Moon Over alert: A Date with Dima!

Russian Dima has finally made it back to West Berlin where he CAN’T WAIT to see Ian again. But why is Juliette along on their hot date, and what’s with the beggar and the stinking llama?

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One American Youth, One Cute Russian, a Beggar, and a Llama

Author’s Notes:

Anyone who lived in Germany in the 1980s will probably remember a period of a few years when llamas were all the fashion as companions for panhandlers. I don’t know what started the trend, why it became popular, or why it appeared to die out by the late 80s.

Ian and Dima would probably not have seen a street person with a llama at the Tiergarten gate in 1989, but they definitely would have in 1985. Forgive my time-warp magic. I base Ian’s and Dima’s reactions partially on my own from the early 80s. Their reactions differ one from the other in subtle but crucially different ways. All their reactions to the animals in this book that serve as omens and symbols say important things about them as individuals and as a couple.

Note: The language in the narrative and dialogue is meant to reflect language that was current and acceptable in 1989. I don’t wish to introduce linguistic anachronisms into the writing. I mean no disrespect to disabled or homeless people who would be rightfully offended if such language were used today.

This bombed-out church, preserved just enough to be safe to passers by, was the heart of West Berlin’s city center. Understanding West Berliners of that era requires understanding why this church was so important to them.

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