Because he had a pleasant way of speaking as well as a face that
looked like that of an intelligent doll, the former locksmith soon
had won a very large number of steady customers, for the most part
female. In the morning a dozen saleswomen from a nearby department
store, having purposely arrived too early, gathered around his kiosk
to enjoy the dirty jokes and cheerful comments of Mr. Mechenmal. The
bank officer Leopold Lehmann, who always arrived punctually at eight
o'clock, to buy illustrated joke books and theological tracts,
sometimes became impatient, because the cheerful saleswomen disturbed
him as he tried to make his selection. And the school-teacher Theo
Tontod, who tirelessly, and, as a rule, uselessly asked for the
modern newspaper, "The Other A," often got to school too late.
Around noon, almost every day, the choral-singer Mabel Meier came, on
the arm of an old man. She bought colorful, spicy newspapers, or
sentimental ones, with long lyrical poems. The old man, who always
had a whining expression, sighed as he paid. She was reserved with
Mechenmal. At odd hours, Mieze Maier, a teen-ager, also came, and
asked whether Herr Tontod had been there. Once Mieze Maier remained
longer; from that time on she did it more frequently. Sometimes a
fat, agreeable servant-girl of the salesman Konrad Krause was at the
kiosk. She said to Mechenmal that he was good-looking, that he had
passionately dark eyes and a kissable mouth, asked if he had time on
Sundays to go dancing--she liked him very much. Mechenmal answered
that he would not object to satisfying Miss Frida's inclination
occasionally. The servant girl reminded him embarrassingly often of
his promise.--Every Tuesday afternoon a certain Mr. Simon, who lived
in an open sanitarium, and was always accompanied by an attendant,
asked for the magazines for undertakers; if there were not enough
available, he went off peeved, cursing the crematorium.--Kuno Kohn
also came a few times every week, rarely to buy something, mainly to
visit his friend and to make an appointment for the evening
rendez-vous.--Students, ladies, officers, workers bought their
newspapers. Only Ilse Leipke, in spite of Mechenmal's repeated
requests, refused to come to the kiosk.
This was a whim of Ilka Leipke. She had much time for herself and
complained to her beloved many times that the days were more boring
than the nights. Ilsa Leipke also loved her sweet dwarf no less than
in the early days of their acquaintanceship, even though Mechenmal
was increasingly high-handed and nasty in his treatment of her. It
went so far that he enjoyed it when she cried; he was never content
until he had brought her to tears. Then it gave him pleasure to
comfort her. Afterwards, however, he was very good to her; basically,
he loved her. He let Ilka Leipke caress and kiss him. He was a bit
larger than she, but she held him on her young body like a child.
They told stories to each other. They laughed. They kissed. They
often went over the story of the way they met. They discovered
thousands of new details, or made something up because it was fun.
The girl found, a box in which small items lay, a clipping from a
newspaper, which read like this:
marriage request
A young, somewhat small, very good-looking man, tired of
being alone, is looking for a similarly inclined lady, with
honorable marriage in mind. Money an advantage.
Send friendly replies to Max Mechenmal.
Or Mr. Mechenmal took out of his wallet a blue letter with violet red
spots, which he held out smilingly to the girl. Miss Lepke then read
it well, in a gentle, loving voice:
Very honored gentleman!
Read your request for marriage. To my regret I cannot
supply capital. For my part I could do without the
marriage, of which I have no need yet. I am by trade a
woman. I am small (but wow!). I am tired of having boy friends
and therefore am looking for a relationship with a steady
man. If you find my proposal agreeable, please send me
a photo of yourself. I remain your devoted