I was about 22 when I arrived in this big city, which was to become the place of my sexual awakening. I came from the countryside, where I had started out with big dreams and little idea of life. My experiences with the "opposite sex" were limited to adolescent encounters in the village disco, where there was usually so much testosterone in the air that I usually came off worse when it came to impressing a woman.
I came to the city, in all honesty, because of the women, but above all I wanted to become a journalist. A desire that was simply impossible to realize in the middle of nowhere, because there were only local newspapers and I would be stuck there if I ever started working somewhere like that.
So one day -- a rainy Tuesday in April -- I arrived in the city by bus. The interview had taken place over the phone because of the distance, and I had sent my work samples -- most of the stuff I had written at school -- by snail mail. It was 1993, and the internet was still waiting to be introduced to a wider public.
On the phone, I mostly dealt with Kate, the assistant to Karen, the editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine where I was now going to work. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I saw myself more as an investigative reporter at one of the city's major daily newspapers. But I couldn't be picky. I was lucky to get such a job at all, without a college degree. First as an intern, then as a trainee.
Kate picked me up at the bus station. It turned out that she wasn't Karen's assistant at all, but a young, tough reporter who occasionally did Karen, the editor-in-chief, a favor. Kate was pretty, but not in that obvious way. She made no attempt to show off her charms, but dressed in a deliberately casual and sporty way. Maybe that's what caught my eye when I first saw her. Those charms that only started to work at second glance.
She was wearing Adidas sports shoes without socks, which made her graceful ankles look particularly attractive. Her tanned, athletic legs drew the eye directly to the jeans hot pants. She wore her T-shirt rather casually, which only hinted at her attractive curves when she moved or bent in a certain direction.
"Are you coming with me or are you going to stay here?" I heard her voice, which sounded sweet on the one hand but was firm on the other.
"Yes, sure," I said, trying to cover my embarrassment with a smile.
We got into her car. It was obviously not her car, but the company's. The name and logo of the magazine I would now be working for were emblazoned on all sides. The car was small and cramped, we were dangerously close to each other, while Kate steered the car through the seemingly endless city traffic and I excitedly shifted around in the passenger seat.
After what seemed like an endless drive, which in reality probably lasted no more than 25 or 30 minutes, we arrived in the middle of the city and turned into one of the countless underground car parks that existed under the glass towers in the city center. As we descended several floors below ground, I once again noticed how routinely she did everything, how naturally Kate moved around in this city, how she was practically a part of it. At least somehow.
The city was a Moloch. It was noisy and smelly everywhere. The buildings in the city, especially in the center, were functional and looked quite impressive to a country bumpkin like me. But there was no real beauty here.
"First time in the city?" Kate asked as we made our way to the elevator that would take us directly to the 45th floor, the heart of the magazine I would be working for in the future.
"Yes," I replied in a rather curt manner. Suddenly I felt very small and awkward, like someone who had come from the backwoods and had no idea about life out here in the big city jungle. And that was the case.
Kate didn't ask any more questions, probably realizing that her question made feel uncomfortable. And I was doubly uncomfortable because I realized that I had a crush on Kate. The short ride from the bus station to here had apparently been enough for me to suddenly fall madly in love with her.
The office was different from what I had imagined. Somehow I had expected a noisy open-plan office where things were hectic, but here it was absolutely quiet. Heavy carpets on the office floor absorbed all sound. But nobody was running hectically from one desk to another either. This office could have been that of an insurance company. Or an investment firm.
Kate, who was walking ahead, turned briefly to me and gave me an encouraging look, accompanied by a really sweet smile. I smiled back uncertainly, while I admired for the first time her elegant, almost cat-like flowing movements, which contrasted with her usual appearance.
Finally, we reached an office with a large glass front through which you could see everything that was going on inside.
Inside, I could see a woman of about 50 and a man around the same age. The hierarchy was immediately clear from looking at the two of them: the woman, self-confident, attentive, focused, was in charge. She was the boss.
"That's Karen, isn't it?" I said to Kate.
She smiled and nodded. "And the other guy is Jack," she explained. "He's the gossip editor. Unpleasant guy. He hits on every woman under 25. I've had the pleasure myself," Kate said with an ironic smile on her lips.
"But with her," I said, pointing my chin at Kate, "he seems to be trying to butter her up."
Inside, you could see how Jack was now fawning over Karen to try to win her favor. Without the context, you could have thought it was a strange mating ritual, I thought, and the next moment I involuntarily wondered what sex with the editor-in-chief of our magazine would be like.
As if I had allowed an indecent thought to take hold, I immediately shook off the idea. I was 22, she was maybe 55. That was more than 33 years difference in age. Thinking about sex with her was not indecent, it was just perverse.
Nevertheless, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her figure, which was quite impressive for her age, somehow attracted me. Unlike Kate, no doubt. But there was something fascinating, even magical, about her.
It was quite absurd, I thought, and I brushed the thought aside.
A grumbling Jack stormed out of the office and pulled me out of my thoughts. I saw Karen gather herself, shake her head and then grin.
"I think Karen is ready to meet you now," said Kate, already heading towards Karen's office. I followed her uncertainly.