He always enjoyed cooking and eating well. Food is still important to Walter K. even now. When he prepares something for himself, it is only “within the realm of possibility,” as he says. The 83-year-old no longer has his own kitchen in his small apartment. But he doesn’t want to complain about it. He has lived in 17 square meters for twelve years. In the summer there are a few more because he can then use a terrace. “I have all the ups and downs of life behind me,” says Walter K. He has experienced a lot of beautiful things and traveled around the globe.
But all the wonderful experiences couldn’t prevent the financial crash. Walter K., who tells the story of his life frankly, but prefers to use a pseudonym, has experienced the heights of the advertising industry. He flew along for a while and earned good money. It must have been a great time. When asked about this, the former advertiser begins to rave. He wrote the scripts for video clips at airports. He was known in the food industry. “I worked like a dog,” he says. And then at some point something went wrong. Relationships have broken down, resulting in expensive divorces. He was generous to everyone else, but he never really looked after himself. “I’ve had enough.”
Walter K. doesn’t have enough anymore. He had to file for bankruptcy. All reserves, including private pension provisions, were lost. Now he lives on a minimum pension of 200 euros and social benefits. He never imagined that he would be dependent on others as he grew older. His social worker is convinced that the overall situation is putting a strain on him, even though Walter K. says: “I’m a happy person.”
In 2015 he had a heart attack. He quickly runs out of breath when climbing stairs and his back also hurts. A few weeks ago Walter K. had pneumonia and the stomach ache turned out to be an umbilical perforation. Emergency surgery probably saved his life. If he could, he would take off again, turn the wheel and take off. But at 83, with a bad heart and back problems, that’s hardly possible anymore. Walter K. dreams of a few more square meters of living space and a disc-friendly chair. Maybe he would then sit down and write his biography – telling about his escape from Königsberg as a child, about the 1950s in Munich, about good ideas – and mistakes in life.
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