Neat Neat".
- 13 Nov 2006
Berlin, Germany
Dearest Edan,
I'm delighted to hear the headphones are improving your quality of life so greatly. I purchased a second set for myself and I have been hearing new details and nuances in everything I listen to. You may make an audiophile of me yet.
I'm also quite pleased Iggy and Rhys are still obviously happy together and that the rest of your housemates are such interesting people.
If I forgot to say it earlier, please thank Aimee for her advice to treat Japanese (or any language) as a programming one. I have been absolutely /flying through my studies (Japanese, Russian, and I've finally given in and let Dr Schulte add Yiddish) since you relayed her words. 
Also! They have inspired Bastien to start working with code and he's taken to that as quickly as he has Japanese. She and I may have created a monster, if a cute one.
Don't you /dare tell him I said that.
He and his friend Anaïs swept all the categories for which they were eligible at the school science fair with their Rube Goldberg physics lesson candy machine. Anaïs is as much a natural with electronics as Bastien is with languages and code. I fear for the egos of their future competitors in any science contest. Father was moderately pleased (He temporarily stopped scowling, at least) and her adoptive parents were ecstatic. 
That they did so well is a testament to how well they work together: Father only allowed Bastien an hour after school two days a week—supervised by himself or Dietrich or myself—since the start of the planning process. Even with that limitation, everything went together flawlessly.
I'm sorry to admit I'm ridiculously proud of them for only asking for help on the very trickiest of the maths involved (calculating the proper length for a pair of swing-arms and the grade of a ramp) and I'm proud beyond all reason Bastien asked me rather than our engineer father for assistance.
Speaking of my father, a minor miracle has occurred and he's given permission for Bastien and I to spend the winter holidays in Hamelin with our grandparents! I never /imagined it would be possible. We'll be leaving to arrive for the beginning of Chanukah and returning after Christmas. Please offer tribute to your Power of choice that he doesn't change his mind.
My scoring program for Dr Umarov works a treat, well enough he's waiving the rest of the coding prerequisites for the programme, which means /I CAN TAKE THE CAPSTONES!
Which means I will only need a single term after my eighteenth (208 days to go!) to earn enough credits to collect my degree and /leave!!! And it will only take /that long because of how courses are scheduled.
I plan on filling in the gaps with more physics and maths. If I'm figuring correctly, I will be only a handful of credit hours short of a mathematics degree as well as my computer science one. I may be of use to you yet!
O! 
Congratulations on your TA -
A hand taps his table.
Hermann startles, pushes his headphones off his ears, looks up.
«Absorbed in your work, Mr Gottlieb?» smiles Doctor Umarov.
Hermann closes the letter inside his notebook. «Recopying some notes, sir.»
Umarov says—
«I had to borrow paper from my little brother the other day. He's going through a unicorn phase right now.»
—chuckles, «I see, I see.»
Hermann adds his own weak laugh.
«Your Russian is remarkable. You could pass for a native speaker, I think.»
«Thank you, sir. I've worked hard on my accent.»
«It shows.» He beams. «More seriously, I'd like you to come to my office after your lecture. I've /finally found a new challenge worthy of your talents.»
«I look forward to it, sir.»
«Splendid! I'll see you then.» He smiles and saunters away.
Hermann exhales, breathes deeply to release tension. "Too bloody close," he mutters.
He checks his watch.
He scans the room.
No familiar faces.
He grumbles, "Fuck it," retrieves his letter, leaves his headphones around his neck, stops the iPod playback.
- Congratulations on your TA-ship for the next term! After your success over the summer, I have no doubt you will excel teaching lab sections.
I have apparently done better with Dr Umarov than I thought. He just interrupted my writing to offer me a new project /and compliment my Russian accent. On the other hand, he nearly started asking questions about my choice of stationery. I believe my excuse it was paper I'd stolen from Bastien in an emergency will keep him from sharing the tale with my father, but -
Hermann sighs.
- but this will be the last time I compose in a public space on campus.
Thankfully, I have plenty of lecture time and the occasional visit with Dietrich and/or Sabine in which to write.
Speaking of Dietrich and Sabine, they've begun talking about setting up housekeeping together (I'm /insanely jealous), though city rents may keep their plans from becoming reality. If they somehow /do manage it, their flat will almost certainly become my writer's studio (as well as a refuge for Bastien and Anaïs). -
He glances at his watch, sighs, gathers his things into his rucksack, and pushes off to attend his afternoon lecture—and finish his letter.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Vigsai (mention)
Category:Rhys (mention)
Category:Aimee (mention)
Category:Bastien (mention)
Category:Anais (mention)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Dietrich (mention)
Category:Umarov
Category:Umarov (ficlet)
Category:Sabine (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Edan's super awesome amazing headphones
Category:Hermann's iPod
Category:Ficlets with songs
Category:Aimee loves language
Category:Umarov raves about Hermann's skillz
Category:Celestial Mechanics
2006 11 13