Neither Buddy Boy nor Lena could agree on where they first met. The topic of their initial encounter was one of many playful points of contention between the pair. Buddy Boy claimed it was at a birthday party thrown by Gottfried, while Lena insisted their initial meeting occurred at a private club booking following a convention. The ongoing debate had elicited chuckles during a few of the numerous dinner parties the couple hosted at their home. Truthfully, the pair had operated in many of the same circles before actually coming to meet. The only daughter of a former senior official in the communist party of East Germany, Buddy Boy was astounded by Lena's sharp business sense which developed in spite of her upbringing in the Soviet satellite state. They came to know each other gradually in the late 1980s, at first pleased to encounter each other so regularly within the context of business related functions, later, going out of their way to meet privately.

Lena was 7 years younger than Buddy Boy, and at the time of their meeting, worked as an executive assistant in a large German real estate firm. Witty, flamboyant, and undoubtedly the life of any party, Buddy Boy was made quickly aware that she was a "going-places" young woman.

They were wed before a large crowd of friends and family in July 1991. She continued working with the real estate firm until 1994 when she gave birth to twins Tanja and Werner in September of that year. In 1995 citing it as both a viable business opportunity, and a way to bring one of her dreams to life, Buddy Boy took it upon himself to provide funds for the launch of a real estate company which Lena would head up.

(The Buddy Boy Chronicles continues next month with Decisions)

* Names, personal details, and certain details have been intentionally obscured in order to preserve the anonymity of the individuals discussed herein.