2015 - Nizza Horror - End of an old friendship
Franz Rincke (name changed by editor) - 25 years too late!
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Almost all of us will have experienced this before: An old boyfriend or girlfriend enters into a new partnership, and you quickly discover that the new partner is so unbearable that you wonder what extreme delusion may be at work here. But love matters are not subject to rational thinking. One gives oneself then (alternative 1) possibly still some trouble with this new person, which does not help however anything, and finally it amounts to the fact that one as polite humans simply avoids the contact to both. If one is less polite and more concerned about the welfare of the old friend, one can also (alternative 2) point out the apparent shortcomings of the new partner - of course, only at the risk of destroying the friendship. Let's see how this turned out in my case in Nice.
Nice, always a super city, for me the most Mediterranean of all! In addition, you feel like you are in Italy, so much better than in France! Best food, an unsurpassable selection of mainly raw seafood in the Café de Turin at the Plaza Garibaldi, relaxed strolling through the streets, over the markets or along the beach promenade, nightlife, young people in the best mood in the streets, live music in various places, a city to feel good all around for me and my friend Paloma. And also a few acquaintances or old friends of mine are resident there. But - as I said - be careful - especially with old acquaintances you haven't seen for a long time or to whom you were always too polite!
This kind of problem had already crept into our lives on the way there, namely during our Nice stop at a certain Jaques Mondeau, guitarist, very interested in guitars, Duesenberg buyer and dealer of the first hour and meanwhile himself tinkering guitars with aluminum bodies. Unfortunately, however, now heavy midlife crisis or age psychosis. We arrived there in any case, the apartment even more untidy than in the previous year, I immediately on the road for the purpose of stress-free telephone calls with my daughter Jule, and he meanwhile - as I was told later - Paloma offered, she could also lie down in his bed, if it was too cold for her. Immediately into the nearby Turin Cafe, where also my daughter joined us, who was just in Monaco for the purpose of research for her next book. Jaques both girls constantly unpleasant fixed, Jule often groped in the face. Later in a Lifemusik store, he then shifted to brush sideways past Paloma and touch her breasts with his upper arm. Didn't catch that in such intensity, but the evening was not pleasant at all. After a completely unnecessarily long zigzag home, we immediately moved to the guest bed and quietly left this blackened domicile the next morning.
And then on the way back: Franz Rincke, old school friend of mine. We sat next to each other in the last two years of high school, Franz was the most intelligent of our class and was always kind enough to let me copy - both in homework and classwork. And we hitchhiked several times together from Hanover to Corsica, always as far as Nice and then by ship to this most beautiful of all islands. Nevertheless, a somehow always strange guy, Franz. It would be really interesting to know if Franz is homosexual at the bottom of his being, but never managed to admit it to himself, let alone come out - "jump out of the closet" as they say in Spanish. If so, that might explain some things better.
So I was invited to his heterosexual wedding in 1989. Franz lived at that time in Kempten, worked as a copywriter and had unhappily met by advertisement that Polish Hanka, who already had a small son. She probably skillfully held Franz's ass in his face, and so there was soon a wedding. For me and others, this was the transformation of Franz Rincke: a music-obsessed guitarist in his school days, plus a rather critical leftist, who now took more and more commercial paths. And the impetus for this could simply have been this woman. This woman, this wedding, everything was like being on another planet. Her Polish family had, of course, come completely, and they had ordered a carriage with white horses. Unimaginable, especially at that time: Franz Rincke, getting married, in a carriage with white horses! If I remember correctly, Franz's father then gave a speech in which he expressed at least something like astonishment about the sudden connection "with this blond Polish girl. In any case, it was an extremely embarrassing celebration and I was glad to be able to quickly leave this company the next morning.
From then on I met Franz only a few times again, practically only when he was in Hannover for something. Always nice meetings incl. going out for lunch. From Kempten he moved with his new family and his new son to the German-Danish border and started a mail-order business with Bach flowers - all controlled by his money- and view-hungry Polish wife. On their initiative it went then for some time to England, and the two founded a European-wide physician switching by Internet: http://www.germanmedicine.net/de Thus they drove in so good commissions that they could afford it in the long run to move into the Mediterranean Nice and from there to remain further switching-technically active. Well, I just wanted to see Franz again, and because Nice was on my itinerary, I called him for a meeting. We made an appointment for the second Nice evening - first at their home.
To get there was already a kind of bad prelude. Our hotel was near the harbor in the south of Nice, the two lived rather in the north. Our TomTom gave unclear instructions, we got into a never ending tunnel and after all kinds of kilometers we found ourselves quite outside the city. Finally we arrived about half an hour later than arranged, at that so-called residence among other residences - 10 stories high, huge, ugly monsters with a view over the whole of Nice and the airport.
Actually, I had sworn to myself that if someone invites me to his home and asks me there to take off my shoes, to say goodbye again immediately. If someone shows this manners, it is a first-class knockout criterion for me. Just like chewing gum in public places or walking around with short pants in the city center. Please have nothing to do with such people! In addition, there are of course even less serious criteria such as gel in the hair, tanning salon tan, intensive Coca Cola drinking and stupid bigotry such as eating no fish in principle.
But first alternative Numero 1 - make an effort! So, in view of my age-old friendship with Franz, we let this Hanka pull the plastic caps over our shoes. Hanka is now doing yoga and needs a clinically completely clean floor, and that in the whole apartment. Hanka - not seen for 25 years - was at least an attractive Polish roast, blond, good figure, although even then these somewhat empty, shark-like eyes. Now, however, the typical eco-ruin: overlong, shaggy mane, an extreme fat belly concealed by a lush flutter dress and guaranteed to come from Polish food, plenty of jewelry hangings, and just still those eyes. In addition, the facial skin was very taut, so taut that the question could be asked as to what percentage of plastic surgeons have been among the doctors referred to us so far.
With the glass of water handed to us, the two of them quickly and enthusiastically told us a completely different story, namely that they had recently spent two months in the jungle of Peru and had consumed an extremely bitter drug drink under the guidance of local shamans, Ayahuaska. Immediately vomiting and then violent hallucinations. And Franz could suddenly explain the entire world, until the spell was over at some point and again nothing could be clarified. Höhö, older people suddenly on drugs, a completely new life! And that even with or under obscure shamans! In order to put that into perspective, I interjected that we, Paloma and I, had already taken a lot of LSD trips as teenagers, and that such things were by no means strange or absurd to us. Hanka, however, had to consider that the things she had seen were not things from this world, but could only have come from another universe. Of course! Otherwise, she would have booked a refrigerator and daily room cleaning for this trip and accommodation and would not have known that monkeys would invade at night and steal the food. 2 months Peru, but heard nothing of ceviche, this typical delicious marinated fish. No, one lived with groups of Americans and ate in American inns, just delicious, super food! Anyway, I wonder how such a thing can be.
We were then allowed to look at a part of the apartment including all-round balcony, but without yoga and other interiors, and then it should already go to Villefranche, which is located even further south of Nice. So we just had to take the already elaborate way back a little shorter, plus the plan to leave our car at the port and continue to four in their vehicle. When we had to stop down at the beach promenade at a red light, I jumped fast out of the car and called Franz that we should drive nevertheless better with 2 cars further, no circumstance because of us! Of course, I just wanted to be prepared for any further embarrassment or éclat, always keeping open the possibility of being able to slip away independently!
The restaurant was right on the water in the bay of Villefranche, very nice. Hanka knew to report that here many guests came directly from the yachts, some would also be picked up by the waiters with small boats, and then elegant women with long evening dresses would go ashore for an exclusive dinner. There we have Hanka dream for the near future! The menu then bared the typical upscale international cuisine, that boring stuff you get in any better hotel, tiny fish fillets, lightly floured in the pan fried, plus vegetable tempura. A rather pathetic amuse-gueule with tapenade was brought to the table with the mineral water. I ordered a portion of mussels in front, € 19, -, all of course overpriced, because rich and nouveau riche guests who either do not know for what lapalien they put there mighty money on the table or who simply do not care, because money in excess and anyway no taste in the palate. But you also want to be seen among the other rich!
To the meal one should order a wine, which tastes and which is adequate. Franz, neither knowing much about wine nor drinking much, had generously ordered a 2006 Bordeaux. I don't think it was available for less than €100, if not more. In general, Franz is not a stingy person, on the contrary, otherwise he would not be with this Polish woman. But Franz has only few eggs. There comes such a contribution from her: "Actually, we are together these 25 years only because I leave him all the time and then come back sometime." Franz on it: "Yes and I, actually only because I have not found a better one." Maybe he, with his great intelligence, is so above everything that he can immediately forgive everything that the other stupid people are doing. One does not know. There are also surveys about "practical intelligence". In any case, it seems to me that Franz is not blessed with it.
Back to the wine: Not that now the small, already on the table standing typically French wine glasses for the meal were exchanged for Bordeaux-adequate crystal. I was close to asking if they couldn't get slightly smaller glasses. Then came the mussels, and it turned out that Hanka - despite living in Nice for nearly a decade - had never even tasted a mussel, let alone other seafood. She then went on to extol the excellence of Polish food, "and if anything, it would taste even better back home at most!"
After dinner, we took a long walk along the shore. Now the subject came to the two wayward sons. They had sent one of them to Cambridge to study, the other one not to Nice to go to university, it had to be Monaco! Right in the middle of the super-rich with their yachts and all their money. Hanka in her nouveau riche delusion now again proudly, with which rich and from prominent families coming friends her offspring were on the way. And then at the same time get excited about the fact that these super-rich sons get 40,000 euros monthly allowance, just for drinking champagne! Such a thing spoils naturally - both the sons and the parents, in particular if one may be financially not badly placed, nevertheless, in the long run only a tiny fraction of what the really rich have at the disposal! Thus, the offspring, who, by the way, also took bodybuilding and surfing courses and were very proud of their strong upper arms, would ultimately have catapulted themselves into a great dissatisfaction. Franz had expected the older one to join the company. The curt response had been, "Me? Work for your little shit company?" Hanka had then gone all out and demanded that the younger one kiss her hand for everything she had done for him. The boy would only have laughed. But that's no wonder with such an upbringing! When we arrived at the Villefranche Bay on the far left, the idea went through my head to suggest to Franz - instead of making our way back to the cars right now - that it would be quite easy to take his wife around the corner now and right here, the two of us simply grabbing her and drowning her in the sea.
The next afternoon there was already the email, one plans a return visit in Madrid, "for the purpose of workshop inspection"- thus not only friendly, but even purposeful! I immediately thought of alternative number 2: To be rude. To point out the apparent shortcomings of the partner to the friend, even if this comes now 25 years too late!
So email back: in short words, that I have always been for clear conditions and that we should actually have left immediately instead of "taking off our shoes". That, on the other hand, meeting people who see the world with such different eyes almost has a fascinating aspect again, but that in the end I absolutely advise him to immediately shoot his bride to the wind, because unbearable, completely narrow-minded, nouveau riche and in addition - the dangerous side - dishonest, calculating and unscrupulous. And that together with her, unfortunately, he will always remain without friends, because it is tantamount to bodily harm to expect people to spend an evening with this person. However, I could imagine seeing him in Madrid, but only him alone! Well, old friendship completely broken with it... And who is to blame as always? The women!
Nice: only with my daughter! Not with these three!
