There is an imperfection that enters every man and woman’s life from birth. Jews and Christians know it as sin, inherent and inescapable as an inheritance since the fall of Eve and Adam. Hans Calmeyer was not a perfect man, though he clearly strived to better himself at all times of which we know. His charm was a combination of intellect and personable love of people, and being a dreamer who did not much understand or want to understand hum-drum reality. His was a romantic, poetic world filled with wise quotes in deeply meaningful prose and literature. His charm was as an innocent, just as he described himself as “Hans im Glueck” ... a German fairy tale of unmitigated joy in the midst of people wanting to take advantage of the naive and childish hero.

Too often Calmeyer’s charm and being able to weave an enveloping cocoon of a new and comforting story resulted in female relationships that became all too romantic. He had been married after “accidentally” having fathered a child with Ruth Labusch, his wife for all his years. This was in some ways a loveless marriage, but Calmeyer honored it to the end.  Except ...

Calmeyer had multiple affairs, some short, a few longer, one resulting in a child, Michael, that he would not allow to be aborted despite intense pressure from his wife. Ruth also had at least one affair. But this was no “open marriage” in the modern sense, Ruth was jealous and protective, and in fact she managed his whole life, he cared little for the practical issues and tasks of  daily living, she was the manager of both his work and his home, making all money-decisions while he would earn what he could. He was in fact known to be blissfully unconcerned of ever earning money, his wife made sure his clients were billed and paid, he would have gladly worked for free. We know all this from Niebaum’s biography and from anecdotes throughout the archives.

Ines Hentschel came onto the scene in very strange way, as temptations often do:.