Der Tag 4

                The evening before der Tag, I called Mirjam to make final arrangements. I looked up the the number of their hotel, and I knew her room number from an email. My phone is a little older than most. First comes the dial tone; BONNNNNNNNNNNNNG… And then I dial the first number: Whrrrrr…CLICK, and then six more times. Finally the ringtone. Then there’s a soft clicking and a voice came on. The call went something like this:
                Me, “Hello?”
                “Hallo, Jimmy?”
                “Yes, it’s me, is this Mirjam?”
                “Ja… Yes, it’s me.” (Her English was rather slow, but still well spoken, and though she was quiet, I assumed that came from her accent)
                “Good evening Mirjam.” (Fighting tears, amazingly) “It is nice to hear your voice, my dear. But I am sorry, I had forgotten your accent, I suppose it’s the year we’ve been apart.”

                “Yes, it is… You wanted to make our plans? My family wanted to see the wharves and maybe the cable cars.”

                “Okay Miri, ummm….. Does your family have an idea of where they want to meet?”

                “Yes, they say Pier 39”

                Warning bells sounded in my head; Pier 39 is one of the busiest tourist traps in the entire City, and it is ALWAYS filled with tourists. Therefore:
                “Miri we can’t meet there, too many people. How about pier 41?” (Forgetting that pier 41 is not really a pier in itself; I wanted pier 45)

                “There are SOOO many piers Jimmy… Forty-one, forty-three-and-a-half, forty-five? Soooo many...”
                “So how about Pier 41?”
                “I’ll ask my parents.” (Then I heard a lot of German; I think) “Yes we can meet at pier 41”

                “OH WAIT! I meant pier 45! Next to the submarine!”

                “Ohhh, okei.”

                “The submarine is called the Pompanito, but I can’t spell that so don’t ask.”

                “Okei Jimmy.” (She giggled)

                “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” (I smiled)

                “Yes, and we will eat ice cream.”

                “I know… there is so much to do, Ghirardelli, the cable cars, the trams, the pier,, and especially the ice cream” (Thoroughly pleased)

                “I must go to sleep Jimmy”

                “Goodnight Mirjam”

Which I said as if I could sleep.