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Philipp looks down at me, turns his hat in his hand, and is just about to unbutton his coat when a questioning voice makes him pause.
“Philipp…?”
Philipp freezes in his movement. Almost in slow motion, he tilts his head to the side, closes his eyes to slits, and then turns his face to the left.
I let my gaze follow his eyes, along the evergreen yew hedges at the edge of the graveled path, until my eyes…
My breath catches; my heart stops with its beating.
“Philipp…?” A tall, once probably broad-shouldered man stands there. Graying hair frames a wrinkled face—whose features seem far too familiar to me. And holding his hand…
…a boy, perhaps eight years old.
Frightened, narrow, eyes red from crying. The copy of Philipp, twenty years younger…
29. To ThrowSilkinto Somebody’s Eyes
Philipp
Fucking hell!Although the funeral was more than two weeks ago, the unexpected meeting with my father still grips me in the bones.
To meet him—I had to expect that. Even though I wasn’t prepared for him to approach me.
But then… Konstantin?
Damnit!Who would have thought that after the overwhelming success with me, the two of them would once again bring a child into the world? Find the sarcasm!
He is only my half-brother.Fortunately for him, she had been unable to conceive, so a surrogate mother in Ukraine was used.
Gestational surrogacy. Why am I not surprised? This kind of modern slavery suits her much too well.
Andhe? Went along with it, weak-willed as ever.
His flood of tears when he revealed to me how ashamed he was of his failure.
His affirmation that he never touched another drop after the midwife put Konstantin in his arms.
And finally, his confession that…
No! I can’t believe it!
I still refuse to believe what he said.
This is… insane. Completely mad.
Unbelievable, a flight of fancy.
…and yet the reason why I slave away here until exhaustion.
Leaning on the handle of the pick, I contemplate the fruits of my labor.
Dirt, sweat, heavy loads. This solution to emotional overload is also something I have copied fromBig Hammer.
Because when Jacqueline, whom he had been dating at the time he picked me up, broke up with him after a total of eight years, we renovated the entire rooftop apartment from top to bottom.
Since then, I have become a pro at applying textured plaster, sanding wood, and laying laminate. But unfortunately, in both the parlor and the apartments, everything is brand new.
That’s why I fell for the idea of turning the stubble meadow behind the building into a garden.
