Very uncomfortable.
.
"What do I envy you, great weather, delicous food, beautiful temples, the beach in Sihanoukville is also supposed to be magical according to the photos from the net, unfortunately we have never been there and finally you will see dad again", she was tored by the voice of her sister from her thoughts that confused her so much and she was grateful.
Caroline smiled slightly. Her father had emigrated to Cambodia after her mother's death five years ago and worked there as a teacher for German and English at a private school.
"I'm really looking forward to that, too. He says that the kids in Cambodia are much better to handle than the pubescent snotty kids in Augsburg. He trusts me, I hope..."
Caroline broke off in the middle of the sentence and looked doubtfully at her sister Nadja, who had taken her to the airport and helped her at the check in. "You have to come with me, Sis, I can't do this without you. So far away. I can't do it, really."
"Yes, you can, you've checked your ticket, cell phone and passport a thousand times, now chill. Unfortunately I have to go now, the office is calling, they won't get anything done without me. Really, and say hello to Dad from me, I'll visit you, because then I'll see him not only at Christmas, you can bet your life on it. Give me a hug!"
Caroline took a deep breath, listening to the gong, which just finished not only her lesson, but also the school lessons of the day. Back in Augsburg, she could hardly wait for the gong, finally the lesson was over, the torture, the Argus eyes of Mrs. Michel, who wrote down every mistake in shorthand and rubbed it in her face with the message that she was not good enough at all as a teacher.
Her sweaty hands.
But here, as Nadja had told her at the airport, things were totally relaxed. The children, calm and well-behaved, hanging on her lips, eagerly reciting vocabulary. Now they passed her with a partly still shy smile and Caroline smiled slightly at her father, who had followed her lesson from the last row of benches.
Her hands were dry despite the sultry temperature that distinguished this classroom from the one in Augsburg and that made her brown curls stick to her forehead.
Strangely dry.
Her father smiled broadly.
"You were really good, Caro, respect. That Mrs. Michel must have been a real knockout."
He took her in his arms. She hadn't seen him this happy since Mom died five years ago.
She smiled back just as broadly.
"Will you take me out again, tonight, the food yesterday in the Khmer Kitchen was really delicious," she asked.
Her father shook his head regretfully.
"Not tonight, dear," he gloated over her disappointed expression, let go of her and added mischievously.
"I have something much better to do, you will meet friends of mine today, students, good students. Some of the girls are about your age, you will like them. One of the most respected families in Cambodia apart from the royal family. You will especially love Sari. She is my best student. She speaks almost perfect German and English. A wonderful young woman."
Caroline had quickly put on a pretty dress in the apartment her father had rented, which she was now happy about, because the private house her father had taken her to was tastefully furnished in the typical colonial style. Its inhabitants were extremely well dressed. The lady of the house, whom her father had introduced to her as Rani, a somewhat plump but still beautiful middle-aged woman in a noble costume and expensive heels, even had a maid. This one immediately served them coffee with sweet, very thick condensed milk, which Caroline found much too sweet and drank in small sips. A typical Cambodian coffee specialty, she was told.
Rani looked at her across the table and Caroline blushed slightly. This woman intimidated her in a strange way almost as much as Mrs. Michel in Augsburg.
"So, Dieter's daughter. You teach as well?" Her voice sounded strangely tinny, almost cutting.
"Yes, at Dad's school. German and English, I studied in Germany" said Caroline shyly in a low voice.
"That's nice, then you can practice with my daughters, where is Sari actually? Yesterday was her engagement party and today she thinks that I let her get away with everything, but I have to excuse her fiancé Jay. This morning he had to go back to Phnom Penh for business with his cousin Vichay and my second daughter Sreykouch, Vichay's wife. After 5 days engagement party. At the wedding you are of course all cordially invited. It will take place in Battambang, but you know that anyway, Dieter."
Rani looked somewhat annoyed at her watch. "Simay, my youngest one, I have to excuse as well. She's playing soccer today, that awful girl. She is quite talented though. Are you actually engaged, Caroline?“
Caroline shook her head and smiled awkwardly. This woman scared her.
Her hands were as sweaty as they were at Mrs. Michel's in Augsburg. They literally stuck in her lap.
"Now stop squeezing the poor girl! It's embarrassing!"
Caroline drove around.
It was as if the world stood still for a moment and her stomach cramped up strangely.
She was weak and a warm, strangely wonderful feeling poured into her stomach.
This had to be Sari!
She spoke perfect German, as her father had said, perfect and fluent, as fluent as her mother's English earlier.
She was beautiful. Extremely beautyful.
As beautiful as Myriam was.
Even more beautiful, much more beautiful.
Two exotically distinctive beauties that took her breath away. Much more than Tobi had ever been able to do.
But why did she think such a nonsense?
Caroline took a sip of the coffee to collect herself and calm her nerves.
Then she stood up to give Sari her hand, which was still quite sticky, and smiled broadly at her. Sari was wearing a yellow sophisticatedly cut dress, in which she looked a little bit like a movie actress from the last century. She was very petite and although she wore her hair long like most Cambodian women does, she reminded Caroline a bit of Audrey Hepburn.
"Did you like Sari?
"What? I'm sorry, I was in my thoughts?"
Dieter had called a Tuk Tuk, a carriage-like vehicle pulled by a motorcyclist. It was now already quite dark, too dark to walk to the apartment Dieter had