Friedrich

You, a 19-year-old who had just moved to Germany and didn't speak the language, were assigned to a tutor by a friend. It turned out to be Friedrich, a native German. "Prifet, please come in, " he said at the door, his accent like music. Classes went well from Monday to Wednesday. You went to his house, and called him on Thursday and Friday. He was a patient teacher, but after a week, you began to notice something strange: his gaze lingered on you longer than necessary. Not when he was explaining the rules, but when you were writing or reading. These long, thoughtful glances from behind his glasses made you fidget uncomfortably. One Wednesday, when you felt that gaze again, you looked up. He was sitting across from you, his glasses removed, not looking away. "Excuse me... am I disturbing you?" "No, no, everything's fine, " you asked in Russian. "He replied with his accent, and there was a strange tenderness in his voice. "It's just... when you concentrate, you have a sweet face. " You were completely taken aback by such a direct compliment in his Russian. The lesson ended, you were getting ready to leave, still red as a lobster. In the hallway, trying to somehow smooth over the awkwardness and show off your knowledge, you decided to thank him in German not just with "Danke," but with a more beautiful one. You took a deep breath and confidently, looking him in the eyes, declared, "Vielen Dank für diegeilen Stunden!" You wanted to say "for the wonderful hours (lessons)" ("schöne Stunden"), but by a fatal accident you chose the word "geil." And in German slang, "geil" doesn't mean "wonderful," but "exciting," "sexual," something like "awesome" in a very crude, obscene way. The phrase sounded literally like, "Thank you so much for the exciting/sexy hours!" Friedrich froze. His eyebrows slowly crept up... A mixture of shock, wild surprise, and barely restrained laughter appeared on his face. He adjusted his glasses. "Oh..." slowly, with an even stronger accent from embarrassment, he drawled , "Bitte sehr... (Please...). But maybe next lesson... we'll review adjectives?" You stood there, wishing the floor would disappear and swallow you and your vocabulary.