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Meanwhile, the silver-colored Volkswagen Jetta was already pulling up to the Grunwald restaurant. Martha found a free space in the parking lot and parked the car.
She was in a bit of a hurry as her lunch break was limited. In total, she had forty minutes for lunch. She hurried out of the car and walked towards the entrance to the restaurant. As soon as she entered, she started looking around for Peter. He appeared standing in the very center of the hall and, seeing Martha, went straight towards her.
«Hello, Martha. It’s good to see you again,» he was the first to say hello.
«Hello, Peter. I’m very glad too,» she answered in a joyful tone.
A smile immediately appeared on their faces and they embraced upon meeting just like lovers should. Peter was quite tall and of an athletic build. He had a thick head of black hair.
«How are you? Do you still run a department at your dear bank?» he asked and smiled.
«Yes, I still work a lot. I still lead the department. Well, how are
you?»
«I’m good. Things are going well. There are more than enough customers,» he answered with joy in his voice. «So, I booked a table for us in advance.»
He took her hand and led her to a vacant table by the window. As soon as they took their places a waiter appeared at once with the menu.
«You can order whatever your heart desires and not think about paying the bill.»
«Peter, you are so kind and caring today.»
«When was I different?» he replied with a smile on his face.
Martha didn’t answer, but she broke into a smile. Now she was looking at him with loving eyes.
«Have you already chosen what you want to order?» he asked.
«Let’s see what we have here.»
«I think I already know what I will take myself.»
«And what should it be?» she asked, looking him straight in the
eyes.
«I’m thinking about lamb ribs with beans and green peas and Olivier
salad. And for dessert we will have a cake called Schwarzwald. I will also ask the waiter to bring us a couple of glasses of the most expensive red wine that we have.»
«I believe I’ll order the same for myself.»
«That means that our tastes agree on this, too,» he said, and smiled. «Waiter, you can fulfill our order.»
«Just a minute, sir,» the waiter said dryly, and hurried away.
«You have an excellent taste.»
«I’m aware, thank you.»
«Every time you order at a restaurant, I always want to order the same for myself,» she admitted honestly.
«Yes, my dear, I certainly know a thing or two about food.»
«Do you know the recipe for the dishes you order?»
«What kind of dish are we talking about?»
«Well, for example, today you ordered a Schwarzwald cake for dessert.»
«Right.»
«Do you know its recipe?»
«I do.»
«Really?»
«Yes.»
«Won’t you tell me? I would be very interested to hear.»
«Schwarzwald is a cake with whipped cream and cherries. It appeared in Germany in the early 1930s. It is now considered a classic there and has gained worldwide fame.»
To make a Schwarzwald you need to soak biscuit chocolate in kirschwasser, and make a cherry filling. Then you take cherries and chocolate chips to decorate the cake.
«Wow! I didn’t realize you actually know the recipes and the history of the dishes,» she said admiringly.
«I know a lot of things,» he answered pointedly.
«You never cease to amaze me, Peter.»
A few minutes later, the waiter put the ordered dishes on the table. The couple sat and chatted nicely with each other. Peter asked Martha more about her children and wondered how she managed to cope with everything without the help of a housekeeper. In turn, she also asked him about the kids and at the same time admired his restaurant. She really liked to visit the place especially in the company of her beloved. This place was actually quite nice and cozy. And the restaurant itself was not far from the city center.
They were so immersed in conversation that half an hour flew on by. It was time to fold for Martha if she did not want to be late for her favorite work. She was about to get up from the table when suddenly she felt a strong pain in her chest. She felt her insides all squeezed up and a strong cough ripped her body. This incessant cough lasted for about seven seconds, which seemed to her an eternity. She felt really ill.
«What’s wrong with you, Martha?» he said in a confused voice. «Are you okay?»
«Yes, I’m fine,» she said in a hoarse voice.
«Are you sure you feel good?»
«Everything is fine. The cough will go away now. It hasn’t happened to me in a long time,» she said.
«Blood.»
«What?»
«I see blood on the table,» he said, and pointed to the drops of blood that had appeared on the tablecloth.
«Is this my blood?» she asked hesitantly.
«Looks like it. Are you sure you’re all right?»
«It’s all right, Peter.»
«Do you want me to drive you to work?»
«No thanks. I think I can handle it myself.»
«Martha, I insist on my help.»
«Everything is fine with me. I’m better now. I can drive. And it’s time for me to go.»
«Peter walked over to her and hugged her.»
«I’m worried about you, dear.»
«Don’t worry, I’m fine.»
«Well then, see you soon! Take care!»
«Thank you for everything! See you!»
Finally, they smiled at each other again. She looked at her watch and realized she needed to hurry. She didn’t have much time to get to work on time. She left the restaurant and her gaze rushed somewhere up. The sun shone brightly in the sky that day. And now it seemed to her that the sun was shining especially brightly. So bright that the sun’s rays blinded her eyes. She stopped and froze, looking at the endless sky.
At that moment, she suddenly realized how much beauty was around her. This beauty was everywhere. Then she glanced at her watch again and knew she had to hurry. She quickly found her car in the parking lot near the restaurant. The silver Volkswagen was standing not far from the entrance to the restaurant and seemed to be waiting for its owner.
She got into the car, turned the ignition key, and pushed the gas pedal. The car quickly began to pick up speed, and then completely disappeared over the horizon.
A few minutes later she was already entering the Credit Suisse bank building. Today again there were no delays. She went to her workplace thinking about the date.
The date itself went pretty well. Peter, as always, was very sweet and accommodating. And his taste was just perfect. No wonder his restaurant enjoyed such fame throughout the city.
She was more concerned about what happened in the end. Why did she suddenly become so ill? Where did this sharp chest pain come from? And why did she suddenly start coughing so hard?
And those drops of blood on the table. Even now, she felt uneasy. What happened to her today at the restaurant? Until now, she had never had any health problems. Something is not right here. She just had to figure it all out. So far, Martha decided to call the home phone to make sure that everything was all right with the children. Mark picked up the phone and told her that he and Greta were already at home. He talked about how another day at school went and how they got home by bus. She told him that they should not sit down at the TV, but immediately start doing their homework. She also reminded him to feed his pet. In the end she told him that today she would come home a little later than usual.
«Okay, Mom,» he answered to all his mother’s instructions.
Martha looked at her watch. Her working day ended at exactly five o’clock in the evening. There were still fifteen minutes left before the end of the working day. Her physical condition gradually stabilized.
By the end of the day she felt much better than at the end of their meeting with Peter. However, that incident in the restaurant had greatly alarmed her.
Therefore, she decided that it would be better if she went to see her family doctor today. By and large, she never liked visits to doctors or hospitals. True, she had not particularly had to go to such places before. Her health had always been perfect. However, this time she firmly decided that she would go to see her family doctor at the end of the working day.
The work was completed for the day. Martha said goodbye to all the employees and proceeded to the exit of the bank building. When she walked outside, she noticed that the sun had already set, although it was not at all late in time, but in Zurich it got dark quite early in winter. The lanterns were already shining in full, and the night lights were burning all over the city. She got into the car, turned the ignition key and pressed the gas pedal. However, now she was not going along the usual route to the house. That day she was definite to visit the clinic first and only then go home. On the way, she kept thinking about her last meeting with Peter. She also reflected on her children and, of course, her own health. She was very disturbed by this strong cough and a sharp attack of chest pain. This has never happened to her before. Or maybe she was just winding herself up?
Everything was possible. An endless stream of thoughts was spinning in her head until she got to the clinic.
She entered the clinic and immediately went to the reception. The receptionist explained to her that it would not be so easy to see the family doctor that evening without a scheduled appointment. However, Martha insisted quite competently explaining her fears related to her health.
At the same time, she also added that she really needed to get an appointment with a family doctor. The receptionist nodded her head in understanding and promised to help her. She checked the schedule of all the family doctors who were present at the clinic at the moment.
Then she assured her that there was one family doctor whom she could see shortly.
«Dr. Helga has a patient right now. But when he leaves her office, you can immediately go in.»
«Thank you very much.»
«You’re welcome.»
About seven minutes had passed when Martha saw another patient coming out of the doctor’s office. She got up from her chair in a hurry and headed straight to the room.
She knocked softly on the door, then opened it and entered the office.
«Hello. What is your name?»
«Good evening. My name is Martha.»
«Very nice. Have a seat, Martha. My name is Helga Schmidt.»
«Very nice.»
«What can I do for you?»
«I feel good right now, but today at lunch I had an unpleasant incident.»
«Can you go into more detail?»
«During my lunch break, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. Then I started having a strong cough, after which I also noticed drops of blood on the table.»
«A sharp pain in the chest, a violent cough, drops of blood on the table,» Dr. Helga repeated her words.
«Yes, doctor. That’s exactly how it was.»
«Has this ever happened to you before?»
«No, it hasn’t happened until today.»
«Did you measure your blood pressure after that?»
«No, doctor. After my lunch break, I got back to work.»
«I see. Now I will measure your blood pressure now.»
«All right.»
