Tram ride in Zurich(Dill McLain) Tram number 7 was packed like every morning at half past seven during the week. Most passengers were busy with their mobile phones. Some others were reading the daily free newspaper in short format and a few were hiding behind the regular daily newspaper holding it high up in the air in front of their heads and making a very serious face. A few passengers had opened a notebook on their knees and were staring fixedly at the screen and or typing desperately texts or commands and controlled, sitting there with a hunched back, what they just had written. Now and then they made grimaces, as if the keyboard was burning hot or what they had just written was a total nonsense or then the message received was so terrible, that they were transfixed.

Many passengers were wearing headphones in all variants, from the small inconspicuous to the giant clams that cover more than the ears and make the person look as if they had just landed from the outer space or as remote-controlled ants. Some were obviously listening to scary music from hell or then to sweet sounds or songs that made them move their eyebrows and frown their foreheads. Only five passengers did not read, not listen and not type. They looked around smiling and observed the others, secretly or openly and directly.

Outside it was still quite dark. It was the first Wednesday morning in November, a typical autumn day, windy, cold and wet, and all were wearing thick winter coats or jackets, including scarves and hats, and carrying an umbrella.

In the last moment before the doors closed, a young attractive woman rushed in. Her hair was obviously pinned up in the greatest haste and started to fall down at the side, which gave her a wild touch. She carried a tennis racket over her shoulder as well as a shoulder bag with half open zip and in her hand a huge travel bag that seemed to be packed tightly. In the other hand she carried a paper bag from an exclusive shop, apparently packed in a wild rush, some clothes were hanging out. With her a little dog jumped into the tram, whose leash she also was somehow holding. The dog had black and brown spots on white fur and was happy and cheerful. The young woman seemed to be quite sad and very confused. The tram started and the dog disappeared somewhere at knee height between the legs of the crowd. From the main station the tram took a curve and turned into the famous Bahnhofstrasse. In the curve all were swaying back and forth. The tram tracks were wet and the tram squealed. The tram stopped some meters before the next station. Obviously there was a delay with one of the trams in front.

At this time tram number 7 was usually full of people in very smart clothes and with carefully combed hairstyles. Dark suits and coats for men were a must and under the expensive cashmere scarf one could assume the impeccable white shirt collars. The coat collar turned up was indicating fashion consciousness with a portion of dude and coolness. Dark costumes and coats for women with a variety of light-coloured silk blouses or very fine cashmere pullovers and a heavy silk scarf. Women carried huge handbags from sinfully expensive shops whose names were clearly visible stamped into the leather or engraved on large shiny metal plates. Generally people looked lightly duped into the world but with a real touch of aloofness. They all showed very serious faces and looked stressed which must be an attitude to cover up some other tendencies. Why would one otherwise already look so terribly stressed early in the morning before even having seen the work to be done and before even having seen the boss?

Most of these passengers probably worked in well paid positions of renowned banks and finance companies, insurance companies, law offices and other serious enterprises with great outlook for a certain fame and wealth. Most other employees of the rest of the working world would have taken earlier or later trams.

Amidst this important load of tram passengers one could feel and smell the big wider world, the efficiency and knowledge and the enormous load of these highly paid positions on the pulse of the earth and wealth.

A loud and extremely seductive groaning in various shades of sound suddenly disturbed this magnificent aura on the tram and most people looked up amazed or turned their heads and rolled their eyes wondering. It became obvious that it was the mobile phone of the young woman with the friendly dog. She dropped one bag in order to be able to dig in her handbag for her phone and she also dropped the leash with the dog that took the occasion and moved on, crawling over the feet of the passengers, to look for a better place.

The young woman finally found the phone and screamed with hoarse voice: ‘Who is it? What else do you want? Leave me alone! You are an absolute no-good! Find another servant for washing your socks and shirts and underwear! One that tolerates your infidelities! Leave me alone, you no-good!’ She angrily dropped the phone into the paper bag and sniffed.

In the meantime the tram had reached the next station and almost all passengers who witnessed the phone call were waiting for what would happen next. Then they went back to their former position, but keeping one eye and one ear on alert.

There was no space for new passengers, no one left and the tram drove on. To the right appeared the small park with the monument of the famous and benevolent man Heinrich Pestalozzi looking down with a friendly face to a boy and holding him carefully and affectionately around the shoulders while the boy is looking up to the friendly man. The gesture and the smile of Heinrich Pestalozzi were emanating great kindness.

Just as the tram passed the statue, there was a terrible outcry, which left all the passengers attentive. The shriek went through and through. It came from an elegant man of about 30 years with wonderful dark brown hair, styled after the fashion of an English nobleman, and a well-cut face with a touch of arrogance. The man seemed to have completely lost his composure.

On his knees sat the friendly dog with the black and brown spots, cheerfully smiling with his tongue hanging out and looking at the man full of joy.

The elegant man held his tablet in the air screaming ‘No, no, and no! The dog has just bought 1000 shares! But I just wanted 100. This is absolutely impossible. This dog has just bought 1000 shares in my name! Unimaginable and yet it just has happened: A dog as a stock buyer!’

It was now as quiet as mice on the tram. The rear passengers looked intently forward and the front ones turned their heads. Everyone wanted to watch the action with the best possible view. But at the same time pretending to remain uninvolved, a typical Swiss character pattern. No one had so far seen or heard of a dog that buys stocks. But no one knew exactly what happened. Whether the man was bluffing or whether it was actually an app for dogs on the tablet?

The elegant man sighed loudly and added: ‘This will cost me a small fortune. Adieu heli-skiing in Canada at Christmas. I will need those reserves for today’s purchase of 1000 shares by this dog!’ He looked accusingly at the friendly dog which immediately begun joyfully to lick the man’s face.

From the back of the tram came a deep voice asking seriously: ‘What shares did the dog buy?’

The elegant man turned his head and answered with a certain pride in his voice: ‘Endless sunshine solar battery 7plusC!’

The voice from the back answered without hesitation: ‘Perfect, young man, absolutely perfect. Great buy. These shares are worth gold and will increase rapidly within the next few weeks!’

The elegant man looked slightly astonished in the direction of the speaker. The friendly dog continued to lick the man’s face. Sometimes the dog paused, looked around, seemed to smile and then continued to lick.

In the meantime the tram had left the next station and drove in the direction of Paradeplatz. However, after some 50 meters a stray passenger car with an out of town license plate had got stuck on the tram rails with a flat tire, so that the tram had to stop.

From the back came another voice asking: ‘Could you lend me your dog for 10 minutes?’

Thunderous laughter filled the tram.

‘How exactly did the dog buy the shares, has he got his own password?’ a pale young man with huge ant-phones wanted do know. With exactly the attitude of young people who are ready to accept the latest modern gag or new technology.

‘It is all very simple, but idiotic at the same time,’ explained the elegant man and continued: ‘I was just about to confirm my purchase after having typed 100 in the respective box, when the dog jumped on my knees and obviously touched with his paw the screen in a sort of a double click changing the 100 into 1000. Then he turned around and touched with his back leg exactly the right box to confirm the purchase! I saw what happened. But it all went in a fraction of seconds. And then I read the message on the screen confirming and thanking me for my purchase.’

‘What is the name of the dog?’ asked a thin female voice from the front.

‘I do not know, it is not my dog!’ clarified the elegant man.

Again thunderous laughter filled the tram. Then silence again.

The loud and extremely seductive groaning in various shades of sound ushered before came again. The pretty young woman with the tangled hair looked again in her bags for her mobile phone.

With the phone on her ear she screamed: ‘Come here immediately! No, no, I do not mean you, I mean the dog. You just stay where you are. It’s over with us. We are not the right pair. You should look for a more submissive servant. But I am an independent woman with a proper profession and I will remain so. And I do not accept an affair hunter as partner. Life is too precious and too short for this. You hurt me too much!’

Sobbing, the young woman threw her phone into the paper bag.

There was total silence again in the tram that could now continue. Two policemen on roller skates plus a pedestrian had managed to remove the blocking car from ahead of the tram.

The tram pulled into the Paradeplatz. The doors opened and most of the passengers got out and hurried in all directions. The doors closed and the tram drove on.

On one of the two benches outside at the tram stop, the pretty young woman sat down. She had completely collapsed, all of her bags around her feet, and began heartbreakingly crying. Almost all saw it, but hardly anyone was interested.

The elegant man with the dog on his knees looked out through the window and saw the crying woman sitting outside. He became thoughtful.

As the tram moved ahead, his eyes followed as long as possible the young woman sitting on the bench and he realized that he was embracing her friendly dog that had just stopped licking his face. He felt the warm body of the dog and stroked his fur.

The tram stopped at the next station where another group of people left the tram and as last the man plus the dog got out too. He stood there at the tram stop with the leash in one hand and in the other the tablet. It started to rain. It was impossible to open and hold his umbrella, so he left it in his coat pocket and turned his head against the rain. He started to go back the same way he had just come by tram.

He was 29 years old, lived alone and worked about 80 hours per week. He specialized in international economic law and had opened his own office a couple of months ago. He was what was called a nerd and had made a brilliant career to date. To achieve this he had for many years to sit day and night behind his books and files. There was room for some exercise and some art, but in the field of women he was quite inexperienced. He did actually not care too much and just consumed then and when, but rather rarely. He was a bit shy and uptight in matters of the heart. Ostensibly, he was not upset about it, but deep down something was stirring now and then, something that let him feel that something was missing. At parties women adored him immediately, but then often after a very short time turned disinterested towards other male targets.

He walked along with the friendly dog at his side and an absolutely new feeling came over him. Everyone in the café at the next corner looked through the large windows at him with the dog and smiled. In the window of the hairdresser of the next house he could see himself reflected including the dog, and he found it absolutely enchanting.

He increased his pace and thought ‘One should indeed go for a walk more often and look at the world!’

Then he saw from the edge of the large bank building the young woman sitting on the bench of the previous tram station, huddled and still crying.

He hesitated a moment. Then he started to run. The dog had to struggle to keep up. The two arrived at the bench panting and the elegant man sat down, picked up the bags and placed them beside him. The rain got heavier.

‘Can I help you?’ he asked her. No reaction from her side. The loud and extremely seductive groaning in various shades of sound came out of one of the bags. She held her hands on her ears and screamed ‘Why does he not leave me alone, after all?’ The elegant man searched in the bags and found her mobile phone. He pressed the button and answered the call: ‘I am her lawyer. Please leave her in peace now. Your relationship is over!’

The young woman looked at him in astonishment. He opened his umbrella and moved a bit closer to her. The dog jumped up on his knees. A very faint smile lit up the woman’s face for a moment and she said: ‘The dog likes you!’ Why he said what he said, he did not know. But he then said: 'And you, do you like me too?’ The dog stood up, looked at her and wagged expectantly.

She took the hair clip from her hair and combed her hair with her fingers. Then she wiped her tears and said: ‘Under normal circumstances, I would sing to you with joy. But now I have other concerns. I have to look for new accommodation. Then I have to work. I cannot afford an absence from work. I am self-employed. I have recently opened a small business.’ ‘How wonderful! What kind of business is it?’ asked the elegant man curiously. She answered with a portion of pride: ‘A design studio for exclusive pillows!’ He could not hide his delight: Finally a great looking woman who is also business-minded and yet artistically inclined.

Incessantly trams came, stopped and drove away again, after spitting out a load of passengers who disappeared hectically in all directions.

The elegant man jumped up, picked up her bags and said with a cheerful voice: ‘Come on, I'll accompany you to your atelier, we’ll take a taxi!’ He walked to the corner where a taxi just had arrived and passengers got out. The two got into the car and placed the bags on their knees and the dog sat happily in the middle.

The elegant man made various phone calls during the ride and the young woman could look at him unnoticed and extensively. She thought: ‘This morning started terribly but seemed to end like a fairy tale!’

He of course noticed that she looked at him extensively and thought: 'Aha, now she shows interest. Now merely do not do or say anything wrong!'

The taxi stopped in front of a three-storey house on a street with trees left and right. The elegant man paid the taxi and the young woman opened the door of a tiny shop and disappeared in the back. The young man followed her and waited in the front room that was kind of a showroom. ‘I’ll quickly change my wet clothes and then make us some tea. Please feel free to look around,’ came her voice from the back.

He walked around and inspected the wonderfully decorated pillows in all sizes and shapes. He felt heavenly.

From the back room came her voice: ‘Tea is served, please come through.’ The backroom was her atelier dominated by a huge working table. On two walls were racks full of pillows on one side, and many fabrics, ribbons, buttons and decorative items on the other side. A third wall was full of sketches. In front of the fourth wall was a table with a sewing machine and a tiny kitchen area and a small office place with her PC.

She stood in front of the huge table. She was now wearing a long blue cashmere pullover down to the knees and black jeans with ankle high boots. Her long hair was freshly combed and fell over her shoulders. Her blue eyes matched her cashmere pullover. She looked so beautiful. He was speechless, overwhelmed and happy. She served him a mug with mint tea and then served herself. They stood there looking at each other and drinking mint tea.

After a longer while she explained: ‘There is a saying that one should not jump from one relation right into the next one. One must finish the first one, according to what some wise people suggest. Well, there will be a divorce in my case, which will take a while. But the relation is finished since quite some time because of repeated infidelity of the partner.’

A loud noise came from the entrance and a deep voice screamed: ‘Here you have your bloody stuff, you can forget the rest!’ The two drinkers of mint tea stepped forward into the front room. There stood a man wearing jeans and leather jacket, with an angry face and next to his feet were two large suitcases.

He seemed to be totally shocked when he saw her with such an elegant man standing there, both with mugs in the hand, smiling and looking at him.

‘What are you doing with this exclusive fashion dude in your atelier? What the hell is this? You complain about my little escapades but quietly you meet up with a hot noble! This is unbelievable!’ screamed the man into the room and blew out furiously his cheeks.

The elegant man stepped forward and explained: ‘You should know, we just met this morning in the tram, when the dog of your wife bought with my tablet 1000 shares of Essb7plusC and we are now settling the details of the custody account to be opened for the dog.’

Total silence. The angry man looked from his wife to the elegant man and vice versa and it was obvious, he did not understand a word and felt uncomfortable or even shocked. And he probably thought the two were completely mad.

He raised his hands to his chest, as if to protect himself, and slowly began to walk backwards. At the door he stopped for a moment and said: ‘Look, I do not want to make any problems, you can get the rest of her stuff and part of the furniture whenever you want. I wish you two all the best and look forward to a quick divorce, bye,’ and he hastily disappeared.

The two and the dog stood in the middle of the room next to the two suitcases. He looked at her and smiled. She looked at him and smiled.

Then she stepped toward him, kissed him and said: ‘Our dog is obviously a fabulous stock buyer and matchmaker all in one!’

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