Tidal Shift by Dora Heldt

Author:Dora Heldt [Heldt, Dora]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Published: 2013-05-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

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The next morning, Inge went for a stroll along Normannenweg, looking at the rhododendrons blooming in the front yards. There were flowers in every color of the rainbow and on every corner. They were one of the things Inge had always missed in Dortmund. In recent years, she had planted them in her own yard, and there was now a proper bush of them down one side, but she was the only one on the street to have done so. On Sylt, they bloomed in front of practically every house, along with the small Sylt roses, the blue-and-white lilacs, and the vibrant hollyhocks. Inge sighed. She would never be able to export the Sylt flowers to her yard in Dortmund, especially since Walter was so keen on mowing the lawn.

“Inge, it really helps me to think—but only when I go in straight lines. Mowing in curves around the flowerbeds, that’s not my thing.”

She had ignored him at first, putting in small round flowerbeds. But Walter had mown right-angled edges into them, so later she had restricted herself to the front yard and the herbaceous border by the house. She always felt sorry for the flowers when she saw their mown-off blooms. Only grass and shrubs grew in their backyard now.

And now Inge was longing for one of these Sylt gardens again. She looked up and realized she had already reached the Ulenhof Hotel. She looked at the clock. It was a quarter to eleven, and she was due to meet Renate in fifteen minutes’ time. There was always a chance she might be ready early. At the desk, she was greeted by the friendly receptionist.

“Good morning, you must be here to pick up Frau von Graf. Shall I call her for you?”

“No, no.” Inge was impressed that the young woman had recognized her. “I’m early. I’ll just sit down in the garden if I may.”

“Of course. Would you like a cup of coffee perhaps?”

“I’d love one, thank you.”

Inge went out to sit down at a table that was already in the sun. She had decided to spend more time with Renate. They had gotten along so well at the spa, and Renate had come out here especially to support her. Even though it wasn’t really necessary. It was a caring gesture, and one that Inge couldn’t ignore. So she had reached for the telephone this morning and called her at the hotel.

“Hello, Renate. What are your plans for today?”

Renate’s voice had sounded a little peeved. “Why?”

Inge hadn’t heard her being curt like this before.

“I thought we could maybe go for a walk along the beach, Wenningstedt to Westerland. That lasts a good hour. And after that we could go for a bite to eat, have a bit of a stroll, and then come back. What do you think?”

“How come you suddenly have time for me?”

She didn’t sound peeved anymore, just hurt.

“I’m sorry, Renate, everything’s just been a bit hectic. So, what do you say?”

“Didn’t you have plans to go on a little trip to the mainland?”

Inge hesitated.

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