The Psychology of Love

Chapter 4 Waiting

Chapter 4 Waiting

YU stands in front of Sam's practice door and waits. His wristwatch showed him the time a moment ago. And another glance at it makes YU sigh slightly.

9:38 a.m.

Still 22 minutes to the first session.

'Not too early again,' he thinks to himself as he shows up early again for the appointment with Sam Lin.

The Sam Lin who has made YU hold his breath through the depths of thought in his publications.

The Sam Lin who taught YU the meaning of dreams through his writings. The Sam Lin about whom there are no biographical details in the treatises.

No photo. No professional career.

Only Sam Lin.

A name of a psychoanalyst who wrote numerous treatises on depth psychological phenomena in therapy sessions during advanced training.

YU's professor Österreich covered Sam's papers in the lectures. He approached YU 6 months ago after the lecture and told him about the planned research project of Sam's PhD thesis. There was still no public call for subjects to apply. Professor Österreich had the information from his colleague and good friend Professor Dieckmann. The latter had told him enthusiastically about the project.

And Professor Österreich knew that the introverted, extremely bright Japanese man, who sat silently in the background in his lectures but had left an impressive impression on him through his written achievements and profundities, would be a perfect test subject.

Professor Österreich knew Sam Lin from the rapturous tales of his friend Dieckmann.

Of course, he knew his age. His roots. His biographical hurdles that he had overcome.

And it was for these very reasons that he approached YU six months ago and recommended he apply to be a subject for Sam's research.

Still hoping that through Sam, YU would come out of his shell and reveal to the academic world his innate ability to analyze situations and people and bring them into harmonious alignment.

Silently hoping that YU would venture a journey into his unconscious and break the shackles of his experiences that had condemned him to the shadows.

And YU began to familiarize himself with Sam Lin's thoughts.

In his small apartment at Kameruner Str. 14 in Berlin Wedding, he spent the entire semester break reading Sam Lin.

Since he had emigrated to Berlin at the age of 18, he has lived in this 1-room apartment in the district of Wedding, which is popular with students. The apartments are inexpensive. Numerous shopping opportunities. Colorful people from all countries of the world on the streets.

And those who want to remain anonymous, remain so.

His apartment in the back building became his hideout.

Even in the small backyard numerous plants and trees bloom. Berlin is truly the greenest city in Europe. Nowhere does one miss the large and small deciduous and coniferous trees.

So it was in the small backyard of YU's apartment. He spent hours at the window. In his little oasis, he felt safe.

Hidden. Safe.

Even though the trash in the yard stank up to the 3rd floor of his apartment in the summer, the yellow, red, and green leaves littered the walkways in the fall, and the trees looked bare and bony in the winter, he always looked forward to spring. The pink buds bloom annually in his oasis and always make him think of his native Japan. Of the cherry blossoms in the garden of his childhood home.