A Missed Encounter
How we arrived in Salzburg
There she sat in the crowded Central Station of Vienna, awaiting her meal. I walked by and chose the same Vietnamese place.
“Fried rice mit chicken, bitte.”
I walked up to her table.
”Is this spot free?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
I sat down facing her. Being tired and hangry from this trip, I didn’t open up a conversation. My eyes fell on her stylish tattoo and I considered complimenting her on it. I didn’t. Being hungry always makes me feel asocial and turned inward.
Ding ding
She went to the counter to grab her food.
Looking at the screen with orders, I saw it wouldn’t take much time for mine to be ready.
Ding ding
“Number 56,” says the Vietnamese lady at the counter.
“Ja, that’s mine. Danke.” I grabbed my meal and sat down facing her again.
Being excited by the steamy fried rice, I exclaimed “Bon appetit!”
“Are you from here?” I asked, my bad mood being evaporated by the food in front of me.
As she told me, I dug into my meal. We continued to chat.
“What is your instagram?” She asked.
“Here, I’ll put it in.”
“Good, nice to meet you! Viel Spaß noch beim Reisen!”
“Danke. Tschüß!”
Wondering if and how we would meet again, I watched her walk off.
In a state of excited fatigue, I packed my food, forgot to take it with me and rolled a cigarette to smoke outside. There’s plenty of time, I thought, lighting my cigarette and seeing that I had five minutes left for the train to depart. Not knowing what platform to take, I took three drags and went inside.
Looking around on the platform, I didn’t see her. She most likely took a different train, it seemed. I stepped on board.
My sleepless two weeks through Germany and Austria were soon to be over. My initial plan was to stay in another town for one more day. I had considered booking a night in Salzburg, but my extended stay in Vienna was enough, I told myself. Glad to finally sit in a still place, I laid down my phone as I dozed off.
My capacity to comprehend and produce German plummets when I’m tired. So I wasn’t sure if I remembered correctly if she said she’d get off at Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, a station I passed on the way to München.
I pressed Send Message on her profile and texted her.
Have I understood correctly that you return to Salzburg today
or was that my lack of sleep?
Hahaha
yes you heard correctly!
Smiling to myself, it looked like we might see each other again sooner than later. The thought that she might be in the same train left my mind as soon as it entered. Looking at the clock on my phone, and then at the changing scenery to my left, I felt like I had more than enough time to respond. I closed my eyes and dozed off again.
As I googled Salzburg, looking at pictures of the town, as well as spots on google maps, I became aware of the time pressing.
Then let’s have a drink there, I arrive at 5 o’clock at the Central Station.
Unfortunately today is already fully planned out for me.
Can you not call it off? I’m gone in no time.
Why not, let’s do it.
Unfortunately it really is not possible to cancel.
Aaah, that’s fine.
What a boring ending! It looked like she was sincere though. No Salzburg for me this trip. Perhaps another time. I wondered what time she would’ve arrived in Salzburg, it didn’t matter now anyway I thought. I dozed off.
When I woke up, I realized the odds of her not being on the same train were miniscule.
That meant I couldn’t allow it to end like it seemed it did. I had to give it my own proper twist, so I decided to write her a poem. Whether she was on this same train was irrelevant. In the case that she wasn’t I would just send her a photo of it. Either way, I couldn’t ask her before I finished writing.
Ten minutes before we arrived in Salzburg I grabbed my pen and notebook. The idea of a poem inspired me enough to get it going. An English poem would not have taken so much time, but she’s Austrian and I was here for German.
I was convinced I’d make it, though I knew every minute was precious now. I struggled especially with what case to use in the second line (because accusative makes sense for the verb begegnen but can’t be right and dative makes no sense but is correct I thought I remembered). Then, writing down the poem without a final sentence, the situation called to mind the lyrics of one of my favorite rap songs by Ansu:
Träum' von 'nem Leben woanders
Kopf in den Wolken, schon immer verpeilt (Yeah)
Ich hab’ ‘n anderes Tempo
Ich hab’ mich noch nie beeilt (Noch nie)
…
Am besten irgendwohin, wo die Leute nicht stressen (Aha)
Irgendwohin, wo wir alles vergessen (Aha)
Irgendwo, wo wir nur uns beide hätten
Irgendwo in another life. Close, but it needs to rhyme with sie. I had no time. Everything but the final sentence was on the paper. I figured a half rhyme would do.
Two minutes before we arrived, I finished it.
Zu gut um wahr zu sein
Ein mädel aus Salzburg begegnet ihm
Und er dachte, es wäre schön
Wenn ich heute Abend mit ihr verbringe
Natürlich könnte es nicht gelingen
Tut mir leid, sagt sie
Er fährt weiter, und denkt
Wir sehen uns noch irgendwie
Too good to be true
A girl from Salzburg meets him
And he thinks, it would be pleasant
If I could spend this evening with her
Of course it did not work out
I am sorry, she says
He drives on, and thinks
We will see each other anyhow
The train slowed down and the driver announced that we are about to arrive in Salzburg.
Exhausted and feeling like I squeezed all the German I had left out of me, I switched to English for efficiency’s sake.
I was in train compartment 22. As I stood up, I saw people lining up to get ready to step off the train. I left my stuff behind. With the envelope in my hand, I hurried towards her. I forced myself through the crowds.
Entschuldiging!
Entschuldige mich…
I walked through compartment after compartment.
Entschuldiging!
“Das ist nicht die richtige Zeit dafür!” An annoyed Austrian says.
“Ich weiß.”
I walk and walk. When I’m at 26 the door to the next compartment is closed. After waiting far too long for everyone in front of me to get out, I step outside and see the crowds but not her.
I looked to my right. Hold up, there is no carriage after this one. It’s the final compartment, that’s why I couldn’t go through that door. Fuck, she’s all the way on the other side. I walked in the wrong direction.
I step back on the train and head back to the compartment I was at. As I walk back half-defeated, I look through the windows to see if she’s still there. Seeing everyone but her, I have no one but her on my mind. Between compartments, I exit the door to check. Then, out of a sense of futility, I sent her a picture of the envelope with her name on it.
To add insult to injury, assuming she won’t come back since she was in a rush to get her bus, I sent the poem.
My train was at a stand-still as if in a limbo. We texted back and forth.
Of course her bus was late! Sitting in my compartment, it seemed like now everything would finally work out. Looking over my shoulder on the screen, I checked how much time the train had left before leaving.
Standing up and exiting the train, there was no one on the platform but the train conductor and me. His Austrian frown left me unmoved. I looked to the stairs of the platform and knew she’d walk up any second now for me to hand her the letter. Then, the worst case scenario occurred.
The beeping door and disdainful look of the conductor forced me to jump back into the train. As I walk back to my compartment, I look through the windows. No one passes by.
Then, I get a text.
She came back. Imprisoned in my compartment, I looked to my right and saw her walk up to me. She looked cute as she stomped her feet on the ground in frustrated dissapointment.
The train slowly started moving and I was gone.
As the train accelerated I saw the old buildings of this town I would have visited.
Having nothing left to say and too jarred to doze off, the scenes of everything that did, and did not happen kept replaying themselves in my head.
I still have the poem with me.