Friday, December 23

At mid-morning the next day, a guest came to the villa that would be spending the holidays with the Von Trapp family. As the guest was ushered into the house by Franz, before the butler went for his luggage, Georg came out into the hall and approached him with a sincere smile.

"Max!" he said happily before embracing his oldest and dearest friend. "It's so good to see you."

"Oh, Georg, you're making me blush!" said Max after their embrace had ended. "I don't remember you ever being so happy to have me back near your pantry and wine cellar."

Georg chuckled, and led Max into the house after Frau Schmidt had taken his winter coat and boots. "I must say, Georg," said Max, looking closely at his friend after the two of them had gone into the library. "You look well. The most well I've seen you since the summer, in fact. Has something happened?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Georg, as he poured a glass of red wine for the both of them. "Or rather, something is about to happen. Just yesterday, I found Maria."

Max gasped and smiled. "Really, Georg? You have? Oh, what a relief that is! Tell me what happened!"

Georg patiently explained all that had happened yesterday, all that he had learned, and what he and the children were planning. By the end, Max looked like an eager little boy getting ready to pull a prank. He clapped his hands once and said, "Oooh! How wonderful! At last, this family will be whole and happy again!"

"I hope so, Max," said Georg. He took pleasure in Max's enthusiasm, but he was afraid to raise his hopes too high before even speaking to Maria again. "I do hope so. I couldn't bear losing her a second time."

Max grasped his friend's shoulder, speaking reassuringly. "Have faith, my friend. I can't count the number of times I've caught you two looking at each other and then blushing. I would have said something then, but I knew you would only deny it, and I didn't want to risk incurring the wrath of Elsa Schraeder."

Georg chuckled dryly and nodded. "You'll come shopping with all of us this afternoon? I need your opinion on…my gift." He said nothing more, but looked at Max intently.

Max, who knew Georg very well, understood the subtext and smiled. "Absolutely."

Maria's day job from 9 to 4 each weekday was as a seamstress, in a high-end dress boutique in town. She had no idea what kind of strings the Reverend Mother had to pull to get her in such a high-end shop, but she didn't care. What she loved most about the job was how hard she had to work. Each job that came in was a challenge that pushed Maria to do better each time. These gowns required all of her concentration when being made; no detail was unimportant, and everything required a great amount of care. The ladies who bought these dresses paid more than she did in two months for a single gown, and they expected nothing but perfection. And Maria was more than happy to push herself to give it to them.

The small backroom in which she worked left little room for dilly-dally. There was but one window and a back door, and the walls were stocked and covered with beautiful fabric. And Maria did not work alone: the other seamstress employed at the boutique was a woman about her age named Joanna. In many ways, the two were complete opposites at work. Maria barely said a word at work; all of her focus was on her current task at hand. Joanna, however, loved the sound of her own voice more than anything. As she worked, she would talk, mostly to herself and sometimes to Maria. Thankfully, Maria was almost never required to respond to anything, so she had learned quickly how to tune out Joanna's voice to nothing more than distant white noise in her mind. The years she spent with her abusive drunk of an uncle had taught her very quickly how to tune out unpleasant sounds.

However, it was quite difficult for Maria to completely tune out Joanna's endless chatter today, for all she could talk about was her plans for Christmas with her family and new fiancé. "And on Christmas Eve, we're all going to gather at my grandmother's house to make Christmas cookies and sing carols. Then we will tell our best Christmas stories while we put a Yule log on the fire and try to get to sleep before midnight, and by Christmas morning all of the children will have run straight for the tree to open the presents, and our living room will be an absolute mess with all of that wrapping paper, it will be a miracle if we can pick it all up before our Christmas dinner of stuffed turkey and ham…"

By now, Maria had the strong urge to hurl her sewing machine at Joanna's head, just to make her be quiet. Though the past few months of sadness had helped her control her tongue and reactions, her temper remained the same. There was only so much of talk like that she could take. But it wasn't until she heard Joanna ask her a direct question that she knew she needed to get out.

"And what about you, Maria? What wonderful plans have you made with your family?"

Maria was already reaching for her coat and purse. Her pride would rather have her die than admit the truth to this girl. "Oh, the usual, a lot like yours," she answered flippantly as she got ready to go out. "I'm going to get my lunch, see you in a bit." And before Joanna could say another word, she had disappeared out the back door.

The crisp, December air and cold winter sunlight were the balms that she needed for her throbbing head. To be fair, Joanna was not a bad person, but she was so self-centered. That question she had asked Maria had been the first time Joanna had ever asked Maria anything about herself. It was no wonder why Maria did not consider her a friend or why she kept her mouth shut around her.

Deciding she deserved a treat for herself after what happened, Maria walked to one of her favorite bakeries and bought a big loaf of cinnamon bread with raisins fresh out of the oven. The smell of it made her mouth water and her empty stomach churn in anticipation. She didn't care if Joanna would still be talking when she got back. Her favorite bread would prove the best distraction.

However, when Maria came to the back alley of the shop where the back door was, she saw a sight that broke her heart. A little girl was searching through the trash can outside the building, filthy and dressed in rags not nearly warm enough for the temperature. Maria felt a huge lump rise in her throat at this terrible sight; the little thing could be no older than Marta, though she was even skinnier and smaller than Gretl. Somehow, she knew exactly what to do.

"Hello," said Maria, her tone gentle and compassionate.

The little girl immediately looked up and stopped what she was doing. Her limp blonde hair was tangled and dirty beyond recognition, and her huge blue eyes nearly popped out of her emaciated skull. The sight tugged at Maria's most tender heartstring.

"What is your name, schatzi?" she asked, crouching down to the little girl's eye level.

The little girl took a long moment to look at Maria, deciding whether or not to trust her. Finally she spoke in a whisper of a voice. "C-C-Clara." She shivered from the cold and from fear.

Maria smiled at her warmly. "That's a beautiful name. My name is Maria. I wonder if you could help me with something, Clara." She took out her big loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread and slowly took it out of the wrapping. Little Clara couldn't keep her eyes off the tantalizing loaf. "I bought this bread for my lunch, but it is much too big for me to eat all on my own. Will you help me?" The child looked so hungry and willing, but she didn't move. "This bread is freshly baked with cinnamon and raisins. Please help me?"

The little girl could no longer resist, and approached Maria. The latter then smiled even wider, and tore off most of the bread and gave it to little Clara. She immediately began to eat hungrily, as if she hadn't had a proper meal in days, which was most likely true.

Watching her eat, Maria asked gently, "Where do you live?"

Clara paused in her eating, lowered her head in shame and resumed without answering.

"Do you have any family?" Maria asked even more gently.

The little girl kept eating in silence.

There is no way she will not have a roof over her head any more. She will freeze to death before Christmas if that doesn't happen.

And Maria wouldn't let that happen.

Without a word, Maria got up and stripped off her own coat and wrapped it around little Clara. The girl looked up at Maria in shock that anybody would do something like that for her. Maria crouched back down to her eye-level. "I would very much like to take you somewhere you can stay, Clara. They can give you food, warmer clothes, can teach you how to read and write, a warm bed to sleep at night, and there are also other children to play with as well. Would you like that?"

Clara, who still looked surprised by the gesture of the coat, took some moments to process this information. Maria waited patiently. She herself had been no older than this little girl when her parents had passed away, and if her uncle hadn't been living, this could have been her. No matter how terrible her uncle had been, he had meant food, education, and a roof over her head. This girl had absolutely nothing.

And Maria would do all in her power to change that.

Thankfully, after a few moments, the girl nodded her head, her eyes pleading with Maria that this be sincere, not a joke or a trap. Maria looked right back at her with a look that said it wasn't. She smiled and said, "Good. We will take care of you now."

Gently, she picked up the little girl – who was lighter than Maria remembered even Gretl being – and started to walk the thankfully short distance to the orphanage where she worked. Little Clara, now bundled up in Maria's arms, continued to eat her bread and unconsciously let her little head rest trustingly on Maria's shoulder.

Maria smiled to herself for the first time all day. She didn't care if this made her late coming back to work, or if it made Joanna even more talkative. This was more than worth it.

The seven Von Trapp children could not get out of school fast enough. There were so many reasons to be excited: school was out for two weeks, Christmas was two days away, and, with any luck, they would be reunited with their beloved Fraulein tomorrow!

They then became even more excited when their Father picked them up from school with Uncle Max, who was always a delight to see. From there, the merry group of nine went into town to the shops. It was a beautiful December day, but not like yesterday had been. Today, the sky had only a few little clouds in the sky, and the December sun shone brightly down upon the snow-covered, mountain-guarded town as it inched towards the western horizon. Everywhere, people walked past each other, bundled up against the cold, shopping and chatting. One could practically feel the Christmas cheer in the atmosphere by the two emotions the people were all sharing: happy and busy.

Max and Georg split off from the children to go to a music store while the children went to a small jewelry shop. They knew exactly what they wanted; thanks to the holiday sale, and them pooling what money they had left saved amongst one another, they were able to get what they wanted. They knew it would go wonderfully with the other gift they had spent most of last night putting together for her.

Soon their Father and Max joined them, and two more items were purchased by Georg, with the help of the children for one and Max with the other.

None of them could wait to see the looks on Maria's face when she opened the gifts.

As the nine of them left the jewelry shop, a voice could be heard down the street. "Brigitta!"

They looked east down the street, and the figure of a blonde girl about Brigitta's age came into view, running up the sidewalk towards the group. "Martina!" exclaimed Brigitta before hugging her best friend from school. "What are you doing here?"

"Christmas shopping with my family," said Martina, pointing behind her to her parents and little brother, who were walking towards them. "We're just about to go see that concert in the town square. Are you going?"

"Concert? What concert, young lady?" asked Max, his eyes getting a familiar gleam as they always did when that word was mentioned. Georg rolled his eyes.

"There's a charity concert in the town square that starts in half an hour," said Martina. "Children from that orphanage run by the abbey will be singing Christmas carols."

Georg's eyes lit up, as did Max's and Liesl's. "The orphanage at the abbey, you say? I believe we know someone who works there."

He said this to his children with a pointed look, and soon they all understood just who would be at that concert – if they were lucky. "Then let's walk there together," said Brigitta, taking Martina's hand. "We would like nothing better than to see that concert."

The town square never looked more beautiful than it did during Christmastime. A huge pine tree was set up in Christmas ornaments and lights. The shops enclosing the square held beautiful, festive window displays that could seduce even the most penny-pinching shoppers. The layer of snow that had fallen yesterday had made all the entire area appear as the inside of a snow globe. In front of the huge Christmas tree, a stage had been put together for the singers.

Maria looked around and took excitement and encouragement from this beautiful setting. So far, everything was going according to plan. She and the orphanage had been planning this concert for the past month. No fee was required, but donations were asked for in baskets that would be passed around. The money would benefit the orphanage, of course; in what way, only Maria and the other employees knew.

It had been a good day so far, with so many distractions like preparing for the concert and finding Clara to keep her busy. She thought of the little girl, now safe at the orphanage, and smiled. It was amazing how much a little kindness could do. Maria had indeed been late coming back to work, but didn't care; it had been more than worth it. Once Clara had been admitted, she'd been given a warm bath, new warm clothes and shoes, ate a good meal, and fallen into a deep, peaceful and safe sleep. She was still sleeping when they had left the orphanage, and Maria took comfort in that. It meant that little Clara felt safe and at peace now.

When Maria looked at the twenty-four children standing near the stage, her heart opened to them. They looked quite a bit scared, and she knew that they had a justified case of stage fright. People were already arriving and taking their seats. So she stood before them and smiled.

"Feeling nervous?" she asked.

None of the children said anything, but most of them nodded, especially the smaller ones. Maria smiled again, and addressed Johannes, a nine-year-old boy. "Johannes, why did you join the choir?"

He looked a little surprised to be put on the spot, but answered promptly. "Because I like singing."

"And you, Eve?"

"Singing makes me happy."

"What about you, Helena?"

"Because when I sing, I feel like I can do anything."

This answer especially pleased Maria, and her smile widened. "Well, I will tell you: that is exactly how I feel, and how everybody who sings feels. That joy is a gift from God. Christmas carols are some of the most special songs of all of the music that exist. Why do you think that is?"

A moment of reflection from the children before Ernst answered. "It's songs about Jesus?"

Next Hedwig answered. "So many people know them?"

Finally, Rupert gave his answer. "Because it celebrates life."

This answer surprised Maria, but when she thought about it, she understood. She smiled at Rupert and the others. "All of these answers are right. Most of all, these songs are so special because these are song that you always feel wonderful singing; we feel wonderful because God does, too." She held out her hands, and all of the group joined hands. "I want you, when you get on that stage and I give my cues, sing with all of your heart. Feel the joy that comes with singing these beautiful songs. Don't sing for the audience first; sing for yourselves first. Sing for all of the reasons I've heard, because of the reasons these songs are so special. As far as I'm concerned, it's just us, and I am so privileged to hear something truly special from all of you, and so is our Lord above."

The twenty-four children all smiled at Maria. Never before had they met anybody who could give them confidence so easily and so quickly. If she said they could do anything, even if for only a moment, they believed it with all of their hearts.

They stood together, holding hands, and said a prayer. With that, they were ready.

From the back of the crowd, the Von Trapps watched as the concert began.

Frau Wilhelmina, the headmistress of the orphanage, stood in front of the children – who stood in formation – at the microphone. "Thank you everyone for coming. At the start of this school year, we resolved to put more emphasis on the arts and teaching them to our children. Our teachers know how important the arts are to everyone, especially children. In the arts, a person find true freedom, and can therefore find themselves. I am honored to show you an example of how much talent and passion for the musical arts we have here. As the performance goes, we will be passing around baskets. We appreciate any donations given and welcome them.

"Now, let me introduce our wonderful music teacher and choir director, who has truly helped bring out the best in these children: Fraulein Maria Rainer!"

Of all of the applause, the loudest applause came from the Von Trapps as their beloved Fraulein came into view and stood at the microphone. The children had a hard time not running straight to her. Georg just smiled seeing her; clearly she was in a better state than he had seen her in, even if only temporarily. He knew that her blush was not just from the cold but from the applause. Hastily she calmed it with her hands, and this made him smile radiantly. My humble darling, you deserve all of this applause and more.

His heart lifted even more as he heard her voice again for the first time in months. "Thank you all very much. There are so many things I could say about these children, their great talent, and how hard they have worked. But my words would be futile, and pale to hearing their music. So please enjoy and do not be afraid to sing along to these beloved songs we all know."

Another smattering of applause as Maria took her conducting place before the choir, though the Von Trapps still clapped enthusiastically for her.

Maria held her hands at the ready, and gave a radiant encouraging smile to the choir. With a wink, she cued and the concert began.

Well, I shall never doubt her magical powers of music again, was Max's thought when the concert had ended. The entire show had been a wonderful success. The children had been absolutely wonderful and sounded beautiful; not a number went by when a large portion of the crowd – at least – didn't sing along. The Von Trapps always sang along, even Georg. His eyes never left Maria.

Perhaps the most heartwarming moment came at the end of the concert. After the children bowed, they revealed a large bouquet of red and white roses for their beloved teacher. Maria, safe to say, looked completely shocked when she accepted them and took her little bow. But she also looked so humbly please that it made quite a few people tear up, just like her. Looking at Georg, the expression of love on his face was so great, Max had no heart to tease him.

When the collection basket came to them, the children happily dropped whatever change they had into the baskets. Georg also put something in, but didn't let anybody see it before he passed it along. When that was done, with a new gleam in his eyes, he turned to Max and whispered an idea to him. This caused Max to smile conspiratorially and nodded. As he walked away towards Maria, he could hear all of the children trying to convince their father to let them say hello to Maria, but Georg stayed firm. It would ruin the surprise they had planned for tomorrow if they saw her now.

He approached Maria, who was still holding her bouquet of flowers, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned from Frau Wilhelmina and gasped at the sight of Max. "Herr Dettweiler?!"

Max chuckled and kissed her cheeks, since her hands were occupied. "My dear Fraulein Maria, it is wonderful to see you again."

Maria stuttered a bit in her shock before she managed coherent words. "Um, likewise! Well, what brings you here?" Max saw her eyes roam quickly around them, and Max knew what she was looking for. But the Von Trapps were on the other side of the square, hidden from view by the dissipating crowd.

Max laughed in response. "Wherever there is great musical talent performing, I cannot help but be there to witness it! What a wonderful job well done, my dear, I mean it. It will never cease to amaze me, how you can organize people and bring out the best in them, especially their musical best."

"Oh, Herr Dettweiler, thank you," said Maria humbly, looking down at the beautiful flowers she still held. Looking back up at the kind man smiling at her, she was at a loss for words for a moment. The two of them had never really talked alone before when they had stayed at the villa. "So…how are you?"

"Oh, I am excellent, dear," said Max, still smiling. "I'm in Salzburg for Christmas, and am staying with the Von Trapps."

Hearing that name again made Maria's heart both lift and fall – if that were even possible. "Oh! And…" She just couldn't help asking. "How…is…everyone?"

His smile became more gentle. "Doing well. Those children are still just as extraordinary and talented as you left them."

"Well, I'm sure they must love having a mother now," said Maria, her tone neutral and freezing her face to hide how much it hurt to say that.

Max's eyebrows went up. "Mother? You are mistaken, Fraulein. There is no new Baroness Von Trapp."

Now Maria's eyebrows went up even higher than Max's. That she did not expect to hear. Remembering the sight of the Captain and Baroness the day she had come back (though she had tried as hard as she could to obliterate it), she didn't understand. "But…I had thought that Baroness Schraeder…" Her voice was barely a breath.

"Ah, well, that didn't last past the summer," said Max, taking on the tone of a friend and conspirator. "Between you and me, her exit was anything but dignified. She tried to convince Georg to send all of the children, even the little ones, to boarding school, and he'd had enough. She left before the children started school, and was never heard from again."

Maria had to work hard to keep her jaw from dropping at hearing this. He's…not married? "Oh…" was all she said.

Max smiled inwardly to himself at a job well done. "Well, my dear, I'm afraid I need to get going. But it was wonderful to see you again, and I'll be sure to tell them all about your triumph tonight." He squeezed her shoulders and then walked away, leaving a still shell-shocked Maria behind in his wake.

When he rejoined the family, he looked at Georg and gave him a satisfied look that said, "Mission accomplished." Georg smiled back at him, and with that, the Von Trapps went back home.

Back at the orphanage, Maria pushed the new, ground-breaking information she had just learned. She would not process that until she was alone. For now, she spent a few minutes with each child of the choir, telling them how wonderful they had been and being honest as she did so. They all went to bed satisfied and happy. Maria had great delight in knowing that tomorrow, they would become even more happy when they learned of the surprise she and Frau Wilhelmina had in store for all of them.

On her way to the baby ward, Maria looked in on little Clara, who was still sleeping in her new bed, cuddled contentedly under the blankets. She smiled at the sight and stroked her newly washed and combed light blonde hair for a moment. "Sweet dreams," she whispered before leaving the room quietly.

When she came to the baby ward, Ingrid was already occupied with a stubborn two-year-old in the smaller, separate room. Glad that she would be alone, Maria walked past the other cribs until she got to Rachel's. The baby was fast asleep; though Maria knew better than to wake a sleeping baby, she had hoped that she would get to see Rachel smile at her one more time. The baby had been one of the few rays of sunshine in her life since coming back to Salzburg, and it hurt to lose her. Maria knew this was selfish, since she was being adopted by a good family, but still she couldn't help it.

Looking at baby Rachel, Maria realized that the baby would have absolutely no memory of her later in life. Maria couldn't help but think of how unfair it was that no one could remember when they were babies. If she did, then she would have so many more memories of her parents to cherish.

With tears in her eyes, Maria bent down over the baby and caressed her little head. In her most soft voice, she whispered sincerely, "I wish you all of the happiness and love in the world, little schatzi." She kissed the sleeping baby tenderly, and then left the room without another word.

All the way walking home, Maria's head was spinning with the unexpected encounter with Herr Dettweiler, and she was still in that state when she arrived back at her solitary cottage.

By the time her head had finally cleared just a little bit, she had changed into her nightgown and robe, her fireplace was lit, a record of soft piano music was playing, and she held a mug of hot cocoa before her as she sat at the kitchen table. She was staring at the telephone that sat there, and her mind was torn about what to do.

One side wanted so much to call the Von Trapp villa, to speak to the children again, possibly even hear his voice again, if only for a moment. If what Herr Dettweiler said was true…But the other side told her that a call from her would not be welcomed. After the way she had left without so much as a goodbye, and not contacting them again since, she was nearly convinced they now all hated her. She could never have the happiness back that she'd had with them that summer; she had no place with a happy family like that.

But how can you know for sure unless you try and find out?

This gave Maria a little bit more courage, and on a whim, she picked up the phone and dialed it before she could stop herself. But then she heard a busy signal on the other end after the initial moment of silence.

Hearing that she hung up quickly, taking it as a sign that she should never have even bothered. Of course they wouldn't want to speak to you. What did you do but leave them in a way they didn't deserve. No matter what that woman said, and no matter what you felt, they deserved better than the way you left. And even if he is not married, how could you ever think he could return feelings for you? Because what are you? Nothing.

And as these thoughts shouted inside her mind, and images of her grandmother, the Von Trapps, baby Rachel, and her parents, Maria could only come to one conclusion: Everything I love in my life, I lose too soon.

She could no longer hold back, and broke down at her kitchen table, burying her face in her arms as she cried and cried and cried.

A Christmas alone seemed inevitable.

After the children had all gone to bed, Georg and Max were in his private study. Georg asked about every single word and detail of the conversation Max held at Maria.

"Are you sure you saw no disappointment or apathy in her reaction to my breaking my engagement to Elsa?"

Max rubbed his forehead, and gave a cross between a sigh and a scowl. "For the thousandth time, Georg, I did not. The poor thing looked shocked, and still looked it when I left her."

After a silent moment, Georg nodded and turned to the window. It would be useless to keep pestering Max for information he didn't have, so he decided to ask for information he might have. "Max, do you recall the night of the party? The Reverend Mother told me that it sounded as if Elsa spoke alone with Maria, thus causing her to leave. What do you think?"

"Hmm," Max said. "Well, that certainly wouldn't surprise me. I actually saw her go upstairs right after Maria did. And when she came down, she said she felt like celebrating, and bragged of how she was now the one who could influence you the most. Of course, these things are not substantial proof, but…"

Georg nodded. Bitch…he thought. Thinking of me as a puppet she was stringing. He sighed and smiled at Max. "Thank you, Max. I will see you tomorrow. And wish me luck."

Max smiled back. "Don't worry, Georg. I have a great amount of faith in this. Also, it's Christmas! If there is any time to have faith, it is now!"

They laughed, and Max left Georg alone. But Georg was not ready for bed; he felt restless. Seeing and hearing Maria again, and hearing what Max had to say, gave him hope and he couldn't rest. He suddenly had a very strong urge to pick up the phone and call Maria, using the number the Reverend Mother had given him. He wanted so much to hear her voice again, to be able to talk to her properly. But then he remembered the plan for tomorrow, and knew he would spoil it if he called.

However, his restless heart won out and, on a whim, he picked up the phone and dialed the number. But there was a busy signal on the other end of the line. Sighing, he hung up the phone and shook his head. A sign that I should be patient. I will see her tomorrow and, with any luck, before Christmas Day is done, everything will be revealed and settled once and for all.

Georg walked to his window and looked out into the winter night, seeing nothing but Maria's face.

There was no question in his mind: the woman he loved would know by tomorrow just how much she was loved, and that was that.