It was August 10, 2018, Ann-Kathrin was looking for a ball with bells, also called a bell ball, because she wanted to play ball with her just two-year-old godchild. Because of her visual impairment, it wasn’t easy to follow the ball, even if it contrasted with the ground. She hoped that a ringing ball would help. In her childhood, she had played with such balls herself. In a Facebook group for visually impaired and blind people, she asked her question and reported the circumstance with her godchild.
Max quickly got in touch, commented cheerfully, and wrote a personal message shortly after. He sent her an Amazon link. That didn’t help her much, but Max was open-minded and interested because of the godchild issue.
The two struck up a conversation and began writing to each other. Following her gut feeling, Ann-Kathrin gave Max her cell phone number 3 days later because he had asked her for it. He pretended that it was easier to write via WhatsApp. The contact intensified. Soon after, they sent each other messages, voice messages, as well as pictures and videos. In early September, Max dropped that he was in Hanover mid-September for an honorary appointment.
Of course, it wasn’t a date, or so they both claim. So Ann-Kathrin traveled to Hanover to meet Max there. It was supposed to be just two hours because Max was invited to a 80th birthday party – Peter, as it turned out later. Two hours turned into six hours, intensive conversations, and the realization that they wanted to meet again.
This took place only three weeks later in Heidelberg. Besides the fact that Ann-Kathrin had never been to Heidelberg before, she had to learn that Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe were not in Bavaria but in Baden-Württemberg and not hours apart. Max showed her the area, and also the brother was already introduced.