Love Story

MÜLLER 5 HEINER MÜLLER LOVE STORY* translated by Jack Zipes Klara: Marry me! (Hebbel, Maria Magdalena) 1 One summer evening the student Hans P. met a young woman in the overcrowded subway. He paced back and forth on the platform, his briefcase under his arm, buried in thought about his new lesson, equal rights for women. The young woman stood next to the newspaper stand and looked in the direction from which the train was supposed to come. She has nice legs, he thought, walked by her and looked at her face from the side. He continued to pace back and forth so that he could watch her but only looked at her when he was certain that she couldn't see him. He attempted to make himself impressive in her eyes. At the same time he tried to make it seem as if he were bored so that the bystanders would not notice anything . All this was a strain on him. Just as a train pulled in, he went by her for the seventh time and looked at her squarely in the eyes. She remained standing and looked at him. She did not take the train. Then another one came, and this time she took it. In the crowded car he managed to maneuver himself into a position next to her. They met the next evening in front of the subway station. A quarter of an hour before the appointed time he stood under the clock at the south exit and was worried that she wouldn't show up. He quickly smoked two cigarettes one after another, paced back and forth, and turned around swiftly each time one of the swinging doors was pushed open. He felt that he was being watched. What if someone who had seen him waiting there so long saw him go away alone! He smoked, a stale taste in his mouth, his third cigarette. Then he saw her. She came toward him across the green area of the large square, clad in a light summer dress. Now he was surprised that she was on time. He threw the cigarette away and went toward her slowly, attempting to smile: suddenly he remembered that he didn't have enough 6 THE MINNESOTA REVIEW money, at any rate not enough to go for a drink with her. Only when she asked what they were going to do, where they wanted to go, did he notice that he was holding her hand. He lit up another cigarette and said, whatever she wanted to do was fine with him. It's a nice night, she said, as they walked down the street. Yeah, he said and thought about what he could do so that she wouldn't become thirsty. In no way did he want her to notice that he was broke. At that point she said: It's warm. We could go for a drink somewhere. It really is a beautiful evening, he said quickly and looked up at the pale grey sky. On the horizon, behind the large buddings, there was a trace of red. It could be seen when their view wasn't blocked by some ruins. Finally he said to her that he didn't have any money with him, at least not enough. They didn't have to run up a big bill, she said, and anyway , yesterday, she received her paycheck. They went to a restaurant. It was a large rectangular room with bare walls, brightly neon-lit. Everything was new and clean. The metal top of the counter glistened. They sat down at a small round table where there were seats enough just for two. A waiter came over. The student, unsure of himself, looked up at the smooth face, then at the young woman. We could drink some wine, she said. Yeah, of course. Wine. He lit a cigarette, smoked and looked past the waiter at the wall. He offered the young woman a cigarette when the waiter brought the wine. They smoked. He looked at her arms, at her slightly opened mouth with a touch of lipstick now moist with wine, drank hastUy and toyed with the glass...