When he came to, there was a loud hum in his ears. His skull was throbbing with pain. He had been knocked out. He tensed his body again. The bear. There were shuffles at the door. Not a bear’s. Human shuffles. There was a twist of metal on metal. The door opened. Light came gushing into the room and blinded him. He immediately shut his eyes.
“Look at you,” said Scheffler from the doorway with a hint of disgust.
Frederich screamed out something incomprehensible, now out of his mind and unable to express himself in any other way.
“Look at you,” repeated Scheffler. “You’re an animal.”
Scheffler stepped forward and grasped Frederich by his wrists and began dragging him out on his back. Frederich wailed and groaned as they crossed the hallway. They reached the stairs and Scheffler picked Frederich up by his collar and pants and tossed him over his shoulder with no apparent effort. With firm, even footsteps, Scheffler carried Frederich up the stairs. Frederich was still unable to open his eyes or piece a thought together.
“Come on,” a voice whispered. “Do it,” it said. It took Frederich some seconds to realise it was his own voice.
“Shut your trap,” said Scheffler.
“Do it. Do it now. Come on.”
Scheffler threw Frederich onto a bed and his footsteps disappeared out of the room. Frederich tossed from side to side, the aching in his head now unbearable. When a hand touched his sweaty face, he yelled and tried slapping it away.
“Shh,” said somebody, pressing down gently on Frederich’s chest. “Rest, Frederich. Rest.”
“Get some water,” said the voice to someone behind him.
When Frederich felt metal on his lips he opened his mouth like a child. Water poured in and he began choking. The metal cup moved away then returned to his lips. He steadied the flow with his throat and gradually absorbed the liquid. It had the effect of a healing tonic, injecting some vitality into his body. More water was carefully poured in. He then pushed away with his head to signal that he was done. A hand lifted his head and a pillow was inserted behind.
“What did they do to him?” a voice said.
“Scheffler’s gone bananas,” said another voice.
Frederich finally registered that he was back in the sleeping quarters with Piotr and the guys. He let go and fell into sleep in a feverish state which followed him into his dreams, along with the black bear, whose powerful energy he could now feel throughout his body.
19
Ida shuffled on her chair to get comfortable then dragged it closer to the table so she could better hear in the noisy environment. She had changed out of her martial arts uniform but was still sweating underneath her clothes. Chi was across from her, leaning back while holding up a cigarette.
“So why Berlin?” asked Chi before taking a drag and blowing outwards, adding to the already smokey air around them.
“What do you mean?” replied Ida.
“You told me before that you visited like fifty cities. Why stay here?”
“Oh. I don’t know,” replied Ida with a shrug. “One minute I was next to the taxi, ready to go to the airport, and then I changed my mind.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“Yeah, of course you do! Otherwise I’m going to assume you’re crazy. Are you crazy, Ida Garcia?” said Chi with her eyes narrowed. “Are you?”
“It’s ok. You can think I’m crazy.”
“Ok, then I will. But lucky for you, I only roll with crazy. And if we’re going to master the skills of martial arts, we need to bring the crazy out. Right?”
“Yes, right,” said Ida, breaking out into a smile and leaning back.
“But no, I get it. Berlin’s like that. You go from wanting to leave to spending the next few years here. Then you wake up and you’re like: ‘What the hell just happened?’”
“Yeah, it’s weird,” said Ida. “I’m still not sure why I stayed, but I know it was the right decision. I think I really am crazy.”
“No, we’re crazy,” said Chi, signalling between them with her finger and nodding insistently. “Speaking of. What did you think of the martial arts class? Think you’ll keep coming?”
“I loved it. I’ll definitely come again,” said Ida. The endorphins were still pumping through her, and she liked the way it felt. “And you?”
“If we can end each class with a beer, then I’m in,” said Chi, during which she rested her cigarette against the edge of the ashtray and raised her Pilsner. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” said Ida, knocking bottles with Chi while making the obligatory eye contact. “This is a cool place,” she added and took a sip of her beer.
“Yeah, Gorbachev’s Dive is my favourite bar in Berlin.”
“I can see why,” said Ida, looking around and admiring the lively crowd and cosy feel of the place.
“So what’s your plan, now that you’re staying?” asked Chi.
“I need to find a job, something part-time.”
“Funny you mention that. My friend works at a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg and she told me they’re looking for people. Want me to ask?”
“Yes, that would be great,” said Ida. “Thank you.”
“Consider it done.”
Ida took a swig of her beer and leaned back.
“So… why Berlin?” she asked.
“Why Berlin? That’s… Oh, I see what you did there,” said Chi, tilting her head and pointing at Ida.
“No, really, California is beautiful. Why did you leave?” said Ida.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The grass is always greener, right?”
“Always,” said Ida, pouting her lip.
“Plus I needed a break from my crazy family. I mean, I love them, but there’s only so many times I can explain why
