Danielle looked into the cracked mirror; her hand shook as she tugged the fine comb through her matted dark copper curls. Tilting her head sideways she looked into the frosted glass surveying her pale face; doe-brown eyes, Cupid's bow lips and a straight curved nose. A woman coughing behind her broke her trance. She dragged her eyes away from the mirror and scuffled out of the Bambi Kino's bathrooms, hastily glancing at the clock overhead. "Crap!" she thought, "I'm late for work". She grabbed her coat and ran out the door, jumped on her bicycle and peddled quickly over to the Indra club.
Born on the 22nd of November 1944, she was only 15 years old but living by herself in Hamburg in the infamous St. Pauli quarters. She was born in Manchester but sent as an eight year old to live with an aunty in Hanover, West Germany. Her skin still bared the scars her aunt had bestowed on her as punishment for her "wrong doing".
At the age of 12 she ran away, stealing 100DM from her aunt and getting the first train she saw…which lead her to Hamburg. Stumbling around Hamburg she found the St. Pauli quarters and eventually the Bambi Kino. Her "bedroom" was a small broom-cupboard big enough for a fold-up bed, a single light bulb looming overhead- casting a dreary shadow across the room and a small bedside locker. Her rent was 15DM a week and she was content, so long as she was away from her devil "aunt" life was good.
She reached the club and carefully hiding her bicycle behind a large rubbish-bin she stepped into the club. Walking into the backroom, she hung up her coat and put on her tatty apron, while scurrying out of the room she almost walking straight into Bruno Koschmider, the club's owner. He had his arms folded and was looking down on her-eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed, his limp greasy hair stuck to his forehead. Danielle was stunned; generally he never came into the club except for on Thursday's when she would get her weekly wages of 40DM a week for waitressing.
He opened his mouth and in his harsh gruff voice said "Da kommt 'ne Band aus England, die spielen im Club. Von denen spricht keiner deutsch, du wirst alles übersetzen müssen, was ich denen sage". There was a band coming from England, who didn't speak English and she would have to translate whatever Bruno told them. Danielle was ecstatic finally somebody from home who could tell her how everything was going on and who could speak English! Although she spoke fluent German, English was her last reminder of home.
He continued talking "Die sind in der gleichen Unterkunft wie du und ich erwarte, dass du denen die Gegend zeigst, die sollen sich wie zuhause fühlen." The poor band was staying in the Bambi Kino as well and she would be forced to show them around the area were and to make them feel at home. "Well….at least I'll have some new people to talk to" she thought.
Concluding his short speech he said "Halte sie beisammen und schau, dass sie sich anständig benehmen. Ich will nicht, dass die oder ich in Schwierigkeiten geraten." She would have to look after the band and made sure they got up to no bother or trouble, a feat which would be easier said than done. Finishing up his speech, he rubbed his forehead with a handkerchief and waddled out of the club's main entrance. Danielle smiled to herself and began pouring cheap, watered-down beer at the bar, "I wonder what the band will be like" she thought to herself feeling beer slosh over the top of the glass. She put all thoughts of the new visitors out of her head as the usual clientele of sailors and prostitutes began pouring in.