And again, his story just wanted out. It'll explore a little bit of Maria's past in the coming chapter(s).

When I was young

„Fräulein Maria?" Little Gretl sat next to her governess in the shade of a large oak tree. Maria and the children just had a picnic lunch in a remote part of the huge gardens of the villa. In the midday heat, everyone was drowsy and ready for a little nap – except for Gretl, apparently. "Yes, dear?" Maria answered, expecting a typical Gretl question like "why is the sky blue?" or "how do horses sleep?" But the girl's thoughts were on other matters today, it seemed. "What was your favorite song when you were a little girl?" she asked. Maria looked at the five-year-old and began to hum

But the girl's thoughts were on other matters today, it seemed. "What was your favorite song when you were a little girl?" she asked. Maria looked at the five-year-old and began to hum Guten Abend, gut' Nacht – Brahm's lullaby. Gretl smiled sleepily at her governess, resting her little head in Maria's lap and let the soothing song carry her to sleep. Maria also closed her eyes for a few relaxing minutes.

After their doze in the shade, Maria and her charges had an action-filled afternoon. They played games, they even had a very practical biology lesson when Louisa collected one critter or another. And they splashed in the lake, even though nobody was willing to run back to the house to get appropriate swimwear. The children got wet and then their play clothes dried in the heat and sunshine of the day.

Finally, they made their way back into the house – to wash up and to dress for dinner, just like their father wanted them to. Maria went into her room and took a quick shower, relaxing for a moment as the cool water ran down her back. After drying off, she looked for the lightest dress she had made for herself in Captain von Trapp's employ. It was pale pink, her and Martha's favorite color, and the fabric was a lightweight linen, cool and nice to the touch.

She dried her hair, dressed and went towards the rooms of her charges – not expecting how emotionally draining this particular evening would become for her. However, she looked forward to the day's dinner as the baroness had gone to Carinthia in the south of Austria, to "visit some dear friend, you won't mind, Georg darling, will you?" Herr Detweiler was in town tonight meeting with some investors, so it was a family dinner.

A family dinner – as inappropriate as the thought was, that's what it felt like. She had come to love the von Trapps just like she imagined she would love her own family. Sadly, she had not much recollection of what it was like to be loved by relatives. She pushed away the gloomy thoughts and made her way to the nursery to see if any of the children needed her help.

However, Liesl and Brigitta were helping the little ones with their dresses and hair, so everything appeared to be in order. Martha looked up at her governess in awe and said "Fräulein Maria, your dress is so pretty." She had helped Maria select the fabric when they were in town about a week ago, and had naturally gone for her own favorite color. Maria had found a pattern that was not only good for the fabric, but also flattered her slim figure. Today was the first time that she actually wore her creation.

Maria stroked the cheeks of the shyest von Trapp child. "We did well", she said. Martha looked up at her with a question in her eyes. "You chose a beautiful fabric and we selected the pattern together, I only sewed it together." The seven-year-old knew that it wasn't that easy and that her Fräulein had spent quite a bit of time actually working on the garment. She came up to her governess and the two of them hugged. Martha liked that Fräulein Maria never pushed the children away if they wanted to touch her or hug her, even if she had just put on fresh, unwrinkled clothes. She had never known another female who allowed her to do that.

They made their way to the dining room, meeting the Captain en route. He greeted his children warmly and asked how their day in the oppressive summer heat was. He had been in town the entire day, attending several meetings that had long been scheduled. He was tired, but not too tired to listen to his children attentively as has become his habit after their reconciliation. The children told him all about their adventures in the gardens, and not for the first time Georg thought how lucky they all were to have Maria as their governess.

Maria. When had he started thinking about her simply as Maria? Probably soon after their fight by the lake, if he was honest with himself. Maria, the pretty tomboy that the Mother Abbess had sent to his villa in Aigen. The young woman who didn't seem to fit into their lives, but was perfect for them all. When they all took their places around the table, he looked at her for the first time tonight. How pretty she looked in that dress that he had never seen before. Her freckles were quite prominent after days and days in the sunshine, not just the ones across her face, but also the ones on her arms and around the collarbones that were visible tonight. Georg enjoyed the view and smiled at her across the table. Then he nodded at her and Maria said grace, just like she did before every meal nowadays.

Although Captain Georg von Trapp was not a religious man, he appreciated the effort. And he liked the orderliness it brought to the table. Elsa had asked him a couple of days ago whether it was necessary to have "the little governess" say grace before every meal, and he was surprised at his strong reaction. He felt himself get angry at the belittlement of Maria, and had to take a deep breath before simply saying "I don't see why she shouldn't." And that was that. Elsa was smart enough not to pick that particular fight.

Now they were all enjoying their Wiener Schnitzel and potato salad. A good meal for a hot day and hungry children, Maria mused, as the potatoes were lukewarm, just like they are supposed to be and the fresh cucumbers tasted great. Maria valued the excellent food that she enjoyed every day. Never before in her life did she have such a wealth of fresh and tasty dishes. The food in the Abbey was good enough, she supposed, as the Sisters grew their own vegetables and made a point of have balanced meals every day. But they were simple, just like her life at the abbey – and yet they were heaven compared to what she had before, when she was growing up on her uncle's farm high up in the mountains.

It was too cold most of the year to cultivate any kind of vegetables up there, and she hardly ever got any meat. They had a few chickens, so at least she had a constant supply of eggs – but more often than not she had to cook the traditional mash made of eggs, milk and flour that all the farmers ate*. It wasn't especially nutritious, but it appeased the hunger. And it was bland, so dreadfully bland, whatever one tried to do with the thick dough.

The Schnitzel, however, was delicious. The breading had several spices in it, the meat was thin and tender. And then there was the elderflower spritz that everybody drank, even the Captain. The children and Maria had picked the blossoms of the elder bushes and made tasty syrup in the early summer, just after she had started working at the villa. Now they mixed it with sparkling water, a drink that everyone enjoyed. After having eaten their main dish, the Captain clapped his hands and smirked, looking at each of his children in turn. "Now, I have a surprise for you", he said.

They all looked at each other, questions in their eyes. He shooed them out to the terrace, where the air had gotten at least a little cooler – and there on the massive stone table they found ice cream and strawberries. The children were overjoyed and so was their governess. Ice cream was a rare treat. She smiled at the Captain, thanking him silently for having such a good idea.

After everyone sat around the table with their dessert, Gretl picked up her questioning from earlier. "Fräulein Maria, when you were a little girl, what was your favorite dish?" she asked. Maria looked at her for a long while, deep in thought – remembering her limited choices. "When I was very little, I enjoyed mashed potatoes very much", she said. "Did your mother prepare them for you?" Gretl asked. Maria swallowed. "Yes", she said. "Does she still cook your favorite dishes when you come home to visit your parents?"

Maria felt tears come to her eyes. Gretl's questions were so innocent, but they brought back such painful memories. Liesl saw her Fräulein choke up and motioned for Gretl not to ask any more questions. But the little girl misunderstood her oldest sister. "Does she cook different things now, things you don't like?" For Gretl, that was the only explanation why Maria became so sad all of a sudden. "No…, no. She doesn't cook anymore", Maria said. "Is she too old to cook?", the five-year-old persisted. "No, Gretl. My mother died a long time ago", she said through her tears.

Suddenly, her appetite was gone. The vanilla ice cream lost all its taste, and she could feel the Captain's worried eyes on her. She excused herself from the table quickly, before her tears overwhelmed her. While she walked quickly towards the lake, she heard her employer call out to a confused Gretl, "come here, my baby". "Did I ask something I shouldn't have?" she asked her father worriedly. "No", the Captain said. "No, you couldn't have known that her mother died".

The children all felt with their governess. They knew what it was like to lose their mother. But they still had their father. And surely, so did their Fräulein. Liesl rounded the children up and promised her father that they would help them get to bed. "We are all tired. Good night, father." He bid them all goodnight and sat back in his chair.

What had happened? Maria was usually such a happy and sensible woman. He didn't know why she was so upset by Gretl's naïve questions. But then, he didn't know much about her life before she came to be their governess. There must be more to her emotions, he thought. Come to think of it, she talked to the children all the time and encouraged them to share their thoughts and memories of their own mother. But she had never talked about her past, how she became a postulant and what her own childhood was like.

He always assumed that she must have had an intact family; parents, probably several siblings, as was the usual in the average catholic family in Austria. She seemed to be such a happy, balanced young women with so many skills. She was a gifted musician with a beautiful voice, an accomplished seamstress, she could cook and bake, the children had told him. And she had a teaching diploma, something rather outstanding in the days when most women stayed at home and never had a chance to attend university.

The captain wondered, not for the first time, how all the pieces of this Fräulein Maria Rainer fit together. He heard the children upstairs, getting ready for bed. And he decided to go find their governess, to give his support and to lend an open ear if she wanted to talk. But when he turned toward the lake, he couldn't find the tall, slim figure of the young woman that meant so much to his children.

*I forgot what the name of this "dish" was, but the farmers in the Alps actually ate this, several times a week in fact. Needless to say, it was neither especially healthy nor nutritious.

-schnipp-

Disclaimer: I do not own The Sound of Music or any of its characters.

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