Ulrike was released from Dresden's orthopedic hospital two days earlier than expected and she cheerfully hobbled on her crutches to the bench near the entrance. She lit herself a cigarette and dialled Detlev's number on her mobile phone

"Hi Detlev. Honey, I'm out of that damn lazaret already! Will you come and pick me up?"

"So early?" Detlev didn’t sound very glad to hear the news. "I'm stuck at work at the moment. Can't you just call yourself a cab?"

"Will you come and see me this afternoon?" asked Uli poutingly. "You didn't visit me in the hospital at all..."

"I planned to come today, but you’re already out," interrupted Detlev, skillfully worming his way out.

"Then come at... let's say, six o'clock?" smiled Uli.

"I'm terribly sorry Uli, but... something’s come up, I have a very important dinner tonight with Mr Kurosawa from Tokyo Bank," lied Detlev. "I'm afraid I can't come over today."

"But you said you planned to..." Uli was on the verge of tears.

"I'm stuck at work Uli, can't you understand that?" Detlev began to rage.

"I had surgery three days ago, I'm in a full leg cast, and you don't even bother to come and see me?" Uli's sadness was turning into rage. "You didn't even ask me how I was, if my leg hurts or anything, you didn't ask me if I fucking needed anything, let alone an understanding shoulder to cry on!"

"Uli hon, think about others for a change, not just about yourself and your little childish problems. You have to understand I have to work really hard now, I'm expecting a promotion...I'll try and come around tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow..."

"You don't need to, my love," Uli replied, faking sweetness in her sexy alto voice. "I won't interrupt your great job opportunities."

"I'll visit you as soon as I can, I promise," Detlev said hastily.

"You don't need to," angrily began Uli. "You don't need to come anymore and you don't need to share your precious time with me. And Detlev..."

"Yes, hon?"

"Firstly, I'm not your 'Hon' any more, remember that," stressed Ulrike slowly. "And secondly, your penis is so desperately and pathetically tiny, but it's really big compared to your character. You're a real man, in the very worst meaning of the word!"

"You stupid selfish dyke!" yelled Detlev.

"Better dyke than pathetic asshole struggling to cope with premature ejaculation!" retorted Uli.

Uli wanted to smash her expensive phone against the pavement, but she reconsidered at the last moment and flung her crutches to the ground instead. She cursed loudly and strongly as she struck the back of the bench with her fist, and she didn’t even try to conceal her heavy tears.

Several people passed by, but although they all had to step over the discarded crutches, they all pretended to see nothing.

"Excuse me young lady, I assume these are yours, “ came a voice.

Uli rose her tearful eyes, which were by now red and surrounded by mascara stains. They met with eyes the colour of overtempered steel, which looked at her with sympathy and longing. A handsome, tall and broad-shouldered guy with short, almost shaven fair hair kneeled in front of her and held out her crutches as if they were a dozen red roses.

"Unfortunately, yes," smiled Uli, wiping away her tears frantically.

When her eyes were dry again she took a better look at the guy. He wore a grayish-blue working jumpsuit which was clean and - it seemed - even ironed recently, and shining Doc Marten boots. His strong hands were clean, but the little scars and irremovable tracks of machine oil around his nails showed a son of the working class... At least, Uli thought so.

Uli's perfectly manicured hands reached for a cigarette. "Do you have a light, handsome stranger? And please, don't kneel," she patted the empty spot on the bench next to her.

The shaven-headed guy sat down beside Uli and opened his Zippo lighter. "Thanks," smiled Uli and offered him her hand. "My name's Ulrike, by the way, and who are you?"

"I'm Gerhard, nice to meet you."

Gerhard lit up too and they sat in silence for few minutes. Uli had lowered her eyes, trying to assess her scrambled thoughts and feelings, but she had managed to catch a few glimpses of this strange guy. Interestingly, the guy was staring into the distance, but he took a few glances at Uli, especially at her casted leg. She pretended not to notice and started to wiggle her toes, and then she stretched her good leg and put the casted one over it. That was enough for Gerhard, and he ended the silence with an almost broken voice. "Um... Ulrike... If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your leg?"

"I broke it pretty badly about two years ago and I've just had some of the pins and screws removed," explained Uli.

"I broke my thigh bone three years ago," bashfully replied Gerhard. "In a traffic accident. I still have a titanium rod inside my femur."

"Funny, I still have one in my tibia," laughed Uli naughtily as she looked straight into Gerhard's eyes. " Is that why you came here?"

"Um, well no," he said with a shrug. "They called me to fix the washer in the hospital's laundry. I'm the household machines mechanic." He absently pointed to the huge plastic toolbox near the bench.

"Wow, that's interesting," nodded Uli, trying to sound sincere. "You meet lots of people, you travel around..."

"Mostly in and around Dresden though," smiled Gerhard. "But I like the job. My father started a small business ten years ago, after the fall of Communism, and I'll take it over when he retires, but now we work together."

"At least he's not a member of the lowest working class, he's a small independent businessman," Uli was convincing herself. A few hours before it seemed impossible for someone with her blue blood to be talking like this with someone of such humble origins. However, she wasn't sure yet if was worth starting something with him...

"He's handsome, not too stupid, polite, he's clean (her delicate nose had already noticed Versace on his skin) and he probably has enough money not to be a gold-digger, but..."

"And where do you work? Or you're a student maybe?" Gerhard interrupted Uli's tough decisions.

"I'm a chief executive of risk capital office in the stock investment and asset management department of Dresdner Bank Group." Uli was glad to see the confused look on his face. "In other words - I'm in banking."

"Wow, that's great," he said. "Unfortunately I have to go now, it's still a long working day for me... Well, I just thought - maybe you need a lift?"

Uli remembered how she yelled at Detlev and blushed a little, "That would be very nice of you, thanks."

She got up on her crutches and hobbled with Gerhard to the van parked at the corner of the street. Uli's deep blue eyes suddenly widened as she gazed at the white inscription on the dark blue van. 'Klaus von Delmensingen & Son, authorized dealer and repairer for...' followed by several company logos.

"Are you alright, Ulrike?" asked Gerhard with concern, and he moved his hand behind her back to support her if necessary, as she looked about to faint.

"Klaus von Delmensingen - is he your father?" blurted Uli.

"Yes, why?"

"...And you are Gerhard von Delmensingen?"

"Yeah that's me, is there something wrong? Do we know each other?" the young mechanic was by now completely confused.

"My God, you are noble!!!" Uli moaned with endless admiration.
(In German-speaking countries, the surname prefix "VON" - literally "of" - indicates a person of aristocratic origins, although this could be nothing more than a name left from an aristocratic past, as in Gerhard's case.)

"Yup, I think I really am," he laughed coyly. "One of my ancestors distinguished himself in battle at Pavia and earned us the nobility..."

"At Pavia!" Uli was excited. "Our great victory over France!"

"Good Lord, you’ve heard of Pavia?!" Gerhard gaped.

"Every German should!" stated Uli. "Battle at Pavia, 24th of February, 1525, third war in the battle for Italy. Amazing victory for brave German landsknechts, who even captured French king Francois the First."

(landsknechts - medieval German mercenary soldiers, infamous for their cruelty and recklessness)

Gerhard just gaped again: "Did they?"

The driver's cab was large enough for Uli's casted leg, but the passenger seat was quite high. The noble repairman hesitated for a second, then took Uli in his strong arms and lifted her into the cab. Uli's warm and soft hands suddenly embraced his neck and her pale blue sank into his gray ones with a smile.

"Thank you, my knight," she whispered as she gave him a quick peck on his shaven head. Gerhard blushed like a beetroot and quickly entered the cabin from the other side.

Only then did Uli's ability of speech return completely. "By the way, Gerd - do you mind if I call you Gerd? You can call me Uli - I am noble, too. I'm Polish szlachta - Ulrike Baranowska from Baranowiec near Tarnopol, with a ram's head on the shield, and our motto is: Steppenfire! My ancestors earned nobility with Bathory at Pskov, and my grandfather is a Knight's cross holder."

The ice was broken and they talked a lot about battles, knights, landsknechts and flying hussars, broken legs, washing machines and many other things. The ride to Ulrike's apartment in Dresden downtown was far too short and passed far too quickly, despite a few traffic jams and red lights. Gerd helped Uli out of the van, and then escorted her to her flat. Uli sat down in her easychair with a sigh of relief and her crutches crushed on the ground again.

"Thanks a lot, Gerd, you really helped me today," she smiled at the skinhead. "Would you like something to drink? There's a bar just behind your back."

"Sorry, I have a work to do," sighed Gerhard. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Uli answered immediately, "Yes you can. Please be the first to sign my new cast. The felt tip pens are on my desk in that room," she showed him the way, and then took a cigarette out of her purse.

When the guy returned, she lifted her casted leg on the armrest. Gerhard started to write the usual 'Get well soon, Ulrike' on her casted shin, but his hands were shaking with excitement. "That's all?" said Uli disappointedly. "What about a nicely pierced red heart?"

The skinhead blushed, and then he'd drawn a small heart under his autograph. "Do you have any special plans for tonight?" asked Uli innocently.

"Well I thought... Maybe I would go to some beer hall with a couple of friends... But I don’t really know..." He still held Uli's casted leg in his lap and stared at her great looking toes, still dotted with spots of the creamy white plaster she had applied that morning. Uli wiggled them again and managed to brush Gerhard's forearm with her big toe.

"What about a nice dinner with me?" Uli grinned sheepishly and quickly caressed his arm with her toes again.

"That would be nice," Gerhard nodded.

"Great," sighed Uli contentedly. "You can come and pick me up at nine."