Chapter XI American company: “Bugs Bunny”
Stefan and Vanessa were walking down the stairs from the second floor, talking and joking about something. Their voices were clearly audible, but Vanessa entered the kitchen alone, and a few minutes later Stefan entered the kitchen.
Stefan had a naturally athletic build. Broad shoulders and a well-developed chest. The wrist varies in thickness between 17-20 cm, there are pronounced muscles and a thin layer of fat. A characteristic feature is an increased level of testosterone, and this contributes to sports. Height is about 185 centimeters. Wiry. Stocky. A strong guy.
It was obvious that he actively engaged in sports and how the muscles and tendons played on his hands. A little long, straight blond hair covered his forehead. His eyes were gray-blue. Sometimes you fell into the trap of his direct and persistent gaze. Strong chin. Stefan had a will to live and a will to win. Yes, this guy spent a lot of time in the gym.
The kitchen was large and spacious, at least 20 square meters. It was obvious that the kitchen had been remodeled several times. The built-in refrigerator in the wall was removed and replaced with a dishwasher. They bought a large two-door refrigerator with an ice maker, which was conveniently stuck in the section behind the dishwasher so as not to disturb the geometry of the entire kitchen set.
Lena and I were sitting at a round kitchen table, which was complemented by five chairs of different colors and all this was maintained in a single style, which created a pleasant and warm atmosphere or a composition of flowers, which undoubtedly pleased the inhabitants of this house to wake up early in the morning. A large rectangular window conveniently opened up a beautiful view of the street, along which cars drove and sometimes people walked. Stefan entered the kitchen completely barefoot and wearing only sweatpants. His slightly disheveled hair in different directions on his head symbolized to us that the man had been through a wild night. Hello everyone! Stefan raised his right hand up with his palm and fingers wide open, and then walked up to the table where Lena and I were sitting.
We greeted each other and shook hands firmly. Stefan walked up to the refrigerator. He opened the door and took out several eggs and a plate with several pieces of beef steak on it. Butter. Stefan took a few steps to the side and moved to the electric stove, which consisted of four burners, and laid out all the supplies on the work surface of the kitchen set next to the stove. At some point, one of the chicken eggs rolled along the absolutely flat surface and was about to fall down to the floor, but Stefan managed to catch it in the air with a deft movement of his hand. At this time, Vanessa was watching all this nervously and with horror. A few seconds later, she came up to Stefan and said: “That’s enough! I’ll do everything from now on myself. Go already. Go and don’t bother me.” Stefan opened one of the cabinets hanging above the kitchen stove and took out an impressive-sized frying pan, which he placed on the largest of the four electric burners. A moment later, Stefan opened another kitchen cabinet and took out a large black coffee mug with the inscription “COFFEE” engraved in gold letters.
Stefan, with a slight movement of his hand, moved his chair back and sat down at the kitchen table opposite Lena and me. He took a few sips of coffee and looked at me with a sense of anxiety in his eyes…
Stefan: Red, what’s our plan? Action plan for today?
Red: Stefan, we’ll go to your place to drive the Toyota Prado to the trading floor. Is the device in working order? Is the ignition on? Is there a spark? Are the wheels turning?
Stefan: Everything is fine. I went to the gas station the other day and filled the tank with 80 liters of gasoline.
Red: Great! Stefan, that’s great news! You said you haven’t driven a Toyota in six months… Okay, that means we’ll drive to the trading floor where Uncle Wilhelm was working today, or where Wilhelm will be, who was evaluating cars. We’ll drive the Toyota Prado into the pit, and then we’ll inspect the Toyota and decide on our next course of action.
Stefan: Vanessa, will you drive us?
Vanessa: Of course, I’ll take you, my dear boys. Lena and I were planning to go shopping today. We’re having breakfast now, quickly getting ready and heading out on the road together.
Stefan: Will we go in a Peugeot?
Vanessa: Yes, we’ll go in a Peugeot. I drive a Peugeot and I’m not a braggart!
- “I drive a Peugeot and I’m not a braggart. Zhu-zhu, I drive a Peugeot and I’m not a braggart.” A line from a video clip of a popular Russian band “Leningrad”.
We had breakfast for a while and discussed our upcoming trip to France, which gave us confidence in the future!
Red: Will Suzanne and Jan go with us or have they backed out? Are they in? In our “Paris” project?
Stefan: They will go. Where will they go? Suzanne sent me 400 euros. 200 euros for myself and 200 euros for the Chemist. The entire amount came to our cash register.
Stefan: The Toyota Prado interior was originally designed for six seats in different versions and trim levels. It will be necessary to install an additional row of seats in the luggage compartment. It will be necessary to thoroughly redesign and modify the Toyota trunk. Remove the unnecessary. Screw on the necessary.
Red: Stefan, honestly, I don’t know how to install an additional row of two seats in a Toyota Prado in the luggage compartment, but perhaps the guys from the trading platform will help us. Here we needed high-level specialists who were well versed in this and understood what needed to be bought? Where did it need to be unscrewed? Where did it need to be screwed on this entire complex structure at a high technical and professional level.
After some time, we finished our morning breakfast and the clock was already about 13:00 in the afternoon. Lena and I were sitting in the kitchen and waiting for some time for Vanessa and Stefan to get ready and set off. About ten minutes passed and Vanessa’s clear voice was heard coming down from the second floor: “We’re ready. Let’s go!” The four of us left the townhouse. Vanessa turned on the alarm and closed the door. There was a PEUGEOT 3008 parked on the asphalt road next to the house. The red color shone in the rays of the afternoon sun. We got into the PEUGEOT 3008. Vanessa pressed the engine start button. She turned on the right turn signal and the car smoothly rushed forward. There was no one on the road. After some time, music started playing in the PEUGEOT 3008. Stefan and I were sitting in the back passenger seat and I was mentally going over our entire plan. We didn’t have that long to go, about ten or fifteen minutes. There were a lot of cars on the roads of Frankfurt, but there were no traffic jams and we moved quickly in the general flow of cars.
We drove up to the house where Stefan lived. A two-story house, which was combined with a garage. The built-in garage was part of the house, which had a single foundation and roof with it. The garage was on the ground floor. A combined garage is suitable for houses that are located in close proximity to the part of the fence where the entrance to the site is equipped. In this case, the driveway is often combined with the path leading to the main entrance. If the building is located in the far part of the site, a combined layout is unjustified, since the driveway to the house will take up a large area of land.
We got out of the “PEUGEOT 3008”, our beloved and dear girls waved to us and went shopping. Stefan opened the door and we went into the house. We walked straight along the corridor and stopped at the door that led to the garage. There was no one in the house. We were alone. After some time, four bright LED lights flashed in the garage. Most likely, at that moment I froze in surprise and amazement at the same time. An orange Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Incredible. Impossible. When we were driving, I thought that the Toyota Prado would be classic black or white in some standard configuration, but this turned out to be a big surprise. The bright orange color was undoubtedly pleasing to the eye.
On the trunk door of the Toyota Prado, at the very bottom on the glass, was the inscription: “MALIBU”, where have I seen this name before? This is the west coast of the USA. Los Angeles. Exactly! An American! The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado came to us from across the ocean from another continent. USA. Blessed country. I went to the driver’s door of the Toyota Prado and opened it. I turned on the headlights. Side lights and high beams to better see the headlights of the Toyota.
You can distinguish American headlights from European ones by two criteria: if it is a single-piece headlight, then in an American car the side lights will be orange and the turn signals will be red; also, American headlights are marked with the abbreviations “Dot” and “Sae”, while European headlights will have the letter “E” in a circle.
At this time Stefan took the remote control and pressed the button. The garage roller shutters creaked and began to slowly rise up. Stefan got behind the wheel of a Toyota Prado. He pressed the engine ignition button. The Toyota started up immediately without any problems and Stefan slowly rolled out onto the site next to the house, where he could examine the car in more detail. It was definitely an American. I won’t be mistaken.
On the side window I found a sticker from the American company USA company “BUGS BUNNY”. I had already seen this sticker on the marketplace. The sticker itself depicted a rabbit. Its paws were holding a huge orange carrot. We sold two orange-colored cars. These were an Audi TT and a BMW-X5. Absolutely one to one and most importantly, it was the same orange color that the USA company “BUGS BUNNY” used. The American guys sold cars to your order and to your choice. Exclusive color. Orange or orange. Additional options. Expensive audio system. Some expensive device or element that was assembled manually and individually for you. The main capitalist rule was: “The customer is always right. For your money, we are ready to fulfill any of your fantasies and dreams.” I took a flashlight to examine the front suspension of the Toyota Prado in more detail. I knelt down on one knee at the front right wheel. Yes, you could see that the lever was bent. The hub. Here is the stabilizer. Yes, all of this needed to be changed. The lever was generally concave in one place, and one of its parts, which led to the wheel itself, which did not have a piece of iron at all, apparently, a piece of iron was torn off from a very strong impact … All of this needed to be changed. The brake discs and pads were already completely worn out.
The body design of the Toyota Prado was generally stable for the upcoming trip and, if you drive slowly and carefully, you can get to the trading platform where my uncle worked. The left front wheel was also damaged from the impact, but it is important that the structure was intact. The entire front suspension was broken and in a deplorable state. It was necessary to get to the trading platform and drive into the pit to inspect the entire front suspension of the Toyota “Prado” in more detail. Perhaps the front left wheel arm was also badly damaged in several places. I sat in the driver’s seat and turned the steering wheel of the Toyota to the stop. First to the left, and then to the right to the stop. The wheels turned with great difficulty and creaking. Everything works. I thought about what would be better to do? Call a tow truck or will we still drive to the trading platform on our own?
Red: Stefan, get in. I’ll roll forward a little along the road with little acceleration and we’ll see what happens on the road itself and in 90-degree turns, if everything is bad we’ll call a tow truck.
Stefan: Agreed. Let’s try to drive to the trading platform on our own. We don’t need extra costs. Red: Let’s do this without an ounce of doubt, regret or unnecessary emotion.
Toyota pulled onto the asphalt road and we drove off. Nothing special happened. Squeaks were heard, and from under the wheels of our orange battle horse we could periodically hear a sound of “chewing rubber”. Yes, absolutely because of the curvature of the Toyota’s front suspension, our car periodically chewed and ground down the old rubber on the wheels. Sometimes there was a deafening ringing sound and at times it seemed that some parts of the Toyota’s suspension had fallen off and fallen out onto the road. We drove through several 90-degree turns. Our mighty tank successfully overcame them, emitting piercing groans that burst out from under our wheels, groans of iron touching each other with deafening sounds pierced everything around. I stopped our battle tank and parked at the side of the road.
Stefan: Red, you’re doing well. I trust you completely and you can go straight to the trading floor.
Red: Stefan, but I don’t have my license with me, I left it at home. You’ll have to go.
Stefan: Okay, my friend and comrade! We swapped places.
We were driving slowly and that’s why it took us a whole hour to get to the trading floor. I had already made preliminary arrangements with my uncle over the phone and outlined the sad picture of the Toyota Prado in general. We drove to the trading floor at three o’clock in the afternoon, in the middle of the working day, when the trading was most active on the trading floor itself and there were a lot of buyers, people were walking around here and there and looking at different cars.
We drove the Toyota Prado straight to the pit and went with Stefan to the office, where my uncle was waiting for us, it was just around 15:00. We made it. My uncle was sitting at the table and looking through the documents. (Vehicle registration documents) is a Fahrzeugbrief, which means “letter about the vehicle”. 
Fahrzeugbrief is the main document for a car in Germany, which confirms the ownership of the car.
I opened the door and entered the office first, followed by Stefan. Uncle, my dear uncle, hello! I shook my uncle’s hand firmly. My uncle looked at me in surprise. A huge smile appeared on my face. I thought about it and decided that the best thing would be to play dumb and somehow amuse my uncle so that he wouldn’t send Stefan and me somewhere far away in the literal sense of the word. I introduced my friend, Stefan. My uncle already knew that we were going to France, but he wanted to get and hear from us all the detailed information, what were we going to do? What were our plans? Perhaps he wanted to know our route, along which we would travel from Germany to France. Stefan and I had previously agreed that I would be the only one speaking, if my uncle asked any questions, then only in this case could you answer him. I knew my uncle quite well and it was important that his mood did not change or deteriorate and that he did not send us along with the Toyota Prado somewhere far and for a long time. It was important to grab hold of any opportunity on the trading floor. I also developed a second course of action. It was possible to contact my friend on the trading floor, the appraiser - Wilhelm. Wilhelm was one of the youngest employees on the trading floor and he was about 35 years old. We quickly found a common language, and since the guys who worked on the trading floor were mainly over 40 and 50 years old, respectively, I was the youngest employee on the trading floor to do dirty work, a little over 20 years old and the main assistant rolled into one for my uncle. People with a high level of qualification were hired to work on the trading floor - a master. You had to know everything about German cars. Be able to assemble and disassemble any German car. Actually, this is how the guys made money. I continued my report, observing all of my uncle’s requirements. Private soldier at attention. Hands at his sides. Uncle, we have chosen an excellent option for our trip: Toyota Prado is a comfortable and convenient car for traveling and travelers, but the car had significant damage:
- Front suspension on both wheels needs to be replaced;
- Replacement of brake discs and pads;
- Installation of new tires radius R17-R18;
- Replacement of oil, spark plugs and filters.
Uncle listened attentively to my report. He looked at Stefan, who was standing next to me sadly and looking somewhere at the floor. Good. I will be free in thirty minutes and will go to the pit. Find me Wilhelm, today is his shift.
Stefan and I left the office and headed towards where the Toyota Prado was standing ready for inspection in the pit. We did not have to look for Wilhelm for long, as he was already inspecting the Toyota and he had a notebook and a pen in his hands. He wrote something down in a notebook from time to time. We stood next to each other and tried not to disturb Wilhelm. Stefan took a pack of Marlboro cigarettes out of his front jeans pocket. He pulled out one cigarette and handed the pack to me. We lit up to avoid emotions and unnecessary worries. The outcome of our case was unknown and incomprehensible in every sense. I clenched my fist and raised my thumb up. Stefan, everything will be fine. We just have to wait for Uncle and hear his expert opinion. I thought that everything was already going well, and especially knowing Uncle, I was confident that he would help us, otherwise he would not have come at all, I thought, but then he clearly showed interest in our case. Almost 30 minutes passed. Uncle walked very quickly. It was obvious that the day was busy and there was a lot of work on the trading floor. Without visually inspecting the Toyota Prado, Uncle immediately went down into the pit, and Wilhelm followed him. It was clear that they were inspecting the front suspension. A loud grinding and clattering of iron on iron was heard in the pit, and then a strong impact of metal on metal. You could hear Uncle swearing. Obscene German speech was pouring out of his mouth. A few more minutes passed. Wilhelm and Uncle came out of the pit. Wilhelm opened the hood of the Toyota. Uncle looked everything over carefully. He closed the hood and said: “American Scheiße” then came up to Stefan and me. He took a notebook and a pen from Wilhelm. On a piece of paper he wrote our address and phone number. At the bottom he signed - Karl. Wilhelm went to the office at this time. Uncle and I walked a little away from the Toyota. Now you and Stefan will go to our office. Wilhelm will print out for you a detailed list of what needs to be bought for the Toyota “Prado”. Take this list to my old friend Karl. He specializes in Japanese cars and Japanese auto parts. Give him this list. I have already called Karl and he will be expecting you today. Remind Karl that he owes me and it is time to repay the old debt. Therefore, Karl will give you a 50 percent discount.
Uncle, thank you for your help. We shook hands with Uncle. Once again, thank you for your help, from the bottom of our hearts! At this time, Stefan came up and also thanked Uncle for his help. We said goodbye and went to the office, where Wilhelm was already waiting for us. Wilhelm had already printed out a list, which consisted of more than 30 items. All of this needed to be purchased to repair the Toyota Prado. When we were leaving the office and were almost at the door, Wilhelm told us to leave the Toyota on the trading floor. It was impossible to drive the Toyota and this was fraught with more serious consequences for the car. Stefan handed the keys to the Toyota Prado to Wilhelm. We said goodbye and left the office. We no longer had a car, and we needed to go to the Japanese auto parts store to Karl today. Stefan: Vanessa, she will help us. They are just going shopping with Lena somewhere in Frankfurt.
Red: Great idea, Stefan. Then we’ll all go to the Japanese auto parts store together. We’ll get our dear girls involved in the matter.
Stefan: Vanessa, hi. Can you come pick us up at the trading floor? We need to go to the Japanese auto parts store…
Vanessa: We’ve already bought everything and are on our way to you. Long live France! Long live the French Revolution! Long live Marianne!
- The woman on the barricades, known as Marianne, is a symbol of the French Republic and the personification of the national motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.
The image of Marianne in Eugène Delacroix’s painting “Liberty Leading the People” combines the grandeur of the ancient goddess and the courage of a simple woman from the people.
The artist painted Marianne’s face from the French revolutionary Anne Charlotte. The washerwoman went to the barricades after the king’s soldiers killed her brother. The fearless act of this woman served as an example for many revolutionaries.
On Marianne’s head is a Phrygian cap (a symbol of freedom during the first French revolution). In her right hand is the flag of Republican France, in her left - a gun. Barefoot and bare-chested, she walks over a pile of corpses.
Behind Marianne are representatives of different social classes - a worker, a bourgeois, a teenager. They symbolize the unity of the French people during the July Revolution.
Stefan: Asked me the address of the marketplace and immediately gave it to Vanessa on the phone.
Vanessa: Darling, we will be there soon. Wait for us!
Red: Stefan, it’s good that the “PEUGEOT 3008” has a “Navigation System GPS Map Update” and an artificial intelligence system that will show you the right way.
Stefan: That’s right, otherwise we’ll be waiting here until late at night and there’s no guarantee they’ll find us.
Red: Yes, women often lose their navigation on the road. All these shops. Cafes. Sushi…
We left the marketplace and walked a little further along the only road that led to the marketplace. Stefan, look, a “PEUGEOT 3008” is speeding by. That’s definitely them, our dear women. They didn’t lose their way and found this one and only true road. The road to France showed them the right way. Vanessa, stopped next to us. Boys, jump into the girls’ car. Stefan asked: “How much will you take?” Vanessa: “We’ll agree on the way!”
Vanessa typed the address on the multimedia system: “Navigation System GPS Map Update Home” and our route to the Japanese auto parts store, which was located in the east of Frankfurt, lit up.
Now we could relax a little in the PEUGEOT 3008. Stefan and I sat in the back row of seats and the cool air from the climate control blew on us.
Vanessa: Stefan, where is the Toyota Prado?
Stefan: We left the Toyota at the trading floor. It won’t be possible to drive it until the repairs are done. Now you’ll be driving us everywhere in the PEUGEOT 3008.
Vanessa: I told you a long time ago that the Toyota is in a state of emergency. It creaks all over, it barely moves and everything is bad. We should have taken the Toyota in for repairs a long time ago.
Stefan: We went through a full technical inspection at the trading floor. Here’s a list on two sheets of paper of what needs to be bought and what needs to be replaced. A voluminous list of 37 items.
Vanessa: Let me see the list. Oh, wow!
Stefan: Vanessa, that’s why I wasn’t in a hurry to repair the Toyota.
Red: The most important thing is that the body is intact. No accidents. Only the right passenger door needed to be replaced. Everything else can be done and the Toyota can be brought up to standard.
Lena: What was on the trading floor?
Red: We drove the Toyota into a pit. Uncle and Wilhelm performed a thorough inspection of the Toyota. Wilhelm made this list of spare parts for replacement. All that was left was to buy everything according to the list and take the parts to the trading floor.
Vanessa: Here we are. This was our Japanese store.
We all got out of the “PEUGEOT 3008” and went to the Japanese auto parts store. A very large rectangular room. The entire store was simply littered with Japanese auto parts. All the walls were hung and occupied by various samples of Japanese auto parts. In the very corner sat a man in glasses, he looked about 55 years old. We approached him. On the chest badge was the inscription: “Karl”.
Stefan: Good afternoon!
Karl: Good afternoon!
Stefan handed Karl a list on two A4 sheets, which listed 37 names of various Japanese auto parts.
Karl: A big list. We will need to look at everything and check if they are in stock. Karl took a laptop and an old calculator from under the counter. He quickly typed the name of the parts into the laptop, and then on our list opposite each element that was needed to repair the Toyota, he wrote the price in euros. The speed was incredible. Ten minutes passed and Karl finished this important work.
Karl: In total, we get 5,200 euros! You can check it yourself. Here is your list and Karl handed the list back to Stefan.
Red: Karl, my uncle sent us to you. He called you today. You are this afternoon…
Karl: Are you a nephew? Did you come from Russia? You look a lot like your uncle. Definitely one of his kind. Karl got up from his chair. He walked around the counter and stood opposite me. He was the spitting image of his uncle in his youth. Exactly. Karl looked at me attentively through his glasses and patted me on the shoulders with both hands. Well done for coming to visit your uncle. Well done! A real German! So the family was reunited after many years. It was very difficult to understand what Karl was talking about.
Karl: I went back behind the counter of the store. Yes, your uncle called today and we agreed that I would give you a 50 percent discount. Specifically for you, and at that moment Karl looked specifically at me, not noticing the others who were standing next to me in the store.
Karl: Youth. The future of Germany. Young! Beautiful! Strong and healthy! The future of Germany! Strong German children! Karl continued to talk for a long time and expressed some of his thoughts about Germany to us. I did not understand anything, but it was very interesting to listen to him. Karl: We worked together for a long time with your uncle, and then our paths diverged and I opened my own store. Okay, I’ll give you a 50 percent discount on your 2,500 euros. Karl printed out the contract. A deposit of 500 euros was required. Everything will be ready after two tomorrow.
Stefan: He nodded his head affirmatively. He counted out 500 euros and handed them to Karl. He signed the contract. We’ll be there tomorrow at 2:00 PM!
We said goodbye. Karl came up to me again and patted me on the shoulder. We shook hands. Say hello to your uncle! Aufiedersein!
We left the store…
Red: It worked! We did it. We broke through, damn it. Stefan, I told you back on the marketplace that not all was lost. You were worried for nothing. We finally got this thing moving.
Stefan: Thank you, my friend and comrade, Red! No, I thought we really got our money’s worth when Karl announced the amount of 5,200 euros. I only had 3,200 euros with me. A 50 percent discount saved this difficult situation.
Red: Great day, my friends. We are moving forward only to our Victory!
Red: Lena, our affairs are moving forward at a rapid pace. Now we are definitely sure that we will get to France and see Paris.
At that moment, I picked up my beloved woman with both hands and carried her to our car “PEUGEOT 3008”.
Lena: What are you doing? Darling, I am very glad that everything worked out for you! At that moment, the lights of love and happiness lit up in her eyes.
At that moment, we were all the happiest people on planet Earth and it was not about the Toyota “Prado” or the 50 percent discount, but about the implementation and success of our plan, in which no one believed, since nothing depended on us. Its implementation was very difficult. There was simply not enough money to repair the Toyota. Uncle could refuse and say: “Guys, I’m sorry, but I don’t have time and I have a lot of work.” Everything hung by a thread and depended more on other people, but, apparently, this was our destiny and that’s how the stars in the Universe aligned.
“PEUGEOT 3008” was racing along the streets of Frankfurt towards our Victory and this wonderful French car was driven by Vanessa. As we were driving, we discussed our further plan of action. We decided to stop at the cafe “Zur Schoenen Mullerin” to drink the best apple cider in Germany, which was sold there. I don’t know how things are with apple cider in Germany now, but it was at that time and in Frankfurt that the best apple cider in all of Germany was made. There weren’t many visitors at the cafe “Zur Schoenen Mullerin” at 18:00. The cafe was loaded somewhere a little more than half. Today, some woman was running the bar, whom I saw for the first time. Perhaps she was recently hired for this important and responsible job. The bar was constantly short of staff. David worked three days in a row. He worked three shifts. I was relaxing. I wanted to call him, but then I thought that this might not be the best time for a friendly meeting, since we were all in a fantastic state of excitement and courage. From our table you could constantly hear this word: France! France! France! A cult topic. We talked about France for about two hours and that we all should definitely go to Paris. There was such an interesting saying, “See Paris once and die,” which carried a deep and mysterious meaning.
A couple of hours passed and Vanessa invited us all to visit her. Buy popcorn, wine and beer at the store on the way. Order food at home. Vanessa had a home theater in the living room of her townhouse and we could just watch the movie “Brotherhood of the Wolf.” “Brotherhood of the Wolf” was a French movie in which one of the main roles in this movie was played by: Vincent Cassel! We paid the bill at the bar “Zur Schoenen Mullerin” and left!
To be continued…