AFTER DARK | Johan Liebert

Chapter 6: Family

"So you don't drink alcohol?"

Johan sat opposite to me, his head resting on his hand. It was nearly dark outside, and there was nothing on our table but two drinks.

"I prefer to keep my distance from it", I answered. "I think it's for the best."

The café Johan invited me to was small and neat. When I looked at the prices, however, I knew I was gonna take one coffee, at most. I enjoyed his company, and if I'm honest, I had been looking forward to our date more than I should have.

I had also done my research. The more I had thought about it, the more I had the feeling that I knew Johan from somewhere. Not that I had met him before, but his face was familiar - and when I looked into old newspapers, I found out why. Him having studied in Munich had been a hint for me.

"I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable when asking you to hang out", Johan suddenly said. I looked at him in confusion. "Of course not. Why would I?" "Because you are polite. If you don't want to spend time with me, you can tell me. I won't be offended." "Excuse me, you're the polite one!", I blurted out, crossing my arms. "It seems like nothing can make you feel uneasy. You should become a teacher." He chuckled at my remarks. "And just so you know", I added, "if I was uncomfortable around you, I wouldn't have accepted your offer. But I find you refreshing, so I agreed." "I sense a slight bossiness in your voice." Johan smirked. "Do you have siblings?" "Yeah, a younger brother. We used to fight all the time. It was a hate-love relationship, actually." I laughed. "That's where I learned to get things my way." "So you're just holding back at work?" "A bit, maybe." I took a sip of my coffee. "I don't like being like that around people I don't know. They might get the wrong idea. My brother knows me very well, so it's not a problem." "Does he live nearby?", asked Johan. "No, he's studying in Baden-Württemberg* near our home. He likes it there." "And you moved away six years ago?" "Yes, I decided to study somewhere else. I had some problems with my family, so I wanted to have some distance between us." Johan paused for a moment, putting down his cup and looking at me, frowning. "... With your mother?" I looked down, nodding slightly.

[*Baden-Württemberg is the Federal State in southwestern Germany with borders to France and Switzerland]

"But it's all in the past." I smiled at him, shrugging. "I can't be angry at her forever, can I?" Johan's expression changed from laid-back to serious. "I guess so", he said quietly. His reaction had me thinking. Did he experience something similar? From what he had told me between the lines, he didn't have any family around as well... Or was I reading too much into it?

"Would you like another coffee, Klara?", Johan asked suddenly, smiling as always. I shook my head. "No, thank you." "You don't need to hold back." "I'm not. I won't sleep tonight if I drink too much caffeine." "You're right." Johan looked downwards, smiling. "Let's take a walk outside. The night air might clear our minds."

We walked along the Elbe river. It was cold, but bearable. The city lights lit up the city, and I enjoyed walking next to Johan, talking to him about anything.

"You know what made me wonder, Johan?", I asked him. He glanced at me, curious. I continued. "How did you know your ethnicity if you've been in in foster homes since your childhood?" "Oh, I did find out, eventually. It's not a big deal." "Really?" He seemed to be confused by my reaction. "Is something the matter?" I looked sideways, not knowing how to start. "Well... I don't know how to put it... but when I look at you, you seem so kind and polite. You're good with children, always well-dressed, and seemingly perfect. But sometimes - I feel like there's a crack in this image of yours. Sometimes I feel like... I can see through it. I don't want to get too personal if this is too much for you to share, but it worries me. Is this perfect Johan your true personality?"

"Let's go upstairs." He pointed at the door of an abandoned building and went inside without waiting for my answer. "The rooftop has a great view."

I was confused. Frowning, I stared at him going up the staircase. "What are you doing?", I whispered. Then, I went after him. 

"By the way, Klara", his soothing voice said, "what is your brother studying?" "What- Criminal psychology. Why are you asking?" "Is there a reason why he chose that major?" I couldn't see his face. He was walking in front of me. The stairs were cold. I could see a heavy door at the end of the staircase.

"Because he wants to become like our father."

A blast hit us when Johan opened the rooftop door. He went to the edge of the roof, watching the skyline. 

"Stunning, isn't it?"

I stood close to the door, not moving one inch. Suddenly, I had a horrible gut feeling. 

"Come here, Klara. Look at nighttime Hamburg. Isn't it beautiful?"

"No", I whispered, shaking my head slowly from left to right. I was ready to run downstairs any moment. "This is unsettling."

Suddenly, he started walking right on the edge of the roof, eyes closed.

"Johan... I don't know what this is all about, but I want to leave."

He didn't say anything.

"When I first saw you, I had a feeling I knew your face. You- Back in the 90s... you were Schuwald's secretary, right?"

"I'm impressed you found out."

I frowned at his answer. "Just who are you? What do you want from me?" 

His behaviour confused me, but for some reason, I didn't believe he had bad intentions. Otherwise, I would have run downstairs long ago. But his words, him walking at the edge of the rooftop... it was scary to me nonetheless.

"Please go away from the edge, Johan."

He didn't listen to me.

"I will leave if you don't listen to me."

Nothing. It was like he didn't hear me. 

Without waiting any further, I walked towards him, seized his arm and pulled him off the edge. He was staring at me with widened eyes, as if he'd just woken up from a nightmare. Still holding on to him, I turned around and took him with me. "It's gotten late. Let's go."