First Contact

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"I'm getting the moths. I hate English. Why can not I remember the shit?" I'm standing on the balcony of my hotel room. Curse my speech and myself. "Fuck. That's so stupid. Fuck fuck fuck." I fling my index cards through the door, back into the room. Lean against the balustrade. Arms crossed over chest. Breathe deeply in and out. I closed my eyes. Suddenly hear a voice. "Hey." Think of me. *Great. Now you hear voices again. * "Hey. Sweetheart." The voice sounds familiar to me. But I can not assign her. I look right and left. But I'm alone on this floor. Nobody is outside. "Darling. Watch above." I follow the call. Above me on the balcony is a man. Waving to me. Incredulous, I look to him. "Hey. What's up?" "I'm sorry and a little embarrassed. But I need your help." I look at him confusedly. "Yes?" "I locked myself outside. Can I use your phones to call the reception?" I chuckled. Smile at him. "Sure. How do you want to manage it?" Before I knew it, he climbed over his parapet and slowly lowered himself. My left eyebrow raises. He jumps the last few meters and lands next to me. Brush his hair and smooth his shirt down. "I think a personal call wants the best." I still look at him confusedly. He smiles at me. I smile back. "Be my guest." I point through the balcony door on the phone. It stands in the living area on a table. Next to it is my opened laptop. He progresses. My cards are scattered on the carpet. He picks up a few of them. I follow him and do the same. "What's this? It looks important." I sigh. "Yes. Of course. I'm going to have an oral presentation tomorrow. These are my notes." I take the index cards from his hand. Start sorting. "I heard you yelling. What's the problem?" He looks at me. "I can not remember my text. Some special words. And this make me angry. About the talk and about myself." I sigh again. He looks at the laptop. "Is this your presentation?" "Yes." He goes to the laptop. Look at the entrance page. "I have no idea what that means." He looks confused on my title. I'm smiling. "YN/YLN. Is this your name?" "Yes. My boss is ill. And I'm his fill-in." "Excuse me. Where are my manners? I'm Sebastian. Sebastian Stan." He want to shake hands me. Something in my head screams. I reach for his. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stan." He smiles at me. His handshake is firm and warm. "Please. Call me Sebastian." My smile is broadening. "When you want, you can make your call." I point to the phone. Memory flits over his face. "Thanks." He looks in the list for the speed dial for the reception. I go back to the balcony with my cards. Practice my text again. I am stammering through my introduction. My frustration is rising again. "Hey. YN?" He suddenly stands in the doorway. I open my eyes. "Yes?" He looks slightly mischievous. "There is a technical problem. It could last a little bit. Is it okay when I wait here?" He smiles again. The voice in my head screams further. "Sure. Take a seat. In the cooler are drinks. In the moment I have only apples. But on the desk there are muffins with blueberries. When you want." He beams at me. "Thank you very much. This is very nice." He goes to the fridge. Get out a bottle of water. Come back to me. „Do you want to give your talk to me?" „Is it okay for you, that you maybe don't understand the topic?" „Yes, of course. It's like rehearse a play." He hands me his rights. Smile at me again. I push away from the railing. Reach for her. He leads me back to the room. He sits down on one of the chairs. Sitting in front of my laptop. I hold my remote control in my hand. I clear my throat. "Dear audience. I want to talk about the human P2X7 receptor."

"Thanks for yourattention. It's a pleasure to answer your questions." After my speech, Ilook at Sebastian. He is speechless. Claps. "Wow. I understood nothing.But it is a very impressive talk. Very nice presentation." "Thanks.""I think my brain needs one of your muffins. And you reward also one."I smile. Grab the bag on the table. Give him one. He unwraps him. Bite into it."Uh-huh. There are delicious. Where did you buy them?" "Near thehotel is a small backery. They sell dognuts, muffins, cupcakes, and so on."I play with the muffin. "What's up?" I look to him. "I'm reallynervous about tomorrow. I'm afraid that I want to embarrass myself and bring shameto my boss and work group." I exhale audibly. "I know it's silly. ButI feel like I'm sitting in a rollercoaster." He's done with the muffin.Gather the paper and throw it in the bin. Stands up. Stand next to me. "Hey.It's okay to be nervous. I understand nothing. But I like your style. Your talksound great. And you want to rock it tomorrow." He smiles at me. "Thankyou. It's a good pep talk." He grins. "You are welcome. When is yourtalk tomorrow?" I blow air out of my cheeks. "Um. It's in themorning." Next to my laptop is a folder. I reach for her. Open it. Helooks at my documents. "Nine a.m." "Oh. Your congress is in thehotel." "Yes. It is nice. So I do not have so much trouble with thetransport of our posters." "Posters?" He looks at me confused."Jey. Our group has two posters. One for tomorrow and the second for theday after that." "And what do you do with them?" I smile."I pin them on a prepared board. Stand beside them and make a goodimpression." He raises his left eyebrow. I'm giggling. "Sometimesnobody is interested in our topic. But when you leave for the restroom orsomething to drink or eat, it's like a riot." I smile at him. He grinsback. "When is your postersession?" I look into my plan. "Afterthe lunch break. From 2-4 pm." There is a knock. "Excuse me." Igo to the door. Look through the spy. A bellboy stands in front of it. "Ithink it's for you." I open the door. Sebastian is behind me. The pagelooks back and forth between me and him. Has a key card in hand. "Mr.Stan? The problem is solved. You can return to your suite." "That'snice. Give me a moment."He closes the door. Turn to me. "I will leavenow. Are you okay?" I smile at him. "Yes. Thanks for yourencouragement." "It was me a pleasure. You want to be self-confidentand smart tomorrow. Promise me." He hugs me. "I promise." Heopens the door and is out.

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