November 16, 2023: Measuring my eyes for laser eye surgery and Julia, the tattooed educator

On November 16, 2023, I got up around 8 o'clock. Lina and Lara were gone. Vanessa had just cleared the bathroom for me when I came out of the room. I filled up my water bottle and then headed out. There were a lot of people at the bus stop, so I knew the bus must be coming soon. I took it.

Actually, I wanted to go to Kreipes Coffee Time today because I wanted to be near the eye laser center. I had an appointment today to have my eyes measured and determine if I was suitable for laser eye surgery. But I quickly changed my mind when I saw an interesting blonde with ornamental tattoos under her ear and on her forehead. She was standing at the door of the crowded bus talking to a friend. I sat in a seat and occasionally glanced over at her. The friend got off at the Kopernikusstraße stop, where I also planned to get off to catch the Line 6 to Kröpcke.

However, when I saw the young woman sit down and put her headphones in her ears, I decided to ride a few more stops, at most to Königsworther, where I planned to transfer to the train to Kröpcke.

When the next stop "Königsworther Platz" was announced, the woman next to me pressed the stop button. I also stood up and went to the door. I looked back and was somewhat disappointed to see the blonde still sitting in her seat, looking out the window.

But as the door opened, I glanced sideways and saw that she suddenly stood next to me. I got off and walked straight towards the train. The interesting woman turned left in the opposite direction.

But as I walked down the stairs to the train, it clicked. I turned back and saw her crossing the street at the traffic light. I followed her and was stopped by the red light. There were many cars on the road, so I couldn't cross quickly. The street she followed was straight, and I could see her getting smaller and smaller. She walked towards the sun, which dazzled me with its bright rays. Quickly, I pulled a Fishermen $\&$ Friends candy from my jacket pocket.

Finally, the traffic light turned green. I ran across the street, overtaking pedestrians and even a cyclist. I passed her for a bit so as not to startle her from behind, and turned to face her. She didn't stop immediately, so I took a step back. She noticed me.

"Hey," I said, slightly out of breath, "I just saw you on the bus, but I didn't dare to talk to you," I paused to catch my breath, "but then, when I got off, something clicked, and I wanted to find you."

»Oh, you walked all the way here?«

»Yes, I found your face tattoos very unique.«

»Oh, thank you. What's your name?«

»Alexander, and yours?«

»Julia«, she replied, and I shook her warm hand. We smiled at each other. She had a large birthmark right on her chin, which made her even more distinctive.

»I have to hurry, can we keep walking? Are you heading in this direction too?«

»No, not really. But I'm a regular at the library here«, I said, pointing to the high-rise building behind us. »Would you like to grab a coffee with me?«

»We can have a coffee, but I have school or training until 4 PM. Is it okay if I get in touch with you?«

»Sure, I'll leave you my number and you can decide.«

»Great.« She took out her phone and entered my name as a contact.

»I didn't catch your name ...«, she interrupted me, saying »Julia«.

»Ah, Julia. Easy to remember. I won't forget that name.«

»What's your number?«, she asked, typing in the digits.

»0152… wait, let me quickly go through it in Russian«, I said as she entered the area code.

I remembered my number again and dictated it to her.

»I'll give you a call, then you'll have my number directly«

»Great. I probably have my phone off.« I said, thinking about my phone in my backpack that I didn't pull out.

»No worries, you'll get my number anyway.«

I grinned.

»What kind of training are you doing?«, I asked her.

»I'm studying to be an educator«, she explained.

»Oh, cool«, I replied, thinking to myself, »Then you can take care of our kids«, without actually saying it.

»It was nice to meet you, Julia«, I said, shaking her hand once more.

»Yeah, something like this rarely happens to me. It was nice to meet you too«, she smiled, giving me her warm hand.

We walked a few more steps without taking our eyes off each other.

»And enjoy the sun!«, she called after me.

I looked at the morning sun rising behind her and said,

»Absolutely, soaking up some Vitamin D!« I grinned. »Take care, Julia!«.

We waved goodbye to each other.

I was pleased with my courage and walked in the opposite direction towards the train station. At Kröpcke, I looked for the laser center to avoid stress later if it happened to be hidden and I couldn't find it.

Afterward, I took the train back to the library, sat in the third floor with the lawyers, wrote about my encounter with Julia in my diary, and then went back out to HanoMacke to have a coffee and enjoy the sun.

Maxi was standing outside HanoMacke with her friend. Goodness, Maxi looked sexy in her short green dress and dark stockings. "Hey Maxi," I called out as I passed by.

"Hey," she called back.

Today, they were out of oat milk, so unfortunately, I had to take regular milk. Maybe it was for the best, because as I drank the coffee outside, I noticed it didn't taste as good with regular milk as it does with oat milk.

I stood in a small square bathed in sunlight. Next to me was the student with the hood and headphones in her ears who stood in front of me in line to get a cappuccino.

As I glanced briefly at the ground, I spotted something glittering. I approached closer and found a golden ring. "One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them forever," I thought.

I examined it closely. It was adorned with small diamonds and likely belonged to a woman. I tried it on, but unfortunately, it didn't fit me. I held out my hand with the ring towards the student. She noticed my hand and took out one of her headphones.

"Is this yours? I found it on the ground here," I explained.

She looked at the ring.

"No, but you can turn it in at HanoMacke. Maybe someone is looking for it," she suggested.

So, after finishing my coffee, that's what I did. When I returned to the library, I was amazed at how communicative, confident, and open I had become, except when being rejected by a pretty woman. That's my ideal self when I am completely satisfied with my life. That's how I should be in my normal state. And I believe I will achieve this state.

At 1 PM, I had another coffee. At 1:45 PM, I had my eye laser consultation. I filled out a questionnaire. Then my eyes were measured. I not only had nearsightedness but also a slight astigmatism.

The consultant recommended the Relex Smile laser method. I agreed. It will cost 5050 euros. There will be a preliminary examination in December. Then a week later is the laser appointment. The next day and a week later, there will be a follow-up examination.

When I got home, Vanessa was standing at the door. She wanted to go to the furniture store to pick out a sofa for her new apartment. Lina arrived right after me. I checked my phone.

Anna had contacted me. She said Thursday would work for her. In the kitchen, I asked Lina if she could recommend a place for our first date. She suggested a bar, Lindwurm.

In the afternoon, there was a flatmate casting: Thomas came, starting an apprenticeship as a psychotherapist, and then an online casting with Dorte, who currently lives in Sweden and will start as an environmental consultant here in Hanover. With Thomas, who plays computer games, I talked about my past as a gamer. With Dorte, who is committed to the environment, I emphasized my relationship with Jule, from whom I learned a lot about sustainability.

After the flatmate casting, I drove back to Borsum, Julien picked me up. Mom and Julien then drove to Julien's place because it's easier from there to go to Berlin tomorrow. Mom wants to renew her Russian passport. I had a few toasts and two spring rolls.

I couldn't fall asleep, probably because I had two cups of coffee. I either have to cut out caffeine altogether or drink it every day to get my body used to it. Skipping a day and then drinking the next probably led to my insomnia.