Chapter 24 The noble restaurant with cheap meat

Three months later, Alex was called to a meeting in Kiel. He flew there and was met by a civilian driver instead of an escort. When he got out in front of the council building, the car drove off immediately. When he entered, he noticed that there wasn't much going on. At the counter, the clerk froze. 

"Uhh a new one."

He nodded. 

"I'm here as a stand-in... The council isn't here, so the employees are off today..."

Alex pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the date and time.

"Funny... I'm supposed to be here today..."

"I can only tell you what I've been told. The Council is in Vienna at a meeting right now..."

"What about cabs?"

" They're all gone ... "

"Well, thanks for the information."

Alex left the building to smoke another cigarette, then he had to walk back to the airport. So he set off. It was a completely different feeling than the first time he had walked through the city. Now the city was buzzing with life. He came to the food court and realized that he was really hungry. He thought about what to eat, but then he remembered that he'd better call Jannet. So he dialed her number. 

"Hey Mummelmaus..."

" Isn't it a meeting?" 

" Were not there, are supposedly in Vienna, there wasn't even an escort and the driver just left me standing there, no cabs etc.. "

He heard a gnashing of teeth.

"Hey, don't get upset now, yeah. You can drop me off in the food court."

" Promise me you'll stay there too, yeah? "

" Yes. I'll stay there and wait for you. But not with the food."

" You eat first." She hung up. Alex put his cell phone away and looked at the restaurants. There was so much choice. He looked at the menu at the entrance. He saw lots of well-dressed people inside.

"Alex to me!" came from across the street. Alex looked and saw the kebab king. He hadn't eaten a kebab for a long time. So he went over. He noticed that there were soldiers there, but they were wearing dress uniforms and Alex was wearing his BDU.

"Hey Ahmed, I didn't know you had a restaurant here." 

"The first of many Alex, come and sit down."

Alex sat down at the table in front of the open train door and lit a cigarette.

"Isn't that place over there good?"

"Oh. Well, Gino can cook ... but the meat is adulterated and overpriced. I know the meat supplier. The place is all glitz and pseudo-nobility. Coffee? Tea?"

"Tea would be good."

" Ah good decision, I got tea from my cousin in Istanbul yesterday. Fatima!!! Tea and house number 1!"

Alex took a drag on his cigarette and Ahmed looked at him.

" You look depressed Alex. "

Alex nodded. "It's like this, I'm not happy. I don't know ... I feel like I haven't done enough." 

"You need a wife and a child Alex. My brother was the same, but the moment he held his son in his arms. I had the same feeling with Jussuf, although I'd like to punch him in the face today."

Alex looked at him. "Hmm."

"Ahmet! You're stealing my guests?" came from the other side of the street and an Italian stumbled over. 

"Calm down Gino! He's a friend of mine just because I call him to talk. Do you think I'm stealing customers you're poisoning with your cheap meat?"

"This is premium meat!"

"Just tell yourself that Gino, then you'll believe it too. Go back behind your gold counter!"

Gino gave Ahmet the finger and went back inside. 

"Alex, seriously, do you know how many people you've given a new life to? "

" I'd say a few. I've lost track Ahmet. "

" Many, me alone. We were able to visit our families again Alex. I know from my neighbor that he was able to go home. Okay, he says it always looks like shit when he's away, but " Fatima put the tea in front of Alex. Now he noticed that she wasn't wearing a headscarf.

"She was given the freedom to wear one or not. Do you understand? In the North Block, even the religions are equal. None is better than the other. All holidays are valid."

Fatima nodded. "We took part in the workshops. Even Jussuf has changed. "

Alex sipped his tea. 

An SUV pulled up with screeching tires next to Ahmet's restaurant and Jannet got out. She looked around hastily, saw Alex and walked towards him. Two soldiers followed her. Her expression relaxed when she saw Alex sitting down. 

"Do you have to go already?" Ahmet asked. Alex looked to the side. 

" Well ... Have a seat. " Jannet sighed and sat down next to Alex. The two soldiers hesitated, but then sat down too.

" Order what you want. "

" I have fresh meat, the last slaughter from Ireland. " commented Ahmet.

Jannet looked at Alex, then at Ahmet. 

"What's he getting? He hasn't been eating much lately. You're no Uther who can live on coffee and cigarettes." Fatima had just arrived with a plate full of meat, vegetables and rice and placed it in front of Alex. He laughed.

"Well, Uther's already eating, I had dinner with him the other day. He cooked."

"I see. And what did you have?" came from Jannet. Alex looked at her.

"Rice, with vegetables and meat. "

"So much ..." Alex looked at the plate and began to eat. 

"I'll have the same, but a little less than him and a soda." 

Ahmet looked at the soldiers who were ordering kebabs. Fatima hurried in. 

"You're the press woman," he began. Jannet looked at him and smiled. 

"That too, but I also make sure that Alex doesn't go it alone." Ahmet fetched a Coke and soda, which he handed first to the soldiers and then to Jannet, then sat down again. 

" What do you mean by that, if you don't mind me asking? "

She opened the bottle and took a sip.

"Well, he tends to go it alone and has earned himself a certain reputation in the troop because of it."

The soldiers suppressed a laugh. 

"Tell him what your boss's code name is, come on."

"Big Stray Cat," came from one of them. 

Jannet sighed. "And he doesn't even mind. They've called him that on more than one mission, every time he's been out alone. Every now and then the other cat was there. Which didn't make it any better."

Ahmet looked at her. 

"Can I ask you something, I have a cousin, he's in the armed forces, he came when Istanbul was taken. He said that the troops were pulling out and then now that civilian security was coming into place." 

Jannet looked at him. "That's broadly true, but security remains in the hands of the military. New name, new clothes, even chief and" she sighed "the troops are being redeployed. Too many complaints. "

" And where then, I mean the soldiers were always good customers ".

" Hawaii " Jannet got her plate. 

" There's an application form for businessmen. Some wholesalers have already filled it out." 

Passers-by walked past, many ignoring her. But many wearing dress uniforms stopped, including some who wanted to go to the restaurant on the other side. They came over and ordered something, coming and going. A group of drunken soldiers came by shouting and singing loudly. They wanted to go into Gino's restaurant but were turned away at the door.

"Fuck off, you scum," Gino could be heard saying.

"I don't want you here!"

"Hey, we're paying!" was heard from one of them.

"Piss off!" one of the drunks bumped into another.

" Walter... the boss..." hiccupped the leader and looked from Gino to the spokesman.

" Huh? Really? Great, let's go over there," then they staggered across the street, had trouble standing up straight and saluted miserably. 

Alex pushed the plate away from him and patted his stomach, then looked at the group.

"Well men? Let's get a good laugh before we start."

"Sir >Hicks< Aye," it came out.

" The kebab king's food is great, sit down, I'll buy you a drink. "

" Really? >Hicks< the others won't believe us. " They sat down at a table and ordered. 

A second SUV pulled up behind the first and John got out. He looked around, annoyed. 

"We're in a restaurant," he muttered to himself. "Doesn't the woman know how big this..."

"Ey, I heard that!" came from Jannet, who was chewing. John looked at her. Then looked from Gino's restaurant to where Alex was sitting.

"Why am I not surprised..." he approached and sat down. Jannet pushed the empty plates away from her and patted her stomach.

"I didn't think it would taste good. "

John looked at the empty seat next to her.

"Wasn't he just here?"

Jannet belched quietly into her fist.

"He's doing troop morale ..." 

John raised an eyebrow, glanced at the group of drunks where Alex sat in the middle talking, but then walked over to the others. 

"Have you told him yet? "

Jannet looked at Alex for a long moment. "No, not yet. I don't know how he'll react."

It was noticeable that the uniformed men who wanted to go to the restaurant on the other side crossed the street and looked for a seat in Ahmet's restaurant. Jannet saw a few ranks of officers. John sighed. "The typical Alex effect. "

Jannet smiled. "I like John. He never got arrogant, I think because Uther kept him in check, he never got power hungry. "

John sighed.

"True, and Uther is right in the middle of the politics of everything the military does and doesn't give a damn."

Jannet looked from Alex to John.

"Well, but he always gives us a counterattack when something goes wrong."

"Unfortunately..." came John's reply. 

Gino came out of his bar angrily and stomped towards them. John saw him coming. 

"Who's that?" 

" I don't know..."

"Ahmet! You're stealing!" 

"Don't mess with Gino! The guests look for the restaurant where they feel comfortable" Ahmet is clearing a table.

"I've seen it! Major Fischer! What about the table reserved for me?" 

The man looked up from his coffee and the woman next to him giggled.

"Give it to another Gino."

"What about you Captain Joans? You said you were coming with a large group." 

The woman addressed was still laughing at the conversation. She looked up. 

"I've decided on here Gino, look at the portions" and her attention was gone. Gino turned red.

" Ahmet! This has been going on ever since you stole the guy from my door!"

"Gino, he's a friend and I invited him in for tea and a chat. You do that too."

"Fuck you Ahmet! Where's the guy!" 

John found it interesting how both of Jannet's soldiers stood up at the same time and reached for their weapons, they had orders to shoot if anyone posed a threat. 

"Ah, come on, take your hands off your guns guys," Alex prowled through the row of tables. 

"Like a street cat..." John muttered.

"There, it's your fault!" 

Alex lit a cigarette. 

" Oh? Wasn't it you who shouted that he didn't serve riff-raff? "

The drunks who were slowly sobering up nodded vigorously. 

"They say that because they are!" Gino stood up. 

" Because I'm not wearing a gala uniform? "

" You're banned from the house! I don't need that. Go on, say your name so I can write it down. "