(Teil 1 ist hier.)


N: Nah, most things are almost through. We closed accounts last Friday, So now it's only cleaning up the mess sort of, the remains. Get rid of the errors and things that don’t quite match and I like that because I like to look into things that went wrong, things that go right are boring, I’m interestedin mistakes and in how to find out to make it better.


H: I would be interested in doing that as well, but I just don’t make mistakes.


N: Well, yeah, it's not that I find my own mistakes, I find other people’s mistakes. Maybe there is also someone who checks on me but they havent been in touch yet. I can look into your work for mistakes if you like!


H: That’s a cute idea but I’m almost through with everything, I had a tiny meeting today and I have a last one on Thursday that is really only drinking coffee. And I need to hand in one more document which I am writing right now and it has to be handed in tomorrow by 12, and then I’m officially on vacation.


N: Oh I had a very funny phone call this morning! I needed information from someone, external, not internal, an institution, sort of. So I called the person and the assistant answered and I said I want to speak to this person please. And the assistant said “She is not available for you”. So I thought oh, this is great, she is not unavailable, which would be a problem, she is just not available for me, which is a situation that can be much more easily resolved than if she was on vacation or dead or something, so this is really good news! So I asked “Who is she available for?” and the assistant was so taken aback taht there was no clear answer. So I asked if she was available for my boss and the assistant said yes, of course. So I said well, I’m speaking with his voice and his authority, so put me through already! And she did. It was hilarious!


H: But I like that answer - not available for you. Was it in English or in German?


N: German.


H: What was the exact phrase? I need to memorize that.


N: She said “ist für Sie derzeit nicht zu sprechen”. But be careful, it was not a good answer, it is an opening and you can just put your foot in the door. It was actually pretty stupid. But it made me so happy when she said this. Finally something interesting is happening, you know, it’s all year I gotta call someone and follow up on something, that’s very boring, but then the person on the other side wants to play! And suddenly I am alive!


H: And you saw me, you saw my reaction to this totally crazy person because I immediately saw the beauty of the situation!


N: Yes and I was actually surprised that this assistant knows me at all, I wouldn’t have thought so. But that was nice, not being wanted to be spoken to, you know.


H: It makes me feel like a very powerful person.


N: I think I’m known as a terribly persistent and annoying person, well not generally of course, only to this assistant and her boss.


H: So did she put you through?


N: Of course she did! She was perplexed, things did not unfold as she had imagined. She had imagined, I think, that she would give me that line and then I would be offended and back down, but I am never offended and I never back down.


H: Oh that is so funny! And how did that discussion go then?


N: After that it was boring. She asked somewhat annoyed, “Good morning Novemberregen, what can I do for you today?” And I said “same as always, same as always” because, you know, this person needs to do something and she has delayed that, so I call her and email her a lot. She said we would get an answer by tomorrow and I said well thank you, that would be great, otherwise I would call again.


H: I feel very privileged right now, because we will now stop the TP and I am the only person who in a few seconds will know who that person was, because you will tell me and only me and we will take it to the grave!