In 1979, I participated in a group travel to France with a group of young people from our church. On that trip, we visited Paris for two or three days and stayed in a hotel. I shared my room with another guy called Justus J.

One night in the Hotel, suddenly, the telephone rang, waking us up rather abruptly (remember, that was before the time of mobile phones, just an old-fashioned phone in the room that actually “rang“ with a bell).

I grabbed the earphone…

„Hello?“.

„Hello, is Mr. Justus J. There? This is „ a name I did not understand „from“ a newspapers name I did not understand..

„What is this, how can you call us in the middle of the night? What kind of behaviour is that?“

Angrily and banged the receiver back on the phone, but after seconds, it rang again:

„Hello, I want to talk to Mr. Justus J., is that the room?“

„Yes, but what do you want from us in the middle of the night?“ (angrily).

„Well, he has just been elected Mr. Universe. We would like to have an interview.“

„What is it?“ Justus asked. „You have been elected Mr. Universe.“ I answered. (I am unable to describe the way he looked).

I asked into the phone:

„What kind of a joke is that?

„It is not a joke, I…“

„Please leave us in peace, we want to sleep“

„But who are you? Are you the manager?“

This way, I became the manager of Mr. Universe, although only for a few seconds.

„Listen, we are just two high school boys on a trip to Paris. I am sure this is some kine of mix-up.“

„Em, but the guy at the reception…Em, well, I think there is a mistake, … Eh, uh, I am sorry …“

Then only the tone of the phone. Obviously, I had just lost my new job again.

Later it turned out the Mr. Universe that year was a guy called Jusup Wilkosz, obviously residing in the same hotel. The journalist maybe did not know the name exactly. „Just such a strange name with ‘Jus’…“, and then the guy at the reception had connected him to our room.

Moral: Easy come, easy go!