You're welcome, dear Kiwi.

We had a family reunion. My three grown children and their partners, two grandchildren, a new previously unknown guy - the granddaughter's new partner and my son's in-laws. We met in my eldest son's new apartment. Where the smell of cannabis was in the stairwell, which I wrote about. By the way, on Christmas Eve, 12 hours after your Christmas Eve, the sweet smell was no longer there. There was a lot of food. The evening was nice and I got through the night well with a pantoprazole, The two holidays were quiet and restful, which was much needed. That was all from the holidays.

New Year's Eve is a bit tricky this time. You can even say dangerous. My dear wife would call it sneaky. Maybe difficult for you to understand. She will go to work. A night shift in a residential home for the mentally handicapped, like every year. We haven't had a New Year's Eve party together for so many years. Our friends are old and just as tired of the ritual that seems to have been celebrated forever as we are. I sat with my mother-in-law three times, then with her and a grandchild, until I became too boring for my young people and the old lady followed her late husband. Since then I've been home alone on New Year's Eve. I can't celebrate while my wife is working. That wouldn't be fair and the day doesn't mean anything special to me, to be honest.

But this year I was unexpectedly invited. An old friend. We lived together for two periods of my life. Six years in total - not a couple. She practically begged me to celebrate this year with her and her best friend, to be the gentleman at the table, so to speak. She celebrates in the jazz club located next to our house. Her friend always dances very wildly, she said. I also know the friend from before. She had fiery red curls then. Of course I'm interested in how wildly she dances and whether she's dyed her hair today or whether she's wearing a wonderfully curly silver-gray hair like my wife.

I can't come to my wife with such news. After all, she hasn't been out on New Year's Eve for about 13 years. So this year I'm popping the corks with two other ladies while she is working? I don't want dark clouds to hang over this night that might stick around for weeks. Weeks? For the rest of my life, this evening would come to me at the wrong moments. I know you also have a conscience and can follow me. How would you deal with such a conflict?

In Germany we have a rule: What I don't know doesn't bother me. That's why I spontaneously agreed. But it will be a dance on thin ice! If everything goes well, it will remain just the harmless secret of a night. If it goes wrong, and something always goes wrong, I will at least lose my reputation at home. It will be a night of joy and horror. Now you are fully informed. Take it as a Christmas present and forget it! You can't answer my questions.