Heidi und Holger

June 1, 2001
HEIDI makes a note in her diary about how all her unsuccessful attempts to find Mr. Right can only mean one thing: Somewhere out there is someone who is a perfect match. She prays for Mr. Unknown and waits.

June 4, 2001
HOLGER receives an email which leads him to joining OM. On the same day he writes a song for his future wife – and waits.

August 2004
HEIDI is joining OM for two years after a couple of internal struggles. While she is at the GO-conference, a thought enters her mind: How funny would it be if her future husband were right there at the same conference.

HOLGER is staff member at that same conference, staying in the same building as Heidi and visiting the same meeting of the German speaking recruits.

January 2007
HEIDI meets Holger at the GO-conference in Mosbach and thinks: “Mhm!” He, however, does not show any interest in her, so soon after the conference she’s forgotten all about him.

HOLGER meets Heidi at the GO-conference in Mosbach and thinks: “Mhm!” But because she mainly asks computer related questions for a conversation to happen, she is filed in the respective box.

June 2007
HEIDI is being advised by her friend and boss to put together a list of all the qualities she would like to see in her future husband. She does that reluctantly and being fully aware that having these things  in writing can only decrease her chances of ever getting married. Shock sets in as she finishes her list with 30 points in three different categories. She is certain there can never be anyone who meets all these criteria…

HOLGER is given a job assignment to analyze the personnel module of an OM-internal computer program.

July 19, 2007
HOLGER makes an appointment with Heidi, just like with many other people working in personnel, and meets her in her office. Of the 90 minutes, the program is only discussed for a mere 20 minutes. The rest of the time they spend talking about books and OM and life in general.

HEIDI has a random thought after Holger leaves (“I just talked to my future husband”), which is immediately filed as craziness. She waits for Holger to get in touch – but he doesn’t. She keeps praying and waiting how their next encounter at the GO-conference will go.

HOLGER heads home from that meeting thinking “Hm… what was that? Interesting…” He shares with a friend about that young woman he met, but in spite of his friend’s encouragement does nothing to show interest – “gather more data first”

August 28, 2007
HEIDI knew even before the conference started that she would spend much time on her own, with her office being far away from any action, so she is not expecting to see much of Holger. When she arrives at the conference center, she learns that they decided to do it a little differently this year – all staff will share one big office.

HOLGER arrives at the conference and ends up at the desk next to Heidi for the three days he’s there. They share a lot and laugh even more but Holger still shows no signs of interest.

August 30, 2007
HOLGER leaves the conference saying “See you in January at the next conference in Mosbach”.

HEIDI wonders if she just imagined the connection between them and is disappointed he is not getting in touch.

September 2007
HEIDI follows the advice of people who encourage her to get in touch with Holger, so she looks hard for a business reason, which doesn’t lead anywhere. In the meantime someone shows an interest in Holger’s talent as a comedian. Heidi briefly shares this information with him and wants to forget about the whole thing.

HOLGER responds and starts a more personal email conversation.

October 5, 2007
HOLGER replies again two weeks later. However, after two days of sending emails back and forth he never responds again.

December 7, 2007
HEIDI first blames his business trips for him not responding, but after several weeks she finally concludes that this can only mean he is not interested in her. She wants to forget about it and not make a fool of herself even more. Yet she finds herself in a dilemma: she would technically need his help for her studies as a well-versed English speaking former law school student. The conflict ends against all her determination not to contact him again – and she asks him for help via Instant Messenger.

HOLGER in the meantime had thought about sending Heidi a postcard from his business trip to South Africa, but lacking the resources like postcards and civilisation this didn’t happen. He is happily helping Heidi with her studies and they end up talking for two hours over Yahoo – partly study-related and partly personal stuff. It ends with Holger’s offer of further help.

December 8, 2007
HEIDI continues working on her essay on British employment law and Holger keeps supporting her on and off.

HOLGER starts pulling the chat conversation to a more personal level later that day and so they chat for another two hours about life, OM, men and women and dating, being single in OM, getting married, wanting children, future plans… all just in general, of course!

December 14, 2007
HEIDI and Holger continue their exchange about common misunderstandings between men and women through email for another week. In one of these emails Holger basically gives permission for a woman to take the first step, since that could cut a long confusing road short, which he wouldn’t mind.

HOLGER again does not respond to Heidi’s last email. However, he does (at least ) try to meet with his mentor in order to talk what the next steps could look like – they don’t find time before the GO-conference, though. Holger decides to just go and see what happens at the conference, do nothing, drive back home, then meet with his mentor and plan the next steps.

January 14, 2008
HEIDI received good counsel from her boss and friends and decides not to run the risk of a never-ending confusing story that leads nowhere. She is still convinced Holger is not intersted and wants to move on after the conference is over, instead of fruitless waiting for a next encounter several months later. Because of what Holger wrote in his emails, she plans to invite him for breakfast if there are slightly detectable signs of interest.

January 17, 2008
HOLGER is carefully sending some signals which unfortunately would still not qualify to convince a critical jury of female friends that he is in fact interested. He talks Heidi into being part of his team at “Mission Possible”, which leads to both of them being off for the whole morning on that particular day.

HEIDI takes heart and invites Holger for breakfast for the morning before “Mission Possible” – he happily accepts, but he continues to send mixed and weak signals.

January 21, 2008
HEIDI has decided to get clarity during the breakfast morning if Holger does not take the initiative, especially since this will be the last opportunity before the end of the conference. Interestingly enough, she is all peaceful and calm.

HOLGER is at Heidi’s place right on time at 8:30 am and they have breakfast. He shares that he’s got no other plans for the morning until the program starts at 2 pm. They talk and share and at some point move over to the living room and keep talking. Time is getting closer to 1 pm – and still no clarity anywhere in sight.

HEIDI takes a deep breath and asks Holger whether the fact that he accepted the invitation meant the same as the invitation itself?

HOLGER confirms that, if the invitation meant what he thinks it meant, they both seem to be heading in the same direction – so that was sorted

BOTH look at each other asking “Now what?” and burst out laughing, because neither of them had ever been past that point. They make plans for the official OM procedures in cases like this and hurry back to the conference to be on time for the program. They are both stuck there until the evening, while a good number of praying friends of Heidi’s anxiously wait for a relieving call. Within the next 24 hours news that Heidi and Holger are a couple spreads quickly

July 21, 2008
HOLGER is certain that Heidi is the woman he’s been waiting for and proposes to her during their holiday in London – both standing on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, with one leg in the eastern and one leg in the western hemisphere, looking down on beautiful London on a beautiful sunny day.

HEIDI says YES. She has been convinced for some time now that Holger is Mr. Right. After all, he is meeting even more requirements than 29.5 out of 30 possible scores on her husband wishlist…