28 Oct 1997
buk@gmx.de

I had an encounter of the unusual kind on Monday during the Scientology-Concert at the Brandenburg Gate here in Berlin. There were a couple of thousands Scientologists, most of them from the US.....and almost none No-Scientologists.

Bid and me got hungry during listening to the concert, so we checked out some of the food-stands for this event there. One was with all sorts of different fried Seafoods, so we decided to celebrate the day with a plate of *fried Clams*.

I went up there to stand in line and sort of drifted off in my thoughts, thinking: "Gee, here I am, right in my cosy home-town, suddenly surrounded by thousands of Scientologists. What a surreal and bizarre scene". But I didn't know, what was yet to come......

When it was almost my turn to order, the person standing behind me tipped onto my shoulder and asked: "Excuse me, do you speak English?"

I said: "Yes" and after slowly turning around, I realized, that it was ..... Helena Kobrin, THE HELENA KOBRIN, who was that person behind me.

but that wasn't all...she then really knocked me off my feet:

Helena asked: "Could you please tell me, what this is?".....pointing onto the image, which read "Muscheln". I was quite startled for a second and then replied truthfully in a firm, slow voice: "Sure, those are *Clams*. *YOU* sure do know, what *Clams* are, don't *you*?"

She didn't recognize my insisting tone and said: "Oh, yes, thank you."...then she asked me to translate another dish as well, but I had never heard of this one before, so she mentioned, that this must be an odd dish then, if I didn't even know it as a German.

After a short pause, I couldn't hold myself down to get this cleared up, so I turned around again and the following dialogue happened:

Buk: "Excuse me for asking, but your first name is Helena, right?" HK (startled): "Yes, how do you know me?" Buk: "I have seen your picture on the Web. You are Helena Kobrin, the Scientology-Lawyer and you are quite a celebrity on the Internet." HK:"Oh, you think so?"

Buk:"You know something: *No one* will ever believe me this. Right here in Berlin, Helena Kobrin asking *me* about Clams. You can understand, *why* I find this extremly funny, that it is *you*, who asks about Clams? You know, what I mean?"

HK (with a tiny, but annoyed smile):"Yeah, I guess so. But can't I just eat, what I like?".

Buk:"Oh sure, you just totally threw me off with your question"

Then I looked for Bid, who stood about 20 feet away and I yelled real loud in my enthusiasm across the crowd of Scientologists: "Bid, Bid, this is Helena Kobrin right here and guess what: She is asking *me* about Clams! Can you believe it?"

Helena and me wished each other then a nice day and I went off with my Clams...but decided, to go up to her once more and tell her, that I had not just seen her picture, but also knew about her work:

Buk: "Excuse me again....Can I say hello to you from Mr. Ward? You do know Grady Ward?"

HK (in a serious voice):"Yes, I do. What is with him?" Buk:"Oh, nothing. I am just a friend of his."

("Friend" was quite an exagerration, I have never even exchanged any E-Mail with Grady. I hope, Grady can forgive me for this)

HK: "You are? Who are you? What is your name?"

Buk:"I am just a local guy here from Berlin. You are the celebrity here, not me."

Then I wished her again a pleasant stay in Berlin, she thanked me for it and we parted. And no, I do not know, if she did order Clams after all.

Some critic suggested to me, that it might have been some setup by the Scientologists, since Bid was likely known, but I don't really think it was. Who can be sure though? I do believe though, that Helena was only having some fun at this Scientology-Event, when she was asking me. And it was *her* in the end, who was really confused, that she had picked - among those thousands of Scientologists - a critic to ask him about Clams at this Scientology-Event.

I sure hope, I didn't spoil the evening for her. The concert really was fun, despite being a Scientology-Event.

Buk