"Oh, girls, do be careful!" Maria von Trapp giggled as she tossed a handful of flour towards her daughters.
"Mother, look out!" Brigitta called in return as her sister Marta launched an egg her way. Maria gasped, ducking just before the egg hit the shelf of pots behind her.
"Marta! Look what you did," Brigitta mock-accused her younger sister with a giggle.
"Oh, Brigitta, come on now…" Maria scolded before welcoming a hug from Marta. Her short arms wrapped around her mother's neck.
"Mother, are we really going to make cookies?" Marta asked, pulling away to look at her Mother's honest face. Maria glanced around the spacious kitchen, and saw that everything that was once in its place, wasn't. The counters, floors, and shelves were all covered in a mixture of white powder, eggshells, and a yellow substance that was dripping slowly from the shelf.
"I'm afraid not, darling. It seems that we've made quite a mess," Marta looked around the room and then, at Brigitta, and giggled.
"Brigitta, you're covered in flour!" Her sister looked down at herself and gasped. "In my nice dress, too!" she disciplined herself. "But we're all covered in it!" she laughed, sliding onto the floor alongside her Mother. Maria wiped her forehead tiredly, looking around.
"Marta, dear, go fetch Katia and tell her we're in dire need of a mop or two." Maria ordered her daughter before she scampered off to get the kitchen maid.
"Father will be so proud of us!" Brigitta declared with a silly smile.
"And why is that?" her mother asked, giving her daughter a curious look.
"Well, we've pulled a lot of tricks in our lifetime, and this is the biggest one yet!" Maria chuckled.
"Oh yes, he'll be very proud." Just then they heard singing from the hallway, and they instantly recognized the voice.
Louisa and Gretl wandered into the kitchen, Gretl singing 'The Hills Are Alive'. Louisa was beginning to get annoyed, but was even more annoyed when she saw the mess that had been made in the kitchen without her. "You had a food fight without me? Unheard of," she snapped, eyeing the messy room.
"Oh darling, we meant to make cookies but-" "Then Mother threw flour at me, and I couldn't help throwing some back," Brigitta snickered, finishing her mother's sentence. Louisa glared at them both, and then looked at the clock. Four forty-five.
"Ha. Father will be home soon, and you'll both be in trouble."
Brigitta rolled her eyes, "Louisa, you could've joined the party but you and Gretl were too busy playing dolls." Louisa ogled at her sister's comeback. She crossed her arms and slid down to sit next to her sister and mother. "Fine."
"But Mother, what about the cookies?" little Gretl questioned in a truly worried voice.
"Maybe we'll make some tomorrow, darling. I don't think it's going to be possible tonight," Maria said in a tired voice.
"Look!" Marta rushed into the room, Katia in tow with mops in hand. "Oh my…what have you done to my kitchen?" the short, plump woman gasped, taking in the mess.
"We're sorry, Katia, we'll clean it up. Right, girls?" Maria asked, glancing at each of her daughters. She raised her eyebrows when no one responded. Brigitta and Louisa mumbled yes, and the younger girls disappointedly answered, "Yes, Mother." Each girl proceeded to grab a mop, and everyone started to clean. Louisa suddenly began to giggle.
"What are you laughing at Louisa?" Brigitta questioned curiously. "Just…just, you all are covered in flour! We need Father's camera to capture how silly you all look," Louisa giggled into her hand and soon after, everyone began to laugh while they cleaned. Katia looked on proudly at the sight; the Captain surely had chosen the right woman.
"Finally!" Louisa huffed, once they had finished cleaning the kitchen.
"I am exasperated!"Brigitta agreed, wiping her forehead. Tugging on her mother's skirt, Gretl asked, "What does ex-sas-per-ated mean?"
"It means that you're tired, Gretl." Maria answered. Hands on her hips, she looked around the room with a proud sense of accomplishment. "Well done, girls! Your Father will never know." Louisa and Brigitta burst out in giggles at this statement, and Marta and Gretl followed soon after. "Wha…what are you laughing at?" Maria followed their gaze and turned around to find…Georg.
"Oh, Georg!" Maria exclaimed, surprised.
"Franz told me you all were in here," Georg commented, glancing around the room, his suspicious, crooked smile landing on his wife.
Suddenly, Friedrich and Kurt burst in to the room. "Look Mother, Father bought us a cake for dessert tonight!" The children crowded around the delicacy Friedrich held, 'oohs' and 'aahs' filling the air. Georg wrapped an arm around his wife, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Sorry we were away so long." He murmured into her ear. "It's alright; we had a lovely time making a mess." Maria purred back, bravely looking him in the eyes. He returned her loving gaze as the pair ambled towards their children.
"Oh Mother, look!" Brigitta exclaimed, pulling her mother into the circle that had developed around the cake.
"It's beautiful!" Maria remarked, "Who picked it?"
Friedrich and Kurt exchanged a glance. "Father did," they replied with a grin, and everyone turned towards Georg. Maria smirked, for her Georg had always been so tough and determined, but here, here was his soft side.
"Lovely choice, darling." Louisa and Gretl began to giggle.
Georg gave a hearty laugh. "Alright, alright. Go wash up for dinner, children. Uncle Max will be here soon." The children chorused their favorite uncle's name excitedly and ran off towards the foyer. "I should probably change too," Maria added, glancing down at her dress, which was covered in mostly flour and yellow liquid. Georg chuckled, "Agreed. Max will be here in an hour or so."
"And I should be done in time to help you greet him," Maria commented with a smile, kissing her husband on the lips. Georg watched as she drifted into the foyer, and was suddenly reminded how awestruck he was by her beauty. I hope she wears the blue dress, he thought, a devilish grin developing on his lips.
Dear Diary,
Life is better than it ever has been. Mother and Father are deeply in love, and everyone is happy. Even Uncle Max is coming tonight to stay with us for a month or two, and he said he was bringing gifts. Of course, knowing Uncle Max, that could be anything. I've started to read more lately, and with the advice of Brigitta, have begun The Wizard of Oz. It's a marvelous book so far, though I just hope she doesn't spoil the ending. Rolfe has finally gone away to be in the army – something I'm more than thankful for. I think I might be over him, really. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to start courting again. Besides, Father would never let me.
Love, Liesl
Liesl von Trapp slammed her leather-bound diary shut with a dreamy sigh. How perfect life was. For the first time in a long time, her family was blissful and joyous and her father wasn't a drill sergeant. She pressed her palms against the cold stone bench she was perched upon, as if to make sure she wasn't in a dream. Thankfully, she wasn't. What time is it?she wondered to herself. Lately, she'd been spending most of her time deep in her family's garden, taking strolls, thinking about the past and dreaming about the future.
"I hope…I hope I'm not late," she whispered to herself. Liesl knew that if anyone started to wonder about where she was and came looking for her, she would be hard to find. Glancing up at the soft, blue sky, she relaxed; the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud, preparing to set beautifully against the glistening lake. Ah, well…I should go change for Uncle Max's arrival, she decided.
Georg sat in his study, awaiting Max's arrival. He grabbed the Viennese newspaper he'd picked up during his trip to the bakery, and flipped to a random page. It was an article about his mother-in-law-he had flipped to the society section. Not wanting to bore himself with the details of his late wife's mother's life, he turned to the weather section. This week the weather would be all storms and clouds – Maria would be disappointed; she had wanted to take a trip to the mountains with the children sometime.
"Hmmm…" This meant he would have to come up with activities to entertain his family, but mostly Max. His best friend was like a grown-up child, and maybe that was why his children loved him so much. Once Max had even helped the children build a snowman of their father; he remembered the giggles of the children as they watched Georg's reaction – a mix of amusement and disapproval. Georg chuckled to himself, pondering his past for a moment.
The moment was over soon however, and the doorbell rang an impatient total of three times. Georg groaned, standing up from his comfortable chair to greet his friend.
He entered the foyer, and shooed Franz away, which earned him a surprised gaze from his butler. "I've got it." He strode towards the door, opening the door a peep to make sure it really was Max. Upon seeing the scruffy mess that was his friend, he opened it all the way.
"Georg!" Max greeted enthusiastically with a smile. "How good it is to see you!" Georg analyzed his friend's choice of attire – a black bowtie paired with a tan suit and white undershirt.
He shook his head with a chuckle, "It's good to see you too, Max. And your clothes," Georg snickered.
"Oh hush, my clothes are fine. Besides, I don't have your money. Now where is that charming wife of yours?" Max peered past Georg into the house. "She'll be down in a moment, stop being so nosy," Georg told his friend, irritated.
Max rolled his eyes. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Of course, but-," Georg started to say, but he was interrupted by a rather unknown voice.
"Herr Detweiler, where do you want this?" a strong voice interjected.
"Who…?" Georg began to ask, but his question was answered as a tall, blonde boy walked towards the door from around Max's car.
"The butler will get it," Max shooed the boy away, and turned back towards his friend. "You were saying?"
Georg cocked a curious eyebrow towards Max, pulling his gaze away from the boy. "Who is that?" he questioned sharply, glaring at his friend.
"Who?" Max made a confused face, which only caused Georg to narrow his eyebrows even more. "Oh…that is Lukas."
"And why is he here?" Georg grilled, gritting his teeth as he spoke. "He's my…prodigy, of sorts. I thought you would like to meet him. He's staying here with me, if you don't mind," Max answered frankly. Georg watched as the boy lifted two heavy looking trunks out of Max's car and carried them towards the door with no problem. As he came closer to the door, Georg noticed that the boy had very noticeable muscles and was suddenly quite annoyed. "Well-"
Just then, a blur of black, brown, and white unexpectedly pounced on Max. "Get this thing off of me!" he cried, trying to shove the massive figure off of him.
"Here, Gracie!" a woman's voice called from inside the house. Maria appeared behind Georg, who was watching the scene, amused. "Down, girl!" she called in a stern voice. After a few moments, the excited blur backed off and ran inside, scampering towards its owner. "W-what was that… thing?" Max quivered, clearly in shock.
Maria laughed enthusiastically. "That thing was our dog, Gracie. I still haven't really gotten control of her yet."
"I'll say!" Max agreed, dusting his suit off and checking for scratches. "It was like a…a bear attack!"
Georg chuckled at this comment. "I'm starting to like that dog even more, darling." Georg joked to his wife, "Even Gretl didn't scream like that, Max," he added, embarrassing his friend.
"Oh Georg, stop teasing him," Maria swatted at her husband's arm and then declared, "Bienvenue à notre foyer heureux!" with open arms and a confident smile. Georg beamed at his wife.
"Learning French, eh?" Max inquired, an impressed look on his face.
"Oh, yes; Georg's been teaching me, along with some of the children," she replied modestly, petting Gracie's soft fur.
"Well, it's a hard language to learn," Max stated candidly.
"It really is," the blonde boy agreed, strolling up to stand by Max. "My father made me learn it in the fifth grade and I failed every test." Maria was taken aback by the stranger, while Georg was just irritated by his confidence.
"And who might this be?" The question was directed towards Max by Maria, a confused look on her face.
"Maria, this is my, er...prodigy, Lukas. Lukas, this is the Bar-"
"Oh, I know. Good evening, Baroness." Georg put a protective arm around his wife as the boy kissed her hand. He gave his friend a dangerous glare, silently letting him know that he didn't like the boy. Max shrugged; this was just the boy's personality.
"Good evening, welcome to our home," Maria greeted, a warm smile developing on her lips.
"And this is the Baron." Max introduced gingerly.
"Good evening, Baron." Georg studied the boy; his dark blonde hair was perfectly in place, swooping towards the right side of his face and he had medium sized brown eyes that glimmered with self-assurance. His face was chiseled and his body toned, but he ignored his looks-he didn't seem to care or notice. He had a high-class air to him, probably because of his clothes and generally put-together look.
"Good evening…Lukas." Georg replied, a careful tone in his voice. He didn't know what quite to think of the boy yet, and frankly, that scared him.
"Well, come inside you both! Franz will get the bags," Maria strolled into the foyer, and Georg held the door for the guests, watching them, though mostly Lukas, observe the room.
"You have a beautiful home, Baron von Trapp." Lukas ventured with a pleasant smile, glancing around the room.
"Thank you," Georg retorted indifferently. Noticing her husband's dislike towards the boy, Maria squeezed his hand tenderly.
"Uncle Max!" the children suddenly exclaimed from the top of the stairs. Soon enough, Max was enveloped in six children, hugs and greetings surrounding him.
"Yes, yes, I'm here!" he laughed, embracing each of the children.
"Did you see our dog?" Gretl questioned eagerly.
"Oh, he saw her." Lukas snorted with a chuckle. With that comment, everyone's attention was turned toward the tall, blonde boy in the corner. Who is that? Louisa thought to herself.
"Yes…I did." Max replied in an unsteady tone, glancing at Lukas with a cautious face. "Erm, children, this is Lukas." The children eyed the boy curiously. "He's one of my clients." More like victims, Georg wanted to say, but Lukas looked smart. And he was witty, which he appreciated, especially when directed towards Max.
"Clients?" Brigitta questioned her uncle suspiciously.
"Well, you know...I publicize them, help them get jobs and such," Max explained tensely. "Anyways, there are presents in the car." And with that one comment, all six children were off and running outside excitedly. "Ah, there they go." Max chuckled to Georg. "But I only counted six…where is that delightful eldest daughter of yours?" Maria pondered this for a moment, "I haven't seen her all day…"
Suddenly behind them, the ballroom doors burst open. "Uncle Max!" Liesl's voice exclaimed, her trademark grin on her face.
"Liesl! Hello, darling!" Max replied. Georg watched Lukas's face change as his eldest daughter strolled over to the group; his bored face changed to a fascinated gawk, which of course, Georg did not enjoy. His daughter had always been a fascination to his friend's sons. One time, Baron Heifenstag had even whispered to him that his wife wanted pretty grandchildren and he instantly threw the man and his son out of his house. Max embraced his niece, taking notice of the notebook she held.
"Journal writing, eh?"
"It helps…with things," Liesl's voice trailed off as she noticed her father looking at her curiously.
"Oh, how rude of me. Liesl, this is Lukas, my prodigy." Max introduced.
Lukas held out his strong hand, and Liesl, her soft one. Their eyes met as their hands met, and there was an instant mutual connection between the two.
"Hello," Lukas greeted, a smile playing on his lips.
"Hello," Liesl replied safely. She forced innocence into her voice to hide her feelings from the three adults watching. And so it begins, Georg thought with a grimace.