At some point, our seminar group was given the task of organizing an evening at the student club. Jürgen, our group spokesperson, suggested the theme ‘Jazz and Poetry.’
Everyone agreed, and the tasks were distributed. I was responsible for the musical part. When I stowed the record player, the vinyl records, and my guitar in the Trabant after the successful evening, a few students also wanted to go home with me. Of course I had nothing against it.
After two of them got out, the remaining student took a seat next to me in the passenger seat. I didn’t know the girl but had seen her from time to time in the cafeteria. She was not overly pretty, but possessed an impeccable figure, and her slight, swinging gait provoked all the male students to look behind her.
Just as striking as her gait was the shiny gold engagement ring on her hand. During the ride, Uta told me that after successfully completing high school, she had decided to study Russian and history to become a teacher. Now she belonged to seminar group 12/63, a purely high school graduates’ seminar.
We had arrived. Uta thanked me with a friendly smile and got out. From the other end of town, I drove back to my student digs. I had almost forgotten about the club evening and the encounter with Uta when, a week later, she suddenly sat next to me in a joint history lecture as if by chance.
It came as it had to come. After the lecture, I drove her home again. This time Uta took me into her room, drew the window curtains and began to undress without shame. I stood there transfixed. I had never experienced anything like this before.
Uta gave herself with a passion that bordered on self-sacrifice. I stayed the rest of the day and the whole night. The next morning we drove to class together. That night we became addicted to each other, lost sight of reality, and took every opportunity for nocturnal hours together.
Our enthusiastic liaison had no future, we were aware of that. At the end of our studies, we would each have to go our predetermined way, and space and time would separate us forever. Of course, our love affair did not remain hidden from the environment.
My wife, in particular, will have noticed her husband’s changed behavior very well. But she did not confront me, and I lulled myself into a sense of security. Although I felt remorse, especially because of the children, I did not have the strength to end the relationship with Uta.
The preparations for the practical exams in the seventh semester were finished. Lothar, the former Navy sailor, Jürgen, our seminar speaker, and I were delegated together to a polytechnic high school in a nearby district town. There I taught German and history to a mixed 11th grade class for several weeks.
My mentor was an experienced pedagogue. She guided me critically but prudently and trustingly until I successfully passed the state examination. The most important and most difficult part of my studies was behind me.
During the internship I had no contact with Uta for several weeks and hoped for a cooled down relationship. The opposite was the case, we simply could not let go of each other. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
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